An advertisement with a picture will attract more attention than one without, and may be the difference between securing a serious enquiry or your horse being overlooked altogether. A good, carefully selected picture can tell the buyer a lot about whether this horse is for them. Try to consider the following guidelines on photographs to accompany a ‘horse for sale’ advert.
Always Include a Photograph or State one can be Supplied
There really is not much excuse in these days when photos are so easy to get and many people even have cameras in their mobile phones, not to either have a picture in the advert of the horse for sale or mention that photos can be emailed by request. A picture can paint a thousand words, and with advert words often limited, or involving extra costs the longer the written part of the advert gets, this really can save you a fortune.
Ensure the Picture is Clear and From a Good Angle
Remember that the photograph you supply will probably be much smaller in its final form, especially if it appears in printed media like magazines. Don’t supply blurry out-of focus shots which will not reproduce well and will tell the buyer very little. Take the picture from the best angle to show off your horse. Many people try to snap their horse by standing back and holding the lead rein at the very end- this can make the horse’s heads look large and not show much of their body, so either try and have someone hold your horse or try and take a picture loose in the field, again from a sensible angle. Fully side on is usually most informative for the buyer, giving a good idea of the horse’s condition, build and conformation.
Clean up the horse first!
It sounds obvious but the buyer would like to see the horse’s true build and colour, not a mud monster which could be a completely different shape underneath! Going out and snapping a horse with knots in its mane and tail and filthy patches all over its body suggests that you don’t care much about it, and the buyer may wonder if you are just desperate to get rid of it. So take time to have the horse groomed and looking its best for its sales shot. You’re not likely to get the best possible price without a bit of elbow grease. Having worked on the horse don't take the picture when it is dozing, try to have it standing square and alert with ears pricked. Rustling something will usually get the horse's attention.
Only have One Horse in the Picture
Take a shot with only the horse that is for sale in it, to make that horse the star of the picture and avoid any confusion over which is actually being offered. A very nice horse in the background could make yours look ordinary by comparison. You certainly don’t want to waste the limited words you have on saying ‘the horse is the bay on the right of the photograph’ and the last thing you need is lots of calls about that darling chestnut behind your horse who is not actually for sale.
Pay Attention to the Background
The background should be simple and clear, a field or a wall perhaps that won’t blend into the horse’s colouring- so a light wall for a dark horse and a dark one for a light horse. Fussy, messy backgrounds will probably confuse the horse’s outline once the picture appears in press and don’t look very nice. A scruffy untidy yard or even your driveway full of a car and children’s toys is not a great backdrop to the horse you are trying to sell for a substantial price.
Make Sure People in the Shot Look Professional
It’s best if anyone appearing in the picture on the ground or on the horse looks safe and professional. You may loll on your horse hatless and in trainers and jeans every day, but for the purposes of a sale ad, it’s best to wear correct, safe riding gear and sit up straight! This just helps give buyers the impression that you know what you are doing and the horse will have been correctly handled and schooled while in your care.
Use an Appropriate Picture
Present pictures that help to indicate what the horse is capable of. If the horse has not been broken in, it is probably best to get simple conformation shots of the horse not in a saddle and bridle, even if it is has been introduced to tack. Pictures of the horse wearing tack can lead people to assume that it is fully rideable and make enquiries based on that assumption. If the horse is a good performer and being advertised as such, with an appropriate price tag, an action shot may be preferable, but remember that the buyer would really still like to get a good look at the horse. A long distance shot of your horse clearing a very impressive fence may not be best for selling purposes- a closer shot of a good jump over an ordinary fence may be much more suitable.
Use some careful thought and put some effort into a sale picture, and it will help you get the best possible price, and perhaps more importantly, the best possible home for your horse.
Paula Sainthouse - Paula Sainthouse holds qualifications in psychology, public relations, horse management & animal behaviour.
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