Selling Horses Online

Whether you ride for pleasure or to show, or you are a hobbyist or you spend your whole life in the saddle, you will notice that though the horse doesn't change, the market does! Today, more and more people are finding that the buyers are searching online, and if you don't have an online presence, you might as well be invisible. It doesn't matter whether you give riding lessons or would like to put your stallion out to stud; if they can't find you online, you simply won't be found!

The first thing that you need to start with when it comes to putting your horses online is to get a website presence. Depending on your level of internet and computer savvy, this can be quite quick or it can be quite laborious, but you should put some thought into having it done ASAP. Your website presence, in many ways, will be like putting together a shopfront; you want the page to be clean and provide your viewer with all of the information that he or she needs.

When you put up a website presence to market your horses, you will want to make sure that you have plenty of pictures. The more information you can give about your horses, the more likely it will be that you will attract the attention of a prospective buyer. Don't be surprised if you meet a buyer who never comes out to see the horse at all. While this was rare just a few years ago, it is becoming more and more common. With this in mind, you can't count on letting your horse speak for itself; you have to make sure that the best points of your stock comes across through the use of pictures and text. Some innovative presence providers have even systems to upload videos on their pages, letting prospective buyers see the horse in action

Putting up a website is only half of the equation when it comes to marketing your horses online. There are whole online forums, message boards and clubequine communities that are dedicated to the sale and buying of stock, and you will doyourself a lot of good by joining one. This is a great way to make contacts with other people, and you'll be surprised how many references and referrals you might get. Take some time to get to know the other people, and while you should always be polite, don't be shy!

When you go online, spend some time talking with people, but remember that when it comes to marketing horses, much the way it does with everything else, the name of the game is content. Put relevant text and content up on your site; this will make it easier for people who are searching on sites like Google to find you.

Many premium services have content management systems that allow message logs to communicate and store contacts. The really good ones help you market your horse with little or no effort. You simply just list and pay a small fee and they take over automatically.

You already know that your horses are hot stuff, so use your internet connection to make sure that everyone else knows it as well!

A good photograph portrays your horse in his best possible light. A bad photograph, by contrast, draws attention to every fault, no matter how insignificant, and sometimes even exaggerates those faults!

Whether you are advertising your horse because he is for sale or advertising his recent show ring accomplishments, knowing how to photograph your horse correctly is a skill you must develop. If you derive income from your horses getting good photographs of them to put in front of the public is absolutely integral!

So, how do you take good photographs of your horse? Well, the first thing you should know is that it takes a little bit of practice. You shouldn't expect to load your camera, take a few rolls, and be Robert Vavra over night! However, if you follow the following tips you'll be shooting great pics of your stallion in no time.

• Film matters! That's right, use good-quality film such as Kodak or Fuji, and you'll see it really does make a difference. If you are using a 35 mm format opt for 200 ASA. Going digital? The higher the pixels the better.

• Pick the right day. A bright day is good, but pick a day that isn't too sunny. Too much sun will create dark shadows, and can be particularly problematic if you are shooting a dark horse. If you have no choice but to shoot on a sunny day, use a flash to eliminate shadows. It sounds counterintuitive, but it really does work!

• Prepare your horse. Now I know you are not going to stand him up hairy and dirty, but in addition to good grooming you might want to take some extra steps to ensure your stallion looks his best. If appropriate to the discipline in which he participates, braid his mane and oil his hooves. Make sure his coat and his tail are shiny and well-brushed.

Here is something that caught me off guard. Many of our midwest friends are still on dial up! I really assumed that most everyone had DSl by now and was viewing the internet on a 17" screen or better.

Not True! So I wanted to address this issue and so I am currently working on redesigning one of my site within the network http://www.equineinternet.com < not dial up, just explains my concept.

But the site mentioned will http://www.equinefieds.com this will be a craigs list style site for those who want the exposure of 15 sites for the cost of one site. And it will have the loading speed for those dial up friends.

I will post another update as soon as it is finished. Give it a week.

Thanks again.

Ron

• Pick a uncluttered background. A natural background such as a field, woodland, or pasture is a good choice. The barnyard or driveway, no matter how neat and clean, is not a great choice because of the stuff that is bound to be in the background. You want the viewer to be wowed by your horse, not your new Cadillac Escalade. Look at the details before you click! Sounds crazy, but how many amateur photographs have you seen that depict horses with pitchforks growing out of their heads? As improbably as it sounds, I bet at least one, right? It bears repeating-check the background!

• The angle and position of the horse are key. For a full body shot, stand the horse with both front legs together and one hind leg slightly behind the other. To minimize parts looking too large or too small, focus on the middle of the horse, and do not shoot from too high or too low. Make sure the horse looks alert with bright eyes and both ears forward. Horse not cooperating? Have a friend make some noise (outside the frame, of course!) to get your horse's attention.

• Get the right action. If you are taking shots of your horse in action, you'll want to capture his power and impulsion. If your horse is trotting or cantering, try to capture him with his leading leg extended.

• Keep clicking! While skill is most certainly involved, some of the best horse photographs are lucky. That's right. Don't wait for the perfect moment. Just keep clicking and you are sure to get a shot that shows your horse at his best!

Make sure to add us to your favorites I am adding more on this exciting topic coming soon.