Nothing beats the thrill of horse shopping. You get to spend all your free time purging through ads, websites, and posts searching for that unicorn of a prospect. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a lifelong horseman, sale ads can be tricky to decipher. In fact, a lot of sales ads can be misleading or have hidden meanings. We’ve examined and decoded what sale some ads are actually saying, but of course it’s up to you and hopefully a trainer to ultimately judge and decide.
“Needs Intermediate Rider” - Probably too advanced for you.
“Needs Experienced Rider” - Life insurance advisable.
“Jumping Prospect” - Hope your fencing is high!
“Mouthy” - Make everyone who enters the premises sign a waiver, to be safe.
“Through No Fault of Their Own” - Lies. There are definitely faults.
“Athletic” - Hold on for dear life.
“Easy Keeper” - If this horse LOOKS at grain, he’ll gain weight. Grazing muzzle recommended.
“Call for pricing” - If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford this horse.
“Dead broke” - Could actually be dead.
“Motivated seller” - Red flag, red flag, RED FLAG!
“Needs a Refresh” - No one can tell you when this horse was actually ridden last — or if ever.
“Can be cold-backed” - Ex-rodeo bronc.
“Good mind” - Safe, but unmotivated.
“Finish your way” - All hope was lost training this horse.
“Lots of chrome” - You’re paying for the looks here.
“Can go any direction” - Not started whatsoever.
“Kid friendly” - Every kid who’s ridden this horse has survived thus far.
“More woah than go” - Good luck getting this one to move.
“Lost the papers but can be registered at any time” - Yeah that’s not going to happen.
Now that you know what you’re looking for (and know how to read between the lines), it’ll be easy to weed out the unfit prospects — and maybe you’ll get a chuckle out of a few. If you happen to be selling or are preparing to sell, now you know what people may be thinking and how to tailor your ad. Best of luck!
