Is the market really that bad?
I have a good-looking dapple-gray performance gelding that I need to sell. He is pro trained, has been shown and is big to boot. I have advertised him all over the place, and think I have a pretty good price on him. I have had a handful of Internet lookie-loos, and only one person who came out to actually see him.
What else can I do? How do you sell a horse?

Is the market that bad - in a word YES

Part of the problem is that he is show trained and is just the opposite of what you want which is also what most people are looking for - we sell out each year of trail trained horses...Color doesn’t hurt either (for us anyway)....

My horses either sell as breeding stock or riding horses.... If I advertise a trail horse you can bet it is trail ready. This training does not happen over night and it does not come cheap. I don’t take short cuts in trail training and I refuse to less than what my efforts are worth.

I cant remember the last time I had anyone call for just a show ready horse - the breeding stock they want either show points in place or be of quality to make it to the show ring...

In other words people want guarantees - If a breeder is willing to put guarantees in place then they can charge for that assurance.

- I love your horse (and I am not that fond of grays) If I had the room and the $ for a project horse I would take him on to train for trail - he has the size, the look and the pedigree of a working horse, now he just needs the training....

Try contacting a couple of the larger farms and ask for what they would consider a horse that is perhaps lacking brio, non-show horse that a client is looking to upgrade on - not lacking gait but one that just does not fit into the showering style.

Good luck, I hope he finds a place that can really appreciate his qualities.

There are a few things against selling a "show horse" right now.

1---horse market stinks
2---most folks will wait until spring so they can ride is it trail or show.
3---feed has taken a large jump due to so much going into bio auto fuel
4---most folks don't want a big brio show horse. They want a very laid
back horse that anyone in the family can ride.
5---We tend to think of Paso Finos being of greater market value than
other breeds; around here I can buy registered gaited walking horses
all day long for $750 to $1500. Paso for trail have come way down
in price. Had a very nice 5yo paso mare and her 3yo full brother
gelding offered to me tonight for $2500 and I passed.
6---Hay is projected to be in short supply.

All that being said, I think the big $$$ days for Paso Finos are gone forever unless you have a National Champion Stallion.

A Gelding can't raise babies so no matter what his papers say 98% of the people could care less who's on the papers they will judge the horse for himself only.

Afraid I haven't given you much hope, because frankly there isn't much.

If you keep your gelding 12 months you can figure he has cost you $1200
so if you sell him at the end of 12 months for $3000 [and that will be a hard sell] you would be better off to sell him today for $1800 same money and you haven’t had farrier expense, vet etc.

Sad story but oh so true

This is a good time to trail train your sale horses for quick spring sales and to check the market for gems with just the bloodlines you want in the future at an affordable price.

Bio fuel sales - my humble opinion - look out...we may have a food crisis to replace our oil crisis if selling crops for bio fuels out profits selling food.