Advert of the Day

Who thinks this is an appropriate picture to advertise this horse with? Raise your hands please...

Anybody? Gee I sure hope not!

Here's the rest of the ad for this 13.2hh stallion...

Truthfully, I get the impression that the process of breaking to drive is not going well.. now I may be wrong but that photo is not inspiring any confidence here!!

Here is an unnecessary list of reasons this is not a good picture to sell this pony with:
1- pony in high state of p-off!
2- pony rearing in driving gear- definitely not something you want from your driving pony
3- can't see any of the pony properly only the back so can't assess looks and build
4- pony looks like is close to being yanked over backwards by its poor mouth

Anyway, if anyone wants to take a chance on this little fella- the link is here.

Advert of the Day

Here we have for sale on equine now- a blob.

This frankly terrible picture accompanies a horse for sale ad promoting a stallion for stud 'serves' or sale. 

We don't know:

-What height

- How old

- If he has ever been ridden or even sat on!

- What he looks like to be honest, other than that he appears to have four white legs

We do know:

- a breeding would cost 40-80 dollars

- He's a black and white paint

- He loves other horses. 

It's hard to tell what would possibly recommend this horse as a father. Or as someone's new horse for that matter. Please people, put some thought into an advert. Think about what you're trying to say and what your horse's strong points are. And if he doesn't have many, give him some. Get some work into him! 

Advert of the Day

This is why we don't cut manes/forelocks with scissors...

We've all had haircuts we'd rather forget. This poor chap (a gelding I suspect, not a gilden) looks suitably unimpressed with being plastered all over the internet while this particular travesty is at its peak.

'Seriously.... I will kill you...'

Bless. The fact the he's actually being held through barbed wire is a more serious concern- not liking it being so close to his eyes! At least he's a decent weight and has been groomed, albeit perhaps over enthusiastically by the kids mentioned earlier! And his hair will grow back.

If you'd like find out more about him here's his ad on Craigslist.

Advert of the Day

So first of all this ad has a very unfortunate title! 

In addition to the misspelt content it also has some pretty poor and fairly odd pictures- here are the bigger versions:

Umm... can't catch it or something?!

And finally instead of going for a main selling point which would be at least partly supported by the pictures e.g. nice mover, attractive markings, totally unspoilt ready to train etc... they have plumped for.... 

"very quiet rond kids"

Okkkkaaay... I am left thinking I bet it is, because the moment it sees a child approaching it disappears to the far corner of the field and you don't hear a peep from it till they've left! 

Very very erratic and amusing little advert!

Advert of the Day

Here's what's right with this ad.

The picture is reasonable, showing a sweet looking young mare (with growing to do!) in a relatively safe situation. She's quite nicely presented for the photo, really clean and with no tangles in her mane. Ok, not the best angle and the background could be a lot better, but hey, we've seen worse (oh boy have we seen worse).

Here's what's not right with this ad.

Um, pretty much everything else. The content:

Cheeky Girl, 16 months old pacing filly. Bred by Cheeky Chaps to full bred mare (no papers).

Been broken for 3 weeks, doing 25mph, still green. Just started with hobbles.

16 months old. Not even two. Doing 25mph- and we aren't talking light work here people. Here's an illustration of what she's doing on a regular basis on those immature legs:

 But hey. Don't panic folks. This is from a different ad! 

This mare is older! She's a whole 19 MONTHS!!

In a word, ick. 

Advert of the Day

This poor hinny is almost screaming 'get me out of here!'

He appears to be living in a rubbish dump- lets hope that's a Parelli type rope closest to camera and not a random snake..! He also appears to be pretty thin under his fluffy coat- note the outline of his body in this shot:

They only want $15 for him. We have no idea how old he is but are told he is 'not tame'. Future looking bright there then!

Donkeys, mules and hinnies require the same care and attention as horses and ponies, shots, worming, feeding (FEEDING PLEASE!!), hoof care etc. This appears to be severely lacking in this case. Cross your fingers for the poor thing that a kind person picks him up and gives him an upgrade. Here's the rest of the craigslist ad.

With thanks to Horse Forum for turning this one up.

Advert of The Day

Wow, these two look soooo comfortable, don't they?!

This was the only photo accompanying the ad which is selling a small stallion who is being strongly promoted as a comfortable ride for long trails or riders with back problems. Here's the issue. Neither the horse or the rider look comfortable in this shot! The girls expression and her hands, and the horses face, tail and the way he is moving, suggests they are having a real difference of opinion, however momentary. BAD PHOTO TO USE!

That's not even touching on the fact it's blurry.

Finally just how comfortable can you be in what appear to be hot pants and wellies?!

Here's the rest of the ad:
MiniMe as we like to call him is a very sweet stallion he rides amazing very comfortable for someone who likes long trails or maybe has back problems. Looking to find him an amazing home to trail rideor maybe even show since he does have alot of brio and the look for it. He is a lil thin because we did rescue him from a hard situation but he is getting more beutiful by the day. come meet him he wont disappoint

call me or text

He needs to find his new home by this weekend please make an offer.

Mary

might trade for maybe a dressage mount 

Hmm, so sweet he has to be outta there in days... and of course they might trade for a dressage mount. I wouldn't hold your breath folks!

Advert of the Day

Where to start, where to start...

*sniffles* But, but Black Beauty was a friendly horsey!!

Ok, so first of all and most negatively to the advert at first glance this horse looks seriously p***ed as all hell. See close up:

He may be hungry as he looks pretty ribby, or maybe he's just objecting to that godawful piece of thin metal in his mouth. Either way his expression says get the **** away from me. Not the most inviting shot for a sales pitch!

Secondly do you think those front hooves have been deliberately cut out of shot? Because from the knees down they are not good looking legs and I am wondering if the horse is actually sound.

Overall total picture fail. But we go on...

Thirdly 'Quarter Horse, hard to find'. ????. Do you mean he goes to hide in his field? Because I can think of barely any regions in the USA where the Quarter Horse is a rare breed. It's like the UK equivalent of black and white hairy cobs- dime a dozen and everywhere you look.

Finally; 'Horse Starts to Dance', you mean all the time? Your average rider would kind of like a horse that keeps still on occasion please!

Today's short but not sweet ad of the day is brought to you courtesy of the good folks over at Horseforums.com; thanks guys your thread on dumbest ads is a goldmine!

Advert of the Day

Deep breath....









annnnnd GO!



I have a black and white mustang named bandit I'm selling him because I don't have time to ride him or spend with him n it's not fair to the Little guy he's grate horse I had him since he was 8 n he was not broke n he is 12 now I broke him but haven't done to much with him he I have put him on cows and he loves them with some training he could be a really nice cutting horse he learns quit n picks up on hat u r doing he's small but real stocky he is very forward will do anything u ask of him jump run go around a barrel though bushes corn fields he love to swim unsay let's swim give his head he he will run n just about jump in the creek to the deepest spot lol he dose get nerves around people he dose not know but when he gets to know you and trust you he will have a strong bond with you for the longest time my ferrie couldn't touch him unless I was there n now he's good with him I had a girl lease him until she went back to school and just loved him you can ride him a hack a more a bit or haulter he won't eat grass when u r on his back or holding him on a lead unless he knows you say it's ok stands to mont picks up all 4 feet to pick good on cross ties loads very well he just needs some basic work but u can trial ride him alone or with other horses will not kick or bite at a horse or person if u would like to come see bandit my name is Lauren just call or text 267 753 5079 or email

Yep, we have apparently never heard of a full stop!

Who wouldn't want a horse like this he's 'grate', learns 'quit' and stands still to 'mont'. Presumably she has someone to trim and do her horse's feet (a FARRIER) and not a large boat that likes to rub alongside horses (Ferry/Ferrie?!!). 

BTW he looks brown and white to me- anyone else?!

Still a cute little fella who would be a good friend for a kid somewhere- visit the link here if you're interested. 

The breathless wording and fact that the horse is on a funny angle in the  photo just makes it feel like the seller rushed this ad BIG TIME. 

I don't think horse selling ads really need the grammar police coming down on them hard all the time, but your ad should at least be readable enough to make sense!! People are busy and trying to decipher vague or confusing words and sentences is hard work when you've got several ads at once to work through- unless your horse is something extraordinary a lot of them might give up! 

 If you're not sure and are even half aware that the written word isn't your strongest medium, why wouldn't you get someone to read it over for you before you post it- even spell check can get you halfway there!

Thanks Craigslist Philadelphia for this one! 

Advert of the Day

Why do I get the impression this sales piccie was taken during a heavy weekend drinking session?

I find the hand floating randomly in the air a particularly nice touch! And the mare's facial expression seems to say- um my head's over here?

Happy St Patrick's Day- please stop before you forget which end of your horse is which!!

Here's the rest of the content for anyone interested in this sweetie.

Advert of the Day

Today's ad of the day has a slightly different slant, and it made me feel a lot of things. Firstly the cynic in me wondered if it could actually be for real. Then I felt very sad for the kid in question, and finally I felt terrified that someone might actually ring and offer her a horse!

Here it is:

AD CONTENT:

Hello im Kim im a 13 year old girl look i know my prices are small but let me explain my mare (Flicka a black TWH/Saddlebred mare) died on 9-11-11 due to colic for the 3rd time, apparently some horses are like born with a weakness to it which she had she was 7 when she died and i think we got her at 2 years old now im looking for a horse someone can hold for us my dad is taking extra precautions so the horse will be safer than flick was she would have never left us but we didn't make a very good fence with her but now dad said that he is gonna make the best fence in history lol i have been looking at many horses but still have not found one any paints will be welcomed i want to learn cross country so i need a good jumper and fast runner but i'll consider ALL horses i love horses my room is filled with them we have many animals so we are experienced 5 cats, 6 dogs and chickens i have had lots of horses in the past but flick was the only one who wasn't sold here is somethings i need:

-Mare or stallion (gelding will be considered because i may want to breed the horse in the future)
-All horses are welcome Paints will be welcomed with opened arms so will all
-any breed plus mixed breeds
-must be broken and young (2-4)
-Must be low priced

my parents are in debt but they try to get me what i ask for thats why they are great
There are so many areas of concern here that I can barely start.

Flicka a black TWH/Saddlebred mare) died on 9-11-11 due to colic for the 3rd time, apparently some horses are like born with a weakness to it which she had she was 7

Firstly poor old Flicka looks to have been very ill for some time. Can you see in the pictures where her hips and spine are jutting out?

From some of the content I wonder if the family really knew how to care for her properly. I wonder if there may have been something very wrong internally, maybe even a growth/obstruction of some sort. The cost of looking into this appears to have been beyond the owners- but if it was, by no means would I EVER recommend they jump in and get another horse!

my dad is taking extra precautions so the horse will be safer than flick was she would have never left us but we didn't make a very good fence with her

Um... so there wasn't a securely fenced paddock in place for Flicka? Surely this is one of the main essentials for horse keeping!

Perhaps this explains the colic- she may have been wandering into nearby wasteland and eating god knows what. Plus of course the risk of horses getting into accidents and injuring other people...

i want to learn cross country so i need a good jumper and fast runner

For $500 the poster is more likely to end up with something that would fall over a jump instead of take it! Also a horse that goes really fast and jumps doesn't always make a good cross county horse- they need to have that cruising speed, stamina, bravery and the intelligence to measure their fences correctly.

...but i'll consider ALL horses i love horses my room is filled with them we have many animals so we are experienced 5 cats, 6 dogs and chickens...

I am sure the readers of this blog don't need me to point out that keeping lots of different animals does not in any way make you experienced in horse management!

i have had lots of horses in the past but flick was the only one who wasn't sold here

I can only presume that most of the other horses just passed through and may not even have been with the family for long. Therefore any knowledge acquired is probably minimal.

Mare or stallion (gelding will be considered because i may want to breed the horse in the future)

AAAAAH!!! If you are going to buy a horse for about $500 I would bet my WHOLE RIGHT LEG that it's not going to be a good breeding candidate! I am presuming that the bit in brackets is a typing error as of course, geldings are not capable of breeding. Not to mention of course the experience needed to do a good job of caring for a mare in foal and her baby. Never mind safely and securely managing a stallion (without a proper fence possibly?! Feel faint...)...!!

-must be broken and young (2-4)
-Must be low priced

Again for $500 anything nicely broken and that age, fully sound and healthy (this could be where they get duped into taking on something with chronic illness) may be hard to come by.

The continual emphasis of a low price is a constant worry. $500 at current currency conversion rates (from those handy tools online) is only about £300. That's barely 2 months care for my horse. Keeping horses correctly is not cheap and that's assuming things don't go wrong. My horse once spent a few nights in a vet hospital. I had to pay the £250 (about $395) insurance excess, but if she hadn't been insured, I'd have been looking at a 2k vet bill. I tend to agree with the approach that if you can't afford to spend around what the type of horse you really want (in this case an allrounder/ cross country schoolie) will cost you, you probably can't afford to keep the horse anyway.

my parents are in debt but they try to get me what i ask for thats why they are great

Maybe this is why poor Flicka's recurring colic was never properly addressed. :-(

I do feel sad about this whole stituation. Heck I was a frustrated horse loving kid and all I wanted was to ride but my folks couldn't even afford to pay for regular lessons. I worry that the family could end up being presented with a horse that's either dangerous or sick at the price they are promoting. And of course I fear for the welfare of any horse that might end up with them.

If I could have one hope it would be that someone with a stables in the area and the patience to work with young people would call her and invite her over, so she can get the feeling of riding properly schooled horses and learn to go cross country as she wants, without putting herself or another horse at risk.

As an aside, I discovered this ad as I tried to investigate the other side of horse selling- the problem of buyers! More on that later.

Advert of the Day (2 for 1)

Eegads, what is going on here?

This looks uncannily like a woman fighting with a Shetland pony- and not looking that happy about it! Sadly (or perhaps fortunately) the image is very small but dressing it up with the curtains doesn't make it less worrying to an experienced horse person's eye. Finding out the shettie in question is a stallion is even less reassuring. From this picture he appears to be a bad mannered and possibly overly randy little sod.

So you'd be desperate to buy him wouldn't you? Of course! Yes this is a sales picture. No really, it is. Honestly. Proof below:

Soon after being shocked by the above, I came across the following...

Seriously, what's going on there? I presume and hope that the chap was executing a trick of some kind with this gelding, who is nearly two years old. But did he not then look at the picture before posting it and think- yeah, maybe not a good idea that. It looks like he's p-d off and trying to attack me. Which he does! And as we have previously discussed on this blog, teaching a large heavy animal that it's OK to put their front feet and their weight anywhere near a person's shoulders and head is pretty dumb. 

Lesson to learn? If you actually want to sell, maybe say a bit more about your horse or pony's good points before you so accurately illustrate that he's a little ****** or potentially lethal!!!

Advert of the Day

So at first glance this seems pretty inoffensive... Cute little horse, never gonna be a world beater, but nice enough for the price...

Content:

New Forest X Shire Gelding

15hh+ bay New Forest x Shire, 4 years old, not broken although wouldn't take much.

Good in traffic and with farrier, lovely temperament.

Ring for more info.

Price: £350

OK. Got that?

NOT BROKEN BUT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH

Yes?

NOT BROKEN. Young horse, sweet and kind but NOOOOT BROKEN. So can't be expected to know how to behave under a rider of any kind and will need gentle, careful, sensible training.



Scrolled down yet?

AAAAAAH!!! That's high up for someone so little, with no helmet!! Plus one of these little girls is VERY YOUNG! Absolutely of the age to suddenly decide to do something really dumb like just get off. Or lose her balance and grab at her sister. Or boot the horse somehow/somewhere. And he's 4. And he's not broken. AND NO ONE IS HOLDING HIM OR THE CHILDREN!!!! HOW CAN ANYONE THINK THIS IS OK?!!

I feel queasy just looking at this shot- get me social services on the phone STAT.

Again, yes, probably the sort of thing people do a lot, but for the purposes of selling a horse, showing that you think doing something INCREDIBLY stupid is fine enough to share with the entire world doesn't fill me with much confidence. It just scares me half to death.

Advert of the Day

What's wrong with this picture?!

This pony is for sale- are you gonna be rushing to buy him?!

Here's my issues:
What's he got on his FACE?! Why is he tied to the saddle- apparently- is that the only way you can ride him?!
You couldn't be bothered to clean him up a LITTLE bit?!
Same to the saddle cloth- it's gross! Do you EVER clean tack?
BTW is he sweating?! How long did you have to run him around until he'd stand still for that shot?!
You ride him on THAT surface all the time- are you sure he's sound?
Um- how about a hat?

So you might think: brain fried pony with no brakes in the hands of someone who just likes to blast around. Why would you bother taking another look?
Except there's another little piccie, not the main one, of allegedly the same pony out hunting and looking like butter wouldn't melt- minus the bondage gear too!

Something amiss here- wonder if the above shot is from a previous home? Poor pony!! Here's hoping for a good place for him, and someone who doesn't mind cleaning his gear and can use a BRUSH!

Advert of the Day

Electric Annie, Yearling Filly

Electric Annie, 18 month old black and white heavy stepping filly. Excellent blood lines, mother Diamond Cutter bred, grandfather is Diesel.
Very very good forward going stepping filly, will only get better with age. Mouthed and long reined, going well ready to go into cart.
Loss of grazing forces reluctant sale

Mouthed and backed- great yes? Until you see the pictures...

Perhaps they meant DE- mouthed and DE- backed?! An 18 month old little filly, being pounded around hard roads by a guy who is not small and has the balancing ability of a tortoise with an ear infection?! How can permanent damage not be done?!

I just cringed at these shots. Especially the second one- like most normal people surely would, I took one glance and said OUCH. It boggles the mind that someone looked at it and said, yeah, that's a GREAT shot to sell her with. But someone DID!

My brain may have just exploded.

Advert of the Day

Sorry for the absence folks- virus. Ugh.

Anyway I return to bring you this jaw dropper courtesy of Done Deal:

Ok, trotters for sale, no biggie, shown trotting nicely as you might expect, but also shown doing THIS (warning, slightly X-rated).

I am not really getting why they included this shot! Not only is it irrelevant to the ad itself (none of the horses are being promoted and sold on their basis of their being breeding stallions, although hey, apparently one is!), but it is not an attractive shot in any way, by any means, and is also an example of sheer idiocy- a CHILD, wearing NO HAT, clinging to a mare by it's halter for covering is MADNESS- oh and hey he's standing directly in front of said mare who could very easily decide she didn't fancy her date after all and make a sharp exit straight over the top of him.

I am also a little disconcerted by the mare herself, who really looks no age poor thing.

Anyway, erratic and a glimpse of near insanity. Had to make ad of the day.

Advert of the Day

Today's ad is courtesy of Equine Now. No words necessary but THAT PHOTO? Really?!

Hopefully we can believe that this is just a (very) bad moment in time. If not I can't see poor Lola stopping for people who fall off for long... I see her disappearing in a cloud of dust!

Advert of the Day

Sorry for the disappearance all, changed broadband providers, it wasn't as smooth as I thought.

There are certain things I don't like to see in sale ads. One of those things is a horse strapped into position with numerous gadgets while the advertiser assures it works in a natural outline etc... How can you tell if every shot has the horse in draw reins or similar fastenings?!

Anyway- today's ad of the day from Dragon Driving just had me wanting to rush over and undo the fastenings on this poor mare. She looks so uncomfortable!

Hackney X Welsh 14.3hh Driving Mare - Updated
Hackney/Welsh 14.3hh driving mare, liver chestnut 8 years old. Very striking looking. nice paces. 100% in traffic.
No vices, good blacksmith & box.
For further details please call.
Price: £1,500 ono

Not only is her poor jaw under pressure but how tight is the crupper?! What purpose does this get up serve?! Only to annoy as far as I can tell. Sigh.

Advert of the Day

No prizes for spotting the issues in this little ad, but there's something about its simplicity and the information provided that made me smile!