08/28/2026
A little follow up to my last post about Phoenix!
First, I want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, offer advice, share their perspective, or reach out regarding Phoenix. That post received significantly more attention than I expected! I am currently working my way through the comments and getting in touch with everyone who expressed interest in him.
While there was a lot of valuable information and feedback in the responses, and it gave me a much better understanding of what potential buyers are looking for when it comes to advertising, I also want to provide a little clarification about why I made the original post.
I have not historically had difficulty selling horses using the methods I have used for advertising. Since I began training and selling horses, Phoenix has simply been an outlier. From the beginning of his training, through regular progress updates, and now through his formal advertising, he has received significantly less interest than the other horses I have had available before. That is what prompted my original post.
It was not intended to be a sob story, nor was it meant to imply that horses aren't selling. I understand that the economy is difficult and that the cost of owning a horse has increased considerably, but horses are still selling and moving. I have also had a great deal of interest in the other horses we have had available throughout the year, as well as those currently coming available. Phoenix's lack of interest has simply been unusual compared with my experience, which is why I was genuinely trying to understand what I might be missing.
I also want to clarify that the original post was not intended to be an advertisement for Phoenix. It was simply a day-to-day life post asking a genuine question. I am a one-person operation when it comes to the majority of this work. I train full-time, manage the day-to-day care of the horses, help manage a breeding facility, handle photography and videography, create advertisements and marketing, maintain social media, hold appointments, visit with clients, and communicate with both current and prospective clients. Some days I have limited help, and many days I do not have any at all.
There is a tremendous amount that goes into presenting and selling a horse, and I am always trying to improve how I do it. I completely understand the frustrations of potential buyers as well, and I want to make the process as straightforward as possible. At the same time, a little patience, respect, and understanding goes a long way in either direction.
One of the biggest things I have been trying to figure out is exactly how much information buyers want presented in a single advertisement. It seems that many people now expect the complete picture in one post: photos, videos, pedigree, history, training information, price, location, etc. rather than having to look through additional posts or albums. I get that I really do.
Unfortunately, Facebook has made that more difficult on our farm page. From what I have experienced and tried to research and figure out, it is no longer possible to include both photos and videos together in the same post on the page, even though that was previously an option. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find a solution to that and it has been messing with advertising here specifically for me.
Originally, I created individual albums for the horses so that someone interested could go through the album and see their photos, videos, progress updates, and other posts almost like a timeline of their time here and their development in training. I still like this method and will continue using it to some extent because it also helps me keep track of each horse's progress, but I am going to experiment with additional advertising methods that may present the horse more effectively as others seem to be asking for.
At this point, the most practical solution I have found is to primarily advertise from my personal page, where I can put all of the information together in one post as last time I checked that is still an option, and then share that post onto our farm page here. I can also include links to additional videos, when necessary, although Facebook has recently been inconsistent about keeping those links functional, and not everyone is able to open them. I've had trouble with that myself and I've been seeing a lot of that happening to others advertising.
I genuinely try not to waste anyone's time because, quite honestly, I don't have much extra time to waste myself.
So, moving forward, I am going to continue experimenting with how I present the horses while keeping the information accurate, thorough, and reflective of the individual horse. I do still like including pasture photos, everyday pictures, and candid moments because that is real life with these horses. They aren't standing in a photo shoot 24/7, and I think there is value in showing them as they actually live and work here. However, I have learned from the responses that this isn't necessarily what everyone is looking for in a sales advertisement, and apparently is scaring people away, so I will adjust accordingly if it's ever for literal adverisement.
I truly appreciate everyone who provided constructive and appropriate feedback. I am always willing to listen, learn, and improve what I am doing. This has given me a lot to think about, and I think it will ultimately help me do a better job presenting the horses going forward.
The one thing I would ask in return is that potential buyers please take a moment to thoroughly read the information provided in an advertisement before asking questions. If the price, location, age, breed, training, or other basic details are already listed, please double-check the post before asking, as many of the questions I receive are answered directly in the advertisement. A little research doesn't hurt either, not only delving for more information on a possible prospect, but it will help you learn who you are buying from which a lot of people could actually benefit from with all the scam and con artists in the world. It isn't difficult and while you might consider it to be wasting your time, but honestly, it's worth it regardless.
I absolutely don't mind answering questions or having conversations with potential buyers, that is part of the process, and I am happy to do it. I simply ask that the effort go both ways.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to contribute to the conversation. I appreciate it more than you know, and I am looking forward to putting some of the suggestions into practice. ❤️
