Selling a horse is a big job, and often a sad one. This guide takes you through it one step at a time, from getting the horse and its papers ready to getting paid safely. Many of our selling guides talk about ponies, but the advice works just as well for horses.
Step 1: Decide whether to sell or loan
Selling is simple and final. You get the money, and the new owner takes on all the costs and choices.
A loan is different. The horse lives with someone else and they look after it, but you still own it. You agree the rules in writing, and you can usually have the horse back if things go wrong. Our guide to loaning your pony out works the same for a horse. Loan adverts on Pony Search are free: see family horses for loan.
If you need a quick sale and don't mind less money, a dealer is another option. See selling privately or to a dealer.
Step 2: Get the horse ready
Buyers judge what they see on the day.
- Fitness. Keep the horse in regular work, so it can do what your advert says. Our fitness guide explains how to build up slowly.
- Feet. Book the farrier so the horse is freshly shod or trimmed before viewings.
- Teeth. If a check is due, book the horse dentist or vet. Sharp teeth can make a horse fussy in the mouth, and a buyer may think it is a schooling problem.
- Records. Find the vaccination record and any vet, worming and farrier history.
- Turnout. Clean, groomed and at a sensible weight. Tidy it up, but don't hide anything.
Step 3: Check the passport and microchip
This is the law, not a nice extra. In the UK, every horse, pony and donkey must have a passport. GOV.UK says you must provide the passport when you sell or give the animal to someone else. So check it now, before anyone comes to view:
- You have the passport, and it is for this horse. The colour, markings, sex and age should all match.
- The microchip number is in the passport. In England, owners can be fined if their horse is not microchipped. Horses born before July 2009 may never have been chipped. If yours isn't, ask your vet to chip it and update the passport. Scotland and Wales have their own rules, so check the guidance for where you live.
- The vaccinations are written in and signed by a vet.
If the passport is lost, contact the organisation that issued it straight away. A replacement takes time, and it can change the horse's food chain status. Our guide to passports and microchips shows what buyers will check. The official rules are on GOV.UK.
Step 4: Set an honest price
There is no official price list for horses. Look at similar horses for sale: about the same age, height, type, schooling and temperament. Then be honest about where yours sits. A kind, sensible horse that is easy to handle is worth more than a flashier one that is sharp. Age, soundness and what it has really done all count.
A little room for haggling is normal. But if the price is too high, the right buyers scroll past. If you get viewings but no offers, the price may be too high. If you get no enquiries at all, look at your photos and words first. See our pricing guide.
Step 5: Take good photos and a video
A phone is fine. Pick a dry day with soft light and a tidy background, and stand the clean horse square on level ground. Take a side-on photo of the whole horse, a head photo, and ridden photos in walk, trot and canter. Add a short video of it being ridden, and ideally caught and handled too. Don't use filters or old photos. Our guide to sale photos has more tips.
Step 6: Write an honest advert
Buyers want facts. Cover:
- The basics: age, height, sex, breed or type, colour and where you are.
- Temperament: how it behaves in the stable, in the field and when ridden.
- What it has done: hacking, riding club, Pony Club, shows or jumping, and how often.
- Who it suits: for example, a confident teenager, or a careful adult who mainly hacks.
- Quirks and vices: a vice is a habit such as weaving (swaying from side to side over the stable door) or crib-biting (biting on a surface and gulping air). Also mention things like napping (refusing to go forward), bucking when fresh, or disliking the clippers.
- Health: any known problem and how you manage it. See selling with a health issue.
- Why you are selling.
Every Pony Search advert also answers the questions families ask most. Is it good in traffic? Does it hack out alone, and in company? Is it good to catch, shoe, load, clip, and good with children? You answer yes, no or not sure. If the truth is "most of the time", explain in your description.
Honesty also protects you. The horse must match what you say about it. If you lie, or hide a known problem when a buyer asks, they may be able to undo the sale. See our guide to writing an advert.
Step 7: Choose where to advertise
You can use horse selling websites, general classified sites, Facebook groups, a dealer or an auction. We compare the main UK options, with their costs, in the best horse selling websites in the UK. Many sellers put a full advert on one site, then share the link on social media.
Pony Search takes horses from 14.3hh to 17.2hh in its Family horses section. It is for families: the horse a teenager moves up to after their last pony, or a parent's own horse. Horses are listed there, not on the pony pages. Buyers can also browse first horses, happy hackers and cobs. A horse advert costs the same as a pony advert: £14.99 for a Standard advert, which runs for eight weeks, or £29.99 for Premium, which runs for twelve. There is no commission. During our launch, your first Standard advert for a ridden horse or pony is £1 with code LAUNCH50. The section is new, so it is still small. You can build your advert and preview it for free, and only pay when you publish.
Step 8: Handle enquiries
Reply quickly and politely. Ask questions back. Who will ride the horse, and how experienced are they? Where will it live, and who will help them? A phone call before a viewing tells you a lot. You don't have to sell to the first person who asks.
Take care with anyone who won't speak on the phone or wants to buy without seeing the horse (see Step 12). Don't post the passport or microchip numbers in your advert, as scammers can copy them into fake adverts.
Step 9: Show the horse safely
- Never do a viewing alone. Have another adult with you, and tell someone who is coming and when. Get the buyer's full name and phone number first.
- Let them see everything. Let the buyer watch the horse being caught, groomed, tacked up and ridden. Don't ride or lunge it before they arrive. A buyer is right to worry about a horse that is already tired.
- Ride it first. You or your usual rider should ride first, so the buyer can see how it goes. Then let them ride in an arena or a fenced field first. They must wear a riding hat and proper boots.
- Check your insurance. Make sure your cover includes other people riding your horse.
A second visit is normal. Some buyers ask to take the horse home on trial. You don't have to agree. If you do, put it in writing: how long, where the horse will live, who insures it, and who pays if it is hurt. Our viewing safety guide shows what a careful buyer will expect.
Step 10: Let the buyer have a vetting
Most careful buyers will ask their own vet to check the horse before they pay. This is called a vetting. The buyer picks the vet and pays the bill. You provide the horse, the passport, a flat place to trot up and somewhere to ride. The vet checks the horse's identity and microchip, and may take a blood sample to test later for painkillers or sedatives.
A vetting is good news for an honest seller. It settles questions before the sale, not after. Our guide to vettings explains what happens.
Step 11: Get paid and do the paperwork
- Write a receipt or simple sale agreement. Include both names and addresses, the date, the price, the horse's name, passport and microchip numbers, and anything included, such as tack or rugs. Write down what you have told the buyer about health and behaviour. Note that the horse is sold as seen after their own checks and vetting. Both of you sign, and each keeps a copy.
- Deposits. If a buyer pays a deposit to hold the horse, write down whether they get it back if the vetting fails.
- Wait until the money is in. Bank transfer is usual. Check your own banking app, or call your bank. Don't trust an email, text or screenshot from the buyer. The horse and passport stay with you until the money has arrived.
- Hand over the passport with the horse. GOV.UK says the new owner must contact the passport organisation within 30 days to update the ownership details. Remind them. Keep a photo of the passport pages and the receipt.
Our guides to safe payment and paperwork and deposits and receipts go into more detail.
Step 12: Spot the scams
Scammers target sellers as well as buyers. Watch for these:
- Overpayment. A "buyer" pays more than the price, says it was a mistake, and asks you to send back the extra. Their payment then bounces, or was never real, and you lose what you sent. Never send back an overpayment yourself. Ask your bank what to do.
- Transport fees. A buyer who can't come to see the horse says their transporter will collect it. They ask you to pay the transporter first and promise to add it to their payment. The transporter isn't real.
- Fake proof of payment. An email or screenshot saying the money has been sent. Only trust your own bank account.
- Bank details. Nobody genuine needs your online banking login or a code sent to your phone.
If you think you have been scammed, call your bank straight away. Then report it to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 101. Our guide to scams and red flags has more warning signs.
Step 13: After the sale
- Take the advert down or mark it sold.
- Give the new owner the useful details: feed, routine, quirks, and your farrier and vet.
- Once the horse has gone and the money is in, change or cancel your insurance.
- A one-off private sale is not usually taxed. Buying and selling to make money may count as a business. See tax when selling a horse or pony.
It is normal to feel sad. Some new owners are happy to send updates, so it is fine to ask. You have done your part by being honest and choosing carefully.