When you select your horse as being offered for sale on the Horse Registration Form, you'll be able to create an ad for him on the www.therrp.org site for free. Having a URL to an ad can be very handy for sharing on social media, especially in light of Facebook's new rules about animal listings!

The Marketplace ad will automatically generate information based on the Horse Registration Form, so in your written description you can skip over things like age, color, gender, height, and breeding information as they'll all be listed already in the ad. Instead, use this space to focus on describing your horse's background, training, show record and any other useful information that won't be represented in his profile.

It's totally up to you as the seller to price your horse appropriately based on his training, show record and natural talent. The average sales price for horses sold through the Makeover is about $8,900; some truly exceptional animals have sold for $20,000 or more. The RRP is not party to any sales transactions, but sellers are encouraged to consider making a 5% donation of the horse's sale price to the RRP to help further the organization's mission.

Be prepared to furnish photo or video evidence with your ad to back up your description -- if you state that the horse is jumping 2'6" courses, it would be prudent to include a video that shows the horse jumping 2'6" courses.

Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are helpful for giving your ad a strong first impression with buyers! You can edit your online ad as many times as you wish through the Makeover and after; the print deadline for inclusion in the hard-copy Marketplace Catalog is August 15.

Photos can make or break your ad: it is well worth the investment of time and energy in good photos. You don't necessarily need to be a professional to get great-quality sales photos (though professionals can make the process much easier!) -- check out our guide on how to take a good conformation photo here. There's no amount of touch-up or Photoshop that can turn a poor-quality photo into a great-quality photo, so familiarize yourself with the basics on how to position your horse, the most flattering angle for the camera, basics on lighting and focus, and overall presentation.

If you're adding action photos to your ad, crisp photos taken at the most flattering moment in stride or over fences will show more about your horse than a blurry cell phone shot or a fuzzy video still.

Sales videos should include footage of the walk, trot/jog and canter/lope in both directions, long enough to show movement and rhythm but not so long as to lose the viewer's interest. Videos should also include any special talents or training that you describe in the written copy: jumping fences or courses at a specific height, performing trail obstacles, working cattle, etc.

Ensure that the subject fills the frame of the video: your videographer help should practice zooming in and out to ensure that potential buyers can really see the horse rather than watching him at a great distance on the far side of an arena. There are many basic video editing apps that will allow you to put together a professional-looking video compiled of several clips.

As described in the Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook, buyers tend to pursue horses for which medical history and radiographs are available, even if those records identify blemishes. Sellers are encouraged to make radiographs and records available to potential buyers, and sellers will find space in their Marketplace listings to state any known medical history and the existence and availability of radiographs.

The Thoroughbred Makeover allows buyers the unique opportunity to watch horses compete at a national venue, trial-ride horses in a designated trial ring at the seller's discretion, and vet horses with a veterinary team from Hagyard Equine Medical Clinic on stand-by ready to perform pre-purchase exams (PPEs).

When stabling and ride times are assigned closer to the Thoroughbred Makeover, your horse's listing will automatically update with this information. Your contact information is also listed automatically. This is how potential buyers will find you at the Makeover; there is no designated time to "show" your horse to a crowd of potential buyers. Sellers and buyers are encouraged to work out their own appointments.

Sellers are encouraged to provide their own waivers for potential buyers to sign before taking a trial ride, and all sellers are reminded that potential buyers need to have the wristband that indicates that they've checked in at the Info Desk before riding. Sellers are expected to provide their own sales contracts, including anti-slaughter language as described in the rulebook:

• Notification of Resale Clause: Buyer or adopter agrees to make areasonable effort to notify Seller when the horse is made availablefor sale in the future.
• Anti-Slaughter Clause: Buyer or adopter will not knowingly sellthe horse to a “kill buyer” or allow the horse to be sold at publicauction for less than $1,000

You are required as stated in the rulebook to report the sale of your Makeover horse, whether or not you formally listed him for sale in the Marketplace Catalog. Sales information is kept confidential though sales prices will be aggregated for statistical use.

The RRP markets the Makeover Marketplace as a unique opportunity to watch, try, and vet multiple horses at one location. While the RRP promotes the Marketplace as a desintation for potential buyers and spotlights individual horses available for sale, sellers are strongly encouraged to market their horses individually using traditional and social media channels as well. The online Marketplace listing is dynamic and can be updated as frequently as the seller wishes to include new information, show results, photo or video throughout the Makeover training process.

Several additional marketing opportunities exist through the Thoroughbred Makeover. All Marketplace sellers will choose from the following three listing options:

• $50 Standard Listing, for inclusion in the online and print sale catalogs and identification throughout the event as a sales horses
• $85 Featured Listing, for same amenities as Standard plus ad featured at least twice on the LED board in the Covered Arena throughout the event
• $100 Premium Listing, for same amenities as Featured plus a prominent half-page ad in the Sales Catalog with larger photo

Additional opportunities are available to reach a wider audience:

• Additional advertising space in the Marketplace Catalog, up to a full page listing

To inquire about additional advertising, please contact Christian Ackman.