THE ROLE OF IN ARABIAN HORSE MARKETING Auctions

BY COLLEEN SCOTT

Call John Lambert at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) about a horse that’s for sale in an upcoming Cal Poly auction and be prepared to spend an hour on the phone. “I’m going to ask questions about what you want to use the horse for. I’m going to ask questions about your trainer. Based on what you tell me, I might even recommend a horse that you aren’t even asking about. Not every horse ts every rider. Not every horse ts every trainer. I want to take the time to be sure it’s a good match.”

John’s commitment to not just making a sale, but making a match is part of what has fueled the success of the Cal Poly auctions since he started as head trainer (he’s now executive director) of the Cal Poly Arabian program in 2015. “When I rst came here, the horses were sold through private treaty. But the decision was made to move to an auction system and that made sense due to the horses being state property.”

Since then, Cal Poly has had six auctions with 98 horses having been sold. e most recent was in November, following U.S. Nationals in which nine horses were sold for prices ranging from $3,500 to $100,000. “One of the things I’ve learned through the years is that to make the auctions successful, it’s helpful to time them near shows,” he says. “I go to the big shows, talk to the trainers, tell them about the horses in the auction and nd out what people might be looking for,” he says.

While the Cal Poly auctions are ourishing, John thinks the industry as a whole can do a better job of making all auctions just as successful. “ e public is very smart and you aren’t going to hide anything from them,” he says. “If there’s something wrong with a horse, disclose it. e buyer is going to nd out within 24 hours that you didn’t represent the horse properly. We need to have more auctions and they need to be viewed as a means to buy high quality horses that t a multitude of buyers. Auctions shouldn’t be viewed as a way to nd deals, but a way to nd matches that may be all the way across the country. If we represent these horses well enough and provide enough information, there isn’t a need for the potential buyer to come see the horse in person. I’m seeing the horse in person for them. And if I’m being transparent, honest and I’m disclosing everything I know about that horse, then I’m doing the horse and the buyer a service.”

John would like to see auctions take on a more important role in the Arabian industry. “I think we have failed as an industry to utilize auctions as a way to truly market our horses,” he says. “Too many times horses haven’t been represented appropriately or buyers have wanted a deal or been disappointed because the horse wasn’t what the seller said it was. We need to change that and be honest, transparent and disclose the horse’s complete history. As an industry we’re missing out on a great marketing tool.”

John’s approach to auctions has paid o huge dividends for the Cal Poly program. Having sold nearly 100 horses through auctions, John sees auctions as his best marketing tool. “If I’m honest about the horses I’m o ering for sale, then it will pay o in the long run,” he says. “It can work that way for everyone else in the industry.”

Besides carefully timing the auctions to ensure success, John focuses on building trust, being transparent and providing full disclosure. “When that horse steps o the trailer, I want the new owner to say, ‘ at horse is exactly what John said it was.’”

John’s commitment to wanting the above outcome has provided the foundation of how he prepares for the Cal Poly auctions. He also credits longtime auctioneer Bill Addis with teaching him many auction standards.

“Bill taught me a lot of things,” John says. “One of which was to make sure the videos represented the horses and to get rid of any distractions in the videos.” John is meticulous with his videos. “ ey don’t have to be long videos under saddle,” he says. “Just 45 to 60 seconds of the horse moving.” Horses are shown wearing discipline-appropriate tack. “If it’s a hunter horse, we show it in a hunt saddle, not a western saddle,” he adds. “If it’s a western horse, we’re using western equipment. It’s important to show that horse doing what the horse is intended to do.”

Besides videos showing the horse moving, he also takes video of the horse walking away and walking toward the camera. Additionally, he videos the horse standing still, taking care to move around the entire horse. If the horse has any blemishes or conformation issues, he takes special care to show those in detail versus hiding or downplaying them.

John also measures the sale horses. “If you buy a house and you’re told the house is 2,000 square feet, you don’t want to nd out a er the fact that’s it’s really only 1,800 feet. So, we measure every horse. We don’t guess.”

By following the principles of trust, transparency and disclosure, Cal Poly has found auctions to be very successful and have attracted well-respected and repeat buyers in the industry.