How We Do Things

How we do things:

What exactly do you guarantee? We guarantee that you can trade in your horse for another horse, within 2 weeks, as long as your horse is in the same condition as when you bought it. If a suitable horse is not available to trade within 2 weeks, the trade option remains open for up to 2 months, or 2 trades (so you may trade for a 2nd and even a 3rd horse). Our guarantee is good for any reason. If we must pick up the horse or deliver a 2nd or 3rd horse (traded), we will charge $2.00 per mile for trucking (one way).

What is not guaranteed? We do not guarantee anything else - only that you can trade in your horse for another horse within 2 weeks. We cannot guarantee that a horse will ride the same months later - that depends on how the horse is handled, how often the horse is rode, and many other factors beyond our control.

 Why does your bill of sale say I cannot make any changes to the horse during the 2 week guarantee period, even though I own it? You do own it and you can make changes, but if anything about the horse is changed that we do not like, we may not be willing to take it back. This includes trimming, shoeing, removing shoes, clipping, vaccinating by yourself, vitamins, supplements, etc but does NOT include emergency medical care, routine worming or vet-administered vaccinations.

Am I liable for sickness, injury or death during the 2 week trade-in period? Yes you are - a buyer takes ownership, along with all risks, when they sign our bill of sale and take delivery of the horse. We agree in writing to trade the horse for another if you decide not to keep it, as long as the horse is in the same condition as when sold. If an illness is pre-existing (before delivery), then we are responsible, but we must decide the course of treatment (if any), and we may prefer to take the horse back, treat it here, and give you first chance to take it back when better, rather than you treating it in an expensive manner, and expecting us to pay the vet bill. WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR VET BILLS OR TREATMENT COSTS WHICH WE DID NOT AGREE TO PAY PRIOR TO EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT.

If you buy a horse and it gets cut or injured at your place during the guarantee period, we will likely tell you we will not take the horse back until the cut or injury heals to our satisfaction.

If you buy a horse and discover something that you want to treat within our 2 week guarantee period, you must first check with us before spending any money, especially if it is something you feel we may be responsible for. The main point here: If we end up with any responsibility to help pay for something, we want to decide the course of treatment and the place of treatment - and we may prefer to take the horse back here and handle it ourselves. Our bill of sale addresses this too.

How many horses do you get returned? Of the many  horses we sell,  we  get about 1 out of 20 returned for various reasons, some due to how the horse rides, some due to different buyer issues, like how the horse gets along with their other horses, how the horse bonds with the buyer, etc.   Roughly half the returned horses are resold here privately, and half are sold elsewhere.

Why do we have to call and make an appointment to see a horse? We sell first-come, first-serve, but require appointments so we can have them caught and ready to ride and so you will not be bothered by somebody else showing up at the same time, and to make sure we are even here. We may hold a horse for someone on the day of their appointment, but we may sell it up until that day. By talking on the phone, we can let you know whether we think the horse will work for your intended purpose and riding level. We allow 2 hours for each appointment, even though most take about 1 hour. We really appreciate advance notice if you must cancel an appointment - it saves us a lot of wasted time, and opens a spot for someone else to look too.

If I make an appointment to see a certain horse, can it be sold before I get there? Not on the day of your appointment if you were the first person to schedule something for that horse, but it could be sold to someone coming that same day who scheduled a look before you did, or it could be sold to anyone anytime up until that day. The best way to guarantee a horse is there to look at is put a deposit on the horse.

How can I buy a horse from you when they sell so fast? This can be a problem with certain horses or certain times of year (usually spring and summer), and we know people can get frustrated or disappointed when a horse they were interested in gets sold. Best bet is get on our newsletter  list, and if something catches your eye, call rather than write - we prefer to set up appointments by phone.

How long do you keep your horses for sale? Usually we give them a couple months, especially if we really like them.   Some common reasons horses do not sell include getting overlooked, being too ranchy or responsive, being plain looking (either their photo, real life, or both), being too young or old, being too big, or just because we does not like them as well and do not push their sales or we want to use them ourselves for awhile.

How firm are your prices? Quite firm at first, and then as time goes on (like a couple weeks or more), we are more apt to dicker, lower the price on our website or take less than asked. We do not set our price with the idea that we will get something less - we price horses where we expect to sell them. Of course, you can always make an offer - we will not be offended by any offer made on a horse.

Why do you add sales tax to the horse price? We have to -New York requires that any horses sold, beyond just an occasional horse or two each year, must include8% sales tax, unless the horse is being bought for resale, and the buyer has a tax number, or if the buyer is tax exempt. So, if a private party sells an occasional horse, there is no need to collect sales tax, but if someone sells horses regularly, tax must be collected. In New York, anybody that sells horses regularly must collect sales tax - whether a small dealer, a large dealer, a lesson barn, or a public auction. This varies from state to state - Pa. and MASS.  do not require sales tax on horses, for example.

What if I want to sell a horse back to you after quite a while? If we want to buy the horse back, we will probably offer you somewhere between half and two thirds what you originally paid, depending on which horse and how it is doing. This may seem like too little at first, but we incur various real expenses to get a horse sold, which you will come to realize when you try it for yourself. This is somewhat like the blue book value for selling a car privately vs. trading it in to a dealer. We also take the risk that the horse has learned some bad habits, etc.

What credit cards do you accept? We take Visa, Master Card and Pay Pal, which means anyone can make time payments on a horse, only you make them to your card.

Why should we buy a horse from you? You should buy the right horse for YOU, wherever it comes from. We just hope you will consider us one good source to check out, among others. We believe our written guarantee, free 50 mile delivery, credit card acceptance and good reputation represent real value. Ask anyone else you are considering buying a horse from whether they will guarantee it for 2 weeks in writing - you might be surprised, we were.