First Draft Farms

First Draft Farms Policies

For those of you who feel compelled to copy these policies, please be informed that they are copyrighted and property of Centaur Farms (DBA First Draft Farms)

We build upon and protect our reputation for honesty because that is our most valuable asset. We will honestly represent our horse's health, disposition and training/ability to the best of our knowledge.

We are not a "horse broker" as we own all our horses and they remain in training at our facility until placed in their new home.

We do not consign or sell other people's horses that do not belong to us (with the exception of helping to re-sell horses that were originally bought from us).

On our descriptions of sale horses you will find " Rider Suitability Levels ". We try to evaluate each horse for the lowest level rider the horse will be suitable for and are honest in our descriptions - please look over our definitions and be honest about your riding ability. We will never intentionally over mount you with a horse that is not suitable for your riding level, but we cannot guess your abilities.

Our Horses

Upon arriving at our farm, new horses are rested and observed for a few days while acclimating to our weather and getting used to our routine. They are dewormed with a broad spectrum de-wormer, given bathes and begin our evaluation/training program . During their first 30 days they will be examined by our veterinarian , our farrier and our equine dentist and placed on a treatment/maintenance schedule. We vaccinate with a 6 way vaccine which includes west nile twice a year (spring and fall). Records of all treatment and services are maintained and provided with the sale of the horse.

Your first visit

We try hard to keep a nice variety of horse breeds, colors and levels for sale at all times and it can be overwhelming to come visit and narrow down your selection. Please share with us ahead of time what exactly you are looking for and your riding ability and we can help to steer you in the right direction. Remember, "there is no bad color on a good horse". Try not to get fixated on a specific breed or color, but rather a suitable horse that will meet your needs in riding.

Once you narrow down your selection to a couple different horses, we will ride the horse for you first so you may watch how it travels, what it knows and what training level it is at. Then you may try the horse.

Please come prepared to ride with appropriate clothing for your discipline of riding. Helmets are suggested, long pants and shoes with a heel are required. Why? (Click here)

All riders under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian and must wear a helmet. We provide helmets of various sizes if you do not own one.

All visitors must sign a liability release form whether they are riding or not, as horses (no matter how well trained) are animals and may act unpredictably and even spectators can be "at the wrong place at the wrong time".

Please do not bring small children with you if you intend to ride unless they can be supervised by another adult.

Although we do our best to match horse and rider, you are welcomed (and encouraged) to bring a trainer or friend for opinions and support. Buying a horse can be an emotional experience and an unbiased opinion can help keep you "grounded".

If you intend on trail riding your horse, we can arrange to take you out for a ride off our property once you have ridden that horse in the arena and feel comfortable with that horse. We reserve the right to deny this off property "trial" if we feel the rider and horse are not well suited for one another. If you are planning on trying more than one horse, please try all horses first in the arena before requesting a trail ride.

* Note- all our horses are ridden off the property so we may expose them to different sights and sounds, but not all our horses are comfortable with a new rider, away from the barn and may be more prone to unpredictable behavior. Our liability insurance only covers our guests while on our property. When riding a horse off our property, the rider accepts all liability and Centaur Farms (DBA First Draft Farms) accepts no responsibility for rider injury or death .

Buying a Horse

Once you have found your "dream horse" and it's time to begin with sale negotiations. We price our horses fairly and based on temperament, breed, age, level of training, talent and potential. We are typically not negotiable on price. Sales tax is added into the price of all geldings and mares that are meant for pleasure riding. If you are buying breeding stock (or intend on breeding them), animals to use on a legitimate farm or for your business (i.e. for re-sell, on a dude string, carriage company or lesson program) please let us know as we can usually deduct the sales tax out of the price. *Note - you will need to provide a tax ID number or tax exempt form.

Deposits

We hate to pressure or hard sale, but our popular horses (certain training levels, breeds and colors) sell fast and we hate to see seriously interested clients lose out on a horse they had their hearts set on. If you need a little more time to have a trainer come out to evaluate the horse, do a pre-purchase exam, ride the horse again, arrange finances, boarding, transportation, etc. we will accept a $500 deposit to hold the horse "off the market" for you for 5 days. The deposit will be applied to the purchase of the horse being evaluated. Deposits are non-refundable (except in the case the horse does not "pass" a pre-purchase exam to your expectations or if otherwise agreed upon), but may be applied to the purchase of another horse if you decide against your first pick. Deposits must be applied to another horse within 6 months of the original deposit date. An "intent to purchase" contract is to be read and signed when a deposit is left.

Pre-purchase Exams

After a deposit is placed on a horse you may choose to do a pre-purchase exam. If you do not already have a vet that will do one for you, we can provide a list of local veterinarians that will or you may select a veterinarian of your own choosing. Pre-purchase exams usually run between $175 and $400 depending on the amount of diagnostics you choose to do and can run upwards of $700 for exams including labs and x-rays. The exam must be done within the 5 days, on our property, before the horse leaves and the buyer must be present at time of the exam. You may choose to have the exam done at a nearby clinic if so desired. The exam date must be schedule with us as we will do the transport of the horse to the clinic and back. Transportation to the clinic (within 30 miles of our facility) and back is $100 ($50 each way) and $25 an hour while we wait through the exam.

We welcome you to do an exam, but please keep in mind, when you hire a veterinarian to examine a horse prior to purchase, he/she is basically being hired to find every possible fault with the horse. Many potential buyers can become discouraged and anxious when faults are pointed out on a horse they have already set their hearts on. No horse is perfect. The exams main goal should be to rule out any unsoundness in the horse or potential problems that would keep the horse from performing the type of riding you wish to do (i.e. jumping, driving, roping, etc.). The horse's overall health should be evaluated (conformation, sight, breathing, heart rate, etc.) with that goal in mind.

Should you choose to forgo a pre-purchase exam, you are welcome to evaluate the horse's soundness for yourself by lunging, trotting on a hard surface, palpating the limbs, etc.; however, we will not allow flexion tests to be performed by anyone other than an equine veterinarian as an improperly done test can injure the horse.

Payment

If you have placed a deposit on a horse, the horse must be paid for in full by the 6 th day. We do not have "payment plans". We accept cash, cashier's checks or money orders (must be verified at my bank before the horse may leave the property) and wire transfers. Ownership is officially transferred to you the buyer when money is accepted for a horse and you are accepting the horse "as is" when you take possession of the horse upon pick up or delivery.

Boarding

We do not board horses. If you are unable to move the horse immediately after purchase we will board your horse temporarily as a service to you at a rate of $15 a day. The horse must leave the property within 15 days. During this time the horse will remain on its current feed schedule and will be stalled and turned out separately from the other horses. This is to ensure your horse does not get injured while "playing". If you wish for your horse to remain in its training schedule we can continue to ride him/her for $25 a ride.

Training

We do most all of our own training of our horses with occasional help from some talented friends/trainers in the local area when needed. We do not accept outside training horses but can refer local trainers that we trust if you request.

Transportation

We are happy to provide delivery of your horse to your home or boarding/training stable. We charge $100 for delivery from our facility up to 50 miles and $200 for 50 - 150 miles. If you live farther or we are unable to provide the transportation, we are happy to help arrange transport with one of the many shippers we use. Shipment charges are the sole responsibility of the horse owner and payment must be made directly with the shipper.

Horses being transported out of state are required by law to have proof of a current negative coggins test and health certificate. If we have a current coggins, we'd be happy to give it to you, but if it's expired or we do not have one, it is the responsibility of the buyer to provide proof of negative coggins and health certificate before transport. The coggins tests are usually good for 6 months to a year (depending on the states of travel), but the health certificate needs to be done within 30 days of travel. Please keep in mind the test requires blood be drawn and tested and usually takes a few days to obtain the reports. Cost for both is usually around $75.

Other tips and things to keep in mind

We reserve the right to refuse to sell any of our horses to any person for any reason at any time.

If you are buying a first horse and have little (or no) riding experience, please locate a local stable to take some riding lessons before coming to look at horses for sale (talk about putting the cart before the horse)! It is also a good idea to bring a friend or trainer with you that knows more about horses to help you evaluate prospects for your ability.

Draft horses are "gentle giants", but they are still horses and can run and jump and buck the same as their smaller cousin breeds. No matter how gentle, they are big equines and usually not well suited for small children because of their strength and size.

We do not allow "trial" periods of our horses away from our facility. You are welcome to come ride a prospective sale horse as often as you would like, but because the horse would be out of our care and control, we cannot allow them to leave before being paid in full.

We cannot "buy" horses back, but we will make every attempt to help you sell your horse on a consignment basis if you decide the horse is not right for you or you need to sell for other reasons.

Consignment Sales

If you need to sell a horse you have purchased from us, we will take the horse back for an "evaluation period" (of agreed upon time) to determine the horses current training status and health before agreeing to help re-sell the horse. We reserve the right to refuse to take any horse back that has been mistreated, abused, ruined or injured after leaving our facility. Any shipping costs to return the horse to our facility are the responsibility of the owner. You will remain the "owner" until the sale is final and all sales contracts will be between you and the "buyer".

Consignment fee is 20% of final sale price. The horse must be kept at our facility with a board rate of $350 a month and must be in training at least 2-3 times a week (@ $25 a ride). All advertising costs will be paid by First Draft Farms. All medical and farrier services incurred are to be the responsibility of the owner.

Closing

We are proud to keep in touch with all our clients and wish to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us with any questions after you get your new horse home and we love to get pictures and updates! Thank you for reviewing our policies and we hope to meet you in person soon!