For lacrosse families who are ready to move into another sport, the equestrian arena can seem like an exciting option. If you’ve longed to be that girl who dominates the middle of the field, being Christine Latham or Charlotte North, rather than Megan Rapinoe, buying a horse can be a great way to expand your athletic pursuits in a new direction. But as with lacrosse, proper preparation will be the key to your success if you seek to buy a horse. Horse purchase contracts are some of the most common equestrian-specific contracts that you’ll need to know about, and understanding what makes them unique can help you as you enter the equestrian arena.

This is where the community support we’ve cultivated over the years at Holt Lacrosse comes into play. With Holt Lacrosse, we’ve long stressed the importance of being prepared for games, practices, tournaments and other activities both on and off of the field. Similarly, we know that horse buyers need to be informed and ready before they start shopping for a new horse, whether they’re looking for their first mount or their fifth. So remember, if you’re starting to look to buy a new horse, you’ve found a supportive community here that reminds you of your lacrosse friends.

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Education on this topic will help you and your family to be prepared when innegotiable expenses arise in horse purchases, which will be a giving. Horse purchase contracts contain many terms that you’ll verify, such as veterinary examinations and preliminary testing that you must pay for despite being listed as “contingencies” or “terms.” It’s also important to remember that since there is an order of operations to how a show or competition day goes, you’ll need to be prepared to incur incidental fees that come along with equestrian sporting.

With Holt Lacrosse, we’ve taken a great interest in teaching your families about the fundamentals of contracts so that you can be prepared for playing lacrosse without having to spend money hiring attorneys. Contracts like economic self-sufficiency agreements, 529 forms to set aside educational funds for your kids so that your kid’s spot on the lacrosse team is always secure, and even routine waivers and releases that you’ll need to sign, all require some measure of education so that you understand their terms. Not only are there some routine contract terms that you’ll need to understand as they are related to lacrosse playing, but there are also some miscellaneous terms that require you to have an informed agreement as a lawyer would say. Horse purchase contracts contain terms that are similar in this regard, so you’ll need to take time to read all of your family’s agreements carefully. Additionally, if you’re interested in gaming, be sure to check out the newest PA online casino  for the latest opportunities and bonuses.

For us, it’s about you and your family being able to focus on your athletic pursuits, and having the confidence that when something is presented to you, you’ll know how to handle it. Being informed on all aspects of athletic life not only helps you when you’re in the midst of a game, but it also helps you when you’re off of the field and want to know how to navigate something as simple as picking up your uniform package at the end of the season. Most importantly, it’s easier to navigate athletics when you know you’re prepared for any challenge or opportunity that arises. It’s also harder to feel shocked when something is presented to you, whether you’re angry or otherwise because you knew it was coming.

A horse purchase contract is no different, as rider and trainer Heidi Furlong explains: “Deciding to buy a horse is one of the most exciting and most difficult decisions you will ever make about your riding career. Buying a horse is a large commitment, time wise and financially, and can be a very stressful and overwhelming process. On the horse buyer’s side of the transaction, I find that so many families are overwhelmed when they start the process and are truly just trying to figure the whole thing out as they go along. So, knowing how to avoid contracts pitfalls, how to find a good agent, and all of the other extra stuff that’s entailed in an equestrian transaction, from finding a horse that’s the right fit to getting your horse to his future home, can be invaluable information.”

So where do you start? Sight unseen deals can prove fatal for horse purchases, and failing to have proper agreements and terms in place to protect your investment can result in you losing big if you fail to properly protect yourself. With any horse purchase, you’ll want to think about the ongoing maintenance costs that you’ll need to incur once you do purchase your new horse, which is akin to the kind of thought that we put into our plans for saving up to buy athletic gear. You’ll also want to think about the quality of the agent that your hire, and the kind of deals that you’ll have to negotiate as your deal proceeds.

There are blogs and vlogs that can guide you through the process. A Google search for “buying your first horse” will provide you with many results; alternatively, you can review our blog, which serves as a guidebook to not only what can happen in your horse purchase contract, but also what’s a good deal and how to find the proper attorney to service your needs. If you seek further assistance, attorneys can help you to draft a horse purchase contract by providing the first draft and then sending it to you for edits so that you both agree. You might also seek assistance with your horse purchase contract from a trainer or agent, who can give you the contract, note any changes, and send it to your attorney for review.

Equestrian forums can provide some of the best outside-the-box thinking about opportunities that you’ll have to discuss your contract terms with your lawyer, trainer, and/or agent. These forums also allow people to ask very specific questions about terms, which can help you generally apprehend what’s going on in your contracts. Forums also offer educational opportunities, like clinics generally designed to discuss terms and opportunities in horse purchases, and help to facilitate the negotiation process not only with attorneys, but with others that you might work with while purchasing horses, like trainers and agents.

Equestrian events and clinics generally also offer opportunities to learn more about what you’ll find in a horse purchase contract. For this reason, clinics can give you the chance to speak with experienced buyers, trainers, agents, lawyers, riders, and others who can help you to navigate the world of horse purchases. Vetting processes will be especially important to you and should be discussed as early as possible, as a buyer might want to seek out mariners to train a horse to address additional needs, and might also want to get health information for the horse. As your horse purchases continue, you’ll find that you’ll want to secure high quality feed and hay, so client specification will be helpful for you as well.

Really, knowing how to negotiate your contracts is an opportunity to learn how to negotiate anything that comes your way later in life. When you keep your horse purchase contracts in your mind, you’ll find that they’ll help you to negotiate contracts for anything else from university to graduate school and beyond.

 

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