05/19/13

1) What do you look for in your horses?

We search all over the United States for horses and ponies with a certain disposition. Any horse can be trained to perform and ride a certain way, but it's very difficult to change a horse's disposition, they either have it or they don't! Most of our horses are between 6 and 12 years old. We don't specifically seek out certain colors or pedigrees, but those things do effect the prices.

2) Why does your ad say that a horse is in my state?

We place ads and have sold horses in just about every state. Because of the way the horse websites work, there is no way to advertise a horse in Arkansas in another state other than to list it there. Without our advertising you would never even know we existed. We state clearly on our website where we are located, and it's usually one of the first things we talk about on the phone.

3) Do most of your customers come to Arkansas and try the horses?

No, only about 5% of our customers actually fly or drive in to try our horses before they buy them. Because we do guarantee our horses, and shipping is included in our prices, most customers choose not to come here. Although we love it when customers come in, we have references all over the country that we are more than happy to let you talk to.

4) What type of training do your horses have?

Most of our geldings are started on one of several ranches that we work with. They get many miles with wet saddle blankets and have a very solid foundation before they even come to us. They send us the horses with the dispostions that we're looking for that will make great family or beginner horses. Once they arrive here, we work them through a thorough 65 day desensitizing program which includes: tarps, flags, atv's, on the road in traffic, water, loading & unloading, arena and round pen work, bareback, clippers, cross ties, and much more. We try and cover anything the horse might see in a busy family and barn setting. Of course if there are specific things you plan on doing with the horse, we will be happy to work on those while it's waiting to ship.

5) I've seen horses that are cheaper online and at auctions, why are yours more?

Our horses are generally more expensive than what you're going to find at an auction. We pay more for our horses and they are proven before they even make it to our program. We are one of the only places in the country where you can buy a horse that comes with a guarantee. Although some auction horses will come with a guarantee of being sound, there are a lot of interpretations of the word "sound". Many horses are drugged at the auctions to quiet them, many may have other issues that we would consider an unsoundness like cribbing, weaving, biting, refusing to load, etc that others would not consider an unsoundness. Also it's really easy to make a horse appear more trained than it actually is in a small sale ring. Not that a good horse can't be found at a sale barn, but even someone with the best eye and a lot of experience can be fooled. Most of our customers just aren't willing to the take the chance for themselves and their families safety on an auction horse.

6) Once I've decided on a horse that I want, what is the process?

Once you've decided on a horse or pony, we have a Sale Agreement that we will email to you to sign and return. We prefer and most of our customers send a bank wire for payment. It's just as easy and secure as a check, but it speeds the process along and allows us to get shipping scheduled faster rather than waiting on an out-of-state check to clear. Once we've received the payment, we will email you a sales receipt.

7) How long does it take to get my horse, and who brings it?

A general rule of thumb, we ask for two weeks. Many times we can get the horse to you in a week depending on where you live, but we've found that it's much better not to raise expectations and have someone disappointed. States that are to the east and west of us are on higher traffic route for the transports and almost always fall within the two week window. States directly to the north and south of us like lower Louisiana, Minnesota, the Dakota's, could take up to three weeks. We contract with professional transports, most of the companies we have worked with many times in the past.

8) What if the horse just doesn't work out for me?

We try and do our very best at matching the horse and rider on the front end, but there are those rare instances where for whatever reason things don't work out. One of the most common reasons for a horse not working out is other horses. Adding a horse with other horses, mares or geldings, can sometimes change the dynamics and personalities of the horses. Many times we can help you work through those issues, but sometimes it necessitates making a change. In the event that you do have to make a change, we will work with you and can help find transports at the best prices for you.