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Consultations

Whether buying or leasing a horse, finding boarding, or considering a horse-property purchase, don't risk going it alone! Let our years of experience in the horse industry provide you with the objective insight you need to make a successful decision that you won't regret. 

Help for horse shoppers

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     This is a service previously only offered to my horseback riding clients, but now is available to others, as well. If you are a first-time, inexperienced or conscientious horse shopper at any stage of the horse-buying process, there are several different ways I can assist you to make the sure that the experience is as painless as possible and that you end up with the best possible equine partner.   

     The kind of assistance I provide will vary based on your situation, needs, background, and where you currently find yourself in the horse-shopping process. If you are not currently taking riding lessons with me, I may need to observe you a few times with my lesson horses to determine your current level and see what kind of horse would be a good match for you. Services can include such things as budget consultations and adjustments for horse ownership, boarding facility evaluations and recommendations, short and long-term goal setting, helping you sift through ads to search for appropriate candidates, referrals to dealers, breeders or trainers who specialize in the type of horse you may be interested in, and making contact with my extensive network of equine professionals to alert you to private or unadvertised prospects on the market. I will spend time teaching you how to optimize your internet searches by using targeted keywords that will yield the most appropriate results, and I will also save you a considerable amount of time, money and heartache  by showing you some things that you'll want to avoid while horse-shopping.

     Once you (or we) have a few potential candidates chosen, I can help you determine if a particular horse will be a good fit for your or your family's needs by talking directly with the seller, researching the horse's history (when possible), accompanying you to meet the animal, and trying him myself to test any particular claims made by the seller and to ensure his suitability to your level.  If I am satisfied that the horse was not misrepresented in any way and that he seems safe, I will procede to watch you interact with and ride him, then I will listen to your impressions  and give you helpful feedback. I can give you my informed opinion of the horse's fair market value and make negociations as needed with the seller. 

     Finally, if you and I think you have found a strong candidate and you would like to bring him home, I will walk you through the process of getting a pre-purchase vet exam and help you interpret the results. If there's any question about a horse's capabilities or his suitability to your level and interests, I will discuss your options with you so you can make an informed decision that will be in everybody's best interest. I will advise and assist you in the logistics of transporting the horse to his new home, as well as acquiring all of the necessary documents to legally do so.

     Don't delve into this process alone! Contact me to schedule an appointment or for more information about this service. 

We can evaluate your level on our horses....
...then evaluate your prospects. 

Horse-Property Consultations    

 

     If you are considering buying a potential horse property or converting your current property into housing for your horses, we can help you go over the details to make sure everyone's needs will be met (both the four-legged and the two-legged creatures). We can make recommendations on such things as what kind of equipment you'll need for maintenance, zoning restrictions, infrastructure, pasture rotation and management, weed and mud control, and much more. We can also help you determine how many horses a particular piece of land can comfortably hold and what the environmental impacts may be.

     If your interest lies not in buying but in boarding, we can assist you in finding the best facility for your needs, budget and location. Contact us to find out more. 

Let us help you turn the property of your dreams into the horse property of your dreams!
Pricing

 

The exact cost of the consultation will depend on what your needs are and how many travel miles it entails.

For help with horse shopping from start to finish (if you are not a current student), a base price of $100 includes:

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  • an innitial meeting (or meetings) to suss out your needs and discuss your experience and goals 

  • An evaluation of your current level, conducted at our barn in Golden with our horses 

  • a tutorial on using online resources and keyword searches

  • a discussion about pre-purchase veterinary exams, equine health and soundness and equine BCS

  •  Information on what to expect from an initial visit with the seller, some red flags to watch out for and how to identify "the good" versus "the bad" and what to do in case you encounter "the ugly"

  • Help conducting searches for your new horse and contacting sellers

  • Referrals to vets, farriers, tranportation, and other services

  • assistance in finding lodging for your new horse and in obtaining the proper legal paperwork for horse transportation and ownership

  • Information on fair market value of horses of interest and negotiating with sellers when necessary

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To accompany you on trial visits (within reasonable distances from Denver), an additional charge of $40/trip will be assessed. 

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For current horseback riding students, only the per-trip charge applies!!!

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For horse-property consultations, a base price of $100 can include:

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  • an initial meeting or meetings to suss out your needs, budget and other pertinent information

  • help contacting sellers and searching for properties

  • evaluating your current property and making suggestions

  • help navigating government websites and public information on zoning, building permits, etc.

  • tutorials on "green" horsekeeping, pasture management, horse-friendly landscaping, property maintenance, necessary equipment/materials, and infrastructure evaluations 

  • assistance in finding and evaluating boarding facilities 

  • other services as dictated by your actual needs

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An additional charge of $2/mile will be assessed for any travel that may be necessary. 

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