Tonkawood Farm
Policies and Evaluation Process
Tonkawood matches our horses to our buyers for the benefit of both.
If a customer and horse do not match, it is our position that the horse suffers
as much as the owner. Each animal has a place and a job. Our aim is
to make sure both are happy. After you purchase a horse
from Tonkawood Farm, you have seven days back at home to ensure that your new
horse is the right match for you. If you feel that you and your new horse do not get along for any reason, we will gladly
TRADE you out for another horse. The "turn in horse" must be returned to
Tonkawood in the same condition as it was purchased. A picture of the
horse will be recorded. If a decision to return the horse is made by the
new owner, the owner must come back to Tonkawood and determine what a suitable
trade will be before bringing the original horse back to Tonkawood. The trade horse must be evaluated and accepted by the
customer/owner and
by Tonkawood. After that transaction has completed, the retuned
horse must be then delivered back to Tonkawood in the SAME condition. The returned animal will be
checked by our veterinarian as
to its condition. The responsibility of the vet cost will by born by the
Buyer. If all is well, the new horse will be traded. The new
trade will be given and the traded horse will be accepted by Tonkawood. If the
original animal
does not return in good condition and does not pass our vet exam, we have the
right to refuse the return of the animal and cancel the trade option.
Our trade assurance is limited to a 7-day period from the day the horse leaves Tonkawood. No horse will be accepted as a return to Tonkawood after the 7 day period of evaluation. The responsibility for returning the animal to Tonkawood rests with the Buyer.
What is our evaluation process?
Each Horse is thoroughly checked for soundness. We check the teeth, feet, and general health condition.
After the health exam, every horse is evaluated for temperament, ground manners, and blacksmith manners. We determine if they can be clipped, bridled and saddled easily. We continually look for what we call "holes" in the animal. We look for some possible personality trait that could render them unsuitable for a child or an amateur. We turn all our horses out in a big pasture and assess their pasture personality. We determine if they are aggressive, easy or hard to catch, and what their place in the herd environment is.
We then put each horse through a rigorous evaluation for riding. Some make wonderful trail horses but do not like a ring. Some are great ring horses; some are show prospects for eventing, hunter/jumper or dressage. Some love trail work and shine in that area. Some are worriers, other are bold and have a great heart for jumping. The most difficult of all are the ones that we seek to evaluate as "bomb proof" trail and children's mounts. These horses must undergo trail riding over rocks, in the pasture with other horses, goats, burros and cattle. The horses are taken out on the road to see if they are car proof and level headed away from home. We see if they will go away from the herd, away from other riders out on their own. We then determine if they will load in a trailer easily and travel well.
Clearly some horses are NOT perfect. If we determine that a horse has some problem that we can clearly identify on a continuing basis, we make the determination ourselves what a suitable buyer for that animal can and will be. We do not give up on a horse if we find a problem that we can clearly identify. We alert a buyer and a combined decision can be made as to the suitability of the horse for that buyer. It is our belief, that bad horses are not born, but made by human intervention. Many horses have had a "hard row to hoe", and as a result can have some issues. In these cases buyers are carefully screened and evaluated for their suitability for such a horse. There are problems that do not pose a danger to riders or people such as stall weaving, cribbing etc. If we alert our buyer to the potential behavior of the horse, then an informed decision can be made by all with the best interest of the buyer and the HORSE in mind. After the period of evaluation the horses are then offered for sale.
Many ask us where we
find our horses. After moving to Texas from Minnesota, we decided to get back
into the sales of horses as we did in Minnesota. (Please see the
About Us
page on our home page) After visiting a number of private parties and newspaper
ads, we determined that was not going to work as there were to many wild goose
chases for us. We have established a network of horse dealers throughout a five-
state area. These people call us when they find the horses we are looking for.
When they do, they are delivered to us for evaluation and purchase. We pay top
dollar for our horses and do not quibble over a good one. We therefore have the
first look at most of the best animals.
We believe a good horse is worth money as they do their job, and deserve an owner that cannot only afford the initial purchase price, but the upkeep and general care as well. We ask you as the potential buyer what YOUR qualifications are to own one of our "special ones". We believe a horse and rider are a partnership. Safety and quality of your riding time is very important and can be very dangerous on the wrong horse. Good horses are worth what we pay for them. We ask many people if they would drive a car with a known defect that could cause an accident? The same holds true with a horse. You put your trust and your BODY on top of them. Clearly a good safe animal is a prerequisite for safety and fun. Any horse can have a bad day, or can get scarred or have a mishap, but generally a safe, level- headed animal will "take care of you".
We tell all our prospective purchasers that we represent the horse in the deal. We seek to place him or her in the right environment and job so they can live a successful productive life of respect and good care.
We reserve the right to refuse a sale to any party that we do not consider suitable for our animals.