There are no laws against owning a horse. However, there are restrictions on where you can own them. Most suburbs or towns, regardless of how small, will frown on you keeping a horse in your back yard if you live in a neighborhood of houses.
Often, one horse per acre is used as a starting point. In some cases, two acres is recommended for the first horse and one additional acre for each additional horse is suggested to prevent over-grazing of pastures.
Horses that are kept as pets and not used for rental or carriage horse purposes do not need a license. However, horse owners, and the horse stable operator where the horse is kept, must be able to provide proof of current rabies vaccination for the horse upon request.
Equine-related contracts sometimes include a “right of first refusal” clause that restricts how a horse can be re-sold. Through these clauses, a horse buyer agrees to give the seller an opportunity to buy back the horse later under certain specified conditions.
Horses that are kept as pets and not used for rental or carriage horse purposes do not need a license. However, horse owners, and the horse stable operator where the horse is kept, must be able to provide proof of current rabies vaccination for the horse upon request.
A buyback agreement is a legal document in which a business owner transfers the ownership of shares back to the company instead of selling them directly to an investor. For example, a buyback agreement can be used when a company wants to repurchase its stock from current shareholders.
One feature of many equine transactions is that the seller often conditions the sale of a horse on the buyer's promise to notify the seller when the buyer wishes to sell the horses and give the original seller a chance to repurchase the horse. This is known as the Right of First Refusal (“RFR”).
A horse bill of sale may detail the horse's name, the size of the horse, its gender, its lineage, markings, colors, and other physical features. This type of bill of sale may also include information about breeding the horse or any warranties if the horse is expected to produce young.
Discuss terms of the agreement with your agent and get them on paper before you begin looking at horses. Standard commissions range between 10 percent and 15 percent and may apply to both the buyer's and seller's agents. Agree ahead of time what your budget will be and if the commission must be included in your budget.