RESERVATION, CONTRACT AND PAYMENT
Step 5 — Reserve the horse and finalize the purchase
When you have found the horse that suits you and you want to move forward, the purchase enters a more administrative, but essential, stage.
Before final payment, you must clarify the horse reservation, the VAT situation, the contract or invoice, the payment terms and the moment from which the horse becomes your responsibility.
At IberHorse, we assist you with these formalities so that each step is clear, written and understood before proceeding.
RESERVE THE HORSE BEFORE THE VETERINARY EXAMINATION
When you really like a horse and want to arrange the pre-purchase veterinary examination, it is usually necessary to reserve it before sending the vet.
This reservation allows the horse to be blocked for the time necessary to organize the examination and prevents it from being sold to another person during the process.
- If the veterinary examination concludes that there is a medium or high risk and you do not wish to proceed with the purchase, the reservation will be refunded.
- If the veterinary examination concludes that there is a low risk and you ultimately decide not to buy the horse for a personal reason, the reservation is generally not refunded.
- If the examination is favorable and you confirm the purchase, the reservation amount is deducted from the total price of the horse.
The reservation is not an additional payment: it is deducted from the price of the horse if the purchase is confirmed.
UNDERSTAND VAT BEFORE YOU BUY
VAT can change the final amount to be paid.
It depends on the status of the seller, the status of the buyer, and the country of destination of the horse.
VAT APPLICABLE
Professional seller
+
private buyer
VAT is added.
at the price of the horse
Spain:
21 %
Portugal:
23 %
Professional seller + professional buyer
Both parties are located in the European Union and have a valid intra-community VAT number.
VAT: 0%
Buyer outside the European Union
Whether the buyer is an individual or a professional, VAT is not applied at the time of purchase.
Import taxes and formalities will be settled in the country of destination.
Private seller
A private seller cannot issue an invoice with VAT.
The sale is made without VAT, with a sales contract.
Before any booking or payment, IberHorse clearly indicates whether VAT applies to your purchase and what total amount should be expected.
CONTRACT, INVOICE AND TERMS OF PURCHASE
The purchase of the horse must always be confirmed in writing, with a sales contract.
When the seller is a professional, an invoice is also issued.
Before the contract is signed, IberHorse prepares the purchase conditions in writing, in clear and easy-to-understand language.
These conditions include the important elements negotiated before the purchase: price, reservation, payment terms, departure of the horse, any boarding fees, castration if agreed, necessary documents and any other specific point.
This allows you to calmly review each point, verify that everything corresponds to what has been agreed, then sign the sales contract and proceed with payment in full clarity.
PAYMENT AND HORSE DEPARTURE
Payment for the horse is usually made by bank transfer.
Before any payment, you will receive the necessary information in writing: amount to be paid, bank details, possible reference and conditions agreed with the seller.
Cheques are not accepted.
The horse will not be able to leave the seller's stable until full payment has been received.
It is important to anticipate bank processing times. Depending on the bank and the country, a transfer can take several days to arrive in Spain or Portugal.
If transport is already arranged, the funds must be received before the truck arrives at the stable.
IberHorse helps you coordinate these deadlines to avoid delays.
LIABILITY AND INSURANCE AFTER PURCHASE
The horse does not always leave the stable on the same day as the purchase, but your responsibility begins as soon as the sale is finalized.
Once the contract is signed and the horse paid for, the horse belongs to you.
From this moment on, you become responsible for the horse, even if it remains with the seller for a few more days while transport is being arranged.
The seller continues to care for the horse and provide it with the usual care, as a boarding stable would. Their responsibility therefore includes the horse's daily care, monitoring, and supervision.
On the other hand, certain risks inherent to the life of the horse — sudden illness, colic, an accident not related to negligence or an unforeseen event — fall under the responsibility of the owner.
During transport, the carrier has its own insurance for damages for which it is responsible.
But a health problem affecting a horse during transport is generally covered by the owner's insurance, not the transporter's.
We therefore recommend that you arrange insurance as soon as the purchase is confirmed, so that the horse is covered until it arrives at your stable.
BEFORE FINALIZING THE PURCHASE,
YOU MAY BE WONDERING...
You do not sign anything until the purchase conditions are clear to you.
IberHorse summarizes the important points of the sale in simple language, so that you can review them calmly before committing.
This is a common situation.
The horse can stay with the seller while transport is being arranged, but the conditions must be defined in advance: possible boarding, usual care, planned departure date…
The horse will not be able to leave the stable until full payment has been received by the seller.
That is why it is important to anticipate bank processing times, especially for international transfers.
At IberHorse, we coordinate payment and transport to prevent a truck from arriving before the funds.
As soon as the sale is finalized, the horse belongs to you.
The seller or transporter remains responsible for actions that fall under their own care or intervention, but certain risks related to the horse itself are covered by the owner's insurance. For this reason, we recommend insuring the horse as soon as the purchase is confirmed.
AFTER PURCHASE
Once the reservation, purchase conditions, contract, payment and insurance have been clarified, the sale can be finalized under good conditions.
IberHorse ensures that every important point is written down, understood and validated before moving on to the next step.
The next step is to arrange transport for the horse.
STEP 6 – ORGANIZATION OF TRANSPORT