Hidden Ponds Ponies and Gypsy Horses

1. Do you allow pre-purchase exams on horses?

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Yes! And we encourage it on horses greater than two years of age. Because vets are now scheduling weeks out quite often, we have two options available. The first is that you may book the exam without a deposit, but the horse will not be held for you and will still be marketed and offered for sale. If the horse sells, we will notify you so you may cancel the exam. Alternatively, you can put down a non-refundable deposit of $1000, which is applied to the purchase price, and I will hold the horse for up to two weeks for a pre-purchase exam. Although I try my best to know each horse and be fully honest about their health history, I can't always know what is going on inside of a horse and therefore not only do I request PPEs on most horses that I buy, but I have no problem with PPEs being performed on horses that I sell. 

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Horses must stay on the farm for all PPEs. The buyer may use any vet of choice that will attend the farm. Buyers are responsible for all costs associated with the PPE. Buyers have 24 hours after test results come through from the PPE to make a deposit or the horse will be offered again for sale. 

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Please note that even if you have expressed interest in a horse the horse is not being held for you and is still for sale unless you have put down a deposit. Horses are held only with a deposit. 

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2. Do you allow for additional genetic testing on a horse I am interested in buying?

 

We do a full panel genetic color and disease panel on all potential breeding stock, and we perform a pssm1 test on all geldings, regardless of parentage status. We do this in order to know what we are selling and feel confident standing behind it. However, occasionally someone might want results run through a different lab than we use. While we do allow additional testing to be performed, this is at the expense of the buyer and we require a $1000 deposit while test results are being run. Additional testing can be run through the University of Kentucky, which already has the horse's DNA on file for parentage verification, so you know that the DNA that was used has to match the horse you're interested in. We guarantee all color and genetic disease results will match those we received on colts, stallions, mares, and fillies, and pssm1 test results only on geldings. In the event that our test results differ from those given by the University of Kentucky, we will refund this deposit. In the event that the results match, the deposit is non-refundable but will be applied to the purchase price of the horse. 

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3. Can I board my horse at Hidden Ponds?

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We do not accept boarders. The reason for this is that we are predominantly a breeding farm and do not promise to have the facilities available offered by facilities that are strictly used to board horses. The safety of our mares, stallions, and foals come first. Hidden Ponds is a private facility.

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4. Do you offer live cover at your farm for your stallions?

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We offer very limited live cover on our farm to our stallions outside of the normal breeding season and only for stallions that are not away at training. Availability is from July through September for our stallions. As we are a show facility also, stallions may not always be available. Mares must be vaccinated for tetanus, rabies, influenza, and EHV1 and 4, have a current 30-day health certificate, and have a current year negative coggins test. We do not accept maiden mares for breeding, or mares with a foal at foot.

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5. What are your visiting hours?

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Hidden Ponds is a fully staffed working farm, and as such, we are very busy. This is our home first and foremost, and we are not open to the public. We are available by appointment only. Please contact us here to set up an appointment.

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6. Do you offer payment plans on horses for sale?

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Yes we do! We offer payments on foals through and for a short time after weaning, and short-term payments on older horses, to make your gypsy dreams come true! Visit this page for more information.

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7. Have you ever sold a horse sight-unseen?

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We sure have, and that's how most of our horses were bought! We take lots of photos and videos to help buyers decide if it is the right horse for them when they cannot visit the horse in person. Videos are posted on our Facebook page. Our horses have moved from Minnesota to Florida, South Carolina, California, Oregon, Texas, New York, and everywhere in between.

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8. Do you have more photos and videos of your horses for sale?

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Yes! Most of our photos and videos are uploaded to our Facebook page. This is publicly viewable and you do not need a Facebook account. We post new photos and videos at least a couple times a week.

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9. Do you allow photographs to be taken at your farm?

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We offer photo tours of our farm for visitors who wish to take a photo tour. Learn more about it here!

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10. How much is collection and shipping and do you offer a live foal guarantee?

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Collection and shipping costs are set by the vet facility and are not negotiable. Collection and shipping within the US runs around $500 per shipment for fresh cooled semen. We have a Live Foal Guarantee with fresh cooled semen. For frozen semen, shipping runs around $100 per dose and there is no collection charge. For Canada, collection and shipping of fresh or frozen semen runs around $900 USD. Because it is so expensive to ship to Canada, we offer three frozen doses and up to three live foals at a special rate.

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Please note that any of these rates are subject to change at any time, based on changes to shipping rates, legal shipping requirements, and veterinary requirements. Rates were last checked 6/24/21.

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11. What is your experience with the breed?

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Hidden Ponds is both a breeding and showing facility. We attend breed shows and open shows locally and around the midwest. In addition, Kari is the founder and president of the Minnesota Gypsy Horse Club, a 501c3 non-profit, has helped to organize the two Gypsy breed shows in Minnesota, and is on the show committee for the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society. Kari has travelled all around the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom to learn about the breed and tour farms. Kari has seen tens of thousands of these horses, more than most will see in their lifetimes. 

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11. I am interested in purchasing a horse. Will you hold it for me?

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We hold with a 25% deposit and a contract. ​

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If you would like to come visit a horse we have for sale, we will hold a horse for you to visit for 24 hours without a deposit. Otherwise, we require a 10% or $1000 non-refundable deposit (whichever is greater) to hold the horse for up to two weeks. If you would like longer than two weeks, we require a 25% non-refundable deposit. This deposit is not refundable under any circumstance, except for the death of the said horse.

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12. Can I change a foal's name?

 

Names of foals can be changed until DNA has been submitted to the University of Kentucky for registration. At that time, names cannot be changed because the DNA record would no longer match for the horse. Our breeder's prefix (HP) will always be attached to any horse we breed, but if you purchase a foal from us before his DNA has been sent in, we do allow buyers to choose or change the name. We usually register foals at around 1-2 months of age, so if you are buying a very young foal who is not yet weaned and would like a different name, feel free to ask. All foals are fully registered by the time that they are weaned, so at that time, names cannot be changed. 

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13. When will my foal be ready to come home?

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Foals are weaned between 5-6 months, depending on the weather, the health of the mare and/or foal, and when the foal will have a buddy to wean with. Foals are ready to travel 30 days after weaning, and no sooner. It is very important that your foal has been acclimated to being weaned before he leaves. All foals react differently to weaning, and some have a very hard time and others do not have much of a hard time at all, and it is not possible to predict how difficult weaning will be on an individual baby. It is important that your  new baby has a chance to adjust to life without mama in an environment and with other foals with which he is comfortable. Weaning is one of the most difficult and stressful experiences a young foal will face, and he needs time to adjust before he faces another stressful situation, which is the travel to and acclimation to a new home. 

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14. Do you offer a guarantee on your horses?

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We offer a health guarantee on all of our foals through weaning and for one week post-weaning. We feel that it is our responsibility as a breeder to be financially responsible for any foals we bring into this world, and do not expect our buyers to pick up insurance on foals that are too young to be weaned. Selling a foal before it is weaned guarantees us a sale, but does not eliminate our responsibilities toward the foal, which is to raise the foal and care for it up until and through weaning (and after, if it is not sold). We pay all vet bills for all foals through weaning and for one week post weaning. After that, it is the responsibility of the buyer to pick up insurance on any foal that is not paid off. We do recommend picking up insurance on foals that have been paid off, to protect your investment.

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Colt foals produced by Hidden Ponds sold to be breeding stallions come with a limited fertility guarantee. There are no fertility guarantees for colts sold to be gelded or fillies/mares. 

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We want you to be happy with your purchase. This is important to us from the standpoint of maintaining our reputation, as well as keeping the best interest of our animals in mind. We love each and every one of our horses, and have spent time with them all every day. Each of our foals we personally brought into this world and have known and trained since the beginning. If you are unhappy with your purchase from us for any reason, please let us know so we can work with you. We also appreciate you contacting us if you plan to sell a horse we used to own, even if you were happy with your purchase, and offer us the chance to buy it back. We may or may not be in a position to buy back the horse, but we do appreciate the opportunity.

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15. Do you sell foals in utero?

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We on occasion may allow a pairing to be sold in-utero, and we also offer a design-a-foal program where you choose an available mare and stallion and make payments until the foal is weaned. Read more about that here!

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16. Will you please let me know when a certain foal is born? Or can you put me on a waiting list?

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Due to how many requests we receive, we cannot send specific notifications about when a foal is born. We keep our Facebook page up to date, and suggest that you follow the page for birth announcements!

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16. Do you require first right of refusal if I sell a horse I buy from you?

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Due to problems with horse flippers in the past, I now require a six-month first right of refusal. The six month period starts the day the horse leaves the farm and continues for a six month period following that date. Because I understand that training will impact the price of the horse, this contract is released after six months. I appreciate being contacted first if a horse is being re-sold, but I do not require first right of refusal after the six month period is up. This six month contractual obligation is non-negotiable.

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16. Do you train horses or give riding lessons? Can I rent your arena to ride during the winter?

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We do not offer horse training, riding lessons, clinics, or use of our facilities to outside parties. This is strictly a private residence.