Michael Mackinnon

Bachelor of Arts (French major), Bachelor of Laws, Diplôme Supérieure de Français des Affaires (Advanced Diploma of French for Business).

Michael grew up on ‘Marida Yallock’ a large Victorian Western District pastoral property held by his family continuously since 1853. Over the past 176 years, the Mackinnon family have used horses for work, sport and pleasure.  In the early 1900’s they supplied horses to Victoria Police!

From 1989 to 1996 Michael worked at Australia’s largest legal firm, Minter Ellison, where he was a Senior Associate.

Since 2000, he has assisted horse industry participants with horse transactions and dispute resolution. His legal practice, HorseForce Legal based in Melbourne, Australia, advises horse related businesses, organisations and individuals within and outside Australia on a wide range of legal matters involving horses.  HorseForce Legal created the contracts available for purchase through this site.

From 2003 to 2023 he was the legal columnist for the Australian monthly magazine Horse Deals on topics of legal interest.

He was invited to be a guest educator on the topic of horses and the law at Equitana Asia Pacific in numerous years.

From 2018 to 2022 he was a Director of the Australian Horse Industry Council.  Visit www.horsecouncil.org.au.

Clinton Rich

Clinton grew up in central Victoria. His grandparents (his grandmother was Myra Martin BEM, OAM) owned horses and bred ponies and were active in pony club and showing circles. At 12 years of age, he owned his first horse. From then on he has ridden, trained and competed many horses and now successfully competes in FEI and official open level dressage on his horses Sonfire and Coldstream Quartertime.

He is a Level D Dressage Judge with Equestrian Australia and undertaking in 2026 the steps to upgrade to Level C.

He has represented Victoria at the National Dressage Championships.

He gained NCAS Level 1 Non-Jumping accreditation in 2002.

Clinton holds a Bachelor of Education and taught in schools for 14 years before leaving that career in 2000 to start up Horseforce with Michael Mackinnon. As the business grew and diversified, he became a practicing horse valuer in 2006 with the Australian Auctioneers and Valuers Association. In 2011, in the United States, he undertook and successfully completed the American Society of Equine Appraisers, Principles of Valuation course. He values all pleasure and sport horse breeds and regularly acts as a Court appointed expert valuer.