About Us

HorseForce distributes standard legal contracts to the Australian horse industry. Standard contracts are an important and inexpensive way for people to protect their interests and manage risk. Their development is new and exciting because they make law accessible to all. The contracts can be relied on and enforced if necessary.

The author of all contracts is lawyer, Michael Mackinnon. A former senior associate with national law firm, Minter Ellison, Michael has worked in association with the proprietor of HorseForce, Clinton Rich to write the contracts. Clinton has an education and equestrian background and is a current EFA/NCAS Level 1 instructor and dressage competitor.

Background

Early in 2001, Clinton Rich, an NCAS/EFA coach, saw a great need for the Australian horse industry to have cheap and easy access to standard legal contracts to deal with common transactions. He approached Michael Mackinnon, a former senior associate with national law firm, Minter Ellison, to draft the contracts and they are now sold and distributed by Clinton's business, HorseForce.

"First we released the Sale and Purchase Contract. It evolved in part because, as horse prices steadily increase, most people want something in writing, but can't afford legal services in the normal way. Another reason was to lift everyone's game. This contract deals with the inherent risks involved in buying or selling a living animal, risks that one or other party has taken unfair advantage of in the past" according to Clinton.

Michael says, "It's important to have a written agreement up front setting out each party's rights and obligations. Otherwise, a misunderstanding or dispute can be very troublesome and costly to resolve. The contracts comply with the law and are enforceable, if need be."

"For the same reasons I wrote the Lease and Agistment Contracts. Leasing horses can be a tricky area if not planned for", says Michael and " the Agistment Contract was written for centre owners for whom the public liability insurance crisis was a major catalyst to review business practices. Many either had nothing in writing or something that was inadequate  and wouldn't stand up in court".