The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio

Please Read Carefully

Sale Terms & Conditions

Please read and familiarize yourself with the Terms and Conditions of this sale. You will be bound by these terms and conditions whether you read them or not. All responsibilities and guarantees lie between the buyer and seller.

Last updated September 2, 2026

Consignor Terms & Conditions

The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio is by invitation ONLY.

Important notices to consignors. Please read and familiarize yourself with the Terms and Conditions of this sale. You will be bound by these terms and conditions whether you read them or not. All responsibilities and guarantees lie between the buyer and seller.

General

  • Nomination Window: Opens September 15, 2026. Nomination deadline is October 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. MST (Arizona time). No exceptions.
  • Selection: With the specific nature of the event, limiting the sale to approximately 65 head, the nomination fee must be received for your horse to be considered. Sale management will make final consignor selections on or before November 15, 2026, notifying owners if their horse has been selected. Refunds will be made at that time to horses not selected. Submitting the nomination form with required fees provides no guarantee that the submitted horse will be selected — final selection decisions are solely determined by management.
  • Registration: A copy of registration papers must accompany your sale entry, or the horse will not be considered. Horse papers must be in the consignor's name by sale day — no exceptions. No double transfers allowed; original papers along with a signed transfer are due at check-in. No papers, no sale. Failure to meet this requirement will result in your horse being withdrawn from the sale and your consignment fees being forfeited.
  • In the Ring: Sale staff will not be responsible for buying horses back. You have a right to refuse or accept a bid while your horse is still in the sale ring. If a horse is sold on grounds after it has been through the ring, that sale must still go through the office.
  • Transport & Care: It is your responsibility to get your horse to and from the sale ring at your designated time and to feed and water your horse. Do not drop off your horse and leave.
  • Stalls: Provided for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights only.

Health

  • Coggins & Health Certificate: An individual negative Coggins test within 6 months of sale day, a current health certificate, and a brand inspection as your current state requires must accompany each horse, due at check-in. No horse will be sold without a current Coggins and health certificate.
  • Radiographs: Required for all sale horses. Must be taken within 90 days of the sale and submitted by March 1, 2027. Radiographs taken prior to January 1, 2027 will not be accepted. Additional information and required views will be sent out to selected consignors.
  • Vet Exam: All horses will be required to pass a standard vet exam at check-in. Additional details will be sent out to selected consignors.
  • Soundness: Horses that are unsound in eyes or wind, are "windsuckers," "cribbers," or have a known lameness must be announced — otherwise all horses are sold sound until Monday, March 15, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.

Catalog

  • Photos: All horses must have professional photos at the time of nomination. High-resolution images must be submitted via the online form (at least 1 MB, under 5 MB). Pictures are subject to selection; low-quality images will not be considered.
  • Advertising: Your horse is cataloged for the benefit of advertising the horse and giving everyone a fair opportunity to bid. Once selected, we do expect the horse to be brought to the sale. Upon execution of this contract, the consignor agrees not to sell the horse in a private treaty.

Fees

  • Nomination Fee: $1,500 per head.
  • Commission: 9% of the sale price.
  • Passout Fee: $500 for any horse passed out (not sold) through the ring.
  • Withdrawal Fee: Any horse withdrawn from the sale for any reason other than infirmity will be assessed a $500 fee in addition to the $1,500 nomination fee.
  • Catalog Ad (optional): Full-page ad, designed in-house. Refunded with your nomination fee if the horse isn't selected; non-refundable after December 1.
  • Additional Stall Nights: $20 per night beyond Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Last updated September 2, 2026

Buyer Terms & Conditions

Important notices to prospective buyers — please read and familiarize yourself with the Terms and Conditions of this sale. You will be bound by these terms and conditions whether you read them or not. All responsibilities and guarantees lie between the buyer and seller.

  • Phone & Internet Bids: All phone and internet bids are handled by CCI.live. See the Live Stream page for details.
  • Errors: Every effort has been made to assure the correctness of the catalog. Sales management and auctioneers are not responsible for errors or omissions and assume no liability for statements, verbal or written, regarding horses sold. Buyers are cautioned to pay close attention to the auctioneer's announcements, which take precedence over the printed catalog.
  • Buyer Registration: All buyers must register and receive a buyer's number.
  • Payment: Terms are cash, cashier's check, traveler's check, or personalized bank check. Bank drafts and postdated checks are not accepted. Payment in full is due to the cashier during or immediately after the sale, in U.S. currency on U.S. banks only, made out to "Rancho Rio Horse Sale."
  • In-Ring Dispute: If a dispute arises between two or more bidders, the auctioneer's decision is absolute, final, and binding on all parties. Horses are at the buyer's expense, risk, and responsibility from the instant the horse is knocked down to that buyer.
  • Releases: Upon receiving payment for a horse, the cashier will issue an order to obtain delivery. Buyers are cautioned not to lose these orders and must arrange for the care of stock until it can be removed.
  • Guarantees: The seller is responsible for any and all guarantees. Except as otherwise announced by the auctioneer, the consignor warrants the following:
    • Title of the horse is free and clear.
    • The animal is sound of eyes, wind, and limb.
    • The animal is not a cribber, windsucker, stall weaver, or parrot mouthed.
    • The animal has not been nerved, does not have navicular disease, and is not foundered.
    • The sex or condition as a gelding or ridgeling is as described in the sale catalog or announced at time of sale.
    If any of these conditions are announced, the consignor is held harmless for that condition. Except for the foregoing limited warranties, each animal is sold without warranty and with all faults; no horse can be rejected by the buyer once struck off by the auctioneer. Prospective buyers are encouraged to examine horses thoroughly before purchasing.
  • Disputes: If a dispute arises as to a defect that should have been, but was not, announced, the buyer has the right to have a veterinarian examine the horse to determine whether it suffers from the defect. This examination must be made, and The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio notified, within 72 hours from the end of the sale. If the purchaser's veterinarian confirms the defect, sales management will appoint a veterinarian of its choice to make a final determination. If that defect is found to have been present at the time of sale and was not announced, the sale is null and void and the consignor must pay the entry fee, commission, and the cost of the veterinary examination and any resulting treatment. Otherwise the sale is valid and enforceable, and the purchaser assumes all costs of examination and treatment.
  • Rightful Rejection: If the buyer rightfully rejects the animal as stated above and within the time provided, the animal will be returned to the consignor, who will refund the buyer the full purchase price.
  • Title: Title to and risk of loss passes to the buyer when the hammer drops; the horse becomes the buyer's sole risk and responsibility immediately after the sale.
  • Coggins Test: All horses in this sale have a current negative Coggins.
  • Liability: Buyers and spectators are cautioned to be careful on the grounds, particularly while horses are being shown or sold in the sale ring. Neither the owners nor anyone else connected with this sale assumes any liability, legal or otherwise, for accidents to persons or property before, during, or after the sale. The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio acts as a selling agency only; every horse in the sale catalog must pass through the sale ring, and all monies pass through the office. All horses must be removed from the grounds by 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning.