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result of these conversations, petitioners began to question
their reliance on Mr. Minter’s advice.
In March 1992, petitioners purchased six horses from Richard
Howe in a package deal for $15,000. Mr. Minter brokered the
deal. The package consisted of five mares and a gelding. One of
the mares was trained, one was partly trained, and the rest were
untrained.
Petitioners placed Bonita Bravo, a brood mare and show horse
purchased as part of the package deal, in training under Mr.
Minter and Favio Arias at Mr. Minter’s ranch. During 1992 and
while at Mr. Minter’s ranch, Bonita Bravo suffered a cut to her
tongue.4 As a result of the injury, Bonita Bravo was never
shown.
The injury to Bonita Bravo led petitioners to end their
business relationship with Mr. Minter. Petitioners were unhappy
with many of the horses they had purchased from Mr. Minter.
Although Mr. Minter had a trade-in policy that allowed
dissatisfied customers to trade in unsatisfactory animals, the
time limit on the policy effectively limited its application to
animals purchased for riding, as opposed to breeding stock.
Moreover, although Mr. Minter arranged prepurchase veterinary
examinations of animals he purchased for Rancho Paso Bravo, he
4A trainer may cut a horse’s tongue by being overly harsh
during training. Horses with cut tongues cannot hold a bit in
their mouths.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011