Trust and safety
What we check, and what we don't
A marketplace that implies more than it knows is worse than one that says nothing. Here is exactly where the line is.
Read this before you send anybody money
Lope On does not hold payments, does not run escrow, and is not a party to any sale. Nobody here inspects a horse before it is listed. Treat every listing the way you would treat an advert in a paper: worth a look, not proof of anything.
What we do
- Keep your email and phone number off public pages.
- Serve private documents only to people who are allowed to see them.
- Read every report a person sends us.
- Record who changed what on a horse’s record, and when.
- Let you block anybody, permanently, without a conversation.
- Say on the badge exactly what a check covered.
What we do not do
- Inspect horses, or vouch for soundness, temperament or suitability.
- Confirm a horse’s health records are complete or truthful.
- Hold, transfer, or refund money between buyer and seller.
- Check with registries on your behalf.
- Monitor whether a hauler’s insurance is still in force.
- Guarantee anybody is who they say they are.
Badges
Every badge says what it means
A badge on Lope On is a sentence, not a tick. If a badge cannot be explained honestly, it does not exist.
Identity checked
This person confirmed their identity with a government ID.
It does not mean Lope On has inspected any horse they list.
Owner information checked
The name on the registration paperwork matches this account.
It does not confirm the horse’s condition, soundness or history.
Registration reviewed
Someone at Lope On looked at the registration papers that were uploaded.
It is not a check with the registry itself, and it is not a guarantee.
Business verified
This business showed proof of a registered business name and address.
It is not an endorsement of their work and not a licence check.
Hauler verified
This hauler provided an operating authority number and proof of insurance.
Lope On does not monitor whether that insurance stays current. Ask to see it before you book.
Demo verification
This is sample data in a demo environment. Nothing has been checked by anyone.
It carries no real-world meaning at all.
Buying
How to not get caught out
- See the horse. In person, or on a live video call where you choose what they point the camera at. A pre-recorded clip proves nothing.
- Get a vetting. Your vet, not theirs. It is the cheapest money you will spend on the whole transaction.
- Match the papers to the horse. Markings, brands, microchip. Ask the seller to scan the chip while you watch.
- Be wary of urgency. “Another buyer is coming tomorrow, I need a deposit tonight” is the oldest one there is.
- Never pay by gift card, crypto or wire to a stranger. Those are chosen because they cannot be reversed.
- Keep it on Lope On until you have decided. If somebody wants to move to text before you have even asked a question, ask yourself why.
- Get a bill of sale. Both names, the date, the price, the horse’s registered name and number.
Buying
The five that actually happen
Not hypotheticals. These are the patterns that take money off horse buyers every week, and each one has a specific thing you can do about it.
A deposit to "hold" the horse
What it looks like
- You are told somebody else is about to buy it.
- A deposit is wanted today, before you can come and see it.
- The price is noticeably below what that horse should cost.
What to do: See the horse first. A real seller will let you come, and will not rush you. No deposit before you have stood next to the horse.
Somebody else’s horse
What it looks like
- The photographs look professional, and all from one session.
- No new photograph is ever sent when you ask.
- The same pictures turn up elsewhere under a different name.
What to do: Ask for a photograph taken today with something specific in it — a date written on paper, a particular halter. A seller with the horse can do that in two minutes.
A hauler who needs paying up front
What it looks like
- The seller insists on their own hauler.
- The fee has to be paid before the horse moves, to somebody you have not spoken to.
- The story changes: the trailer broke, there is an extra insurance charge.
What to do: Arrange your own transport, or at least speak to the hauler directly. Never pay a transport fee to the seller.
Moving the conversation somewhere else immediately
What it looks like
- A request to carry on by text or a messaging app before anything has been discussed.
- Reluctance to speak on the phone or show the horse on a video call.
- Pressure to keep the deal off Lope On.
What to do: Keep the conversation here until you are satisfied. If something goes wrong, what was said on Lope On is what we can actually look at.
A vet report you did not commission
What it looks like
- A clean vet report appears, already done, from a practice you cannot find.
- You are discouraged from using your own vet.
- The report has no practice letterhead, or will not open.
What to do: Commission your own pre-purchase exam, with a vet you chose and paid. A report you did not commission is not evidence.
However convincing the story is
What we can check
Seller showed us the horse
Stolen photographs are the commonest fraud in any animal marketplace, so sellers can ask us for a code, and send back a new photograph of the horse with that code visible in the shot. A photo library somebody else took cannot satisfy a code issued ten minutes ago.
- 1Write the code below on a piece of paper, large enough to read.
- 2Take a new photograph of your horse with the paper clearly visible in the same shot.
- 3Upload it here. Only Lope On staff see it — it is never shown on your listing.
What it does not mean
The seller sent us a new photograph of this horse holding a code we issued, so we know they had the horse in front of them. It is not proof of ownership, and we have not examined the horse.
It is not a substitute for seeing the horse and it is not a substitute for your own vet.
Selling
Protecting yourself as a seller
- Wait for cleared funds. A bank transfer that has “gone through” can still reverse.
- Be careful with overpayment: anybody who sends too much and asks for the difference back is running a scam, every time.
- Do not give out your address until you have talked to somebody and they are actually coming.
- Keep your private records private until a buyer is serious, then share them properly rather than emailing photographs of your paperwork.
- Complete the ownership transfer so the record follows the horse.
Your documents
Private files never get a public link. Every download is checked against who you are, and access by anyone other than the owner is logged.
Your account
Passwords are hashed, never stored. Sessions can be signed out from settings, and we will never ask you for your password by email.
Reporting
Anyone can report a listing, a horse, a message or a business — you do not need an account. A person reads it.
Questions
Trust and safety
Someone asked me to pay outside Lope On.
All payment happens outside Lope On, because we do not process payments at all. What matters is how: a bank transfer to a named account after you have seen the horse is normal, and a gift card is not.
A listing looks fake. What do I do?
Report it. Stolen photos, a price far below the market, and a seller who will not do a live video call are the usual signs.
Can I get a refund through Lope On?
No. We never held the money, so there is nothing for us to refund. That is worth understanding before you send anything.
What happens when I report somebody?
It goes to a person, not a filter. They can limit or remove content and suspend an account. You will be told the outcome if you gave us a way to reach you.
How do I get verified?
Verification is being rolled out during the beta. When it is open you will request it from your settings and send the specific document the badge names. Until a person has actually looked at it, no badge appears.
Something is not right?
Tell us. You do not need an account and it takes a minute.