These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Safe Horse Initiative ("SHI"), a behavioral horse rehabilitation program operated by Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC ("Menden Equestrian," "we," "us," or "our"). SHI is operated under our trade name Menden Equestrian and provides subscription-based access to training content, sponsorship opportunities, and related services through our website at mendenequestrian.com.
By creating an account, subscribing, sponsoring, or otherwise using SHI, you ("you" or "Subscriber") agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to subscribe, sponsor, or use SHI. By using the service, you represent that you meet this requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements.
You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account and to keep that information updated. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
2. Subscription Plans and Billing
2.1 Subscription Tiers
SHI offers the following subscription tiers:
- Program Supporter — $25 per month or $250 per year
- Active Member — $50 per month or $500 per year
- Inner Circle — invitation-only, pricing as quoted
Pricing is in U.S. Dollars. Pricing may change at our discretion with reasonable advance notice. Existing subscribers will continue at their current rate until renewal.
2.2 Billing Cycle
Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing cycle (monthly or annual, as selected at signup) until cancelled. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method on file at each renewal.
2.3 Payment Processing
Payments are processed through QuickBooks Payments. Your payment card information is handled by Intuit Inc. and not stored on our servers. We never have access to your full card number.
2.4 Failed Payments
If a payment fails, we will attempt to retry the charge for up to 7 days. If all attempts fail, your subscription will be suspended. Access to subscriber content will be removed until payment is successfully processed.
2.5 Refunds
Subscription fees are non-refundable except where required by law. If you cancel mid-billing-cycle, you retain access to subscriber content until the end of the cycle, but no prorated refund will be issued.
3. Cancellation
You may cancel your subscription at any time by emailing subscribe@mendenequestrian.com. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle. You will retain access to subscriber content until the end of that cycle.
We may cancel your subscription if you violate these Terms or engage in prohibited conduct (see Section 7).
4. Content Access and License
4.1 Content Provided
As a subscriber, you receive access to:
- Training videos showing horses progressing through the SHI methodology
- Methodology explainers and topic-organized libraries
- Live Q&A events and recordings (Active Member tier)
- Horse intake reports, progress reports, and graduation reports (Active Member tier)
- Other content as added during your subscription
Content available depends on your tier. Tier-specific access is enforced through the platform.
4.2 License Granted to You
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and view subscriber content for your personal, non-commercial use during your active subscription period. This license terminates when your subscription ends.
4.3 Restrictions
You may not:
- Share, distribute, broadcast, or publicly display subscriber content
- Download, copy, screen-record, or otherwise reproduce subscriber content for distribution
- Share your account credentials with anyone else
- Use subscriber content for commercial purposes, including in your own training programs or marketing materials
- Reverse engineer, scrape, or extract content programmatically
- Remove, alter, or obscure any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices
4.4 Content Updates
Content is published on a rolling basis. We do not guarantee a specific volume, frequency, or schedule of new content. We reserve the right to add, modify, or remove content at any time without notice.
5. Sponsorship Program
5.1 Sponsor Tiers
SHI offers sponsorship opportunities allowing individuals or organizations to fund the care, training, and rehabilitation of specific horses. Sponsorship terms, pricing, and inclusions are as published on mendenequestrian.com/shi/sponsor at the time of sponsorship.
5.2 Sponsorship is Not a Donation
Sponsorship payments are commercial transactions, not charitable donations. Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC is a for-profit limited liability company. Sponsorship payments are not tax-deductible. Sponsors should not represent sponsorship payments as charitable contributions.
5.3 Sponsor Recognition
Sponsors receive named or branded recognition as described in their sponsorship tier. Recognition placement, format, and duration are at our discretion within the parameters of the sponsorship tier purchased.
5.4 Rescue Giveback
For each horse sold after graduating from the program, 15% of the gross sale price is remitted to the rescue organization that referred that horse. Remittance occurs within 30 days of sale closing. This commitment applies to direct rescue partnerships and may be modified for non-rescue-sourced horses.
6. Account and Access
6.1 Account Security
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. You must notify us immediately at subscribe@mendenequestrian.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.
We use passwordless authentication ("magic links") sent via email. Anyone with access to your email inbox can access your SHI account. Protect your email accordingly.
6.2 Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your account at our discretion if you:
- Violate these Terms
- Engage in fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful conduct
- Attempt to share, distribute, or commercially exploit subscriber content
- Fail to pay subscription fees
- Pose a safety risk to horses, staff, or other subscribers (in any communication or interaction with our team)
Termination for cause does not entitle you to a refund.
7. Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to:
- Share account credentials or subscriber content with non-subscribers
- Use SHI content to train AI models, machine learning systems, or other automated systems
- Misrepresent yourself, our methodology, or our outcomes to third parties
- Harass, abuse, or threaten any member of our team, contractors, or other subscribers
- Use the service for any unlawful purpose
- Interfere with the operation of the service or attempt to access non-public systems
8. Intellectual Property
All content, methodology, training videos, written materials, branding, logos, and trademarks associated with SHI and Menden Equestrian are the exclusive property of Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC. The SHI methodology, including the three-pillar framework (Clarity, Consistency, Timing) and associated training approaches, is our intellectual property.
You acknowledge that no transfer of ownership occurs through your subscription. Your subscription grants you a viewing license only.
9. Disclaimers
9.1 No Veterinary or Medical Advice
SHI content is for educational purposes only. We are not veterinarians. Nothing in our content constitutes veterinary, medical, or therapeutic advice. Always consult a qualified veterinarian for any medical or behavioral concerns about your horse.
9.2 No Guarantee of Outcomes
We do not guarantee that applying our methodology to your horse will produce specific outcomes. Every horse is different. Results depend on the horse, the handler, the environment, and many factors beyond our control.
9.3 Service Availability
We strive to maintain reliable service but cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability. Maintenance windows, technical issues, or third-party service failures may cause temporary outages.
9.4 Third-Party Services
We use third-party services (including QuickBooks Payments for billing, Resend for email, Vercel for hosting, Neon for database, YouTube for video delivery). We are not responsible for the actions, policies, or service interruptions of these third parties.
10. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC, its members, employees, contractors, and affiliates are not liable for:
- Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
- Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
- Damages arising from your use of or inability to use SHI content or services
- Damages arising from your application of our methodology to your own horse
- Damages arising from third-party services we rely on
Our total liability for any claim arising from your use of SHI is limited to the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.
This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory under which damages are claimed.
11. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising from:
- Your use of SHI services or content
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of any third party's rights
- Your application of methodology, advice, or content to your own horse or business
12. Privacy
Our collection and use of your information is governed by our Privacy Policy, available at mendenequestrian.com/privacy. By using SHI, you consent to our handling of information as described in the Privacy Policy.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email to active subscribers and posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to modified Terms, you must cancel your subscription.
14. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of SHI must be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Aiken County, South Carolina, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
You agree to first attempt to resolve disputes informally by contacting us at info@mendenequestrian.com. If we cannot resolve the dispute within 30 days, either party may proceed with formal legal action.
15. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
16. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other agreements specifically referenced, constitute the entire agreement between you and Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC regarding SHI and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.
17. Contact
For questions about these Terms or SHI generally:
Menden Ridge Equestrian LLC 707 Paddock Club Pkwy Aiken, SC 29803 info@mendenequestrian.com
For subscription-specific inquiries (cancellation, billing, payment method updates): subscribe@mendenequestrian.com