When you sell a horse at a lien foreclosure sale, you will want to transfer its registration papers into the name of the buyer at auction, whether that be you or a third party.  Most breed registries have policies and procedures relating to horses purchased in a lien foreclosure. Depending on the breed registry, you will be asked to provide certain items such as a notarized affidavit stating that the stableman has complied with the law relating to the foreclosure; a copy of the written notice of the foreclosure sale; a copy of the statute by which the foreclosure was conducted; and a notarized bill of sale from the stableman. If you can provide all of the items requested by the breed registry, you will most likely be able to get the horse’s papers transferred into your name.

Unlike many other states, Texas does not provide veterinarians or farriers with a lien on a horse to secure payment for professional services rendered. The stableman’s lien in Texas does provide a farrier or vet who had a horse in his or her care a lien on the animal for costs of boarding the animal. Also, both vets and farriers can obtain contracts with their customers providing for a contractual lien on the animal to secure payment for work done.

Who has a stock breeder’s lien, and to which animal(s) does the lien apply? An owner or keeper of a stallion, jack, bull, or boar confined to be bred for profit has a preference lien on the offspring of the animal for the amount of the charges for the breeding services, unless the owner or keeper misrepresents the animal by false pedigree. In the case of a stallion, the lien would be on the foal resulting from the breeding, but would not extend to the mare that was serviced by the stallion.

How long does the stock breeder’s lien last? The stock breeder’s lien remains in force for 10 months from the day that the foal is born, but the lien may not be enforced until five months after the date of birth of the foal. The lien exists during these time parameters, regardless of whether the mare or foal is still in the possession of the stallion owner.

How is the stock breeder’s lien enforced? Your foreclosure has to comply with Sections 54.044 and 54.045 of the Texas Property Code. The stallion owner would seize the foal produced by the stallion, usually with the assistance of the sheriff’s department. Before selling the foal at public auction, the stallion owner must first send the mare owner a written notice complying with Section 54.045 of the Texas Property Code.

This entry addresses only the law in Texas.  The University of Vermont’s website, Equine Law and Horsemanship Safety, provides a list of breeder’s liens in other states (scroll to bottom to find your state).

Texas law provides liens for two specific types of services provided to horse owners: boarding services (the stable keeper’s lien) and breeding services (the stock breeder’s lien).   This blog provides an overview of the stable keeper’s lien.

How does a stable keeper’s lien work? The Texas stable keeper’s lien, also known as an “agister’s lien,” is a possessory lien that applies when one person takes care of horses or other livestock of another by providing board or pasture for the horse or other livestock. If you run a stable or keep other people’s horses on your land or land you are leasing, you may keep possession of the horse until your board bill is paid by the horse owner. If the nonpayment persists, you can have the horse sold to collect the amount owed.

How do I foreclose on a stable keeper’s lien? Your foreclosure has to comply with Section 70.005 of the Texas Property Code. Under that section, you must: 1) have possession of the horse for 60 days after the date the charges accrue; 2) make a written request to the owner to pay the unpaid bill; and 3) if the charges are not paid on or before the 11th day after you made demand for payment, you may sell the horse at public auction after giving the horse owner 20 days’ written notice.

What if someone is interested in buying the horse? Can I sell it to them or does it have to be sold at an auction? Texas law provides that you must sell the horse at a public sale. This is to prevent boarding facilities from selling a horse worth a lot of money to a friend for much less than the horse is worth, just to satisfy the debt. To get around the public auction requirement, boarding facilities can draft clauses into their boarding agreements allowing them to sell to horse by private treaty. The boarding contract may also provide for interest and late fees for past-due board.

My boarder left a lot of tack at my barn and did not pay their board. Can I keep or sell the tack to satisfy the bill? No. The stable keeper’s lien only covers the horse itself. Boarding facilities may not hold tack or other equipment as security for payment of past-due board. Again, a boarding facility may draft a clause into their boarding agreement allowing them to keep or sell tack or other equipment belonging to a boarder who does not pay their bill.

This entry only addresses the current law in Texas.  The University of Vermont’s website, Equine Law and Horsemanship Safety, provides a list of agister’s lien statutes in other states
(scroll to bottom to find your state).

Bonus Depreciation

The second incentive of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 brings back 50% first-year “bonus depreciation” for horses and most other depreciable property purchased and placed in service during 2008. “Bonus depreciation” was first passed in 2002 but had phased out at the end of 2004. Bonus depreciation helps horse businesses by allowing them to depreciate 50% of horses or property in the first year the horse or property is purchased or placed in service instead of depreciating smaller percentages of the property year after year.

Eligible property. Bonus depreciation applies to horses or any other property with a useful life of 20 years or less. Also, the property must be “new”, meaning the original use of the horse or other property must begin with the taxpayer to be eligible.

No limit. There is no limit on the amount of bonus depreciation that can be taken in any one year.

How Bonus Depreciation Works. Assume that in 2008, a horse business pays $500,000 for a colt to be used for racing and $50,000 for other depreciable property, bringing total purchases to $550,000. The young colt had never been raced or used for any other purpose before the purchase. The business would be able to expense $250,000 as a Section 179 deduction, deduct another $150,000 of bonus depreciation (50% of the remaining balance), and take regular depreciation on the $150,000 balance.

These tax incentives help horse businesses increase income by providing a tax relief for activities they are currently conducting. They should also provide an incentive for new or existing businesses to buy more horses and other related property.

On February 13, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. “The new law includes two tax incentives that would allow a much bigger write-off for horses and other depreciable property purchased and placed into service in 2008,” said Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council. The Act applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007.

Increase of the Section 179 Expense

The first incentive for horse owners in the Act is an increase of the Internal Revenue Code Section 179 expensing allowance for horses purchased and placed into service in 2008 from $128,000 to $250,000.

How does Section 179 help horse owners? Typically, if horses or property for your horse business has a useful life of more than one year, the cost must be spread across several tax years as depreciation with a portion of the cost deducted each year.

But there is a way to immediately receive these income tax benefits in one year. The provisions of Section 179 allow horse businesses to fully expense tangible property in the year it is purchased.

The changes made in the Act mean that in 2008, a horse business can expense $250,000 in capital expenditures up to an overall investment limit of $800,000.

Eligible Property. The expensing allowance applies to horses, farm equipment and most other depreciable property such as trucks, trailers, and tractors purchased and placed into service in 2008 (but it would not include buildings such as barns or stables).

How it works. Assume a horse business purchases $750,000 of depreciable property (including horses, a pickup, and a new trailer) in 2008. That business can write off $250,000 on its 2008 tax return and depreciate the balance.

Continue Reading Economic Stimulus Act Increases Section 179 Expense