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Say “Marriott” and what springs to mind for most folks is hotels and restaurants. But say “Marriott” in Piedmont Virginia’s hunt country and increasingly the word association is “horse.”
Already this year, the Marriott Ranch near Hume has sold more than 300 head: quarter horses imported from the American West, then checked for soundness, checked for temperament and checked for schooling before they’re offered for sale with a no-loop-hole guarantee. These handsome animals will be the top draw at the Child Care and Learning Center’s annual auction to be held Saturday, Oct. 3.
The horses will be there in spirit only. Manager Reist Mummau hasn’t provided a specific animal but rather gift certificates for $2,500 to be used at the ranch’s own auction the following Saturday. The certificates can buy a whole or go towards a part - the prices range from $1,000 to $6,000.
It can take home a hunter prospect, a polo potential, a roping horse, a reining horse or a gentle, well mannered pleasure mount. But whatever it’s used for, the Marriott Ranch guarantee stands. “After the auction, we don’t even deposit the checks for a week. You can return a horse in that time and there are no questions asked,” said Mr. Mummau, a transplanted Pennsylvanian who grew up on the back of a quarter horse on a cattle ranch in North Dakota.
His guarantee takes the fear out of horse buying. If the horse bucks, bring it back. If the horse limps, bring it back. If the horse bites, bring it back. If you and the horse just plain don't get along, bring it back. “I want to go as far as I can to make sure the new owners of a horse bought here are completely happy,” Mr. Mummau explained.
Mr. Mummau, Barbara Sullivan, who trains the hunter prospects and schools the English pleasure horses, and the ranch hands who woric the Western riding ponies are ready to guide a buyer to a suitable horse. “Sometimes folks want a horse that suits their fancy rather than , .. their needs. If >ye can tiUfc fo the person, watch them ride, :fcr ft , little bit, we can prqbpbly deter
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