Terms and Conditions

1. Acceptance of These Terms

By accessing or using this website (the "Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

2. About the Platform

The Platform provides an online marketplace where users can buy, sell, advertise, and discover horses, equestrian equipment, services, and related items. We are not a party to any transaction between users and do not own, inspect, verify, or guarantee any listings.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old or have the permission of a parent or legal guardian to use the Platform.

You are responsible for ensuring your use of the Platform complies with all applicable laws and regulations.

4. User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and password.

You agree to:

• provide accurate and up-to-date information;
• keep your login credentials confidential;
• notify us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account.

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

5. Public Profiles

By creating an account, you acknowledge and agree that parts of your profile are publicly visible to other visitors and users of the Platform.

Public profile information may include, but is not limited to:

• your display name;
• profile photo;
• biography or profile description;
• general location (if provided);
• links you choose to add to your profile, including websites and social media profiles;
• your public listings;
• your public reviews or ratings (if applicable);
• the date you joined the Platform.

Any links you add to your profile will be publicly accessible and may be indexed by search engines. You are solely responsible for the content of any websites or profiles you link to and for ensuring you have the right to publish those links.

Do not include personal or sensitive information in your public profile that you do not wish others to see.

Certain account information, such as your email address, password, and private messages, is not publicly displayed.

6. Listings

You are solely responsible for the content of your listings.

You agree that your listings will:

• be truthful and accurate;
• not contain misleading information;
• include only images that you own or have permission to use;
• comply with all applicable laws;
• not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

We reserve the right to edit, refuse, suspend, or remove any listing at our sole discretion.

7. Prohibited Content

You must not post content that:

• is fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading;
• promotes illegal activities;
• contains offensive, abusive, hateful, or discriminatory material;
• infringes copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights;
• contains malware, spam, or malicious code;
• attempts to impersonate another person or business.

8. Horses and Animal Welfare

Users are responsible for ensuring that the sale, purchase, transport, breeding, and care of horses comply with all applicable laws and animal welfare regulations.

The Platform does not verify the health, ownership, pedigree, condition, or suitability of any horse.

Buyers should conduct their own inspections and veterinary examinations before completing a purchase.

9. Equipment and Services

The Platform does not verify the quality, safety, legality, qualifications, or suitability of equipment or services advertised.

Users should carry out their own due diligence before entering into any transaction.

10. Payments

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the Platform does not process payments between buyers and sellers.

Any payment arrangements are solely between the parties involved.

11. User Communications

The Platform may provide messaging or communication features.

You agree not to:

• send spam or unsolicited advertising;
• harass, threaten, or abuse other users;
• attempt to move conversations to fraudulent websites;
• share malicious links or files.

We may monitor or investigate communications where required by law or to enforce these Terms.

12. Reviews and Feedback

If reviews are available, they must be honest and based on genuine experiences.

We reserve the right to remove reviews that are false, abusive, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate.

13. Intellectual Property

You retain ownership of content that you upload.

By uploading content, you grant the Platform a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and distribute your content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Platform.

14. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

By using the Platform, you consent to the collection and processing of information as described in the Privacy Policy, including the use of cookies for analytics and advertising.

15. Advertising

The Platform is supported by advertising. Ads may be served by Google AdSense and other third-party advertising partners, or sold directly by us, and may appear alongside listings, guides, and other content.

Ads are the responsibility of the advertiser. Showing an ad does not mean that we endorse or recommend the advertiser or its products or services. Any dealings you have with an advertiser, including purchases and payments, are solely between you and that advertiser.

You agree not to:

• click on ads, or encourage others to click on them, to artificially generate clicks, impressions, or revenue;
• use bots, scripts, or other automated means to view or click on ads.

Advertising partners, including Google, may use cookies and similar technologies to show and measure ads, as described in our Privacy Policy.

16. Disclaimer

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available."

We make no guarantees regarding:

• the accuracy of listings;
• the identity of users;
• the quality of horses, goods, or services;
• successful sales or purchases;
• continuous availability of the Platform.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform and its owners shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from:

• your use of the Platform;
• transactions between users;
• errors or inaccuracies in listings;
• loss of data;
• service interruptions;
• fraud committed by other users.

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Platform, its owners, employees, and affiliates from any claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses arising from your use of the Platform or your breach of these Terms.

19. Account Suspension

We may suspend or terminate accounts, remove listings, or restrict access to the Platform at any time if we believe these Terms have been violated or where necessary to protect the Platform or its users.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time.

Continued use of the Platform after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

21. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Platform operator is established, unless otherwise required by applicable consumer protection laws.

22. Contact

If you have questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact us through the contact page or by email at privacy@trot.co.za.