Community Guidelines & Site Rules

Updated March 20, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Mane Match — an horse marketplace built around a love of horses, barns, tack, riding, and stable life. This is a community for horse people, by horse people. To keep it a joyful, safe, and trustworthy place, every user is expected to read and abide by these guidelines.

By creating an account or using Mane Match in any capacity, you agree to these Community Guidelines. All users are guests of Mane Match. The Safety and Moderation Team reserves the right to remove content, suspend accounts, or issue permanent bans at its sole discretion for any violation of these guidelines — or for any behavior deemed harmful to our community or its animals.

2. Zero-Tolerance Behaviors

The following behaviors will result in immediate account suspension or permanent ban without warning:

• Hate Speech & Discrimination: Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious discrimination, or any language or content that demeans a person based on their identity will not be tolerated.
• Harassment & Bullying: Threatening, intimidating, or persistently unwanted contact directed at any user is prohibited. This includes private messages, listing comments, and public posts.
• Explicit or Vulgar Content: Sexually explicit material, graphic violence, or gratuitously offensive language have no place on Mane Match. Hold yourself to a standard your mother would approve of.
• Doxxing & Privacy Violations: Sharing, posting, or soliciting another person's private information — including home address, phone number, or financial details — without their explicit consent is strictly forbidden.
• Impersonation: Pretending to be another user, a Mane Match staff member, a veterinarian, or any other individual or organization is prohibited.
• Threats & Illegal Activity: Any content that threatens harm to a person or animal, or that facilitates or promotes illegal activity, will be removed and may be reported to law enforcement.

3. Listing Standards

All listings on Mane Match must meet the following standards:

• Honesty & Accuracy: Listings must truthfully represent the animal, item, or service being offered. Misrepresenting age, breed, training level, health history, temperament, or any other material fact is a violation.
• Authentic Media: Photos and videos must be of the actual animal or item listed. Using stock photos, images of other horses, or deceptively edited media is prohibited.
• Equestrian Scope: Mane Match is dedicated to horses and the equestrian world. Listings must be related to horses, tack, barn equipment, riding apparel, equine services, or stable life. Off-topic listings will be removed.
• Single Active Listing: Duplicate or near-duplicate listings for the same horse or item are not permitted. Please update an existing listing rather than creating a new one.
• Pricing Integrity: Listings must include a genuine asking price. Placeholder prices, bait-and-switch pricing, and intentionally misleading price representations are prohibited.

4. Rider Profile Guidelines

Your Rider Profile is a personal showcase visible to other Mane Match users. To maintain trust and authenticity in our community, please follow these guidelines:

• Authentic Identity: Your rider profile must represent you — the actual user. Do not create fake identities, impersonate other riders, or use misleading information about who you are or what you do.
• Honest Achievements: Any achievements, certifications, or competition results listed on your profile must be truthful and accurate. Misrepresenting rankings, credentials, or competition placements may result in profile removal.
• Appropriate Bio: Your bio should be respectful and appropriate for a family-friendly community. No offensive language, hate speech, discriminatory content, or solicitation of any kind.
• Photo Standards: Photos in your rider profile must be of you or your horses. The same photo standards as marketplace listings apply — no offensive content, no copyrighted material, and no watermarks or branding from other platforms.
• YouTube Videos: If you share a YouTube video, it must contain riding-related content appropriate for all ages. Inappropriate or unrelated videos will be removed.
• Social Media Links: Any social media links must be to your own authentic accounts. Do not post spam, promotional links to unrelated businesses, or misleading URLs.
• Budget Privacy: Budget information you provide is confidential and used only to help match you with suitable horses. It is never displayed to other users or sellers.
• Honest Preferences: Horse preferences should be truthful to help you receive the best matching suggestions. Be genuine about what you're looking for.
• Moderation: Rider profiles may be reviewed by moderators and removed if they violate these guidelines.
• Report Fake Profiles: If you see a profile that appears fake, misleading, or inappropriate, please report it using the report tool on that profile.

5. My Stable Guidelines

The My Stable feature lets you showcase horses you own — not for sale, just to share with the community. To use this feature responsibly, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Showcase Only, Not for Sale: The My Stable section is for horses you own that you are NOT selling through the marketplace. If you want to sell a horse from your stable, create a proper marketplace listing through our "Sell a Horse" feature.
• Ownership & Authority: You may only add horses to your stable if you actually own them or have the authority to showcase them (e.g., as a trainer or facility manager).
• Listing Standards Apply: All content standards that apply to marketplace listings also apply to stable entries — accurate descriptions, honest information, and no misleading details.
• Photo & Video Quality: Photos and videos in your stable must meet the same content standards as marketplace listings: authentic images of your horses, no offensive content, no copyrighted material, and no watermarks from other platforms.
• No Fee Evasion: Do not use the My Stable feature to circumvent listing fees or marketplace rules. If you're selling a horse, it must go through a proper listing with associated fees (if applicable).
• Respectful Descriptions: Stable horse descriptions should be appropriate and respectful. Keep the same professional tone you'd use in a marketplace listing.
• Accurate Pedigree Information: Do not falsify registration information, breeding history, or pedigree details. Misrepresenting a horse's background is prohibited.

6. Profile Visibility & Public Content

Your Rider Profile, My Stable horses, and active marketplace listings are visible to other Mane Match users. Be thoughtful about what you share publicly. Profile privacy controls will be available in a future update. Currently, all Rider Profiles and stable horses are public and may be viewed by other registered users.

7. Prohibited Activities

• Spam & Flooding: Sending unsolicited bulk messages, repeatedly posting the same content, or flooding listings or user inboxes is prohibited.
• Unauthorized Promotion: Advertising or promoting third-party products, services, websites, or platforms that have not been approved by Mane Match is not allowed. This includes MLM schemes, affiliate links, and commercial solicitations sent via private message.
• Scams & Fraud: Any attempt to deceive buyers or sellers — including advance-fee scams, fake listings, fraudulent payment claims, or identity theft — is strictly prohibited and will be reported to law enforcement.
• Multiple Accounts: Creating secondary accounts to circumvent a suspension or ban, inflate ratings, or manipulate the platform in any way is prohibited.
• Automated Access: Using bots, scrapers, crawlers, or automated tools to access, extract, or interact with Mane Match without prior written permission is forbidden.
• Interference with the Platform: Attempting to hack, disrupt, overload, or otherwise interfere with Mane Match's systems, servers, or other users' access to the platform is prohibited.

8. Content Standards

• Intellectual Property: Only post content you own or have the right to use. Do not upload copyrighted photos, videos, logos, or text without permission from the rights holder.
• Relevance: All posts, messages, and listings should be relevant to the equestrian community. Off-topic, political, or unrelated content may be removed.
• Medical & Health Claims: Do not spread misinformation about animal health, veterinary treatments, or equine care. Consult a licensed veterinarian for all animal health matters.
• No Misleading Information: Do not post false or misleading information about Mane Match, its staff, other users, or any animal or business listed on the platform.

9. Animal Welfare

The wellbeing of horses and all animals is a core value of Mane Match. We have zero tolerance for:

• Any content that promotes, glorifies, or depicts animal cruelty, abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
• Listings for animals that are clearly being housed, transported, or sold under inhumane conditions.
• The sale of animals for slaughter, dogfighting, or any other cruel purpose.

Suspected animal welfare violations will be escalated to the appropriate animal welfare authorities. If you have concerns about the welfare of an animal you see listed on Mane Match, please report it immediately.

10. Marketplace Disclaimer & Liability

Mane Match is a listing and communication platform that connects equestrian buyers and sellers. We are not a party to any transaction that takes place between users.

• Private Sales: All sales arranged through Mane Match are private transactions between the buyer and seller. Mane Match does not mediate disputes, negotiate deal terms, verify animal health or veterinary claims, or assume any responsibility for the outcome of any transaction.
• Due Diligence: Buyers and sellers are solely responsible for performing their own due diligence — including pre-purchase veterinary exams, title verification, and any applicable legal requirements — before completing a sale.
• No Financial Information in Messages: Never share credit card numbers, bank account details, wire transfer instructions, or any sensitive financial information through the Mane Match messaging system. Mane Match will never ask you for payment or financial information via chat. Any message requesting such information should be treated as a scam and reported immediately.
• No Warranty: Mane Match makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy of any listing, the condition of any animal or item listed, or the reliability of any user on the platform.

11. Reporting Violations

We have built robust reporting tools into the platform so our community can help keep Mane Match safe. If you see content, behavior, or a listing that may violate these guidelines, please use the report tools available on listings, profiles, photos, and messages. Your reports are reviewed by the Safety and Moderation Team.

• In-App Reporting: Use the report button found on listings, profiles, and messages.
• Email: For immediate concerns, contact our Safety Team at safety@mane-match.com.
• Emergencies: If you believe someone is in immediate danger — human or animal — contact your local authorities or emergency services. Do not wait for a platform response.

12. Enforcement & Consequences

The Mane Match Safety and Moderation Team conducts continuous audits of platform activity and reviews all reported content. Consequences for violations may include, but are not limited to:

• Removal of offending content without notice
• A formal warning issued to the account
• Temporary suspension of account privileges
• Permanent ban from the platform
• Reporting to law enforcement or animal welfare authorities where applicable

The severity of the response is determined at the sole discretion of the Safety and Moderation Team based on the nature and severity of the violation. While we strive to be fair, no appeals process is guaranteed. All users are guests of Mane Match, and access to the platform is a privilege, not a right.

13. Contact the Safety & Moderation Team

For safety concerns, policy questions, or to report a violation directly:

These guidelines are subject to change. Continued use of Mane Match constitutes acceptance of the most current version of these guidelines.