Absolutely gutted - long long story

TheBlackMoth

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At the end of June we sold our ex racer TB. We thought we had found a good home and we bought my daughter a new horse.

The people we sold him to promised that we could keep in touch and visit. However, after the first few weeks they stopped answering texts and phone messages. We didn't want to come over as stalker family so decided to give them some room. However, last weekend was three months and my oldest daughter was getting upset about not knowing. I tried ringing them again - no reply. In the end I rang the riding school - a fairly big school close to Liverpool - and they said he was absolutely fine.

Surprisingly, the next very day we get a text from the girl we sold him to saying she had to sell him. My daughter was distraught and in the end, after giving the matter some thought, I told her I would lend her the money to buy him back. Now, bear in mind he is a crib biter and a wind sucker and he needs coligone to keep him in condition. He drops weight easily and needs to be out as much as possible. We told our purchasers all this and they convinced us they understood.

These people didn't answer the phone but communicated by text. In the end we agreed that we would buy him back and we went to pick him up today.

Well, we were devastated. He looks so bad - he is a rescue case. He is so bad that the yard he was on had called the RSPCA and they tried to stop us taking him because they said he was under a caution (whatever that is). I am afraid that I just told them to try and stop me as we were taking him where he would be looked after.

We have paid a considerable amount of money to take back a horse that is worth nothing at the moment. I don't regret the money - as I would have paid more to get him out of there. But I do regret that they get away with such maltreatment scot free and with money they don't deserve in their pocket.

When I was there I just handed over the money and said nothing as I felt if we started berating them about his condition they might not let us take him home. I feel bad that I didn't give them a hard time over it - but I knew my daughter was upset enough already and any fuss would have made a really bad situation worse.

So now we have three horses again until we are able to get him fit enough to consider re selling him. I don't think it will be until next summer though.

I have to say that my daughter's instructor has been fantastic - not only has she found a stable for him - but she has given lots of advice about looking after him.

He has always lost weight easily but in the two and half years we had him he has never ever looked like this. I am gutted and feel totally responsible. My animals have always been pets. I just can't come to terms with the fact that you sell them on and anything can happen.
 
Thank god you persisted in keeping in touch
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Hope he's feeling a bit better soon x
 
Poor boy... lucky to have such lovely people save him and have him back
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I know its shocking what people do to animals...

Im going to have to sell my pony soon im growing out of him and i couldnt bear it if it happened to him... i dont want him to go
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Been there and done that, dont beat yourself up (((hugs)))))

My boy has been back for nealry a year and although has put on loads of weight, still needs a little more on.

Well done for getting him back
 
Oh Nuala, what a shocking story!
How very lucky for him that you wanted to keep in touch, and it's wonderful that you have bought him back (for him, at least!).
Sadly, this will always be in the forefront of your minds when you come to sell him again. Such a very sad situation for all concerned (apart from the idiots who bought him from you
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Just goes to show that whoever rehomes horses and however much you check it out .. you cannot be sure of finding forever homes or being assured of the horses future.. glad you got your horse back, if he was under caution it might have been that the rspca would prosecute the then owners, or of course tried to make them sign him over. Think you were very restrained when picking him up, i think personally i would have got him in the box and then gone back and sorted them out lolol hope he recovers quickly..
 
Oh hun. That's a pile of sh!t. So sorry the horse, your daughter, and you went through it
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He's back and he's safe now. You can't change the past, so put your energies into saving his future.

Many, many hugs.

C.x
 
Thank god you persevered Nuala, if it hadn't been for you, goodness knows where he would have ended up
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Well done you
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I hope he picks up and you get him a lovely new home
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xx
 
Oh crikey...how awful and the reason that none of mine will ever be sold if I can help it. You just can never know.
Good for you for bothering to find him and than take him back....he's a very lucky lad
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Good luck getting him back into shape
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We will get some pictures tomorrow and will keep you updated on his progress over the next few months.

It's this sort of thing that makes me wish you had to get a licence to own a horse.
 
Yes - that's it exactly. He was a happy healthy horse - that just needed a little tlc to keep him that way and instead I think he has been abused.

I am also cross with the riding school. Why didn't they tell me when I rang last week that he was in a state. We would have gone and got him on Monday - and saved him a week of this.
 
How very upsetting for you both as you say you would have bought him whatever. I am like you my horses are my pets. At least he is safe now.

what is shocking is that he was kept on a yard, with no doubt, lots of experienced people around - why did they stand by?

One of the reasons BEVA have been pushing for livery licencing is because, too many welfare cases come out of DIY livery, where YO say 'not my responsibility.

I was furious with a farming neighbour of mine who ran livery, but when I approached him with concern about one horse, he shrugged his shoulders - 'nothing to do with me'
 
poor boy, well done for getting him back though.

this is why i have decided to keep my boy even though hes not able to be ridden.
 
I so agree. Yard Owners must take some responsibility for the horses on their land. I have been fairly lucky with the Yard Owners we have had. However, when taking my girls for riding lessons when they were younger, I have witnessed some terrible circumstances - all of which are why we ended up with our own horses instead of continuing with lessons - as least I could be certain that the horses my girls were riding were well looked after.
 
I can understand why you are so upset. It's great that you were able to get him back.

Sounds like a call to the council may be in order if the horse was kept at a riding school. If the horse is that bad - and I have no doubt it is - their management were clearly not doing their job.
 
What a horrible story. I've come close to selling my mare so many times - if I'm totally honest I can't afford her really, I work myself into the floor to keep her - but its stories like this that have made me hang on to her, because she's not the easiest of horses and I'd be too afraid of what might happen to her.
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Agree that reporting the riding school would be a good idea - is it BHS/ABRS approved? You could get in touch with them too.

Hope the poor boy recovers and that you have better luck next time you come to rehome him.
 
I totally understand what you are saying. I hate this business of selling animals. You never are sure about their future. However, when we do sell again we will check out the home a lot more carefully.
 
I know. I wish I could name and shame them and the riding school who seemed to be more worried about their reputation than the state of this poor horse. Sadly, there is nothing to be gained.

The one thing I can promise you is that he wont go to a new home until it has been fully vetted.

He seemed so glad to be back with us - he couldn't keep his eyes of my daughter when she was moving about the stable sorting his stuff out.

I just hope karma really does work and these people feel some of the pain that this poor horse has been though.
 
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