Advice please re loan and vet bill

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peaceandquiet1

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Have loaned out pony to family on understanding that they pay for his sarcoid treatment. He is a very good pony and they are doing well with him. The time has come for his sarcoids to be reviewed and he has one which requires treatment and was known about pre the loan. The vets said the Liverpool Cream could be transferred to new vets-but it has been found to be out of date. The loan agreement states the loaners will meet all vet expenses but they are asking me to pay for cream as they hadn't bargained on paying for it as well. I feel that unexpected bills are part of horse ownership and in all other respects he is fab and low maintenance-should I pay?
 
Imo you are right, and they should pay for the treatment.

However, you have to weigh up how much you want him to stay where he is versus the cost of the treatment.

If the loan home is super and you would rather not have him home, maybe it would be prudent to offer to go halves.

If it were me I would have him back because I can't abide people going back on their word.
 
hum not sure I agree! its a pre existing condition, I don't think that they should be responsible for that! had he developed them in their care then I'd expect them to claim on their insurance but their insurance won't cover this and why should someone pay for his treatment? how do they know that once its cleared up, you wont take him back???
 
I'm with Kezzabell. But I suppose they did say they would pay for it, but did you say you would supply the cream? It is very expensive I think?
 
Hmm. The loan agreement says that they pay for all vet expenses yet they want you to pay for the cream? Surely that's their responsibility. When I loaned a pony I didn't ask the owner for the money for investigating what was wrong with their pony, that was down to me to pay as the loanee.

As LJR says if you are happy with the home he has and want treatment to continue I maybe inclined to pay half but on the understanding that is a "one off" and the next time the conditions of the agreement aren't upheld then you'll collect the pony.
 
I'm afraid I disagree too. If it's a pre existing condition it should be up to the owners to pay. That's how it worked when I full loaned a horse, but paid all other vet bills.
 
Sarcoid treatment is just so damn expensive! a pony at my yard has had hers done and it was way over £1k. I can't imagine that anyone loaning a horse would be will to pay that sort of money! even if the cream was supplied the vet needs to come out every couple of days to apply it! that has be around £150 a visit??
 
At the end of the day it's your pony and therefore your responsibility. As I see it I would pay to ensure good feeling all around and to maintain some control over pony treAtment. So. You either pay and the the pony stYs with loaner or you have pony back I which case you pay anyway.
 
It would have to be a seriously good pony/horse for me to have signed a contract to agree to pay for pre existing conditions not covered under insurance.
Tread carefully, if they are proving a good loan home and you are not in a hurry to take horse back then I'd at least be offering to go halves.
 
It is a seriously good pony, the treatment and cream cost me about £400 last year, so hardly the end of the world given they knew that's why he was for loan and not sale. The vet told me the cream could be transferred. They were going to use the same cream on him had he stayed with me. The pony is exactly what they wanted and they knew about the sarcoids-there are only two small ones to be treated and he doesn't need sedation.
 
I still have some creme left over our check up Thursday seemed good but waiting for Liverpool to say they need no further treatment.


If it is in the contract they pay vet and they knew of the scarcoids prior then they accepted the terms when they signed the contract.
 
The pony is exactly what they wanted and the sarcoid issue was fully discussed prior to the loan. He doesn't need sedation and her vet lives nearby and she told me callouts were cheap. My bill last year was about £400 for 5 visits and the cream. The cream is an issue as we all thought it could be transferred.
 
shortstuff99 said:
Was the cream covered under the agreement? You state that they thought it could be transfered which says to me the cream payment wasn't agreed which means you may have to pay for it.
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This was my reading of it too. They took the pony on the basis that the cream would be available at no cost so this is an additional cost that they were not expecting. If they are still prepared to pay for the vet visits then I would just pay for the cream to ensure the pony gets the treatment it needs and the pony doesn't end up coming back to you unexpectedly.
 
Do they really need to be treated? If they are of a size and location that isn't in the way of anything and they aren't sore or weeping couldn't you just leave them? If you don't want to sell and the loaners don't mind them being there - ignore them and everyone saves £400 + cream?

As the loaner I'd have a slight concern I'd pay for them to be removed, then you'd sell him, he would be worth more without them presumably. But they did agree to it in the first place so I see it from both sides. I've weigh up the cost of livery if he comes back to you for the winter vs offering to contribute at least the cost of the cream they didn't realise they'd have to pay for.
 
They are getting closer to the girth area so would be better treated, to minimise the risk of spread, but I have actually had about not treating them too. I keep the ponies at home so no livery just extra hay and mucking out, the pony is getting worked there which he wouldn't here. This is not about them treating him so I can sell him, it is about the management of an ongoing problem and I can see it from their side too-but they have an otherwise free pony with tack with whom they can compete and progress for as long as they want him so they have a good deal too. I don't know if I will ever be able to sell him.
 
It comes down to this, what do you want to happen to the pony? Come home or stay there?

I would pay for the treatment to maintain the loan. It's a pre existing condition that you knew would be needing treatment.
 
I pay for all veterinary expenses for my loan horse. If it was a pre-existing condition I'm not sure I'd want to unless I was sure it was low maintenance.

However if you have a contract which declares the condition and loaners have signed saying they'll pay (including the cream) then it is effectively their responsibility.
 
horsemadmum1 said:
Have loaned out pony to family on understanding that they pay for his sarcoid treatment. He is a very good pony and they are doing well with him. The time has come for his sarcoids to be reviewed and he has one which requires treatment and was known about pre the loan. The vets said the Liverpool Cream could be transferred to new vets-but it has been found to be out of date. The loan agreement states the loaners will meet all vet expenses but they are asking me to pay for cream as they hadn't bargained on paying for it as well. I feel that unexpected bills are part of horse ownership and in all other respects he is fab and low maintenance-should I pay?
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Did you tell them that you already had the cream and that it would be transferred to their vet if the sarcoids needed treating?

If so, I don't understand why you now think that they should pay for it. It was your, or your vet's mistake not realizing that it would soon be out of date or was already out of date. If they were promised it free then they should get it free.
 
ihatework said:
It would have to be a seriously good pony/horse for me to have signed a contract to agree to pay for pre existing conditions not covered under insurance.
Tread carefully, if they are proving a good loan home and you are not in a hurry to take horse back then I'd at least be offering to go halves.
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This definately
 
I have loaned out my ponies several times, they are often older ponies so in the contract I pay for all pre existing conditions, they only pay a set amount for illness or injury.
I have a homebred who has had treatment for a sarcoid, he is four, he will go out on loan and I will pay for any further treatment.
 
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