Am I Right or Wrong....Should I tell...

[Charmel]

I have been taking care of a mare for my clueless livery for three years, she is a successful ex racehorse who won quite a lot of money. She is also the sweetest mare ever. My livery only sees her because he lives very close to the yard. he knows very little about horses and she belonged to his wife who died. I literally do everything for her as if she was mine. two years ago he had a man and trailer turn up out of the blue and take her away to put her in foal to a TB stallion with the aim of producing a new baby racehorse. (BTW he's not great a paying bills thinks farriers and vets are unnecessary expense but paid 3k stud fee!) she came back in foal. I rigged up camera and took care of her throughout pregnancy she had complications and I called vet even though he didn't want one and up shot is a beautiful filly and vet advice for mare never to be bred from again. NOW this is the thing he hasn't registered the filly yet and with the new rules if she is not registered by 14 months then she can never race in GB. I don't want her to race and I would be happy to keep her. I have told him that while that mare is with me on my yard I will not have her in foal again and he cannot have any other horse on my yard. He wants to put her back in foal. So am I in the right for the mare & filly or should I let him carry on with the mare and tell him about the new rules about registering??? HELP

 

[Orangehorse]

Of course someone has told him that the foal is potentially worth a great deal of money, so he saw £ signs and put the mare in foal. Surely he knows the vet said not to breed from her again?

I think you could casually mention something about looking into the registration rules and leave it to him after that. After all, even if you did end up with her, you might one day be pleased that she is registered.

 

[YorksG]

I wouldn't bother telling him tbh, surely it is up to him to follow the rules regarding racing registration etc? I agree with telling him that he must move the mare if he wants to put her in foal again, particularly if it is against vet advice. Does he pay full livery for both animals, or has what began as a favour because his wife died become a default position, with you keeping them on full livery for DIY prices?
He sounds like a prat who thought he could make money from the mare, which is such a shame for the horses.
The bottom line is that they are his animals and he can do as he pleases with them, but not at your yard.

 

[southerncomfort]

Agree with the others. You've been very kind, helping him out with this mare after his wife died. But he is rather taking your assistance for granted now and the fact that he didn't even ask if you were happy to have an in foal mare on your yard means he doesn't really respect you very much.

I would ask him to set up a standing order for livery payments and I would also tell him that you do not want another foal on the yard and leave the ball in his court.

Tough situation for you but think you need to be quite firm with him from here on in.

 

[Damnation]

Could you offer to just buy the horses from him but allow him to come visit from time to time?

Failing that, tell him if he wants to put the mare in danger he can do it at another yard.

 

[alainax]

Can you get the vet who attended to phone him? Maybe he is unaware of the height of the risk. Such a tough one, if they stay it's all the worry and stress, if they go you have no idea what will become of them. Can't turn to charities as they are looked after. Have you had in in for a frank discussion?

 

[Pedantic]

The guy is obviously a shirt front.

 

[Charmel]

Could you offer to just buy the horses from him but allow him to come visit from time to time?

Failing that, tell him if he wants to put the mare in danger he can do it at another yard.

I did offer to buy them mare and filly, but he wanted ridiculous money for them. Then when I pointed out that they simply weren't worth that he said he couldn't part with the mare for sentimental reasons. (his wife bred her). The mare is 11 before he put her in foal we were hacking her to keep her fit and ticking over. (she was perfectly well behaved) she could go on to have a useful life if he just left her alone. The filly is just lovely she has been well handled since birth (due to issues when she was born) and I hate the thought of her going off to a racing yard and him losing her in a selling race.

 

[rowan666]

I wouldn't tell him, he sounds incredibly ignorant not to mention plain stupid by failing to research this for himself! Just remind him of the vets advice not to breed her and the very probable complications and associated costs that will arise out of ignoring vets recommendations, also remind him how much more it's going to cost him to keep 3 on full livery else where because you can't allow another foal on your yard.

 

[madlady]

I too would be tempted to call the vet or even BHS welfare as him putting the mare in foal again is a welfare issue (IMO).

I'd explain to him about the registration rules - that way he can't say that you have misled him or not kept him informed in anyway. At that point I'd attempt to explain to him just how serious it could be for the mare if he puts her in foal again - how would his wife have felt about that? I understand he probably won't sell the mare because of the connection to his late wife but maybe you could get him to at least loan her so that he doesn't kill her by trying to turn her into a breeding machine.

Poor mare

 

[Goldenstar]

I would tell him , if he decides to sell the foal your doing it no favours unless of course you are going to try to acquire it yourself .
On the mare going back to stud I would discuss your concerns with the vet and see if he will talk to the owner .
Poor you a sad place to be .

 

[wish upon a star]

I'd tell him or he will definitely want to breed the mare again if he missed the registration with the filly he has now.

 

[luckyoldme]

The guy is obviously a shirt front.

new favouraite saying for me i think!

 

[wench]

For a £3k stud fee the only thing you can be sure of is baby tb is unlikely to win any races at all

 

[SusieT]

I wouldn't mention registration - that's totally up to him and if she can't race you may find he lets you buy her later on.
I'd be strict with no more foals unless he is paying you and you are willing to be the handler for the mare and foals.

 

[MissMoo]

The guy is obviously a shirt front.

Not heard this before but think it's great!!

Some sound advice given already.

I think I would be inclined to point out to him that he is unwilling to sell the mare due to (understandable) sentiment, yet, having been advised by a vet not to breed from her again, he is willing to put the mare at considerable risk to her health and could potentially lose her completely.

I would have loved to have bred from one of my old horses but always felt the risk of loosing her due to complications was far too great - she was more important to me than a foal of money.

 

[Orca]

He's taking the pi$$. I wouldn't enable him to. I wouldn't tell him to register the filly - it's not your responsibility to. Welfare is though and I like the post above advising you to call BHS welfare.

Maybe once he realises he can't use the poor mare as a money machine and won't get much for an unregistered filly, he might let you buy them, if that's what you still want.

 

[zaminda]

If it isn't registered does that mean it doesn't have a passport? I would also wonder if the reason he hasn't registered it is because he hasn't paid the stud fee, and therefore hasn't got the covering certificate! I hadn't heard that they had to be registered by a certain time in order to be eligible to race, I wonder if my current boss knows that!
I'm another one who wonders if you are charging him full livery. If not, I would put in writing that you are going to start charging it.

 

[be positive]

If it isn't registered does that mean it doesn't have a passport? I would also wonder if the reason he hasn't registered it is because he hasn't paid the stud fee, and therefore hasn't got the covering certificate! I hadn't heard that they had to be registered by a certain time in order to be eligible to race, I wonder if my current boss knows that!
I'm another one who wonders if you are charging him full livery. If not, I would put in writing that you are going to start charging it.

I suspect it has not been DNA sampled or microchipped either, the mare also needed to be registered as a broodmare, the foal must be registered within 12 months of birth if it is to race.
The owner of the foal in the OP probably has no idea of what he is doing, I would inform him that he needs to get the foal registered, once he finds there will be more money involved he may decide that breeding another is not going to be profitable.

As for the livery in a recent thread the OP said she was charging £110 per MONTH for what is essentially full livery, the owner of the mare and foal is on a very good deal, if he had to pay a sensible rate he would probably give up both the mare and foal.

 

[ester]

I think you need to take control now OP. Give him notice of what the new terms and costs of livery will be including care, to be paid in advance, or you will presume abandonment/have horses is lieu of payment. Also if he removes the mare or says he is intending to breed her again that you will report him to the welfare authorities and the previously treating vet.

 

[fiwen30]

Owner sounds like a right twonk tbh, and it seems he's playing you like a fiddle, by letting you provide full livery and excercise(?) for his horse while paying you pennies!
I don't believe a word of the mare's high sale price stemming from his sentiment for her. No one who cared about their animal would fail to actually look after it, or abandon it for its entire pregnancy, complications and labour, let alone risk it's life by covering it again.
At the end of it, they belong to him and he can do as he wishes within welfare standards. However he shouldn't be doing it on your time and money - give the guy notice and be done with it.

 

[popsdosh]

The filly is going to have to be registered as at the moment both YOU op and He is breaking the law ,I dont think you have considered that consequence.
To me the filly has the best chance if she can at least have the option of racing in spite of Wench's somewhat ill informed pronouncement ,not sure how that conclusion was reached.