BOGOF what should she do?

[Carlosmum]

Just had a call from a friend who found a little surprise in the field with her mare, she has owned this mare for 4 weeks, and had a 5 stage vetting just before purchase. Friend has very little experience and TBH someone saw her coming.
The mare is an imported Irish cob had been on the yard she bought her from for about 6 weeks & imported from Ireland via a dealer in the midlands.

So apart from telling her she has been an idiot to buy the beast in the first place she has, as I see it 3 choices:
1 to keep the pair & deal with the future of the youngster as it grows up,
2. to keep the foal till weaning & send it back from whence it came asking the dealer for a partial refund for all the hassle
3. to return both asap. I believe the dealer has taken other foaled mares back.

Does she have any comeback with the vet who didn't spot a mare 4 weeks & 3 days from foaling?

I'm interested in how other people have dealt with a situation like this. My gut feeling is she should send the pair of the back & go shopping for a gelding.

 

[9tails]

I bet the vet was in the dealer's pocket. You say this has happened before from this dealer? She could contact citizens advice to see what can be done.

I'd go with 1 if in that situation.

 

[HazyXmas]

It's also happened to us this year. We bought a 4 yr old mare last September & she produced a little filly foal 5 weeks ago

We bought from a breeder & she did offer to have the mare & foal back but we have kept them both & are actually quite enjoying learning all about foals. It's probably not something that we would have ever chosen to do & it has been more complicated by the fact that the mare was virtually un-handled before she came to us & has reverted back somewhat since having the foal.

My vet tells me that it is possible to sell foals on at weaning so maybe this might be an option for your friend? I might be looking for one myself as a companion to ours.

Let us know how she gets on. Any chance of pictures, it's always lovely to see new foals. Good luck.

 

[Archangel]

I would have thought she would have comeback on both vet and dealer.

However, in her shoes I would make sure that poor mare and her new foal had as peaceful a time as possible and keep the foal until weaning and find him/her a good home. Depends of course on how experienced your friend is, what facilities she has and what help is available. If the new arrival means financial ruin, I might possibly send the mare back (poor thing carted hither and thither heavily in foal and now with foal) if the dealer already has a field of mares and foals and a good reputation.

I'm afraid I am always delighted with BOGOFs but then I am potty.

 

[rainer]

I'd choose option 1 if she has the time and finances as how would u know what would be their fate otherwise, I'd say the vet is a bit crooked

 

[rainer]

I would be happy with a bogof too lol 2 for the price of one!

 

[be positive]

I would be happy with a bogof too lol 2 for the price of one!

Also double the expense, two lots of vaccinations, extra feed, possibly issues with livery and at the end of the day a low value foal of unknown breeding that may just about cover costs when sold, not to mention no riding for the summer which is probably why the mare was purchased.

I would send them back if that is an option, these dealers that import mares need to take more responsibility, vet may not have even thought to check unless specifically asked or the mare looked heavier than she should, I had one foal the night after a vet had looked at her he didn't even realise at that late stage she was in foal despite me hinting.

 

[Carlosmum]

Also double the expense, two lots of vaccinations, extra feed, possibly issues with livery and at the end of the day a low value foal of unknown breeding that may just about cover costs when sold, not to mention no riding for the summer which is probably why the mare was purchased.

be positive you've hit the nail on the head. this mare is my friend first horse ( she had loan/shared one before) it was her mid-life crisis purchase which I get the feeling was perhaps a mistake, I think the mare is too much for her ridding wise. She may well have issues with livery & has absolutely no experience of youngsters. If she is chucked out of her livery my OH has said she could send the pair to us but as she lives 50 miles away that is not ideal.

I gather the vet remarked that the mare looked poor but had a big belly .... ??

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Posting on here about this is one thing but your friend who bought the animal needs to decide what she wants to do. Once she's decided what she wants then she can take the appropriate action. If she wants to return the mare & foal she can always contact the dealer about this. If the dealer declines then she can seek legal advice from a legal professional who can advise her accordingly. If she wants to keep the pair then she needs to make arrangements for them, sort out her finances & also arrange for someone to advise her on rearing a foal as she has no experience.

Firstly she needs to make a decision as to what she wants to do!

 

[Carlosmum]

Firstly she needs to make a decision as to what she wants to do!

I appreciate that, I wasn't looking for someone to make a decision for her, rather trying to find out if others had been in a similar situation & what they had done. Personally I'd keep them, but then I have had enough experience to deal with babies.

 

[merlin12]

I would love a Bogof.I have the facilities to manage the situation. I can understand the new owners concern as she probably budgeted to keep one horse and now has two,and probably can't ride for a while . Surely the vet would have picked this up at the vetting.

 

[9tails]

If she has absolutely no experience of being completely responsible for a horse and also finds the mare too much to handle, she should send them to you!

 

[rainer]

Also double the expense, two lots of vaccinations, extra feed, possibly issues with livery and at the end of the day a low value foal of unknown breeding that may just about cover costs when sold, not to mention no riding for the summer which is probably why the mare was purchased.

I would send them back if that is an option, these dealers that import mares need to take more responsibility, vet may not have even thought to check unless specifically asked or the mare looked heavier than she should, I had one foal the night after a vet had looked at her he didn't even realise at that late stage she was in foal despite me hinting.

Yes that is the trouble, but I do like to make the best out of a bad situation and keep positive, if she can afford both and wants to and has a support network of friends and family and professionals then perhaps she could keep them and then sell the foal on eventually. But then I am too soft lol and like to keep everything

 

[STRIKER]

Carlosmum you seem very concerned about your friend, "mid life crisis and such", relax she is your friend but its her life and maybe just maybe she is enjoying having a little foal, why dont you step back a sec and see how she feels and ask her, but dont tell her whihc i get the impression you are doing why the way upur posts have come across on this thread. No road is not rocky, its how we deal with those rocks when we come across them. Breathe

 

[Carlosmum]

hi Striker.... mid life pony crisis were her words not mine!!

 

[EquestrianFairy]

I've had two bogofs - we kept all of them and the foals became cracking riding horses.

Whilst nowadays I tend to opt for geldings, i personally learnt a lot and wouldn't have changed it.

 

[rainer]

I've had two bogofs - we kept all of them and the foals became cracking riding horses.

Whilst nowadays I tend to opt for geldings, i personally learnt a lot and wouldn't have changed it.

Like.

 

[Feival]

Keep both. Nothing better than having mare and foal