Can I get some compensation?

[Chantelle_12]

Hi everyone!
i started a horse share a few months ago it was agreed I will go 1 time per week for £80 per month plus a month upfront, which I agreed to the owner of the horse said the horse was very friendly and really good I said to get ive an experienced rider but I’ve not been riding for 2 years so I will need a little time to get back onto the swing of it - she seemed absolutely fine with this and so I went once a week for 3 weeks every time I rode her horse there was an incident the first time he cantered off I managed to bring him back to trot then walk which was fine then the second time He tried it again I managed to stop him before he had the change to go past trot I thought this was brilliant making progress and the third time we was in the woods which we had been to once before and he took off whilst we was going under trees and I nearly fell but didn’t and my face was getting caught along branches and my hat also and started choking me luckily enough we made it through that then we come into this field off the horse takes starting with a canter then I tried slowing him down he galloped and then went back into canter then galloped off again resulting in me falling due to the reins breaking I was in shock after I feel on my way home I just kept shivering I had a headache my collar bone was killing my legs were bruised so I went to see a gp they have me painkillers and a type of Valium to relax my muscle 1 month or more later my collar bone is still hurting and the owner haven’t replied to my messages about still coming or anything I’ve paid money to her for pretty much nothing her horse clearly needs re training in my years of horse experience I’ve never come across anything like it when being told that the horse is really lovely and well behaved I mean she’s clearly lied to me saying the horse Is well behaved because I’ve seen how he’s not he’s an Irish sports horse. Thanks for reading I know I it’s long

 

[Goldenstar]

You got on the horse and it’s sounds like it was just being a horse .
You assumed the risk when you got on falling off comes with getting on horses .
I am sorry you are hurt but it comes with the territory .

 

[Chantelle_12]

You got on the horse and it’s sounds like it was just being a horse .
You assumed the risk when you got on falling off comes with getting on horses .
I am sorry you are hurt but it comes with the territory .

Yeah I would accept this but after the lady told me how good this horse was makes me think she just wanted my money and didn’t really care about if I fell or not she even stopped replying after I said I’d be late paying my next payment so it really seems suspicious for me she didn’t have a job and did make me wonder how she was affording to keep the horse but who knows she could be doing did regular

 

[FlyingCircus]

I don't think so, I'm afraid.

I'm also not sure what you're doing hacking out a horse that it doesn't sound like you can reliably control in walk and trot. Certainly some errors in judgement here.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Also, how she pays for her horse is none of your business.

 

[ycbm]

Did you hack straight out on a horse you didn't know after not having ridden for 2 years? Was there any option to ride the horse in an enclosed space?
.

 

[Xmasha]

No,you shouldnt get compensation. You took a horse out in open fields/woods that you couldnt control in an arena.
Horses can behave unpredictable ,thats horses for you.

Glad youre not hurt too badly, perhaps go to a riding school to get you back up to speed.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

You were most likely totally over horsed, you had told the owner you are an experienced rider and if that description of your riding was accurate and honest and based on that that I guess her horse probably is well behaved and a nice ride.

I call one of my Irish sport horses a quiet and easy plod - if a novice rider got on him and took him out for a hack I suspect they would not agree with me. Your description describes to me a novice rider not a problem horse. The fact that you seem to think being an Irish sport horse means it cannot possibly be lovely and well behaved tells me all I need to know about your 'experience' level.

Sorry your hurt but we take that risk every time we get on a horse. It is a high risk sport even for happy hackers. Move on now and find something more suited to your level of experience, and be VERY honest with owners of any other potential share horses. Or perhaps have some riding lessons to get you better prepared before you attempt to share any horse again. You are very lucky you did not get even more seriously injured IMO and perhaps the owner is also thinking that about her horse and why she is not replying to you?

 

[Equi]

Not from the owner, no. You should have your own riders insurance. You made the error of taking him out in the open when you already had doubts about his behaviour.

 

[Upthecreek]

Compensation for what? What have you lost because of what happened? You paid your money, you rode the horse & it didn’t work out.

 

[Littlebear]

I would normally be the last person to be harsh but anyone looking for a sharer needs to read this post.
Op sorry, but the very idea you want compensation because you fell off makes me very, very uncomfortable in this situation.
The very notion of getting on an unpredictable, large, flight animal is extremely high risk, you couldn’t control it in a controlled environment but you went out and then had an accident.
I worked at several riding schools with lots of great horses ... guess what ... sometimes they did things and people fell off. Horses that do the job reliably day in and day out can still act out given the right circumstances. That’s horses.

 

[Auslander]

I'm afraid that, judging by what you've said in your post, you don't come across as quite as experienced as you think you are. Nothing wrong with that -it's a common misconception, but unconscious incompetence is the most dangerous of the 4 stages of competence, as it's when people are most likely to have accidents - when they think they are more skilled than they actually are.
It's not the horses fault, or the owners, or yours - just a rather unfortunate blend of circumstances. All you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and have a little rethink about how best to approach getting yourself back in the saddle safely

 

[P.forpony]

Absolutely not I’m afraid.
You may be able to claim under your own riding insurance policy. If you don’t have one get one!
I’d suggest as other have that a riding school would be the best place to start from here to get an objective professional view of your level of experience.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that should anything happen that lead to an injury to the horse or someone else or damage to their property while you were handling the share horse you may be the one facing a claim yourself, instead of the other way round.
Another reason to make sure you’re properly insured.

 

[ihatework]

Owner was an utter idiot by the sounds of it by not overseeing this share closely to start with.

 

[Auslander]

Owner was an utter idiot by the sounds of it by not overseeing this share closely to start with.

Yep.
I've got someone riding one of my lot at the moment - she's ridden all her life, but all on riding school horses. The horses is a nice little cobby type, who is pretty well behaved, but buzzy and forward thinking. I am keeping a very careful eye on the partnership, and subtly micromanaging things. They will have a lot of fun, but she has a lot more to learn about riding independently than she realises yet.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Every time you went there was an incident yet you carried on going?

No you absolutely do not deserve any compensation. You should have your own insurance for starters. Maybe learn from this and don't over horse yourself again - and always ask the owner to ride the horse for you first if the horse isn't known to you.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Yeah I would accept this but after the lady told me how good this horse was makes me think she just wanted my money and didn’t really care about if I fell or not she even stopped replying after I said I’d be late paying my next payment so it really seems suspicious for me she didn’t have a job and did make me wonder how she was affording to keep the horse but who knows she could be doing did regular

Why is that suspicious on the owner's part? If I'm reading correctly you were only a few weeks in to the share and already saying your next payment was going to be later than agreed. Granted I personally would prefer someone but upfront about things (i.e. whether they wanted to end the share), but after these 'incidents' and then with you indicating you couldn't pay as agreed it doesn't seem that surprising they might not be keen to keep the relationship going.

Nothing else to add to what's already been said, I don't understand what you would be claiming compensation for and you should have your own rider insurance via BHS Gold or similar.

 

[IrishMilo]

I’m confused why you had to pay £80 upfront plus the cost of the share. Literally never heard of having to pay a deposit for a share before.

 

[ester]

Well given that the next payment was going to be late perhaps that was fortuitous?

 

[Shay]

Actually - and very scarily... yes possibly. It is really fact specific but liability under the Animal Act is strict. The only way to find out is to try. Thankfully for owners 3P liability insurers are getting very good about pursuing claims to court and registering false claims on the insurers database. If you think you have a claim - go for it. Hopefully the owner has insurance that will ensure you do actually have to pursue your claim to court - so you will need to instruct a solicitor. If you loose you will have to pay costs and you may end up on the insurers database if you have made a false claim.

But it is possible - depending on what you can prove - that you might possibly have a claim. The place to ask is your solicitors office. Not a forum.

This is why owners are reluctant to accept sharers. And probably correctly so.

 

[Cortez]

You were overhorsed and fell off. There's no compensation for that I'm afraid. Perhaps a course at a riding school would suit you better?

 

[mini_b]

This frightens me.

with horses when something inevitably goes tits up, I always ask myself -
“What did I do wrong to cause xyz to happen?”

there is absolutely none of that here, OP feels the owner is at fault for misdescribing the horse and the horse is at fault for being badly trained etc.

I can’t believe the cheek to ask for compensating to be honest as I feel like you have perhaps mis sold yourself to the owner. We really do live in a society where someone else is at fault, you need to accept a bit responsibility for your shortcomings on this one.

think this may be a time to do a bit of reflection, as it says quite a lot to me about your attitude to horsemanship.

 

[9tails]

Your idea of experienced and our idea of experienced are completely different. Though we weren't there, I suspect you scared a well trained and safe horse in experienced hands with your lack of ability.

I agree that the owner was a total numpty for taking you at your word, you would have been watched like a hawk by me.

 

[Red-1]

I think that if OP has lost £ through being out of work, they would have a claim. The owner needs to make sure a sharer is suitable before charging them for a share. I always remember the 15yo who said they were experienced and got an an ex racer... fell and was injured seriously... and won against the owner, even though the owner was less experienced than the 15yo.

The 15yo's parent had given consent too.

I thought that was a wrong decision, as 15yo's mother surely should have taken responsibility when an inexperienced owner says they are having trouble, rather that upping their daughter's experience level? However, the law says I am wrong and the girl got compensation. The owner was insured but only for 1 million, and I believe had to sell the house!

So, if OP has experienced material losses, then I think she would win.

However, sore legs and a sore shoulder wouldn't win anything, I don't think. No material loss, no permanent disablement. The sort of injury that can happen when falling from a horse.

OP, I would simply walk away and refresh your skills at a riding school, where you will be supervised to help you get going again, as then you will have help with risk assessment.

All this seeking compensation makes me loath to let anyone sit on any horse of mine!

 

[abbijay]

Hi everyone!
i started a horse share a few months ago it was agreed I will go 1 time per week for £80 per month plus a month upfront, which I agreed to the owner of the horse said the horse was very friendly and really good I said to get ive an experienced rider but I’ve not been riding for 2 years so I will need a little time to get back onto the swing of it - she seemed absolutely fine with this and so I went once a week for 3 weeks every time I rode her horse there was an incident the first time he cantered off I managed to bring him back to trot then walk which was fine then the second time He tried it again I managed to stop him before he had the change to go past trot I thought this was brilliant making progress and the third time we was in the woods which we had been to once before and he took off whilst we was going under trees and I nearly fell but didn’t and my face was getting caught along branches and my hat also and started choking me luckily enough we made it through that then we come into this field off the horse takes starting with a canter then I tried slowing him down he galloped and then went back into canter then galloped off again resulting in me falling due to the reins breaking I was in shock after I feel on my way home I just kept shivering I had a headache my collar bone was killing my legs were bruised so I went to see a gp they have me painkillers and a type of Valium to relax my muscle 1 month or more later my collar bone is still hurting and the owner haven’t replied to my messages about still coming or anything I’ve paid money to her for pretty much nothing her horse clearly needs re training in my years of horse experience I’ve never come across anything like it when being told that the horse is really lovely and well behaved I mean she’s clearly lied to me saying the horse Is well behaved because I’ve seen how he’s not he’s an Irish sports horse. Thanks for reading I know I it’s long

Your mismanagement caused the reins to break, are you going to compensate the owner for not returning all equipment in the same condition it was borrowed?
As an aside, are you over 16? The lack of punctuation in the post makes for very difficult reading and is common among younger posters on the site.

 

[mini_b]

Is this a generational thing?

If I was lucky to have a share at points as child I would make sure that if I realised I didn’t know something, I’d find out how to learn about it. Which meant buying a book! Or if I got b*llocked for doing something wrong, that very firmly sank in - there’s usually a reason you’re getting told off.
People now have access to all that knowledge literally at their fingertips.

I’ll never be not sh*t - but Im very aware of that and that’s all on me. my horse is sharp and I’ve made him rideable and a pleasure (not hairy scary anymore...usually) with a lot of time and help.
Does NOT mean I can hop on a sharp dressage wb youngster and be confident I wouldn’t break it ?

Say less. Do more.

 

[Pippity]

Horses are unpredictable. Mine's basically as safe as you can get but she'll still try to edge up into trot or canter every now and again. I don't consider that an 'incident', just a bit of misbehaviour that needs to be controlled.

My first share horse tanked with me, and I was only able to pull her up when we caught up with a couple of other horses in front of us on the bridle path. My reaction was to let the owner know, apologise abjectly for letting the horse get away from me, and ask for advice on how to stop it happening again. I certainly never considered asking for compensation!

You sound like you're a lot less experienced than you think you are.

 

[mini_b]

My first share horse tanked with me, and I was only able to pull her up when we caught up with a couple of other horses in front of us on the bridle path. My reaction was to let the owner know, apologise abjectly for letting the horse get away from me, and ask for advice on how to stop it happening again.

asked for advice on how to prevent it happening again - therein lies the difference in between two “learner” riders. (You didn’t say you were but it’s a good example!)

 

[Pippity]

asked for advice on how to prevent it happening again - therein lies the difference in between two “learner” riders. (You didn’t say you were but it’s a good example!)

I think we're all learner riders, tbh, so absolutely no offence! I'd have to have another forty years riding a wide variety of horses in a wide variety of disciplines with instruction from a wide variety of people before I'd consider calling myself experienced. On my good days, I'd say I'm a competent novice. On my bad days, a beginner.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I think that if OP has lost £ through being out of work, they would have a claim. The owner needs to make sure a sharer is suitable before charging them for a share. I always remember the 15yo who said they were experienced and got an an ex racer... fell and was injured seriously... and won against the owner, even though the owner was less experienced than the 15yo.

The 15yo's parent had given consent too.

I thought that was a wrong decision, as 15yo's mother surely should have taken responsibility when an inexperienced owner says they are having trouble, rather that upping their daughter's experience level? However, the law says I am wrong and the girl got compensation. The owner was insured but only for 1 million, and I believe had to sell the house!

So, if OP has experienced material losses, then I think she would win.

However, sore legs and a sore shoulder wouldn't win anything, I don't think. No material loss, no permanent disablement. The sort of injury that can happen when falling from a horse.

OP, I would simply walk away and refresh your skills at a riding school, where you will be supervised to help you get going again, as then you will have help with risk assessment.

All this seeking compensation makes me loath to let anyone sit on any horse of mine!

Wow. This is one of those "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" moments.


I don't think one could make such a case here. I don't even know how they made a case there. Would love to read that one.