Horse dumped on me to repay loan but no passport! HELP!

[Patches]

A dentist or a vet will be able to roughly age him. Without breeding history, all passport ages are pretty much a rough guesstimate on adult horses anyway.

I don't see why anyone should specifically ask for "proof" of age as that's totally impossible on a horse being sold with unknown breeding.

It sounds like the whole process is being over complicated for some reason. I've had similar problems and once it was realised that there was no way of obtaining an original passport a new one was applied for.

 

[Patches]

[ QUOTE ]
You've been well and truly lumbered. You owe it to yourself to get this horse passported and sold. I really wouldn't worry too much about possible previous passports, and Trading Standards - just plead complete ignorance if necessary. It goes against the grain to pretend to be clueless, but it can help if faced with officials etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can keeperscottage plead ignorance when it's completely clear that they have told the whole story to Trading Standards?

If it was me, I would be in touch with Trading Standards and tell them the horse needs a passport (which of course it does). If they cannot help you verify if one is in existence already within a set time frame (say 7 days), then you will instruct your vet to complete the paperwork to apply for a new one. You will then sign the declaration to say that to the best of your knowledge there is no previous passport for said horse.

There is nothing else that can be done. I sold a horse who had an injury and a passport stamped with details of his injury preventing him being sold into a riding home (well it would put people off buying him for riding put it that way). He was re-sold with a new passport at auction. The ONLY reason Trading Standards were interested was because the owners knowlingly applied for a new passport to hide his identity and have him traced back to me, where I would clearly divulge his history should a new owner contact me. Said horse was microchipped though with his old identity, which went undetected when the new passport was issued.

Whilst it's an offence to sell a horse without a passport, it isn't an offence to buy one without one. If you have failed to find evidence of a passport, you simply (and it really is simple) have to apply for one for him.

As to who owns the horse and the division of monies from his sale...that's a whole different ball game.

 

[Cobland]

PS If friend kicks up that shes lost out on money, tell her to be grateful your not charging livery!!

 

[magic104]

Shows the problem of having so many issuing bodies. It should have just been a case of going to one place providing all information on markings etc, somone inputting into the PC to bring up all options of horses with those markings/age etc. Instead people are no further forward in tracing a horse that gets passed on without a passport. You dont even know if this horse was even issued with one. It could be that no one could be bothered to payout, especially when it changed & a vet had to fill out the identification form. I still believe all horses should be MC'd & vets should check everytime they attend a new horse. It maybe that some people may then not call the vet out to the horse, but you are always going to get people who think they are above the law anyway.

 

[Ruggers]

The problem is more complex than just a new passport applied for, because the BHS dont like horses to have more than one passport.(thats if benji had one before though!) you need to get sue round over a cup of coffee and explain shes walking all over you. neighbors are so difficult, espescially when horses are involved, good luck Keeperscottage!!!

 

[Artois]

How old is the horse?

Have you had a vet look over him - i would bite the bullet so to speak.
Get a vet to scan for microchip - age his teeth and general health check - or 3 stage vetting if you can (sell better)
apply for passport with any society (quickest the best)
and get that horse back down cambridge horse sale and get what you can back and put it down to experience and never help or lend money to anyone again!!

But i am hard, bitter and twisted ha ha

 

[Tia]

Although I pity the situation you have found yourself in - you could always have said "No".

As far as I can tell, you knew that the horse didn't have a passport before you agreed to have him live on your land and you more than likely had a suspicion that the horse would have to be sold therefore keeping him fit and sale-worthy might have been a good idea.

To be honest, with regards to his fitness, it won't take you too long to have him up and running again, so I wouldn't worry about that. Where the passport is concerned, well it's highly likely that the horse doesn't have a passport or if he did then it is long-gone. You need to contact your Officer who is dealing with this at the Office of Fair Trading and tell him that you need to see this finalised because you wish to sell the horse, although if the horse is not up and together ready for sale then you have a bit of time to play with. Whenever I've dealt with the OoFT, they have always been incredibly helpful and told me how to deal with the issues which have arisen. Just call him up and let him know what is going on and ask how best to deal with it.

 

[OWLIE185]

I have always found the fair standards trading officers to be very fair people.

My advice would be to apply for a new passport. If the old passport does turn up which is unlikely you can advise the issuing authority of that passport and return it to them by recorded delivery having scribed void or cancelled on each page.

 

[aimeerose]

I have to say if it was me i would do as S_B says, get receipt from 'sue' to say hes yours, fork out for a new passport (less than £20) and sell him for £2000 or there abouts - covers your costs and the loan.

Tell trading standards your sorting the horse out - they need to persue the dealer - not you.

Or tell sue to have her pony back in its her problem not yours and give her number to TS and let them all argue over it
- as i see it your a bit piggy in the middle?

 

[keeperscottage]

Think Patches has the best idea, ie if Trading Standards cannot confirm Benji has an existing passport, I tell them I will go ahead and apply for a new one. One of my clients mentioned him to an local horse person looking for a hack and I subsequently spoke to her. When I told her about the passport situation (and I offered him to her on loan until the situation was rectified), she was concerned that there was no proof of his age and I never heard from her again! Just a bit worried that people will be suspicious if he has a totally new passport and think he's a bit "dodgy"! The whole thing isn't as simple as some of you out there think it is; Sue purports to be impoverished and therefore I cannot chase her for anything towards his keep, particularly as she's now putting her horrible pony on livery at the yard where he's currently being schooled. Even when I asked her to feed him last night as I knew I'd be home late, she asked my daughter whether she had already fed him (why should she have when I asked SUE to do it??) and dragged daughter down to field saying "This is really a two-person job"......WHAT??????

No, Sue has no receipt from M when she purchased Benji and I similarly have no receipt from Sue. I originally felt quite protective of M and did not want her involved with Trading Stardards but now I'm thinking along the lines of "Sod it! If she'd insisted on not accepting Benji without a passpost, I wouldn't be in this situation now!" so I don't give a damn now if Trading Standards decide to pursue her from selling and transporting him without a passport.

However, although I have no qualms now about dropping M in the shite, I want to tread carefully with Sue as I have to live next door to her (and, of course, incredibly miserable git partner, Paul!!!). Ruggers posted that I should sit Sue down with a cup of coffee and tell her she needs to help me more, and so I should, but I can't see me getting results because aforemention miserable git partner will be saying "You've given her horse, now keep out it, it's nothing to do with you!". I will never lend anyone money again!

Local dog breeder has scanner so I may see whether she'll be prepared to scan Benji to see whether he's microchipped.My 100% main concern is that I'm now paying out money for this horse (vet's call out £50 + charge for ID certificate + cost of passport = £100+) and I'm seriously worried I'm going to lose out here! I'll keep you all posted!

 

[foraday]

Get Legal Advice!

Stuart Farr at Laytons.com is brilliant for all horsey things!

He will tell you what it will cost and your best route!

After all you are the innocent party in this and it is costing you money! Laytons will explain this to Trading Standards!!!
Surely trading standards will have to pick the pony up as evidence and keep him themselves!

Either that or send your livery bill to trading standards for their keep of their evidence!!!!

Agree with Fee Fee get new friends