Huge dilemma re 'neglected' horse (please read fully, it's fairly amusing)

AprilBlossom

AprilBlossom

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 May 2010
Messages
2,383
Location
Gloucester
Visit site
I recently posted about an ex trotter I've been bringing on and just enjoying as a bit of a project really (although the rearing has put a halt to progress of late).
Well, I haven't mentioned that I found out about this horse through a friend and despite my offers to meet to owner before taking him on, she's just said to my friend 'no, I trust your judgement so crack on!' Which has been fine, basically treating this horse like my own, other than not having to poo pick that often as the owner seems to come up in the daytime and do it!?!

So I met her yesterday evening.... I'm now not sure if I want any involvement with the horse! She saw me riding and jumping a different horse on the yard, and didn't show concern at my ability or anything (not that i'm bad but nor am I proclaiming to be the next big thing!) but I imagine from the excercises I was doing in the school she could tell I'd be fair credible when I suggested things. Not so.

I introduced myself to her politely and she thanked me for all my help with him, asked how he was going etc, so I mentioned his recent rearing episodes and expressed my concern to have his teeth/back checked. I said i'd given him a few days off and left him out at grass to see if it was just him feeling really good, but if it continued I'd advise him getting checked over (didn't want to get all 'pay for this and that' on first meeting!) and she told me it would definitely be him being fed more and doing more, and glossed over getting anything looked at, so I left it at that.

I then told her the farrier was booked for a couple of weeks' time as said horse has no shoes and looks to me like he could do with a trim. Her reply - Oh, no he doesn't need them doing, he only has to have his feet done every 5 months or so - if he goes on the road it might be more. Erm... So again, remaining polite, I said 'well I'm no expert but the farrier said other horses feet needed a trim and they're done at same time, so assuming he does. I'll have him brought in and the farrier can advise.' She glossed over this again, as if i'd not mentioned anything to do with a required cost. (NB she pays £5 a month livery because she keeps yard/tack room tidy and as she's going through a difficult time and the YO is super sympathetic clearly!)

This is my favourite bit though... She showed me one of his rugs and said 'yeah my sister bought it for me but bless her, it's not a gelding's rug as the straps underneath are right in the way of him going to the toilet.' I've never heard of a non unisex rug, has anyone here?!

I just don't know whether to waste my time caring for this horse, to be saddled with a bunch of bills to get things checked out as after meeting her, I get the distinct impression she'll then sell him for a whacking great profit once i've spent time and money getting him right. But if I walk away from it, I know he'll just continue to waste in a field as he has for the past year. Ugh, I just don't know what to do!

Huge praise if you've managed to read this far :)
 
Hahaha! Love it! Unisex rugs?? :D

I know what you mean, and besides....if you DO start paying for this that and the other and you start doing well, is she likely to whip him away from under you and either let someone else ride or sell him...as you already said....difficult!
 
Last edited:
Walk! She sounds like a bit of a user and getting his feet done every five months, longer if he does road work?!!! lolling about in the field is not a bad life for a horse, so don;t feel guilty.
 
indiat said:
Walk! She sounds like a bit of a user and getting his feet done every five months, longer if he does road work?!!! lolling about in the field is not a bad life for a horse, so don;t feel guilty.
Click to expand...

He's only 4, and you can see he's desperate to come in and do something, he's a very active-minded horse, which is why I feel worse for it. If he was older or seemed happy just mincing around a field with pals then fine, but he's in a field all by himself and the lack of ANY interaction be it human or equine can't be good for him??
 
She is taking the P**s mega-bigtime. Of course you are concerned for the horse, and in my opionion rightly so, as I think five months in between farriers visits, even if only for a trim, just isn't enough and she could well land herself in deep poo with the RSPCA if someone sees a horse out in the field with overgrown feet.

Are you in a position to make an offer for this horse? It sounds like you've done an awful lot of work, which is a shame if you're not gonna be the one to take him forward and basically make a few shillings if there are any to be made.

I'd be inclined to make her an offer if you're able, coz TBH nobody else is gonna want something that's as green as this, and if you honestly feel that he's gonna turn out a good'un you don't want to miss the chance do you?

If she won't play ball, then hard as it might be, walk away coz otherwise you'll be getting too fond of the horse to be able to and she'll know it and take advantage.
 
Cant you ask for a loan agreement with view to buy? Otherwise you need to WALK AWAY as shes going to USE YOU.,and probebly sell the horse behind your back. That happened to someone I know.
 
Personally, I would run a mile!

I think that you are being taken advantage of. She doesn't sound like she has the first clue about anything. Everyone has to start somewhere, but there also has to be a willingness to learn - not get someone else to do all the graft and then high tail it off with the proceeds!
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Are you in a position to make an offer for this horse? It sounds like you've done an awful lot of work, which is a shame if you're not gonna be the one to take him forward and basically make a few shillings if there are any to be made.

I'd be inclined to make her an offer if you're able, coz TBH nobody else is gonna want something that's as green as this, and if you honestly feel that he's gonna turn out a good'un you don't want to miss the chance do you?
Click to expand...


If she gets a sniff of my interest in buying him I can see the price rocketing! I'd literally be offering her £250 as I've heard from a friend of hers she'd take £300 for him if someone offered, but then that's very much hearsay... I think it's gonna be a walk away case, sadly. It just bothers me SO MUCH that she hasn't got the foggiest idea about how to look after a horse, and only goes to the yard once a week or so, when he's such a sweet little chap who hasn't had the best start in life but is still so trusting and friendly. Plus, his paces are wonderful and if he vetted alright I reckon in 6 months I could make a fair whack on him!
 
Reading the signs I agree with everyone above.

I took out a shire on loan, he was overweight, lazy and needed reschooling. I paid £100 a month and the horse was kept on the horse owners yard. I had to do ALL the maintenance work, mucking out, turning out, feeding etc....she left him if I was unable to get up, even in the harsh snow we had she still wouldn't leave her house (which was next door!) to see to him.

Low and behold come spring time he was a different animal altogether, interested, keen, muscle was coming on etc and I was told by the owner that she was going to retire him!!!!! I moved away from the area and have since found out she loans this horse out for £200 a month to a complete novice. WHAT A KICK IN THE TEETH.

We can't help the fact that their are greedy, selfish people out there....but we can avoid them.
 
Can you offer to buy in now?

If you explain that he has potential but needs work you get on well with him now and the owner doesnt do anything with him and he is being wasted.

She might agree?

I bit of cash now?

Add in things like he needs this done and that done it will all seem like to much hassle for her.

If you cant buy him then just do what you can with out being used, or yes walk away.
 
Walk away!

Your doing her a massive favour by sorting out her horse and increasing its value for her.. I'd offer to buy the horse for a nominal fee or say that your enjoying the 'project' so much your thinking of buying one for yourself and just won't have the time.. You'll be banging your head against a brick wall if you try and deal with the stupid woman!
 
Rosie_M said:
Could you not get a third party to express interest in him then? See what happens?
Click to expand...

that's just what I was going to suggest...

can you get someone to say to her "I've seen someone riding your horse, and he looks really nice, can I make you an offer?" If you've told the person how much you're willing to pay, and they go in with that and she accepts, then you hand the person the cash, they hand it to the woman (and hopefully get the passport in return) the horse is yours and she's none the wiser.

If she then throws a tantrum as you're still riding the horse then you say that the "buyer" has asked you to finish off the job you'd started!
 
I don't even know if she will be like this about the horse once he improves, but I got the distinct impression upon meeting her that she would be, which goes completely against everything i've heard about her before - she started crying at the prospect of selling him as he's going to waste (before I came along) and that she's no interest in riding him herself but loves being around him and doing the 'owning' side of things she'd be grateful to have a rider for him and get pleasure out of seeing him succeed at local shows etc.

Maybe i'm wrong, but what everyones kind replies on here suggest is that my instinct is not. I really appreciate the reassurance guys, thank you!
 
jenhunt said:
that's just what I was going to suggest...

can you get someone to say to her "I've seen someone riding your horse, and he looks really nice, can I make you an offer?" If you've told the person how much you're willing to pay, and they go in with that and she accepts, then you hand the person the cash, they hand it to the woman (and hopefully get the passport in return) the horse is yours and she's none the wiser.

If she then throws a tantrum as you're still riding the horse then you say that the "buyer" has asked you to finish off the job you'd started!
Click to expand...

Perfect :)

If that plan does not work,run away screaming-you wont be able to stop yourself paying out for this and that once you get too attached to him and it is not fair that you end up paying for a horse that is not yours.
 
So if she knows you are interested the price would shoot up? So how about getting someone to buy him on your behalf? Then you can ride him saying new owner wants you to carry on working him ( not a direct lie is it :p ). At some point you can say you loved him so much you decided to buy him.

Yes I know there's a lot of fudging the issue and half truths there but you would get the horse out of it. It honestly sounds like he would be way better off with you anyway so where's the harm?
 
Go up to her and say 'i have £250 in my pocket, will you sell me ned?' the sight of a handful of cash can be quite persuasive. I did it once for a trailer, worked too.
 
Okay, so now where I make myself sound like a total plank.. Vetting?

I've never formall bought a horse, always just got by on goodwill sharing arrangements and have sort of 'acquired' horses through word of mouth (i've been VERY lucky in the past with my horses and this could be causing me to look at this woman through rose-tinted spectacles!)

What does this entail/what problems could come up/what's going to be a problem that could prevent a resale at a later date and what could I manage if it all comes good and I decide to keep him for a long time etc etc? As i'll likely be paying a nominal amount do I bother with a vetting?!
 
AprilBlossom said:
He's only 4, and you can see he's desperate to come in and do something, he's a very active-minded horse, which is why I feel worse for it. If he was older or seemed happy just mincing around a field with pals then fine, but he's in a field all by himself and the lack of ANY interaction be it human or equine can't be good for him??
Click to expand...

Oh dear, I see what you mean now. And the thread has moved on so yes, offer to buy him or do it through a third party, I don't think she's attached as she makes out. I mean, she cries at the thought of selling him, but if she thinks YOU want to buy him, the price will rocket?! She knows how to pull on your heart strings. I really hope you get him, let us know!
 
Last edited:
You could always get your buyer to get the horse vetted?;)

TBH, a vetting is no guarantee that any horse will stay sound so the question is surely - can you afford it if things do go wrong? The only thing I would ask is whether not getting a vetting at the time of purchase could affect insurance, but surely you could get one done for the insurance after buying if needs be?
 
been following this with interest....

if it helps none of the horses I have ever owned have had a vetting, they were all bought on the understanding that they were as seen. All were insured without any problem.
 
Angua2 said:
been following this with interest....

if it helps none of the horses I have ever owned have had a vetting, they were all bought on the understanding that they were as seen. All were insured without any problem.
Click to expand...

Ah well, there you go, I just wasn't sure:)
 
I thought a health certificate from a vet was needed for vets insurance on a horse of over 'x' amount in value, and then a full vetting for if LOU is needed?

Or something....one sec I'll go copy and paste...
 
When you apply for horse insurance you will be asked to sign or agree a declaration confirming that you have disclosed any information that may affect the application. This includes information on your horse's state of health and previous veterinary history.

Our minimum veterinary requirements are:

Sight of any veterinary certificate you hold relating to the proposed animal

In addition to this we require the following certificates that must be no more than 30 days old at the date of application:

A Mortality certificate:

For foals aged between 30 days and 1 year.
For any horse insured for more than £5,000
(without Permanent Loss of Use)
A 5-stage / Pre-purchase veterinary certificate:

For any horse insured for more than £2,500 where Permanent Loss of Use cover is required.
Xrays of the front feet and fetlocks and hocks (a full list of views required will be provided):

For any horse insured for more than £10,000 where Permanent Loss of Use cover is required.
Click to expand...

One of the eq insurance policies they have that may help as a guider if others work along the similar guide lines :)
 
I would only intend on paying around £250 for him, so I guess the vetting isn't complusorary for insurance, unless I want to cover for loss of use?

How cheeky would it be for 'the buyer' to want basic tack and rugs as well for that price? lol he has a nice normal leather saddle and a treeless, but wouldn't want that (or would be swiftly selling it if it was part of the package!)
 
I would walk away AB, this woman is using you and obviously cannot afford to keep a horse properly. This does not mean she will sell though, some folks just like to tell people that they own a horse!

However, I think JenHunt's suggestion is a very good one and I would give it a go if you really like this horse.

With regards to vetting, most vets would tell you that it's not worth vetting a horse if you are only paying a few hundred pounds. NFU will insure horses worth less than £5000 without vetting, so if I were you I would buy and insure.

Out of interest, where abouts in Glos are you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top