Lazy trainer scars my horses legs - can I sue? Big rant!

[BBH]

Can I add that when I went through this ,my horse was accused of injuring another when I gave notice to leave but no-one saw what happened. horses in herds often injure themselves didn't come into it legally. To give you an example of the details my Solicitor asked of my YO offically were as follows,
1. How do you decide who gets turned out with who, on what basis do you make this decision.
2. Please outline for me your isolation and introduction procedures.
3. How do you, if at all mix mares, geldings etc.
4. Do you mix horses of different ages as they behave differently ie. youngters are more prone to play therefore potential injury. If you do mix them on what basis do you decide the groupings are appropriate and safe.
5. How do you communicate to owners and staff who is in what field. Again how do you update people following changes.
6. Who is responsible for ensuring new groupings are safe when introduced for the first time. What action do you take if there is trouble, who takes action and in what timescales.

These are just some that I can remember, but I do know that when the letter was sent we heard no more from them.

 

[Tinker_Belle]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry I totally disagree with your comments. Friends may be friends but no way would I turn a blind eye to treatment of my horses if I felt it was wrong. I would raise any concerns I had, regardless of whether I had known the person for 20 years or just met them. My horses' welfare, I'm afraid, comes first...always!

[/ QUOTE ]Yes, I see your point but if you place somebody in a position of trust you don't expect these things to happen. I personally would not send my horse away because I've heard of too many horror stories. Friends included, where they've gone to see yards, sent their horse there & either they've not had the schooling that was being paid for or just were not looked after to an acceptable standard. If you send your horse away to a yard which I'm assuming deals with high class horses on a regular basis then you don't look ahead for problems because you expect the standard of care to come up to scratch.

And certainly not, going by the original post, do you expect strange horses to be turned out with yours without quarantine or knowing what they are like or where they are from.

 

[OWLIE185]

Contact a specialist Equine Solicitor and ask them to take action on your behalf and claim damages. (A number of them advertise in Horse and Hounds in the classifioed section).

While in the care of your trainer your horse deserves true care and attention.

This has clearly not happened so take action to recover the loss in value of your horse as a result of the negligence in care of your trainer and all your legal and other costs.

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
If you send your horse away to a yard which I'm assuming deals with high class horses on a regular basis then you don't look ahead for problems because you expect the standard of care to come up to scratch.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ah okay I understand what you are saying; I still find it difficult to agree with that philosophy though. My horses aren't sent away to trainers as I am their trainer, but if they were, no sorry I wouldn't expect good care; I would demand it, and if it became apparent that this was not happening then my horses would be out of there in a shot.

[ QUOTE ]
And certainly not, going by the original post, do you expect strange horses to be turned out with yours without quarantine or knowing what they are like or where they are from.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well I have no problem with my horses being turned out with strange horses, but I would have a problem with them being elsewhere and being turned out with horses of unknown/dubious backgrounds.

I think it all comes down to how responsible you view yourself, and I'm absolutely sure it also has a lot to do with how confident you are in expressing your thoughts and feelings about what you see going on around your horses. I couldn't sit quietly if I believed something was amiss with the care given to my horses in my absence. But then we all know that I'm a stickler for saying what I think.

 

[siennamiller]

I feel really sorry for you in this situation. I wish you luck in getting this sorted out.
Mairi and Pottamus-it is completely unneccessary to be downright nasty.

 

[Hollycat]

I am very, very sorry for what happened to you, but you sound VERY inexperienced to have a dressage horse of the calibre you describe. Inexperience is not your fault and it sounds like the trainer was dishonest and misled you as regards the standard of care provided. I know of no trainer that would put a clients horse out with any other horse period. Nor one that would not be calling vets and all sorts should a problem be suspected - particularly for a horse being prepared for sale and hence gong to be vetted in the immediate future.

The law is an ass and it could go either way but your inexperience could prove useful as to why you did not recognise that both horses were not being treated appropriately given how often you visited. I'm not trying to be mean - we all make mistakes. I'll never be able to count the amount I have made. I just feel very sorry for you as you seem to have been taken for a ride by someone that misrepresented themselves

 

[Daisychain]

I know its hard for you, but unless your loaded i wouldnt bother even going down the legal route, it will cost you a small fortune... with an outcome probably not in your favour. Solicitors are seriously expensive, and string it out as long as possible.

 

[Tinker_Belle]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you send your horse away to a yard which I'm assuming deals with high class horses on a regular basis then you don't look ahead for problems because you expect the standard of care to come up to scratch.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ah okay I understand what you are saying; I still find it difficult to agree with that philosophy though. My horses aren't sent away to trainers as I am their trainer, but if they were, no sorry I wouldn't expect good care; I would demand it, and if it became apparent that this was not happening then my horses would be out of there in a shot.

[ QUOTE ]
And certainly not, going by the original post, do you expect strange horses to be turned out with yours without quarantine or knowing what they are like or where they are from.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well I have no problem with my horses being turned out with strange horses, but I would have a problem with them being elsewhere and being turned out with horses of unknown/dubious backgrounds.

I think it all comes down to how responsible you view yourself, and I'm absolutely sure it also has a lot to do with how confident you are in expressing your thoughts and feelings about what you see going on around your horses. I couldn't sit quietly if I believed something was amiss with the care given to my horses in my absence. But then we all know that I'm a stickler for saying what I think.

[/ QUOTE ]My horse is kept at livery & she shares grazing with the yard owners Arab gelding (They're almost in love!

) & as you say, when you know something about the horse you don't mind it being turned out with yours.

I agree about demanding good care, it is absolutely a must, not a maybe. I also completely agree about expressing yourself in a confident manner but that's sort of what I'm getting at. If you have trust in the person & obviously, you would only send you animal there if you were confident that it was going to be looked after. Then I think sometimes it can come down to self doubt. Are you imagining things? Being over protective? Etc etc etc. In that way it can become all too easy to not think objectively because you tell yourself you are just being too protective. That's how I'd imagine it anyway.

& ditto for saying what you think, best way to be in my opinion

(may not have put my point across clearly enough at the start, not too good at putting thoughts into words sometimes!

)

 

[Fairynuff]

I wasnt being "nasty", I didnt have the desire nor the energy .What was conveyed by Pottamus and seconded by me was, in essence , what Tia stated. Its obvious that the way things are written make them more or less acceptable but the crux of the matter is, as far as I am concerned, the owner is ultimately responsible for his animal. I would have questioned why boots were left on my horse while he was not in work or in the field-why wasnt he bandaged instead? I find it strange that the yard is well known for strangles cases and if so, why didnt I know? Strange horses being turned out with mine! Is there a groom who has an axe to grind who is now putting a flea in my ear? I find the whole tale a bit odd and would be looking to myself for answers. Sorry if you found/ find my post/s less well written or more tactful than others are. Mairi.