New horse returned to previous owner after only 26 hours at new home!

K

keepmeinmind

Active Member
Joined
20 July 2011
Messages
34
Location
Wales/Srhopshire border
Visit site
I am totally shocked at what my friend told me last night when she rang me up!

My friend who lives in Bristol has owner her 12 year old mare for the past 8 years and had to make the heartbreaking decision to sell her as she has a little girl and another child on the way and money is a bit tight. She found a new home for her beloved mare about 50 miles away and the lady came with a young son to ride the horse and try it out. They agreed to buy it, it passed a five star vetting and within 5 days it was sold. It left the yard late morning to go to its new home, and arrived back at my friends yard 26 hours later after the owner said she didn't want it for her son. Apparently she'd turned it out in a field on its own out of sight of the other horses she owned and it went 'mental' running around like a loony and trying to jump out over the fence. She says its dangerous, and rang my friend to say it was on its way back to her!

It arrived back 'home' 26 hours after leaving the yard! The poor thing must have been so stressed and frightened being left on her own.

It beggars belief that someone who is meant to be 'horsey' would turn a horse out on their own, out of sight of others when all its life its been kept with other horses.

My friend is now umming and ahhing what to do. Part of her wants to keep the mare and the other part still realises that she has to be sold.

Now this woman is wanting her money back! I think its very much a case of 'buyer beware' not that the mare has anything wrong with her anyway. But in my opinion the buyer should not be entitled to her money back.

It just angers me that people can be so selfish, inconsiderate and plain stupid!
 
Your last two lines sum it up, it's scary someone I know of has just bought a four month old foal because he looks "cute", no clue about horsecare otherwise
 
the buyer bought the horse fair and square, was happy with it and took the horse away. Anyone with common sense, let alone with experience, knows that turning out a horse out of sight/hearing of other horses is asking for trouble.

did your friends buyer have a receipt?? did it say sold as seen etc? if so, then I would tell the buyer to come and collect the horse as they are now the legal owners, and start charging livery if they don't!
 
Poor mare !! What an awful position for your friend, doesn't need this stress with a baby on the way . If she didn't care so much about the mare and a lot of people would say tough I'm not having it back sell it on yourself !!

I would keep a percentage of the money to cover her costs untill sold again, now having the mare back its going to cost livery/feed etc.

I think horses are so easily accessible being cheap anyone can buy regardless of experience. Years ago only people with money and experience would buy :(
 
What a lucky escape for the mare, both that she didn't hurt herself in her understandable panic, and that she's dodged such naïve owners! I don't know the legalities of it, but I'd be returning the money minus the deposit: it will take time, energy and potentially money to readvertise the mare and to pay her livery fees when she was already meant to have gone, and the fault has been the new 'owner's'.
 
I agree in theory with catwithclaws although its easy said than done when it's your pet involved. What a silly person putting a horse out with no others near or in sight, a lot of horses would act up put in this situation.
 
Vixen Van Debz said:
What a lucky escape for the mare, both that she didn't hurt herself in her understandable panic, and that she's dodged such naïve owners! I don't know the legalities of it, but I'd be returning the money minus the deposit: it will take time, energy and potentially money to readvertise the mare and to pay her livery fees when she was already meant to have gone, and the fault has been the new 'owner's'.
Click to expand...

Yep, this. At least its all happened quickly and the old owner shouldn't have had time to spend the money. I'd just refund the money less the deposit and be thankful that no harm's done. She'll find the right new owners for the mare. :)
 
I would ask for a copy of the vet report to assist with reselling and pay back all but the deposit plus livery once sold.
 
I would certainly keep a percentage of the money for the hassle of having to re advertise etc. I would also have them sign an agreement to cover any vet bills occurring from the incident, ie: colic or lameness in next 48 hrs.
 
If it was my horse this had happened to I would be glad it was now back with me and no longer with such stupid people! If that happened in 26 hours what could happen within a month or years down the line to the animal in their hands!!

Even if money was tight i would just refund her the money to get the women out of mine and the horses life. I wouldn't want the aggro and would want the best for the horse. Then put the horse back on the market and hope the next buyer was more trusting and clued up.

Although appreciate money is tight for the owner, so maybe not an easy option to keep the horse much longer waiting for it to be sold. Maybe agree to a percentage of the selling cost to be kept with the owner as an inconvenience to allow them to re-advertise the horse and help pay towards livery.
 
Last edited:
Incredible ! Thank goodness this woman is a rarity in stupidity otherwise no horses would ever go to new homes.
Horse has had a lucky escape and woman should buy her son a bicycle.
 
Under the sale of goods act (as amended) all goods sold must be as described.
All the experienced horse people know on here that a horse is a herd animal and needs the company of others. To take it away from all its mates and put it in a field with not another horse in sight will send it in a panic mode BUT if she did not give the woman her money back, it could be a long and costly case to answer too. Does she really want the stress?

The woman will 'prove' the horse was bought in good faith but it is her word against your friends and if it was bought for a kid the Courts could go in the buyers favour.

Sorry to sound negative I was sold a horse not as described but could not take the people to Court as I live in a different Country. The end result was a constantly sick horse that could not keep weight on and I had him pts on Tuesday.
 
Poor mare, surely most horses have a bit of a hoon around the new field, other horses or not?!

I do think the buyer should be given her money back for the horse, because that's just the way it is really. Minus a deposit if seller took one. The woman has clearly got the wrong idea about the horse but I don't think your friend can legally keep her money!
 
I do not believe your friend is obliged to give her the money back.

I would tell her that I would sell the mare on her behalf and give her the money less livery, if she did not collect her. Well that's what I would like to do. In reality I would probably give her money back for a quiet life!

Poor horse and poor friend - but maybe a lucky escape for the horse.
 
The sale of goods act applies to business ie dealers, not to private sellers.

I would refuse to accept the horse back. The horse is sold, there was nothing wrong with it when it left the sellers premises, the seller was not offering any kind of money back guarantee.

If the new owners don't want the horse they have bought because it doesn't fit in with their available management set up, then its up to them to sell the horse on.

If the horse was previously kept on a livery yard and has been returned there, I would be giving the new owners and livery owners each others phone numbers so they can sort out payment for care of the horse and selling fees if the yard owner is to sell it for them.
 
Think the owner should just be relieved that the horse is back with her - it sounds like these people were novice in the extreme and TBH I think the horse basically chose where it wanted to be!

Having said that...... I did have a pony on trial who only stayed for a night and a day!!!

Basically, it just wouldn't settle in my yard, wasn't at all happy here and for safety's sake I had to ask the owner to take it home again. When put in the stable, it tried to climb over the stable door; and in the field (a separate paddock but other horses in the same field - separated by a fence - so in sight/smell/hearing etc) it repeatedly tried to climb over a five-bar gate and I couldn't leave it for a second as I was so concerned as to what might happen.

There were other horses in the yard at the same time, constantly, when this pony was here, so it wasn't like it was on its own. Luckily the owner was local so was able to pick it up.

But I just wonder if there was more than met the eye to this incident??? Yes appreciate that horses (some of them anyway) just don't do at all well on their own, and that yes it does take time for a horse to settle in a new home. But sometimes some horses ARE totally scatty wherever they go, it matters not what the circumstances are - and it takes very little to set them off. For instance, my traddie boy would settle anywhere, even on his own he'd be fine as long as he had enough to stuff his face with - but other horses would go totally loopy with it and certainly the little mare I've got on loan would just curl up and die if she were on her own.

This an unfortunate incident all-round perhaps.
 
what is she looking for a teddy bear, of course a new horse once in a strange new field is going to run around silly looking for other horses, or looking around new field and surroundings, till it settles, also if horse is always used to company should have been beside her horses til they get used to each other. or even stable and get horse and owner used to each other 1st, and let it settle. if it was me i would take horse back as long as alright, just because this woman shouldnt have it she isnt worthy of it, she must be looking for a robot to stand and do nothing, end of day it is a horse in new surroundings and new horses a distance away. sorry for ranting but silly woman.

horse passed 5star vetting, i think some owners should get vetted 1st.
 
I would take the horse back, and either give her the amount she paid minus a good proportion to cover livery and costs until sold, or give her what is left after costs once sold (although the second option will mean she is on your back until the horse is sold..).

I would also give her a small rocking horse or model horse - its the only thing that won't hoon around in the field in a new home and may just suit her and her son....
 
What a horrible position to be in. I would not be giving any money back until the horse was resold, then it would be minus livery expenses etc.
Perhaps the only way this numpty is going to learn anything !!
But as the owner is pregnant may not be the most practical thing or the less stressful .
I have always thought that it is buyer beware, but no easy way out of this situation . Best of luck to your friend hope the mare finds a good new home
 
Honey08 said:
I would take the horse back, and either give her the amount she paid minus a good proportion to cover livery and costs until sold, or give her what is left after costs once sold (although the second option will mean she is on your back until the horse is sold..).

I would also give her a small rocking horse or model horse - its the only thing that won't hoon around in the field in a new home and may just suit her and her son....
Click to expand...

ps.
And do stress when offering her these options that you have NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to refund her anything or take the horse back, you are only doing it because you don't want the horse with people who can't handle horses.. Stress that you are pregnant, and should she start argueing over terms, costs or anything else, the horse will be returned to her and she can get herself a solicitor to sort it out..
 
I had this problem a while back, mare I had for sale which had never been lame or sick in the whole time I had her. Passed a 5 star vetting and owner picked her up the next morning.

I watched her go of on her 200 odd mile journey with no travel protection at all!!!

I had a phone call the next day to say she was lame and vet said she should never of passed a vetting. They wanted their money back. Why should I give their money back and have a lame horse?

It worked out they had got her back to the livery yard well after dark and just chucked her out in the field with the other horses, lame in the morning.

Last horse I ever sold.

Dip shits out there
 
This is so weird, exact same thing happened to my share horse this week! He was viewed by a potential new owner on Sunday, they decided to take him subject to passing the vet test, passed vet test on Monday and he was gone Tuesday! So imagine how shocked I was after saying goodbye to him on Monday that he was back on Wednesday, after spending less than 24 hours at his new home!

They also made the same mistake of turning him out on his own, he understandably went a bit nuts, so they tried putting him in a stable, which he refused to enter fo 45 minutes! He then chewed through the stable door all night (he's never done that before) so he was back on the lorry on the way back to his old home the next day.

Must be a funny week - all the inexperienced owners buying horses and putting them in completely unsuitable environments! But I do blame my share horses' owner a little, she was told there were only 2 other horses on his new yard and my boy is used to a very busy yard with 40+ horses around. He is never turned out in the same paddock as other horses but always has other horses around him in the paddocks next to him.
 
Honey08 said:
ps.
And do stress when offering her these options that you have NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to refund her anything or take the horse back, you are only doing it because you don't want the horse with people who can't handle horses.. Stress that you are pregnant, and should she start argueing over terms, costs or anything else, the horse will be returned to her and she can get herself a solicitor to sort it out..
Click to expand...

Why on earth would anyone pregnant or otherwise threaten to return a horse in that sort of situation .
It's a sale that went wrong that's all lucky escape for the horse , OP i hope your friend has better luck with the next buyer.
I am not convinced either that being a private seller releases you from quite as many obilgations as some posters seem to think, the best thing the seller can do is return the money less an amount to cover any extra costs try to get the vets cert if possible and start again.
 
Vixen Van Debz said:
What a lucky escape for the mare, both that she didn't hurt herself in her understandable panic, and that she's dodged such naïve owners! I don't know the legalities of it, but I'd be returning the money minus the deposit: it will take time, energy and potentially money to readvertise the mare and to pay her livery fees when she was already meant to have gone, and the fault has been the new 'owner's'.
Click to expand...

These would be my sentiments and solution! Very lucky horse, an ordeal yes but if I were the owner I would be so relieved it's back from someone who blatantly doesn't have a clue, people never cease to surprise me they pay out for a 5 stage vetting and transport there and back yet don't have any basic horse sense, sounds like more money than sense to me!

Hope your friend manages to come up with a solution, do think keeping a deposit sum to readvertise and cover costs may be her best option.
 
Poor friend. Stupid woman.
We are selling a pony and someone came many miles to try him and loved him but he is not right for them. We told them this but they still wanted him, we said no as he would not be suitable and they would have to resell him and goodness knows what would happen then. Their instructor has phoned today to say they still want him but again we have said no.
I would not return the money yet unless your friend thinks its best for the horse. Get advice from BHS
 
I would offer to buy back the horse for half the sale price and vetting paperwork to be included with the return !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top