Our elderly mare covered by next door stables stallion

Joined
25 February 2016
Messages
10
Visit site
Hi everybody, I am after some advice. Our 23 year old registered new forest mare has been mated by the next door farms icelandic stallion without our knowledge. We did not know until last summer when we found him in our field and the boundry fence which is theirs broken down. She is now in foal and because of her age we are concerned. she is our only horse and a family pet, we never intended breeding from her, just a pet. We are concerned due to her age about her having this foul but its coming so we can not change that. We want the vet very heavily involved to ensure both her and her fouls safety. Is our next door farmer liable for vets fees, as we never asked for this, it is her badly maintained fence and she knew the far where our mare is had other mares in the same field. Our mare is already retired due to laminitis, we are worried about her going through this. Can we make the next door farm which breeds Icelandic ponies for a living pay for the vets fees our pony will need in this. Thanks for any replies in advance all advice greatfully received. :(
 
They would have been responsible for the costs of aborting it last year when you knew she had been covered, but I don't see how they can be held responsible for foaling costs when you could easily have avoided them, sorry.

I hope she copes. Thank heavens the stallion was small.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, her stallion broke in, in my opinion she pays all vet fees due to the fouling and any for loss of either our pony or foul. Just want to know if anybody has been through this before and what happened, because if my husband gets involved her stallion will go.
 
As said, you could have had them pay for it last year when you knew she had been covered. Right now the biggest risk is laminitis from stress and infection, but birthing wise she should be fine. Youll have a lovely foal for only the vet costs is my guess! I would stay on good terms with the owner, you could then make sure you have the breeding recorded.
 
Thanks, her stallion broke in, in my opinion she pays all vet fees due to the fouling and any for loss of either our pony or foul. Just want to know if anybody has been through this before and what happened, because if my husband gets involved her stallion will go.


Why didn't you abort it by pinching or hormone injection immediately you knew she had been covered and it held?

How would you propose to sue for the loss of a foal which resulted from a foaling you propose to sue for vet costs for because you didn't want it?

I suggest you control your husband or he will end up with a criminal record! You might start by asking him what he thinks would be the point of getting rid of the stallion now, it's at least eight months too late.
 
Last edited:
As stated above, you needed to have involved the stallion owner at the time, not now. Your actions have ultimately put the mare in danger through not aborting it back then, not theirs
 
next door farms fences are in a terrible state, she only spends money on herself not the farm, many of her ponies are let out on local moors causing problems to nature reserves , was not sure mine was pregnant at the time, now she is showing and had a test. Why is next door's neglect and failure to spend the masses she earns from her rare breed ponies all over the uk on her own fencing my fault and not her fault??????????????????????
 
OP, I'm beginning to wonder if last year you thought a foal might be a lovely addition to your family, and have only just realised what a huge bill you are going to be presented with to keep her safe.

I think you've just got to bite the bullet on this one. There's no doubt you'll enjoy the foal, it will be a delight. I think it could also be quite a nice mix NF x Iceland
 
Has the mare foaled before?

My biggest concern would be the laminitis and the extra strain put on her feet during pregnancy. I'd get the vet out now for an assessment and to get them involved from here on in.

Icelandics and New Forests are well-matched in size, really, so provided all goes well the foal could turn out a fun sort.

I do think action with the stallion owner should have been taken last year in the window for terminating the pregnancy and not at this point. Costs for terminating vs. costs for foaling and damage in the event of a fatal loss cannot really be equalled.
 
next door farms fences are in a terrible state, she only spends money on herself not the farm, many of her ponies are let out on local moors causing problems to nature reserves , was not sure mine was pregnant at the time, now she is showing and had a test. Why is next door's neglect and failure to spend the masses she earns from her rare breed ponies all over the uk on her own fencing my fault and not her fault??????????????????????

The fencing is her fault. Good luck with getting a resolution on that one. I have to maintain four hundred metres of fence that doesn't belong to me to keep my field free of sheep because my two farmer neighbours won't.

But why is she responsible, in your opinion for an unwanted foal you choose not to abort?

WHY did you choose not to abort it? Why didn't you CHECK whether she was pregnant. Your neighbor would have been responsible for the costs of that. But it's YOUR choice the mare is foaling and you just need to face up to that.

Can we see a picture of the mare?
 
Shoot the mare, then all your problems are solved. To me it just sounds like you want a bit of money for yourself. Horses get out of the best fencing too. You could have got a much worse stallion!

As long as the mare stays healthy and a foal comes out healthy and safe, whats the problem. Its not her fault you didn't seek veterinary advice at the start is it?
 
By the way, pembrokewhisper, if your name is your location, it's going to be pretty easy to find out who you are posting about (I already have, I think) and your neighbour may take a dim view of being dragged through the mud on this forum. I think you would be better advised to discuss this quietly with her than in public.
 
Last edited:
As the others have said above.
Also best be careful not to shout too much else they might charge you a covering fee for the foal (not foul) !
 
never wanted my mare to have a foul ever, dont want her harmed in any way by this she is a pet now for our disabled child and not for riding anymore, she is retired and a family pet at a livery yard. her laminitis is not good and she cant even have shoes now and is regularly tended / trimmed by farrier, we don't want a foul or ever wanted one, if anything happens to our pony due to this our disabled child will be heartbroken, all the other owners in the yard said she was not served but another may have been but she aborted, but our pony only lives with mares, no stallions on site. that stallion caused this, my old man will take his own course he is unstopable even by the law regardless if our family pet is harmed due to this other persons recklessness. Her next door should sort out the vets for this??????????????
 
Since no action was taken I guess the OP might not have much if any breeding experience.

If the neighbour is a breeder albeit of Icelandic Horses, maybe arrangements could be made alongside vet advice for the mare to foal at the stud for extra safety? Seems a better alternative to me than alienating the stallion owner.
 
They found the stallion in her field, they knew immediately that she was likely to have been covered.

If I found a stallion out with my mare, whether I knew she was in season or not, the vet would have been out to jab the mare and then when possible to scan and pinch if necessary. That I may have tried to get money from the stallion owner for.
As has been said, you chose to have this foal therefore next door really are not liable. The fence is as much your fault as hers - if my mare was next to a stallion I would have my own fence up as well, electric or whatever. It takes two to tango.
 
If the neighbour is a breeder albeit of Icelandic Horses, maybe arrangements could be made alongside vet advice for the mare to foal at the stud for extra safety? Seems a better alternative to me than alienating the stallion owner.

That is a very good idea.
 
Since no action was taken I guess the OP might not have much if any breeding experience.

If the neighbour is a breeder albeit of Icelandic Horses, maybe arrangements could be made alongside vet advice for the mare to foal at the stud for extra safety? Seems a better alternative to me than alienating the stallion owner.

Very good idea. Foaling in leiu of vet fees.
 
never wanted my mare to have a foul ever, dont want her harmed in any way by this she is a pet now for our disabled child and not for riding anymore, she is retired and a family pet at a livery yard. her laminitis is not good and she cant even have shoes now and is regularly tended / trimmed by farrier, we don't want a foul or ever wanted one, if anything happens to our pony due to this our disabled child will be heartbroken, all the other owners in the yard said she was not served but another may have been but she aborted, but our pony only lives with mares, no stallions on site. that stallion caused this, my old man will take his own course he is unstopable even by the law regardless if our family pet is harmed due to this other persons recklessness. Her next door should sort out the vets for this??????????????


I am going to get shot down for this, but now you have introduced a disabled child, which is irrelevant, and are a brand new poster clearly looking for a fight, I firmly believe that you are a troll. Well tried. I'm out, except for getting the popcorn out to watch how this goes now.
 
In far west wales the fences are different than many other places, Here they are 5-6 foot high very steep double stone wall banks covered in turf just like in cornwall, even humans struggle to go over them, on her side high volt electric fence and thorn /gorse bush on top of bank. on our side more electric fence and full length sheep fence wire and post all around. Her horny stallion smashed the lot. What else do you expect us to do to protect our pet, She is not a riding horse, just a pet?.
 
In far west wales the fences are different than many other places, Here they are 5-6 foot high very steep double stone wall banks covered in turf just like in cornwall, even humans struggle to go over them, on her side high volt electric fence and thorn /gorse bush on top of bank. on our side more electric fence and full length sheep fence wire and post all around. Her horny stallion smashed the lot. What else do you expect us to do to protect our pet, She is not a riding horse, just a pet?.

Answer the question.

Why didn't you abort it?

OK, I said I was out :D. I am now ........ maybe
 
They may have been negligent in having bad fencing and the stalion getting out. but as you knew that it had happened it was your responsibility to have a vet to the mare 2 to 4 weeks later to see if she was in foal. had the vet been called and found her in foal then it would have been reasonable for that fee and the cost of pinching or drugs to have been paid for by the stallion owner. as you did not get the vet out it is no longer the problem of the stallion owner and the foal and all related costs are down to you. best thing to do is as suggested above and see if they will take the mare to foal down but making sure they keep a very close watch on her
 
In far west wales the fences are different than many other places, Here they are 5-6 foot high very steep double stone wall banks covered in turf just like in cornwall, even humans struggle to go over them, on her side high volt electric fence and thorn /gorse bush on top of bank. on our side more electric fence and full length sheep fence wire and post all around. Her horny stallion smashed the lot. What else do you expect us to do to protect our pet, She is not a riding horse, just a pet?.

In that case, birth the foal and sell it for a couple of grand as a potential eventer. Vets fees covered.

Also i would not say 6ft walls and a hedge and an electric fence "bad fencing"

Maybe you should be angry at your mare for being such a slut.
 
They may have been negligent in having bad fencing and the stalion getting out.

Except that, having claimed they did have had bad fencing , it later transpires that they didn't but the stallion was just completely determined.

None of this stacks up.
 
Did not know she was covered by the stallion at the time, she has had other health issues to concern about since then, another mare in same field was injured and later aborted, i'm not mystic meg, she showed no sign , and anyway if any incident is caused by another humans neglect then in law that human is liable, who rattled your cage? you got an icleland? .

Why didn't you abort it?

OK, I said I was out :D. I am now ........ maybe[/QUOTE]
 
Did not know she was covered by the stallion at the time, she has had other health issues to concern about since then, another mare in same field was injured and later aborted, i'm not mystic meg, she showed no sign , and anyway if any incident is caused by another humans neglect then in law that human is liable, who rattled your cage? you got an icleland? .

Why didn't you abort it?

OK, I said I was out :D. I am now ........ maybe

You said it was caused by bad fencing, then said the stallion went through 6ft walls, gorse and electric fencing. What type of fencing do you feel is appropriate for a stallion that will not top 14hh?
 
Top