Please Help! She WON'T take care of her horse!

I'm sorry I don't have any further advice to offer but... I'm speechless at this girl. I am in the incredibly lucky position of keeping my old mare with my old riding teacher, full livery for £100 per month, which is obviously an incredible deal. But I would *never* take it for granted - my teacher gets some cakes whenever I bake, I muck out when I'm down there and when I have some spare cash I always add it on to my month's rent. This girl's behaviour is just unbelievable. Even if she genuinely couldn't get down to see the horse (which I find ridiculous - I work 2 hours away from where my horse is and I still make time to come down after work however knackered I am, at least twice a week) she could have called you and explained the situation instead of leaving you to wonder what was going on. People like her are the reason others are reluctant to do good deeds.

I really hope you can resolve the situation - and however mean of me I hope she gets some karmic backlash for what she's done to you and the poor horse.
 
I would take this horse to her mothers, ring the doorbell, hand over the lead rope and leave. I would act very fast, and get this dealt with - you have more than enough to worry about, not least your own health.

If not, another option is to speak to the police. It could be seen as theft as you are having to pay for everything ?? may be a long shot there, but the police may have more clout with the RSPCA if you have reported the horse abandoned. They may even pay this girl a visit (wishful thinking) if you explain how old the horse is.

Good luck whatever you do. sm x
 
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same thing happened to me, I let a "friend" keep her horse with me FOC on the understanding that she looked after mine if I was away on business. She didn't..... ever....she didn't look after her own...in fact I was away for a week in the winter and my own haylage guy rang me and was worried that none had been ordered and he ended looking after them all while I was away! she left gates open complete nightmare. I still ended up paying for someone to look after mine and then hers also.... I confronted her she cried and then I haven't really heard from her again that was three years ago!!. I believe she has moved I got a text once to tell me that she hoped to give me some money she didn't. I still have the horse he is a kind old boy and the thought of her having him kept me awake at night so I just left it.
 
This website might help:-

http://www.newc.co.uk/advice/abandonment.php


Dealing with the abandonment of a horse or pony



The Animal Welfare Act 2006 confers a Duty of Care on all owners and keepers of animals and prosecution may be taken against an owner or keeper not meeting the needs of an animal.

All cases of abandonment are different.

A horse or pony may be found abandoned on a road, in a field or be abandoned whilst in livery.

As no two cases are the same, a general outline of relevant information can be found here and a sample of an Abandonment Notice can be downloaded here

It is adviseable to make contact with either the NEWC office or one of the specialist equine welfare organisations for specific advice on your individual problem.

Whatever course of action you decide to take, it is imperative to keep a paper trail and records of money spent or received, expenses incurred and actions taken (such as veterinary treatment, vaccinations, worming and so on) for several months afterwards. There will always be the remote possibility that the owner may come forward in the future wishing to reclaim the horse (if the horse has been stolen before it was abandoned, they may have spent months looking for their equine). Here the law becomes even more complex and if an agreement with the owner cannot be reached, you may need to take legal advice to resolve the situation satisfactorily.


· If you know the last address of the owner, then send a letter by Recorded Delivery asking her to come and remove the horse and pay the outstanding monies within 14 days. If the letter is returned as undelivered or after the 14 days are up, there is still no sign of the owner, you will need to put up an Abandonment Notice for a minimum of 14 days to notify passers-by that the equine has been abandoned. The notice will state that if the owner does not come forward, the animal may be legally re-homed or sold. To dispose of this animal in strict accordance with the law, it must be sold at public auction to get the best price.
 
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I would do the abandonment notice bit, then call the hunt and have them dispose of the horse TBH. You are obviously concerned about its health, and there is every probability that if things carry on unchanged, you are going to end up paying bills for it. The poor old thing is likely to end up hanging on a hook anyway, but at least you will know that it isn't suffering at the hands of the "owner" and the hunt would be the cheapest option for you. People like this should be named and shamed and banned from any contact with any animal for life.
 
I'm sure, reading the opening post here, that the poster is not the kind of person who would a) call the hunt and have the horse disposed of (which I think is probably the most stupid thing I've read on this thread) and b) not willing to drag and aged, lame horse 1 1/2 miles to her parents house when she has already stated the grazing is not available there.
I would call BHS, get some good advice, if as you say the woman has no job and finished college she is likely to be at home most days, and if you could get someone to drive you over and speak to her you may actually get somewhere. Good luck x
 
Id ring her mother. Even if there is no grazing she may offer you some monetary response.

But I'd also definitely ring WHW or BHS if the phonecall to her mother doesnt help!

FFS you're never going to have the hunt destroy it...bloody hell.
 
Lisa G said:
Her boyfriend has a car and drives to work past my smallholding every day.
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Have you got an old sheet? I would write something sharp on it and hang it where he could see it.

Something along the lines of "(insert name here) COME AND CARE FOR YOUR HORSE YOU LAZY SPONGING... " etc. You could have a different message for each day.

Intelligent reply coming up...
phone her mother and go round to the house to sort it out. The sight of you limping in on crutches must surely spur her on to action. I hope the horse finds a home far far away from her current owner.

Get well soon to the leg :)
 
Hmm, an aged lame horse with nobody to look after it, I think the hunt isn't a bad idea actually.
The problem is the legal implications and you don't want to be stuck getting sued over something, so definitely worth doing things through the proper routes. If the vet is coming out it might be worth getting his opinion on the horse's welfare and he may be able to suggest some options - he might also think that pts is the best option in this situation and be able to arrange it through the welfare organisations. I think you will need to have shown that you have done everything possible to get the girl to care for her horse before they can act though.
 
This horse is an older animal (23) and is very stiff on it's forelegs. This girl has commented herself that it was looking lame, but despite me telling her on several occasions that it needs a vet, she won't call one out.
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If the OP ends up with this horse what is she meant to do with it? Send it to auction where it will likely be passed from pillar to post, keep it as a pet (which she doesn't want) or have it PTS. To me the only options are the last two and taking on a 23 year old horse as a pet when you neither have the space or budget would be practically impossible. To me the hunt is a very viable option if the owner won't take responsibility.
 
the hunt ??? It should be the owner who's shot.

With regard to the mother - she HAS grazing, but she and daughter have fallen out (probably over the same issue) and the mother therefore kicked her out. I am sure that if you paid this lady a visit and explained, she would take said horse in ? I mean, come on, the OP has a broken leg to deal with !
 
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flamehead said:
Im not suggesting the horse shouldnt be put down BUT you cant just have someones horse shot now!!!
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I think after an abandonment notice has been served you will be legally entitled to though as the horse is unsellable? Which is why the op needs to get legal advice imho.
 
def. get police/rspca/whw advice on this route tho ! I've been thinking about it, and if that's the best/only fate for the horse, then that may be the best resolution. I mean, what if the mother knows nowt about horses even if she takes it in *sigh*.

What a truly horrible situation. sm x
 
You know the saying "the apple never falls far from the tree"? I'd bet a pound to a penny the mother won't want to know either. Having cared for an extremely elderly pony for 4 years when the owner clearly didn't give a s**t, unfortunately I do have some experience with situations like this.
 
good god, everyone is getting a bit carried away! Watch out OP, you will have a bunch of folk heading your way with shotguns to have the horse shot!

Its not up to OP to worry about putting the poor nag down.
Simples, get police/WHW involved. They will take horse away for her and deal with the owner!

And her broken leg is a bit of a bonus right now (not for her obviously) as it gives her a stronger case to get WHW to take horse away as she cant care for it!
 
write letters, phone calls etc etc as everyone above has said but if none of that is effective, phone your local newspaper and try get them to write a story on it! Just to totally embarrass all involved! Nothing better than embarrasement to make people jump to action!
 
What an unbelieveably awful person :( Poor horse. Still, it isn't your responsibility or your problem. I'd take it to her mother's, tie it to the gate and leave.
 
Tell her she has one week to come up with the money she owes, and to remove her horse from your land otherwise you will consult a solicitor about taking legal action.
 
saskia295 said:
What an unbelieveably awful person :( Poor horse. Still, it isn't your responsibility or your problem. I'd take it to her mother's, tie it to the gate and leave.
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I'm sorry, but legally speaking it is. To leave the horse tied to a gate would actually be abandonment by the OP, and if the horse suffered as a result, the OP would be liable to prosecution. That may not sound very fair, but it is the law.

Not to mention that abandoning the horse in this way would be, in my personal opinion, morally wrong. It is not the horse's fault that it has a rubbish owner and it does not deserve to be exposed to further suffering. Which is why I think the OP should call an equine welfare charity.
 
I agree with Spudlet, call a horse charity, or maybe the BHS and get some specialist advice. This girl sounds like a menace and unfortunately you and the horse have drawn the short straw.

Good luck.
 
Originally posted by Guido quote:
Its not up to OP to worry about putting the poor nag down.
Simples, get police/WHW involved. They will take horse away for her and deal with the owner!
And her broken leg is a bit of a bonus right now (not for her obviously) as it gives her a stronger case to get WHW to take horse away as she cant care for it!

Sadly, the onus is on the OP. We had 3 ponies dumped on some land we own. WHW and the RSPCA were fab, and did take them away as their condition was serious, and one later died, but had their condition been satisfactory, they told me the law says I MUST care for them as I was the land owner.... How mad is that. It's the law that needs rectifying.
 
originally posted by spottyappy quote:
"Sadly, the onus is on the OP. We had 3 ponies dumped on some land we own. WHW and the RSPCA were fab, and did take them away as their condition was serious, and one later died, but had their condition been satisfactory, they told me the law says I MUST care for them as I was the land owner.... How mad is that. It's the law that needs rectifying"

I agree that the law makes OP "partially" responsible, BUT right now, she certainly does not have the option to PTS someone elses horse!!!!

The other option she maybe has is to tell the police and ask if they could possibly have a word with the owner. That might very well put the willies up her enough to move it....selfish little brat that she is. Or as my mother likes to say instead of swearing..... she is a "festering jobbie"..
 
Thank you, everbody, for all the replies.

Some are, perhaps, looking a bit too far into the future, though.

This mare is elderly and is showing some lameness, but she's not necessarily at the PTS stage yet, just at the end of her working life and in need of a gentle retirement and some TLC for the rest of her life.

I'm outraged that this spoilt brat has taken on this mare on a whim, with no thought of the long term consequences and responsibilities of becoming a horse owner, and then abdicated that responsibility at the very first opportunity. :mad: It doesn't bode well for this poor mares future, whatever the outcome, and she deserves so much more.

I would love to offer a retirement home to every beautiful animal that needed it, I'm sure we all would, (I already have a 14yr old mare under exactly those circumstances) but it's simply not a reality and I'm angry and resentful that because I only have enough grazing for my own horses, the extra one means that they will ALL be on short grass rations, and that's so unfair, they all have a right to expect good grass at this time of year.

In the short term, this situation doesn't look like it will be resolved in any way before I go away, and I'm very worried about leaving someone else to look after this horse, and possibly to have to take responsibility for the situation if this girl does come to collect her horse, whilst I'm gone.

I would hate to think that I've made this poor horses' situation worse. If I'm totally honest, what I wanted deep down was for this girl to grow up, step up the plate and be the type of owner the horse deserves to have. TBH, when the horse first arrived, it wasn't what I expected, one look at it told me it wasn't suitable for this girl to ride in terms of it's age and light build and I did question why she'd bought it, I should have listened to my own inner voice. :( Physically caring for another horse in the short term is not really a problem. I know it shouldn't be my concern what happens to this animal, but anybody under the same circumstances would have to be incredibly hard hearted not to be. It's THIS emmotional responsibility that I really don't want, and I'm angry that I've been shouldered with it. But, wishing it wasn't so won't make it go away, so...

I have an appointment for one of my dogs this afternoon at the vet, I think I'll discuss this with him before he comes out tomorrow. He will have more idea than I do about who to approach for help, and perhaps more idea about where I stand legally in terms of my resposibilities towards this horse.

Thank you all so much for your input, I have some starting places now to begin looking into how to try to get this situation resolved.

I feel much happier about trying to sort this out now I've discussed it here.(And some of the more naughty suggestion about what to do with this girl and her boyfried had the evil imp inside me smiling creatively! :rolleyes: )

I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks,

Lisa.
 
I have an appointment for one of my dogs this afternoon at the vet, I think I'll discuss this with him before he comes out tomorrow. He will have more idea than I do about who to approach for help, and perhaps more idea about where I stand legally in terms of my resposibilities towards this horse.
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Good idea re: the vet - the BHS would tell you today though, and are only a phone call away.

Hope there's a good outcome.
 
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