pony sold on after giving him away? help please

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lucky7

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About 2 years ago we took on a welsh pony from a friend of my Father inlaws, these people where very un-horsey pony was very over weight when we got him and turned out to be rather sharp, aggressive toward other horses and lamantic!! we persevered with him as situation at the time was good, and owners got in touch and spoke to father in law and said we could keep pony in exchange for some wood, the owners gave me the passport and signed it all etc.
Anyway a few months later i lost my grazing, pony was kept with my poor doer tb and constantly chased/bullied my tb and even kicked her, the children where afraid to ride him as he was very sharp even on the lead rein and combined with the lack of space situation it was just impossible.
I tried several times to contact the owners and even told the FIL to tell them that it wasnt working out and wanted to send the pony back, basically i heard nothing, other than FIL saying for me to contact him myself (hopeless FIL) i left messages and rang solidly for around a month with no luck. My situation was getting worse (think 3 horses on less than 3 acres of mud) and had no choice but to sell him on. so i did to a family who really liked him and paid £400 for him.
Fast forward 2 years later and i get an email via FB from the daughter stating that they would have had him back and he was theres to sell not mine and how they "lost a lot of money* by giving him to me :rolleyes: and i should have known he was sharp as i was told??!! :confused: and how the money would have put her through uni?? i think they are under the illusion that this pony was worth alot more than he actually was. I responded with a very polite email stating the above, how he was given to me etc and i offered them the £400 what i sold him for.
What would you do in this situation?? did i do the right thing?
 
Excuse ignorance what is the FLA?

Was he given away or on loan?

If on loan you were wrong!

If given away do you have a contract to say that ownership was passed to you? If so them you did nothing wrong
 
You did the best for the pony and for your own ponies, so don't worry, you are in the right they can't really come back two years down the line, what do they expect you to do now, to be honest any payment is generous,
They admit they gave the horse to you so really it was yours for good or for bad and you sold it, but it could have been a complete liability, and you would not have asked them to pay for it if eg it needed vet treatment etc,
 
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He wasn't yours to sell, why didn't you loan him out?
You sat you couldn't get hold of them so why didn't you go door knocking, or put a ad in the paper?

Different if the pony was given you in exchange for the wood but it seems to be more of a loan?
 
i wouldnt have offered them the £400 he was yours to sell not theirs - its like selling a car then 2 years later realising that you could have made more money on it so you want it back but they have sold it on you wouldnt be like well i want the money you sold it for because it wasnt yours :)
 
Sounds to me like you made a lot of effort to try to give him back and they didn't take any notice... if they didn't contact you for 2 years they don't sound like they were that bothered about him.

You've offered to pay them the money you sold him for - I think you're being perfectly reasonable, IMO.

Edit - if you exchanged him for the wood, then I can't see how on earth they think he is still theirs... if he's yours to sell, he's yours to sell. End of.
 
Mucky Shavings said:
He wasn't yours to sell, why didn't you loan him out?
You sat you couldn't get hold of them so why didn't you go door knocking, or put a ad in the paper?

Different if the pony was given you in exchange for the wood but it seems to be more of a loan?
Click to expand...

I understood from the OP that the pony was given in exchange for wood. Did i read that wrong?
 
Mucky Shavings said:
He wasn't yours to sell, why didn't you loan him out?
You sat you couldn't get hold of them so why didn't you go door knocking, or put a ad in the paper?

Different if the pony was given you in exchange for the wood but it seems to be more of a loan?
Click to expand...

Yes, the pony was given in exchange for the wood.
As mentioned they gave me the passport and signed the change of ownership section.
 
lucky7 said:
He was given to me, at first was a loan but after asking to exchange pony for wood, the passport was signed by them in the change of ownership part.


sorry abbreviation of Father in law! FIL :)
Click to expand...

If that's the case then yes I think he was yours, and in that case you don't owe them anything. Their payment was a load of wood
 
In that case, from what i can see the pony was yours to sell. You gave them first refusal and they didn't take you up on the offer. You've certainly done nothing wrong.
 
If some one said to me, keep the pony in exchange for some wood, handed over the pasport and signed it to boot, the animal is mine! It was clearly bartered. OP you were well within your rights to sell the animal. If they don't contact you until TWO YEARS later with a fairy tale about how the animal would have paid for three years of university education (impossible, unless he was a top level competition pony) then some one has been winding them up and making them feel like they have lost out on a sweet deal. There is no way I'd be offering them the £400 either.
 
From what you have said the pony was given to FIL in exchange for firewood (bartered), paperwork was signed over, therefore making the pony yours. You then have every right to sell on if you should wish to. Definately don't give them any money they have no right to it.

I recently had a similar situation, I was given a minature pony because the owners were not allowed to keep him on their property (house in town). I had him for almost a year and despite telling me that they would be in touch they never did. I eventually moved him on as I too was unable to keep him on my section (stupid town rules). 2½yrs later she turns up at my door wanting the pony back - she wanted to sell him as she was getting divorced and said she would pay me $500 for looking after him. I explained that he wouldn't even sell for that as his conformation was not the best and he was not registered and still entire.

I also pointed out that he had cost me money in care, worming farrier etc during his time with me. She then left and I've not heard from her since.

People are very good at forgetting that they GAVE AWAY their pony - didn't just lend it.
 
lucky7 said:
*He was given to me*, at first was a loan but after asking to *exchange pony for wood*, the passport was signed by them in the change of ownership part.
Click to expand...

that doesnt sound to me like he was 'given' to you, but you bought him fair and square, with an exchange of goods (the wood) rather than cash.

Id let them whistle for any money in that case.
 
I just feel a bit bad that i sold him on but i did try.
Thanks everyone i just wanted other peoples opinions on whether i did the right thing.
I think its def a money thing with these people as they haven't been in touch for 2 years then they just FB out the blue asking about money.
I wish i hadn't have offered the money back now!
 
tell them you wont be giving them any money as youve taken 'advice' lol

they might assume thats legal advice and not us lot :D
 
they have just replied to my message, now apparently she says her dad may have well given him to me but ONLY because he thought i would be keeping him??? she has admitted she didnt know what the deal was and she wants the money for another horse now apparently, not uni :rolleyes: and it looks as though they want extra money as £400 is what they paid for the pony WITHOUT tack!!
 
Agree that you were within your rights and you can also factor in your time effort and energy in looking after the pony for 2 years, which if you bring down to brass tacks, has a cost implication. (Though I know it is probably hard to think of it that way.)
I wouldn't have offered any money to them - they knowingly exchanged the pony and the fact that you have spent 2 years looking after this pony, despite him being not the easiest of characters to care for shows that you have done your level best to do the right thing by him.
Stick to your guns and do your best to draw a line under the experience and move on.
Hope the pony found a good home.
 
Tell them to eff off! They got rid and now they are emotionally blackmailing you to get money out of you. They sound horrible, tbh. The daughter anyway. You've now got an admission that they gave him away. They really have shot themselves in the foot. :D
 
The daughter is obviously quite young (her grammer, way of wording etc) is coming across this way. I have told her to speak to her parents to clarify the situation to her. Thing is her parents seemed really lovely at the time?
 
Now she is saying her mum didn't sign anything :rolleyes: will have a chat with the FIL tomorrow try clear this up with her parents.
 
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