returning a loan horse

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ThomasandTia

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Just after some advice we took a horse on full loan ( moved to our yard) as a happy hacker sadly she has turned out to be past even the slightest hack when we got her she was out of shape so we have fed her up exercised her etc but have been advised she needs to be retired we have contacted the owner to return her who is now ignoring our contact what would next step be we have her passport etc tho she is only on loan
 
ThomasandTia said:
Just after some advice we took a horse on full loan ( moved to our yard) as a happy hacker sadly she has turned out to be past even the slightest hack when we got her she was out of shape so we have fed her up exercised her etc but have been advised she needs to be retired we have contacted the owner to return her who is now ignoring our contact what would next step be we have her passport etc tho she is only on loan
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What did the loan agreement say about ending the loan ?
 
Hi we had no formal agreement other than if it doesn't work out the owner would take her back, even if we had have had an agreement it would be void due to making it clear we were taking her on as a happy hacker and ended up with a companion horse thanks
 
Your loan agreement would not be null and void because it would have set down the arrangements agreed to by the parties for ending the loan .
Now you have to depend on heresay what is your memory of what you agreed .
 
As stated if the loan didn't work out as in this case we took her on as a happy hacker and basically got a companion then the owner would take her back when we first told her two weeks ago she has already said she would take her and wouldn't dump her on us but now will not reply to phone calls txts etc, any verbal agreement which in law is the same as a written agreement ( although harder to prove) would have stated we took her on as a riding horse not a companion, I could have understood if we had had her a year or two but we've only had her 8 weeks so it must have been known she wasn't upto riding hence her being out of shape thanks
 
Go to owners house and talk face to face with them.
Horse is not suitable for use as agreed in the loan.
Even if horse was Ae describe, you ate still allowed to cancel the loan with correct notice given.
 
sad that some owners feel that loaning out is a quick way to get rid of an unwanted unsound pony they dont know what to do with.
If the OP is telling the truth (and im not doubting you are) and this pony has soundness issues that make it unrideable, the owner should have done the right thing by the pony and pts. Companion homes are few and far between and no garantee the pony wont one day end up with the meat man anyway.

why some people cant seem to do the right thing by their animals i have no idea.
 
Just heard back after telling owner I would box her up and drop her off she has now decided she doesn't want her and gifted her to us and washed her hands of her and if we take her back she will have us done for trespass so we are now stuck with a horse that the fairest thing to do is pts
 
And for you to pay the costs no doubt - what a horrible situation.

Have you accepted the horse as a gift? If so I would have any agreement you have made put in writing before you pts as otherwise have no proof of ownership.

Poor you and poor horse.....
 
only going on other threads along these lines i would be very carefull about having a horse pts without proof of ownership!
Its sad that her owner did nt have the balls to do the right thing by her in the first place.
 
In your shoes I would not be keen to accept the horse as a gift.
I would decline this suggestion and I would deliver the horse back to the owner. The trespass threat is just a bluff.
 
ThomasandTia said:
Just heard back after telling owner I would box her up and drop her off she has now decided she doesn't want her and gifted her to us and washed her hands of her and if we take her back she will have us done for trespass so we are now stuck with a horse that the fairest thing to do is pts
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I hope you have refused to take her as a gift (you don't have to accept after all) and get some legal advice. I highly doubt you would be convicted of trespass if you were returning someone's property.
 
ihatework said:
In your shoes I would not be keen to accept the horse as a gift.
I would decline this suggestion and I would deliver the horse back to the owner. The trespass threat is just a bluff.
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I agree with this. Just because she has said she'll "gift" you this mare, it surely doesn't mean you have to accept. Otherwise surely this would be a great way to get rid of all valueless items that are expensive to dispose of (beaten up old cars etc). I would tell the owner she is taking her back or she will find a pony in her front garden.

Disgusting that people will treat their horses like this instead of being responsible owners and doing the right thing.

Sorry to hear you are stuck in this situation. It seems to be getting more common :(

Do you have BHS membership? If so, give their legal helpline a ring.

If you do accept ownership with the view of PTS, as others have said make sure you get it written down on paper that she has given you ownership.
 
Just load it up and take it back, it's a financial liability, not what you wanted and frankly not your responsibility. If you're worried about it let WHW know what you are doing and ask them to check on the horse after it's been dropped off.
 
As per the other replies, do not accept the mare as a gift - it's not fair to put that responsibility on you. I would reiterate that you will be returning her.

I can't believe how people could behave like that. I've had ponies on loan, and I've loaned ponies - always with the same agreement, they can be returned home with 48 hrs notice for any reason. The pony always comes first - or should do.
 
zigzag said:
I would still box her up and send her back, why should you fork out a few hundred quid to pts a horse and dispose of her body
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See, I usually have quite a hard business mind but I would just worry about where the horse would end up if you just sent it back; the owner obviously doesn't care about it.
I'd pay the £100 to give her a dignified end then bury her, doesn't need to be expensive.
 
Unless you have a farm you can't bury them. It will cost at least £150 for the hunt to come out and shoot and take the body and why should the OP do it?
I am going to be loaning a horse out soon and these threads terrify me, not that I have ever abandoned an nmimal.
 
We will try to home her as a companion but tbh don't think it's going to happen I could take her back but it's not the owners land and she would neglect her again
 
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Clodagh said:
I am going to be loaning a horse out soon and these threads terrify me, not that I have ever abandoned an nmimal.
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You will doubtless be drawing up a robust written loan agreement. OP was instantly on the back foot by not having one, I'm afraid.

I couldn't bring myself to return any animal to an owner who didn't want it back, even I was legally in the right to do so. But then I am too much of a soft touch for any animal in need.
 
Clodagh said:
It will cost at least £150 for the hunt to come out and shoot and take the body and why should the OP do it?.
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Because......

ThomasandTia said:
I could take her back but it's not the owners land and she would neglect her again
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.....of this.

I am all for not throwing money away but I could not knowingly place an animal in a situation where it would suffer, for the sake of £150, and to be honest I'm staggered that so many of you would.

There are so many on this forum who like to preach about doing The Right Thing but I suspect that when it actually comes down to it, few if them would in real life.
 
luckyoldme said:
only going on other threads along these lines i would be very carefull about having a horse pts without proof of ownership!
Its sad that her owner did nt have the balls to do the right thing by her in the first place.
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People make me sick sometimes , why can't people just do the right thing instead of pushing the issue onto others.
 
Patterdale said:
I am all for not throwing money away but I could not knowingly place an animal in a situation where it would suffer, for the sake of £150, and to be honest I'm staggered that so many of you would.

There are so many on this forum who like to preach about doing The Right Thing but I suspect that when it actually comes down to it, few if them would in real life.
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Now hang on a minute - no mention of neglect by the owner was mentioned until later in the thread, only that the mare was out of shape when the OP first got her.
 
Faracat said:
Now hang on a minute - no mention of neglect by the owner was mentioned until later in the thread, only that the mare was out of shape when the OP first got her.
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Yes but it was fairly obvious that the owner didnt care a straw for the poor thing -

ThomasandTia said:
...sadly she has turned out to be past even the slightest hack when we got her she was out of shape so we have fed her up exercised her etc but have been advised she needs to be retired we have contacted the owner to return her who is now ignoring our contact...
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ThomasandTia said:
...she doesn't want her and gifted her to us and washed her hands of her and if we take her back she will have us done for trespass so we are now stuck with a horse that the fairest thing to do is pts
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It was fairly obvious to me that it would not be in the horse's best interests to go back to this person. But hey ho.
 
OP PLEASE do not pass on the problem to someone else, read the article by BHS, there is a thread about it. There are too many old companion horses and ponies needing homes already, and not enough demand for them.

If you know the owner will neglect her, and if you do not have the money to pts, contact a welfare organisation like WHW as advised above and see if they can help.
 
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