Mollyb123
Member
BEWARE - RICHARD BALFOUR AND KIERAN MAHON
️NEGLIGENCE/DEATH️ Timeline:
Picked up Galway: 13:30 Tuesday 13th April
On the Ferry: 22:00 Tuesday 13th April
Stopped over night: 23:00 Hardwick 14th April
Delivered Ynysybwl: 08:30 Thursday 15th April
Signs of colic: 12:00 Friday 16th April
Vet called: 13:00 Friday 16th April
Equine Hospital Breastone: 15:00 Friday 16th April
Surgery: 18:00 Friday 16th April
Dead: 13:49 Sunday 18th April
Cremated: 18:00 Sunday 18th April
Vets - B&W
Vet who attended yard: Duncan Graham
Vet who performed surgery: Henry Tremaine
The BEST vets - 100% couldn’t have done anymore for Colin than they did.
Emergency transport - Hunters Transport
Again, amazing. Couldn’t have wished for for better, will recommend again and again.
Disclosure:
- The seller booked the transport.
- I paid for the transport.
- I did do my research on Richard Balfour but didn’t find anything until it was too late.
- I bought him with a passport although he got delivered without one.
- The passport got posted to me and was delivered after Colin died.
- I only had Colin 1 day so hadn’t yet sorted out the insurance. The vet said it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as the majority take 2 weeks to kick in.
- The surgery cost just over £6000
At 13:30 on Tuesday 13th April Colin was picked up by Richard Balfour from Kieran Mahon’s yard. He was second to last on the box just after another pony (see pic 1). Colin was scheduled to be delivered to me at 23:00-00:00 on 14th April but he called me at around 23:00 saying he was 70 miles away so was going to stop overnight, he said he was stopping overnight in Hardwick meaning he was only 32 miles away not 70 like advised. When he got delivered to me at 08:30 on Thursday 15th April, he was last but one on the box with the same pony next to him which leads me to believe he never got off like he legally should have. If I am correct in my saying he didn’t step foot off the box from the moment he got on until the moment he got delivered then he was in transport for 43 hours. When he got delivered, Richard had to take off 3/4 other horses before he got to mine, all of which on the side of a fairly busy road due to his lorry being too big to get directly on to my yard. On the side of the road he handed me, my mother and my mothers partner these horses while he took mine off. He then handed me mine while I was still holding a mare, baring in mind Colin was a colt.
I walked him up the drive and introduced him to the yard. He was perfect, exactly as described in nature. Impeccable manners, handled extremely well, hats off to the breeders, they done an amazing job with him. He nibbled on his haynet, had a stretch in the school, lay down and snoozed. I spent all day with him on the Thursday and left the yard around 17:30.
Friday 16th April, my friend was spending the day on the yard so I just asked her to take a nose in at Colin every so often just to make sure he was settling. She sent me a picture of his 3 big haynets untouched and minimal water drank (see pic 2 and 3). This is unusual but he wasn’t distressed, he wasn’t showing any signs of discomfort or colic. But come 12:00 he was in full blown colic (see pic/vid 4/5/6). Immediately the vet was called and he come within 40 minutes and got there and started work, I got there 5 minutes after him. While waiting for the vet, my mothers parter spent the 40 minutes walking him in the shade to stop him rolling but when he got there Colin got cast and he and the yard owner went in and pulled him up right and stood him up. The vet checked him over and he was “fine” no signs of colic other than his obvious discomfort, his heart rate was fine, his temp was fine although they discovered he had a murmur but the vet said he’d more than likely grow out of it or it could have been caused by the medication he was given. The vet was concerned because the obvious signs weren’t there so he done a rectal exam and felt 3 “rolls” of blockage in his small intestines and he said we need to act fast and take him to hospital. Which of course we did.
We got to the hospital, the whipped Colin away and started on him right away, no waiting around. I signed all the paperwork and paid the deposit of £1000. That’s the last I saw Colin. Henry the surgeon come to us in the waiting room and laid out our options. Surgery or PTS. Of course, we opted for surgery. By 18:00 he was on the operating table. There are several types of colic surgery and the vet said the more complicated - the more it costs. Colin actually had the easiest surgery, found the 5inch blockage, made an incision, removed the blockage, stitched him back up and then kept him comfortable (see pic 7 for blockage). They allow a £7000 spend before they start asking your permission to spend more. Henry said the surgery went well and he was in the ICU for 24 hours to be monitored every minute of his recovery. But it didn’t end there, he continued to colic, so they tubed him several times over the 48 hours to bring up his stomach content and found more of the blockage material (see pic 8). Colin had eaten NYLON. He had eaten an actual hay net! The vet said he would have been so starving that he just ate what was in front of him.. an empty haynet.
I called the transporter and he admitted to me that there was a broken/eaten haynet of the same colour in the place where Colin was. I have a phone call recording of where he admits this to me. I asked him for his insurance details and he said he doesn’t have insurance because he doesn’t have to. I asked him to explain and he said he only does “favours” for friends and that he’s not a business so he doesn’t “need” the insurances. His Facebook page (see pic 9) and google would say different along with statements I’ve received from other people who have used him (not friends, but business). I also paid £350 for the pleasure. But he’s not a business?
So Colin continued colicing and didn’t recover. Colin was sadly put to sleep peacefully on Sunday 18th April at 13:49 (see pic 10). And was cremated by peaceful pastures by 18:00 Sunday 18th April which cost £330.
Kieran was great through the whole situation and was apologetic. He promised me my money back, he was speaking with “Richie” and they had both agreed to get me a “replacement” horse. I told Kieron I didn’t want to receive a horse from Richard and that nothing would replace Colin and Kieran said he would take one, sell it and then give me the money. Not as compensation but to help with costs. I wanted to post about this sooner (I did but Kieran said to take it down as it wouldn’t help me get any money back) but Kieron convinced me to stay quiet at least until he had and sold the horse which I understood at the time. I have since learnt that all these promises were made to just keep me quiet and Kieran has now blocked me on Facebook and WhatsApp meaning I’ve lost contact with him.
So my main goal now is making sure as many people know about the negligence caused at the hands of Richard Balfour and hoping my experience may prevent anyone else having to experience similar.
I am almost £10k out of pocket for a poor horse I only had 1 day. He was only 2, he would have been 3 on July 1st.
Kieran advertises on Facebook and Dragon Driving, he goes by KP on dragon driving. I couldn’t fault him at the beginning but if you do buy from him please arrange your own transport for the sake of your horse.
If anyone has had a bad experience with either Richard or Kieron then please reach out, it will help me with the legal side of things, it will be fully confidential. I’ve already spoken to a good handful of people but I know there will be more.
Thanks for reading this if you got to the end. If anyone has any questions/advice/contacts then please let me know and reach out.
Mollybailey@hotmail.co.uk
