Sales livery disaster

[Gwenda]

Hi need some advice. Sent my horse to sales livery. It was agreed that I pay for everything out of sale money. Mare was brought back into work after 5 years off I told yard all her quirks before taking her there I have had her 12 years and home was more important than money so full transparency. Cut a long story she hasn't sold been there a year and now she wants payment. Won't accept payment plan and won't return horse what do I do. I have stopped working through cancer all terms were done verbally no written contract.

 

[kathantoinette]

This sounds insane. There should have been some interim discussions along the way about ways to get the mare sold or cutting your losses and taking her back.
Depending on what money are are talking, I would hand the horse over to them as payment and cut your losses.
Is it a reputable sales livery yard? Have you got any text messages at regarding the agreement?
ETA to need to post this in the Tack Room section of the forum as these more ‘traffic’ there to read your post and offer advice.

 

[MissTyc]

A YEAR?? I get aggy if a sales livery takes more than 6-8 weeks. Especially in the current market. I'd expect a horse to be it's best self within a few months on a professional yard. I recognise your personal circumstances sound difficult and I bet time just flew away with you, but at the same time ... a year includes Summer 2022 where horses were being bought unseen for ridiculous sums.

Without contracts and agreements you're a bit stuffed. Were ANY costs discussed? A court would need to know the agreement. A reasonable court would probably say you owe the costs, the dealer gives back the horse, or shake hands and call it a day. It's going to be tricky to unpick. You do own the horse so you can collect it, but I'd absolutely expect to be summed to court over the costs as the next step.

 

[[153312]]

Your best bet is to go to the BHS legal line, and the police if necessary, with screenshots of all communications between yourself and the yard, and proof of your ownership of the animal, and go from there.

 

[PurBee]

Sorry to hear, this is a tough situation.

You need to know the answers to considerations like do you want your horse back to keep or to sell? If keep, can you get a loan to cover 1 year sales livery to pay off monthly, as livery yard wont accept staged payments?

If you still want to sell - is the 1yr livery owed, more or less the value of horse? If more, you may aswell give ownership of the horse to them to try to sell, and pay off livery minus horse value amount up to the date of them obtaining ownership.

If livery charge is a significant amount less the value of the horse, i’d get a loan, pay-off livery, take horse back and sell myself, rather than keep having an ongoing livery charge on a horse i want to sell, at a yard that have proven unable to sell the horse.

 

[ycbm]

Unless you signed a contract saying that she could, I don't think she can legally hold your property hostage to the debt. But presumably you can't afford the keep of the horse if you take her back, and you have a debt of, what, £7k+ to pay?

How much do you think the horse should be worth?

Is this the first time in the whole year she has told you how much you owe?
.