What should we do?

[Dovorian]

We have a livery - 'unusual' lady with big young WB mare, basically the mare is losing condition but an increasing belly leads us to wonder if she is in foal. Idle boogers don't bother to poo pick their field, stable bedding is a mess, awful haylage is fed and the mare has very poor feet. We have tried the nice approach and offered advice and suggestions (viz. get a vet) but it is ignored.

Would we be able to get the ILPH to intervene??

It would be easy to tell them to go elsewhere but this poor mare needs help....... My OH keeps saying that we should never have taken liveries, and I am beginning to understand why!

 

[Biscuit]

Have you asked the owner whether the mare may be in foal? The big belly could be due to poor feed (you mentioned poor haylage), or even worms.

Do you have a contract? Can you point to it and say you will be charging her for poo picking, proper haylage etc. if she does not address it herself? Perhaps the owner would rather pay a bit more and have some of these things taken care of.

I am not sure whether the ILPH would intervene, but if I had a livery like that I would feel very uncomfortable doing nothing.