What to do? Owner wont remove horse from field.

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Beckstar82

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A friend of a friend was looking to purchase a horse, and asked if she found one could she put it on my fields along with my horses. I said that would be fine, and she moved her horse on just after Feb half term - its an impulse buy from Beeston to save it from the meat man! 4 weeks ago it dropped a foal. The damn mare is pretty much unhandled and although she will come over for a bucket of feed as yet she has not managed to get a head collar on her.

I've seen less and less of her down the field (my winter field backs right onto my house) although hay is being put in there so she is obviously coming down and feeding her at least weekly. I asked her to move them of by Easter, said if she couldn't find anywhere then she could put them down on the summer paddocks, but as yet shes not done anything about it. Ive sent her written notice, but again im just being ignored.

I want to roll & reseed the winter paddock, but cant with this mare on. I could move her into the stable yard, but then the two of them (mare and foal) would only have a 12 x 12 stable and same sized fenced yard to mooch around in which doesn't really seem like enough room - although it might allow it to be handled enough to move to the summer field, or for her to sell it on or something?

What would you do?

Keep nagging the owner to get her moved?
Shift her to the stable & yard and keep her in a small space for now to see if it prompts the owner to do something?
Shift her to the summer paddock, knowing itll make catching her very difficult as going in with a feed bucket will result in my horses coming over?
Something else?
 
I'd move them to the yard, for handling if nothing else. Hopefully them prompting owner to do something. If it still falls on deaf ears, then I'd threaten to sell them.

Good luck.
 
So. You are saying your friend could graze her horse on your field in February and now a mere 3 months later you want her moved off. She was very naive in buying the horse in the first place and you as the friend does not appear to have given her much advise re this purchase . You , on the other hand come across as a very unhelpful friend. Those of us that have any knowledge of "meat market" ponies would expect them to be basically unhandled and usually come with a bucketload of problems, like dropping foals. Have you thought of actually helping her handle this poor pony by any chance. You don't need to worry about foal when moving them. Foal will follow mum. I think what has really annoyed me about this post is the way you seem to be threatening to move them off your land per se. You invited them on so deal with it. If you are a friend then help her. Or is this by any chance a troll post.
 
Fools - do you think there is enough space in the yard - will the foal need more room to sort of prance about or whatever -Ive never had a youngster this young - only had them from 3 up and they've always been out and been able to be caught.

Fuzzy - I could do that, but am still in the same dilemma if she cant move it?
 
I believe it is 'a friend of a friend'.....

My approach would be to speak to your friend and see if they can influence their friend....if that makes sense?
 
Wow Bruce

Yes she asked me if she in November if she could graze her horse on my field when she found one. I said yes. That still stands. She is more than welcome to move it to my summer field, but I want to do the maintenance on my winter field, but I cant because her horse is on there.

I moved mine off at the beginning of April. I tried to move hers but couldn't catch it to move it. Its then just stayed on the field, I asked her to move it off by Easter, its still there.

Or do you just feel she should be allowed to keep her horse on there for as long as she wants regardless of my usual routine because I said she could use my grazing?
 
L & M - she "helpfully" (waves at her as shes on here) doesn't want to get involved in this "disagreement".

Ill perhaps try again to talk to her and offer to move it onto the yard, as it can be herded on to there from the field, and then that perhaps will make it easier for it to be handled, and then it can either be moved down the summer field at some future point.
 
Pick up the phone and tell her to be at the yard for 10.00am Saturday morning to move the mare and foal to the summer grazing - which you will help with.

Telling her that you don't want to harrow and roll the field with them in there will hopefully mean she turns up.
 
I would move mare and foal to the yard and a strict conversation with the owner. At least yard will need cleaning.

Giving grazing is one thing, taking the p is another.
 
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I think she's struggling, is way over her head, and is sticking her head in the sand. If you and the "friend" who won't get involved, could spend the odd hour or two a week helping her it may spur her on.

Start by moving them into a sectioned off part of the field, perhaps with 24 hrs on the yard - if the mare hasn't got as much food and water as in the field she maybe more catchable (not suggesting starving her!)
 
Beckstar82 said:
L & M - she "helpfully" (waves at her as shes on here) doesn't want to get involved in this "disagreement".

Ill perhaps try again to talk to her and offer to move it onto the yard, as it can be herded on to there from the field, and then that perhaps will make it easier for it to be handled, and then it can either be moved down the summer field at some future point.
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Can you ring her and organise a day you can both be there to move them together, I would suggest that both stay on the yard for while so they are easier to handle, tell her this is to be done if she wants the horses to stay she cant just chuck them out knowing you cant catch them its not fair, I often help friends out taking in rescue ponies but I to would not be happy about having horses on my land that cant be handled or caught and just left in a field, I always ask what their plans are with the pony before taking any in as I never want my offer of a free field to be forever if you know what I mean, I really dont think your being unfair but I would want to see this person and find out what she plans on doing with them, shoulldnt be left to you to worry about.
 
So move them herd her down the road if you can to the summer fields. Shame she probably just needs some advice yes its not your problem, but poor mare and foal. Dreadful to think she would have been killed whilst in foal
 
A horse is one thing a mare and foal is another thing.... Get the mare and foal into the stable and they need handling. The foal will be getting bigger and unhandled it will get harder. Halter both then she has no excuse not to take care of them etc... You are charging her I hope?
 
I'd move them to the stable yard which would give her a chance to handle them and once she has done some basic handling turn them out in the summer paddocks. Make it clear that she needs to come up at least daily whilst they are in the stable and that they can't go out on the summer paddock until she can be happily caught and led etc.
 
Onto yard, do a bot of handling, halter the baby, harrow, roll winter fields, stick her back on a sectioned bit if you have the equipment. 14 day abandonment notice. Sorted.
 
I'd load them both up and dump them on Bruce's land.

Well, you did ask! :D

Some very generous posters on here. Would you take in a homeless family with as much alacrity?

"The friend" is chancing her arm. Why does she not arrange livery for her friend's rescues and pay the rental herself? Or does rescuing only work when someone else pays the bills?

Sorry, folks, but the OP is being taken for a mug and playing the emotional card by pointing out that it is a mare and foal would not work with me. But then I'm a mean miserable farmer who is paying £240 for a 600kg bag of fertiliser to grow grass to feed my own stock and I wouldn't be handing it over free of charge to a total stranger. I'd be getting that abandonment notice first thing tomorrow morning! My guess is that it will still cost the OP a small fortune to get rid of the pair, if she can. "The friend" is by now long gone. And her "friend' will be gone even further!
 
Dry Rot said:
I'd load them both up and dump them on Bruce's land.

Well, you did ask! :D

Some very generous posters on here. Would you take in a homeless family with as much alacrity?

"The friend" is chancing her arm. Why does she not arrange livery for her friend's rescues and pay the rental herself? Or does rescuing only work when someone else pays the bills?

Sorry, folks, but the OP is being taken for a mug and playing the emotional card by pointing out that it is a mare and foal would not work with me. But then I'm a mean miserable farmer who is paying £240 for a 600kg bag of fertiliser to grow grass to feed my own stock and I wouldn't be handing it over free of charge to a total stranger. I'd be getting that abandonment notice first thing tomorrow morning! My guess is that it will still cost the OP a small fortune to get rid of the pair, if she can. "The friend" is by now long gone. And her "friend' will be gone even further!
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This really made me laugh especially the bit about dropping them off at Bruce's:)
 
I may not be able to take in the homeless family but i wud go out of my way to call on those who knew what to do and who to speak to. Ofcourse people can speak, sadly animals cant so we have to speak for them.
 
Seem to have scared Bruce off dry rot!

The person clearly doesn't give a damn about the horses if coming only once a week and not a damn about op as not answering her requests to move to other field.

Agree Serve notice, she sounds like a misinformed do gooder that only serve to keep idiot dealers in pocket money.
 
On one hand I can see how she might just need a little help, what about worming, farrier, vets etc all need doing and therefore they need to be handled, maybe try that route see if it makes her buck her ideas up.
OTOH how is this 'rescuing' they have just displaced the problem. I would be serving her notice if she doesn't attempt to correct things.
 
I agree.

I've been the nice guy too many times to care anymore. Your field, Your rules.

Set a day and time with this owner to come and move them into your summer fields, if she does not turn up, she will no longer be welcome and you will also be selling the horse if she doesn't get in touch.

Some people's ideas of 'saving' animals is just madness.
 
Thanks everyone.

I have sent her a text and pinned the same message onto the gate to tell her I will be herding them into the yard at the weekend, that if she contacts me I will do it at a time to suit her rather than myself, Also mutual friend and I are willing to help out as best we can but that neither of us can take full responsibility for handling the pair, but that long term they can't stay in the little yard, so we really need to do something, and I am unhappy with the idea of turning them out in my bigger summer paddock until we can catch them, but that in theory I have no objection to them moving there in the end.

How long do you think its fair for them to stay in the yard? Both to give her ample time to have a fair chance of handling them, and also them not getting worse for being in a small area?
 
Apply for that Abandonment Notice now! You don't have to use it until you feel you need to but it will do no harm for your "friend" to know you have it! "Speak softly -- but carry a big stick".

Have a look at the Red Wings site, lots of good advice there, including GET IT IN WRITING! (That last cannot be repeated often enough).

http://www.redwings.org.uk/welfare-horse-care-advice-abandonment.php
 
Don't think I would be wanting them put out with my horses until worming completed, and thought a foal had to be done a couple of times to clear? (could be wrong though getting old) we always kept mares and foals separate from the others until foal weaned and thought the worm burden they carry was one of the reasons.
 
I think you need to have a proper talk with owner and agree how this is going to work long term. If they cant be caught then assume not wormed or seen farrier since feb. Worming would be a must for me before they move to summer grazing. If no farrier and I assume feet also not checked or picked since feb I would be worried from a welfare perspective. Also, ignoring your request to move and continuing to trash your winter field for over a month is rude snd doesnt bode well for your long term happiness in this arangement.
face to face, I would be saying she needs to move them to yard this weekend, with offer to help if you think you can. They stay on the yard til they are wormed and are catchable, have seen farrier etc. You need to understand what her plan is for progressing this (which on basis of progress so far I would suggest shouldIinvlude her paying a professional to come out at least once a week). You also need a contract in place on how much notice you have to give her to move out, and make it clear that you will give it if shhe doesnt dtick to the plan.
You are not a charity, and if you were it would be better for you to give your resources/time to an actual charity rather than to assist her in the neglect she is currently bestowing on these horses.
 
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