What would you do?

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Foxhunter49

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I get a call from someone I do not know asking if I had room for a mare to be turned out. The owner had a bad car smash and was in ICU. I agree and said mare, 16.2 WB arrives along with the transporter warning me that she was 'difficult' and he had taken her to several places to be sorted - all had returned her within 48 hours.

I turn the mare out with two of mine. Later I went on the ATV to take feed and hay out. Fortunately I get off the ATV on the further side of the bike to open the gate. New mar, ears flat back, mouth open and really meaning business, charges the gate to get me. There is no way I can get to the gate without her charging it (to the point where she bent it)

So, what would any of you do? Even without feed she is out to get anyone that enters that field and my mares cannot get to the gate because she will charge them too.
 
I probably wouldn't have taken her in, how did this person even get your number? It probably would have been wise to not put her in with your two mares either.

I'd call the number back as soon as possible and hope it isn't some dodgy story to get rid of her as Hooligan said.
 
flashmans said:
I probably wouldn't have taken her in, how did this person even get your number? It probably would have been wise to not put her in with your two mares either.

I'd call the number back as soon as possible and hope it isn't some dodgy story to get rid of her as Hooligan said.
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Echo this.
 
I wouldn't have just put het straight out with other horses, who knows what an unknown horse could do.
Are you a livery yard?
Is this person paying you?
poor horse has probably been very unsettled, can blame it for being in a mood!
Send her to me.
 
Just curious, is it shod or trimmed (do they look neat and not raggedy?) ? well groomed etc etc? If it is then its obviously been handled in the past to a certain extent, even with sedation, it must have been reasonably well behaved for a farrier to get near it..

I echo some of the other comments/worries about turning it out with your mares, it sounds dangerous enough with humans and she could really turn on your girls - might be wise to get some help and fence her away from them...

I think you were being perhaps to saint like, you might have taken on a real project for the time the owner is ill.. i would suggest you contact owner ASAP for all info and history and ask her to be brutally honest with you as you are looking after the animal...

good luck:)
 
just as a thought is it likely the owner was injured by the horse rather than a car crash?

if you have another field it can go in then either herd it in there or dope it up to the eyeballs and then move it, your mares will be safe and then also you won't need to go in the field to feed it/get yours out etc. IF you want or need to handle it then you can do it in your own time and without the worry of your own mares.
sounds a very unhappy horse.
 
Would there be any way that two of you could go in on a tractor/ATV and elec fence off the field into two halves - one putting posts in as the other keeps her off with a lunge whip perhaps? Leave a gap at the bottom, and they try and get her to follow you into one half, either chasing you, or with food, and then have someone close the gap up and turn the elec fence on? Then you may be able to have someone else grab the other mares and get them out of the field?
 
Agree with SpottyTB.

I'd get the vet to dope up some food for her so you can get yours out then possibly catch her, bring her in and deal with her from there but whatever you do, I wouldn't be leaving anything else in with her and if she's that bad, just a string of electric tape is not going to contain her either.

ETA: it's most unusual for a strange horse to be so aggressive when put in with others that are already a herd (even just two of them), usually they mind their Ps & Qs and learn the pecking order before they try to take over. This mare must be very unhappy, poor girl.
 
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I would be taking the sedation route myself. Bucket by the gate, make sure she eats it, then walk away and leave her til it takes hold.
Then get her out, and into a stable until you decide what to do with her!
 
Have seen this in the past with a broodmare. Field was full of buckets we couldnt retrieve even mob handed.

Echo the others, get her on her own. If you are going to sedate please be very sure she is incredibly well under ie wobbling/swaying before you approach and have a wing man, hat and BP at all times. Doped horses can be terribly unpredictable and can turn super nasty in an instant.

If you can get her in a smaller space away from your horses thats a start.

Id want as much genuine info about her as I could get and then go from there. Not knowing what the background is here means youre going to be fumbling about blind - could do you both more harm than good.
 
I would build a new fence so she could live on her own.
I say this because what if she turns into a psychopath after the sedation has worn off and she is in a stable?
I echo what Spaniel says. Don't try to handle her on your own and make sure that you and the other person looks like the michelin man! Padded up to your eyeballs, with hats, gloves, BP's etc.
Aslo try to track down the owner.
 
In your position I would be thinking I had over and would be trying to contact the owner. Depends if I liked the mare and had the time and energy to risk life and limb. She was obviously quite civilised to take to the field or you wouldn't have put her out with your mares. So there may be hope there.

I would prob try to get her into a small field with limited food and feed her twice a day so that she had to get used to me toddling over to see her. Take an umbrella with you and put it up when she charges and twirl it. Obviously make sure you don't become dinner yourself. :eek:

One part of me thinks, if story is true, some poor b*gger is lying in ICU and their horse is being shipped about taking chunks out of people.
 
my first thought is that it sounds very suspect that the transporter seemed to know the horse and that she'd been places to be 'sorted', sounds like you've been duped into taking a horse on with the hope that you'll cure it before the owner reappears:(
depends on your set up with regards to what you can do with the mardy mare! sedating and moving her to her own space sounds the best option if it can be done
 
Send a pro-former invoice for £200 per week plus expenses for any damage caused, to animals, humans or property, this should bring her out of her coma pdq.
I would ask for payment one month in advance on a rolling weekly basis. Make it clear that the horse will be disposed of if the bill is in arrears by seven days.
This will end in tears if you are not careful.
The transporter did well to get her to you.
In the meantime stick her somewhere safe and throw the feed in to her, do not attempt to handle her.
 
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MrsD123 said:
Send a pro-former invoice for £200 per week plus expenses for any damage caused, to animals, humans or property, this should bring her out of her coma pdq.
I would ask for payment one month in advance on a rolling weekly basis. Make it clear that the horse will be disposed of if the bill is in arrears by seven days.
This will end in tears if you are not careful.
The transporter did well to get her to you.
In the meantime stick her somewhere safe and throw the feed in to her, do not attempt to handle her.
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Wow.. Glad the horse ended up with OP and not you...
 
I agree with Mrsd actually, but i wouldn't carry out the threat to destroy the horse, just incur bills. Maybe not 200 a week but average livery cost. I think it sounds fishy too, either the horse has put owner in hospital or they've off loaded it on a tall tale. Do some digging!
 
What services exactly have you agreed to give this person and her horse ?
If its just grazing and feeding, try to seperate with leckie fencing or into another paddock to keep yourself and your horses safe while still allowing you access to look her over and feed.
I feel really sorry for this horse as it sounds like its been bounced around a few places and it'd be a miracle if shes not came accross someone who thought it could be beaten out of her.
That said unless youve agreed otherwise its not up to you to try to work with this horse to help her become a more tolerant beastie.
From what youve described she sounds at best really agressive at worst dangerous, you need to ask yourself if you want to roll with this and see how it goes as she may settle a bit over some time or do the same as the others and send her down the road.in order to provide sufficient care you need to be prepared to handle her if required
Its really unfair and downright ignorant to send a horse like this one to you without any info on her personality
 
The_Hooligan said:
Open the gate and set it free or shoot it, you don't know if that story is true or just some load of *******s to off load a dangerous horse, tell whoever contacted u it escaped and you can't find it, or its had an 'accident'.
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It saddens me that people with an attitude like yours are involved with horses
In any way shape or form
 
I know its probably not your place to do so but she sounds like she needs one to one human contact to develop some trust. Definitely separate her from your mares though.
 
You may or may not know but since the mare is now on your land you are responsible for her safety and the safety of the public, if you just let her out onto the road you will be held liable for any damages ect. Poor girl probably doesn't know if she's coming or going. Well done OP for helping out the owner, I hope the situation improves.
 
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