Yearling injured during professional training, should I claim?

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carolineg

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Hi guys, any help here really appreciated. My yearling was very difficult to loan so we got a registered IH associate in to help. First visit was great and really helped. We then had an issue with her leaping down the ramp and so I got this person out again to help. During the session she fell off the ramp and cut her leg very badly. She had emergency vet, stitched, staples, a plaster cast on her foot and 2 weeks box rest. It has been a nightmare. The bills are now in and have totalled £640! She is insured but I have to pay £300 excess which I can't really afford at the moment. who is responsible? Should the professional who came out be insured? HELP PLEASE!
 
I think if the horse was already difficult to load then I wouldn't put blame on the professional, unless it was something very specifically that this person had done that made the horse fall off the ramp - and if this can be at all proven.

Accidents happen unfortunately :-(
 
Assuming the horse fell off the ramp herself I don't think it fair to claim.

Accidents happen and it really saddens me that so many people are so quick to look for someone to blame.
 
I actually suggested we had a lunge line each to keep her straight and prevent the filly hurting the professional but the professional didn't want to. If we had had a lunge line each side as I had suggested, she wouldn't have been able to fall off the side as she did. I have never claimed off anyone before but the bill is over £600 and my yearling is scarred for life in an incident that could have been prevented.
 
But you paid for a professional to come in and help. He will have his own methods and ways of doing things which presumably are successful which is why you hired him. Just because he didn't take your suggestion of adding lunge reins on board it doesn't mean that he is to blame. Lunge lines may not have prevented the accident and could have made it even worse.

It's just one of those things.
 
Well, why not contact this person and say how much it has cost, scarred for life, etc. and suggest that he forwards it to his insurance company. We pay big premiums for insurance, so leave it to them. Maybe your own insurance company would do so.

However, horses are always finding unusual ways to hurt themselves, so this might just be dismissed as an accident.
 
I agree with the others. Unless you can prove her negligence Caroline its down to you to stump up the excess.
I am sorry to hear about the event, I am sure a cup of strong sweet tea is in order!

In my opinion, a lunge line doesn't stop anything, particularly legs falling over the edge. Obviously however I was not there at the time.
 
Who was holding the horse at the time she leaped off the ramp? If it was the professional, inform your insurance company, who will contact his ins co and settle the matter between them.
 
You hired them, and loading (especially a difficult horse) can be difficult and dangerous for all involved. Its just one of those things that you have to accept can happen, could easily have been you attempting to load when the accident occurred. Professional is not to blame here unless they purposely pushed/whacked/scared the horse off the ramp! Sorry its happened, and i hope your youngster is ok :)
 
carolineg said:
I actually suggested we had a lunge line each to keep her straight and prevent the filly hurting the professional but the professional didn't want to. If we had had a lunge line each side as I had suggested, she wouldn't have been able to fall off the side as she did. I have never claimed off anyone before but the bill is over £600 and my yearling is scarred for life in an incident that could have been prevented.
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A lunge line wouldn't stop a horse falling. This sounds like an accident - very unfortunate, but that's horses. However, maybe call your insurers and ask their advice?
 
smja said:
A lunge line wouldn't stop a horse falling.
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I agree with this. Indeed, if your youngster had launched into the lunge line, she could have been upended, and the accident could have been a whole lot worse.

A registered IH associate will be insured, though, so you could try and pass it onto your insurance company, but t's not something that I would feel comfortable doing.
 
It never fails to amaze me how people try to get their bills paid for them. OP, surely, if you cannot afford the excess, you shouldn't actually have a horse in the first place?
 
A friend of mine is a professional recently lost 3 fingers as a result of trying to load a problem horse. He didn't try and sue the owners of the horse, he chalked it down to a rather painful accident. Sorry, but I don't understand this blame culture and I doubt you'd have a claim.
 
A lunge line wont stop anything, so forget that he didn't want one. As to the claim, unless he did something to make the horse scared and trying to escape, then it's a genuine accident. If you think, as a witness, it was down to his actions, tell your insurance company.
 
claims like this are why so many of us stop training horses
accidents happen and unless the trainer was doing something to endanger the horse (even then I would expect you to stop proceedings) then no you dont claim
 
You have a horse that you knew to be tricky to load & unload? In particular leaping off ramps. Horse leaps off the ramp & you are trying to sue the professional because you don't want to/can't pay the vet bill?

Just checking I've got that right.

I'm sorry to hear your horse has been injured, but IMHO it's morally wrong trying to place the blame with this professional.
 
NativePonyLover said:
You have a horse that you knew to be tricky to load & unload? In particular leaping off ramps. Horse leaps off the ramp & you are trying to sue the professional because you don't want to/can't pay the vet bill?

Just checking I've got that right.

I'm sorry to hear your horse has been injured, but IMHO it's morally wrong trying to place the blame with this professional.
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That's how I read it too. Really hoped I'd misread what the OP was saying though. OP surely you have savings or a credit card you could use to pay the excess? Failing that the vets will probably allow you to pay in instalments.
 
Everyone wants to sue someone these days & believe that there is no such thing as an accident & someone must be to blame. From what the OP says the professional did everything he could to see the horse was safe. Sometiomes horses do unpredictable things & as a result of this they get injured. It's no one's fault, it's part of the unpleasant side of horse ownership. Pay the bill, it's one of those things.
 
Honestly OP, unless you can prove gross, wilful negligence on the part of the pro you hired, there's no insurance claim here. It sounds like the pro was doing his job and an accident happened.

If that amount of excess is too high for you, I'd recommend lowering the amount in the event of a future claim.
 
What I find so deplorable here is that OP has had the money to pay a professional to try and rectify a problem, yet when it comes to paying an excess for a vet bill, they don't have the money. People shouldn't have horses if they cannot afford to cover the basic costs.

OP in answer to your main question..you are responsible for your horse.
 
NativePonyLover said:
You have a horse that you knew to be tricky to load & unload? In particular leaping off ramps. Horse leaps off the ramp & you are trying to sue the professional because you don't want to/can't pay the vet bill?

Just checking I've got that right.

I'm sorry to hear your horse has been injured, but IMHO it's morally wrong trying to place the blame with this professional.
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^This.
 
carolineg said:
I actually suggested we had a lunge line each to keep her straight and prevent the filly hurting the professional but the professional didn't want to. If we had had a lunge line each side as I had suggested, she wouldn't have been able to fall off the side as she did. I have never claimed off anyone before but the bill is over £600 and my yearling is scarred for life in an incident that could have been prevented.
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Its impossible to prove that the lunge line would have helped in the situation you've described; surely the professional knows best, hence why you hired them in the first place, and who's to say that you might have gotten into even more trouble if you'd used one?

If you can't afford the £300 excess then you need to look at your insurance arrangements and get it lowered to something you can afford but to be honest a £600+ vet bill for an accident sounds pretty par for the course of owning young horses, if you aren't able to afford these things then maybe you need to rethink horse ownership as I don't think it's for you. I've had bigger bills than that (its not common practice to insure where I am from) and it's never occured to me to do anything other than pay them and be grateful the horse (who is usually at fault in these situations) is okay!
 
Training a horse to load can prove to be problematic.
If I was an IH trainer or any other trainer accepting a payment for my services then I would ensure that my clients sign a contract on the onset to ensure that all parties concerned are aware of their responsibilities so as to avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings.
 
Moomin1 said:
It never fails to amaze me how people try to get their bills paid for them. OP, surely, if you cannot afford the excess, you shouldn't actually have a horse in the first place?
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This.

Who would you have tried to claim on if the horse injured itself in the field?
 
carolineg said:
I actually suggested we had a lunge line each to keep her straight and prevent the filly hurting the professional but the professional didn't want to. If we had had a lunge line each side as I had suggested, she wouldn't have been able to fall off the side as she did. I have never claimed off anyone before but the bill is over £600 and my yearling is scarred for life in an incident that could have been prevented.
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Who is to say that using lunge lines would have prevented injury? I have seen horses panic even more so with lungelines restricting them, and if your yearling had got caught on these as well as falling, it could have potentially been even nastier.

I know it is a horrid situation for you and your yearling, but accidents happen and unless the professional was behaving in an unethical or dangerous way, against your wishes I think it is unfair to claim.

I do however wish your little one a speedy recovery. A scar is not great although just cosmetic, but hopefully no permanent damage :)
 
Thankyou to those of you who posted sensible opinions. I have decided to deal with it through my insurance company and will pay the excess. I am not an idiot and understand horses are horses, it was more a question of whose insurance should pay. I have no problem with the professional and certainly would not say anything against them personally. I think perhaps some of you misunderstood my post, I perhaps should have been clearer. I have to say some of you are very quick to judge when you do not know me or know the full circumstances. I won't be posting on this forum again.
 
When you call your insurance company let them know what happened, they will decide whether to pursue him for shared blame or not. My thought would be they won't as it sounds like an accident and not a failing on his part.
 
carolineg said:
Thankyou to those of you who posted sensible opinions. I have decided to deal with it through my insurance company and will pay the excess. I am not an idiot and understand horses are horses, it was more a question of whose insurance should pay. I have no problem with the professional and certainly would not say anything against them personally. I think perhaps some of you misunderstood my post, I perhaps should have been clearer. I have to say some of you are very quick to judge when you do not know me or know the full circumstances. I won't be posting on this forum again.
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1) im sorry but if you read your post back you can understand why some of us react the way we do.

2) if you ask for help on this forum be prepared to grow a thick skin, not everyone will like you, be nice about what the reply to you or agree with you. that's life and on here you have a lot of different opinions and some of the time they clash. deal with it and you will be fine.

3) people with post replies based on the information you put in a post, no point in coming back with the "You do not know me, my horse or the full circumstances" of cause we don't you could be Barney the Purple Dinosaur asking for help with his Unicorn for all we know.

hope your youngster is okay
 
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