Your Thoughts please on this 'situation'.

RuthnMeg

RuthnMeg

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Sadly Mischief had to go last Friday. Her owner wanted to sell her.

Mischief was on full loan to us and had been since end of April '09. We were told to insure her, but after some 'debate' with said owner, we agreed to pay her up front for 1 year and she would continue the policy. This made owner happy, and we were happy to have such a nice pony, perfect for lead rein and first ridden.
During the summer and into the autumn the owner visited 3 times, and was pleased with how the pony looked. By this time we had removed her hind shoes, (firstly for PC camp and secondly for limited road work). Pony was fine with this. We had also changed her bit, from an eggbutt to a cheek piece snaffle - to help my children with their 'steering'. The owner knew this and did not make a fuss when she visited.
Pony came with 2 NZ rugs and a stable rug, fly mask, sweat sheet and a bridle. We don't suffer badly with flies and due to the fact the pony was in, in the day and out at night we had not bothered to use it.
During end Oct/begining Nov, we put 1 rug on pony for 1 night. She got hot so we removed it and let pony get fluffy. Mischief was very happy with living out over these last 2 months, and at no point was she ever cold so the rug wasn't needed. Over christmas and NY we also removed her front shoes as my daughter wasn't going to ride other than the odd potter about the farm. Pony remained fine!
So, pony went back thanks to another person who I didn't know (another story really).
Since then I've heard the next day (Sat) Mischief went to a rally and was a bit 'squitty'. Apparently this means she looks 'awful', what with loose poos and a longer coat due to no rug.
This, according to the owner, means that we won't be getting our insurance balance back - its a 'punishment' to me for not telling her we changed the bit, and had her shoes removed.
Mischief is a rising 15 year old sec A.
I might have been wrong in not putting shoes back on her, but I really didn't get much time to sort the farrier out as the owner kept changing the dates. (Farrier was also in hospital with ovarian cysts at christmas).
So, anyway, I feel sad about all this and cross because we had paid the owner the ponies insurance. Have I been done? (or otherwise?)
And to top it all off - Mischief has now been sold to the lady who picked her up!! 'Old' Owner has told me that she lost a lot of money in the sale - and its because the pony wasn't rugged??!!

Oh My - looks like a saga from Jeremy Kyle!
Chips and Pizza folks.....!!
 
to me the owner sounds like a bit of a fruit loop thinking that she lost money on the pony because she wasnt rugged which in my opinion would be total bull lol

but i dont think you have done anything wrong so she really should give you your money back of what is still left fair enough its not going to be a lot but its not the point if she said she'd give it back its the principal of it
 
Rubbish!! I take my horses shoes off when they are not competing - daughters cob is currently a very wooly boy and barefoot!! Come spring he will be tidied up, re hogged and shod. I actually think it does them good to go au natural for a while!!

I think she just doesn't want to refund you but given the type and age of the pony it is probably only a small sum? If thats the case not worth falling out over IMO.
 
Sorry to hear that it didn't end well. I don't even know what to suggest! In regards to the old owner - if the things you changed weren't problems at the time that she can't complain that they are now! She should just be happy that her pony was looked after and loved!
 
Was there a contract??

That is the crucial thing, what it says in the contract about the way the pony is to be kept and how it is to be returned.

If there wasn't one then as long as the pony has had its basic needs met I don't think she has much complaint if it is returned in a state that is not as she would like it, but still healthy.

If she intended to sell it she could have got the shoes put on herself and clipped it if she thought it would make a difference!
 
Did you sign anything stating that you'd paid insurance? If there's nothing physically wrong with pony I don't see how she could justify not giving the money back. I imagine she's just hoping you'll back down so she can keep the money. I guess it depends how much money you've lost? If it's worth the time/hassle you could threaten her with legal action possibly? Otherwise can only put it down to the fact that some people are just asses, and be grateful you no longer have to deal with her!
 
Iam grateful I don't have to deal with her!! Money owed is £20 x 3 months, so £60 (ish), worth getting in a way, but not as I have to deal with 'her'!
Mischief had been rugged and stabled previously, and apparently had to live 'as she was accustom to'. BUT she was so happy out, and she had so much love, TLC, companionship and natural shelter, its just the way we like it and the pony never showed signs of 'wanting to be in!'
I do feel very let down by this, but Iam not sure if I do have a leg to stand on.
Oh - SOME PEOPLE!!!
 
Be glad the pony did a good job while on loan to you.

Hope the people who have bought the pony are nice to it.

Forget about the £60.

Accept the ex owner is a bit of a tit and be glad you don't have to deal with them anymore.

smile.gif
 
I know there are always two sides to every story but from what you have written I don't see that you did anything wrong unless of course you had a contract forbidding you doing anything that you did.

To say that she lost money selling the pony due to your lack of rugging is just ridiculous. She could have clipped and rugged her if she was not bothered although I think the majority of ponies are better off living under the regime you used.

As far as the insurance is concerned I don't think you have any chance of getting it back. In fact even if you cancelled the insurance the insurance company always holds an amount back for admin costs.
 
Forget about the insurance. From the owners point of view you had a free pony for X months. Shame she didn't give you first offer. Owner sounds a bit of a pain really.

I had a similar experience with pony being sold from underneath us, the owner hadn't been able to sell it and we got it going so she sold it for a good price. I was a bit miffed I didn't get anything for all our hard work, but on the other hand we hadn't had to pay out to buy the pony in the first place. I was considering buying her but daughter was rapidly out-growing.

The moral of this story is have a contract, it protects owner and leasee. Generally something like "looked after according to the Manual of Horsemanship" is a good basis. This includes removing the shoes - which should be done annually anyway - and ponies living unclipped or clippped and rugged.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Be glad the pony did a good job while on loan to you.

Hope the people who have bought the pony are nice to it.

Forget about the £60.

Accept the ex owner is a bit of a tit and be glad you don't have to deal with them anymore.

smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto. Life's too short to stress about it....
 
Totally agree with this..
Owner a bit of a fruit, Obviously,. and a shame, you never got the chance to buy her. i would forget about the 60 pounds and put it behind you.
 
if you paid the owner for insurance why are you expecting it to be returned? taking that the owner continued to pay insurance? if you had to insure said pony for the time you had it you wouldnt get a refund from petplan or nfu or any other ins co. you have returned pony, pony has since been sold so surely the end has been. £60 is nt worth argueing over and you did have the pony for nearly a year. and have you ever managed to insure a horse/pony for 60 per year? so i think the cost to you is very reasonable, and she has had pony back and since sold so obviously reasonable to her too!
 
maybe ive got this wrong but i think the op was talking about the money owed to her for the months she paid for left over in the year. as she got her april 09 and paid upfront for a year.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Mischief had been rugged and stabled previously, and apparently had to live 'as she was accustom to'. quote]

Was this a part of the loan contract (which could have been spoken as well as written down?) tbh if I was loaning a pony out,even though it might be OTT, I would specify exactly how the pony was to be kept and I would be a bit miffed if it didn't happen. Especially if you were given rugs and didn't use them. Anyway, thats by the by now the pony is gone, as regards the insurance overpament, I think discretion is the better part of valour and its best just to write it off. You did get free use of a pony without going to the expense of buying it, so taking that into account, £60 is quite small in comparison with the cost of buying a pony.
 
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