Real life MMD: Should she pay for my horse?

Former_MSE_Penelope

Money Moral Dilemma: Should she pay for my horse?

I have a horse and recently found someone who was happy to help me look after her in exchange for rides. It was verbally agreed I would pay the day to day costs, but that she would look after my horse one day per week. After a couple of months she fed my horse something that made it very ill and the vet bill was £220. Should I ask her to pay all, or even just part, of the bill as she caused the incident?

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cchilds

Was what they fed the horse something that is not supposed to be given to horses? Or was it a bad batch of horse food, so could easily be have happened to anyone? If they have been reckless and fed the horse something stupid then it could be classed as animal cruelty maybe? Therefore demand they pay for all the costs and keep them away from your horse (although it was only a verbal agreement so getting that money might be difficult if they say no).

But if they made a mistake that anyone could have made, and apart from this mistake you are happy for them to continue to look after your horse, then maybe just hint to them that the vet bills have left you struggling, and see if they offer to contribute. Or even mention that because of the vet bills, you are thinking about giving that day the person looks after your horse to somebody who might be willing to pay for rides, which will help you finnancially. Unless of course they are willing to contribute towards the vet bill themselves?

liz545

I'd say yes, it would be reasonable to ask her to make a contribution, as her actions directly caused the incident, in much the same way that if they'd had an accident while riding, it would be reasonable. But as you haven't got a written sharing agreement between the two of you, if she says no, you can't really enforce it. Good sharers are hard to find, and having a reliable rider who gets on with your horse is important, so you really do need to work all the fine details out - your horse costs thousands to keep, insure and care for, so it's worth it! The British Horse Society have advice on sharing and loaning, and a template loan form you can download - definitely worth a look.

A.Jones

It totally depends how it happened. If it was not her fault, then no, you should pay the whole bill. If she fed it something stupid, then ask away. Be prepared for them to say no, and walk away from the agreement. You are partly to blame by letting someone else look after the animal with no training / no common sense.

essex1990

Thats a risk you take when you ask/allow a stranger to look after your animal unfortunately unless they are a proper pet-sitting business with insurance. I know that i would never trust my cat with anyone else apart from my mother who knows where his food is (that i have bought myself) ... but i would never ask her to look after him for one day EACH week.

Animals require a lot of attention and if you cannot afford the time or money to look after them it is unfair on them and you should give them up to someone who can.

Also do you have proof that it was a direct result of their actions? A court of law will require you to prove causation if you want to make a civil claim.

gerbiljo

£220 is quite a low bill for a 'very ill' horse. Horses spend quite a lot of time without their owners, people can walk up to them and feed them stuff at any time, I think it's quite hard to be sure that definitely caused it? What is your deal for if the horse injures itself when she's riding it, if I was looking after someone horse in for return for rides and they expected me to pay if it injured itself on a ride that could potentially cost thousands I think I would think twice about riding it because a pet owner might standardly have insurance to cover this but not someone else unlike a riding school, I mean accidents can happen at any time. I think if you own a horse you have to have a contingency for illness, expensive accidents, colic, ongoing conditions can cost a fortune, whether that's insurance or having some money by. It would be nice to hope she might offer but if she was willing to pay out a lot for a horse I doubt she'd be riding one for free, perhaps she's considered the costs and decided not to get one of her own. If my horse was ill I think you have to accept that is a risk of pet ownership taken on when you purchased the horse and take it on the chin, what if yourself and her disagreed on the options for treatment presumably you would have final say so it would be hard to insist payment in that situation. If I was upset that she didn't offer depending on the circumstances then I would just end the deal and clarify terms better next time.

lyndorset

You maintained overall responsibility for your horse and it must have been accidental. Your insurance will cover most of it and if you are not insured then that is your liability. The best way forward is to educate the one day a week person to ensure it does not happen again and she must be feeling really bad about it too. Also leave feeds ready, just to add the water, then there can be no mistakes.

SDH

Always always draw up a contract stating who will pay for what!

I loaned my horse a few years back and the loanee requested that the contract stated that if a injury he previously suffered flared up again, my insurance would cover the costs (and i would pay excess). This situation did occur and although i was convinced the loanee had done something to cause injury to re-occur, the contract stated i would have to pay. So I/my insurance did (£2000). I also immediately removed the animal from her care!

However as this hasn't been done, and you said you would pay "day to day costs", I think you will have to cover the vet bill yourself.
Obviously some education is required with your sharer, or terminate your agreement.

luckyplace

Put this down to experience. Take responsibility, if this was the other persons fault and she has not offered to pay then end the arrangement. Do you want some one who is not responsible enough to feed your horse properly riding and looking after the horse? If the horse was fed normally, then really it is your responsibility. If you dont have the money to keep a horse then you do what this other person did and ride someone else's, if you do then you need to take that responsibility for it and not blame others when things cost money.

scoobydoobydoo

essex1990 wrote: »

Thats a risk you take when you ask/allow a stranger to look after your animal unfortunately unless they are a proper pet-sitting business with insurance. I know that i would never trust my cat with anyone else apart from my mother who knows where his food is (that i have bought myself) ... but i would never ask her to look after him for one day EACH week.

Animals require a lot of attention and if you cannot afford the time or money to look after them it is unfair on them and you should give them up to someone who can.

Also do you have proof that it was a direct result of their actions? A court of law will require you to prove causation if you want to make a civil claim.

Horse sharing/loaning is a common thing in the horsey world, it is totally different to pet-sitting. It is an arrangement where a rider who cant afford a horse or doesnt have space for one can have access to a horse in exchange for helping care for it.

In the absence of a contract and/or proof then you are on shaky ground OP, but if you are sure it was the sharer that is responsible then you could try appealing to their better nature on moral grounds but dont be surprised if they say no!

pennypinchUK

1. Do you have insurance?
2. Did you tell her not to feed your horse what she gave it?
3. Did you check her knowledge of horse care before you agreed she could help you look after your horse?
4. Have you been checking whether she's been looking after your horse properly while in her care?

If the answer to any of the above is no, you should pay.