Real life MMD: Should she pay for my horse?

FattyBettyBoo

The first thing that sprung to mind is that the sharer may have given the horse un-soaked sugar beet (it needs soaking for 24 hours before being fed to horses) as when this happened to my horse the vet bill was £200. If this is the case, giving the OP the benefit if the doubt that the sharer was an experienced horse person, then I feel that the sharer should feel obliged to pay at least half. saying that though I feel it would be a difficult subject to bring up and may end up in tem parting ways. The OP needs to decide whether losing the share or £220 bill is worse.

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.

I completely disagree with this! Horses are not like other pets and pretty much EVERY horse owner I know has help in some way, whether it be some one else on the same yard, a yard owner, a help, or a loaner. If you keep your horse with other people it makes no sense for everyone to be there all the time. Part loans and sharers are so popular now due to the recession and thank goodness - too many people dive in head first when they have never looked after horses before. Learning to ride in a riding school is not good enough experience before buying a horse.

1. Do you have insurance?

In my experience the excess on these policies is usually about £200 and i my area most people just have third party, personal accident, theft etc as the premiums for covering for vet bills is huge.

timbstoke

Just claim on your insurance. I'm sure you're not irresponsible enough to own an animal as large as a horse, with the obvious vets bills which are going to go along with it, without having proper insurance in place.

EmmaEl_2

No I don't think so. If it is your horse then it's your responsibility. Make sure she's fully aware of what to never feed it. In my opinion if you haven't informed her fully then it's not her fault. Insurance?

laurahughes

First of all I'd like to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that they have found a responsbile person to care for their horse.

I'd suggest that although its a blow, £200 is a relatively low sum to have to pay, and on this occasion I think you should prepare to suck it up and pay it all yourself. You could consider asking the sharer to contribute in way of time rather than money, as I'm sure the fact that s/he is haring a horse suggests they don't have the money for regular lessons etc. S/he may be willing to "pay" for their mistake in another way, spending a bit more time with the horse doing the chores, and perhaps you can accompany him/her for some of the time to give them a few hints and tips?

Sit down with your horse sharer and have a chat about the situation. As with other posters I think you should look into making a slightly more formal agreement, which should also cover the event of accident/injury. Not only to the horse but to the rider as well. And set out a term for ending the agreement (i.e. s/he can give you 2 weeks notice but you can end the agreement immediately if any more accidents happen)

Horse sharing is not irresponsible as other posters have suggested - as long as you vet the sharer properly and come to a slightly more formal arrangement than this one. It is often a great way to give someone with a genuine passion for horses an affordable outlet for their hobby whilst allowing the owner to have some of the time burden of owning a horse taken away from them if a situation arises in their life where they need more time away from the stables.

Augustus_the_Strong

Unless she was trying to deliberately poison your horse (which seems unlikely if she wants to ride it), then NO. If you ask her to pay you will probably end up looking after the horse every day by yourself. If you really think she's negligent or dangerous, ask her for the money, as you won't want her looking after your horse in future anyway.

Basil1234

well short of you telling her what to feed and what not to feed i would say its your responsability to educate first as at the end of the day you own the horse.

on a secondary note it sounds like if you can't afford/struggling on a £220 bill another question comes to mind is can you really afford a horse? what if something happened could be anything normal as horses are an expensive business and say a £500 bill come in as an example a thought.

in answer to your problem i would explain what can and cannot be done regards food and everything, and on this occasion you will have to suck this one up i sure the girl didnt intend any harm whatsoever but explaining the net result the bill in a nice way and a little easy way to protect this would write down on paper what is allowed and laminating and sticking it on the stable somewhere safe would be an easy insurance policy.

the only other choice is ask for the money but at the end of the day it could turn things very sour and you need to go muck out etc another day a week thats the problem pets like this are a major task on the time factor as well as the wallet.

RealLifeMoralMoney

OK so I am the person who submitted the question ....

A few more facts.

What the horse was fed - as someone suggested along the way, it was dried sugar beet. The beet I have needs soaking for 24 hours before being fed as it swells in the horses neck (causing choke) and gut (causing colic)

Insurance - The horse is 23 and so can not be insured against medical bills

The sharer - has 15 years of weekly equine experience. She also has BHS qualifications and is studying Equine Sports Science at university where she is aorund horses daily and has been for years. Before I left her alone to look after the horse I invited her to come up with me to show her the ropes. She did this 8 times before looking after the horse herself

What happened - she thought that the dry sugar beet was pony nuts and fed the horse a bucket full. She phoned me saying the horse was ill. I went straight there and look in the bucket and pointed out out had happened.

Other Info - I have Sugar Beet written across the top of the feed bin, and I feed them course mix not pony nuts. She is a really nice 21 year od girl who is excellent with my horse. I do not want to loose her as a helper and a friend!

Pee

It sounds to me like it is a mistake, albeit one caused by her inability to read.

It is a useful warning as vets bills can be a lot more than this. As another person suggested, what happens if she is out riding and through no carelessness of hers the horse is injured. Who pays then? This is an opportune reminder that accidents do happen and arrangements should be written down and agreed between you whilst terms are good.

If she is a really nice girl, she would be offering to pay at least half this time.

rachaelmary_2

What advice did you give her initially about whether to feed the horse at all, how to mix the food, when the horse should eat etc? If you FAILED to put in place adequate procedures for using the horse, then it is your responsibility. Btw, legal matters work both ways regardless who has more money than whom. Remember this if she falls off your horse and you haven't shoed the animal adequately, for example.

hnmisty

As a horse owner until very recently (my 35 year old mare died a month ago), I would first of all be grateful that your bill wasn't more! It sounds like it was the fault of the girl who helps you out (albeit accidentally). If I was her, I'd feel so awful I'd have immediately offered to pay for the bill (especially if she doesn't pay anything towards weekly keep), and if I couldn't afford to pay it straight away, I'd ask if I could pay it in instalments. If she hasn't offered you anything, I'd be wary of being taken advantage of- seems a good deal to me, she gets to ride but doesn't have to pay anything at all, that's already a generous agreement!

When I first got my pony (I had her 11 years and 10 months), she was on loan. The agreement with her owners stated that we would pay any bills, except for azouteria, which she'd had during their care. If she had that, they would pay half the bill.

I agree- you cannot underestimate the advantages and benefits of having a signed agreement- even for things such as cancellation periods for both of you! I wouldn't enter into any share with a horse without an agreement, whether as the owner or the sharer. For something that is as expensive to keep as a horse, and that can produce such astronomical bills, I'd say its essential. As mentioned, the BHS have sample loan agreements, definitely worth a look. If at the end of the day, she doesn't offer to pay, and you don't want to ask, I'd present her with a contract to sign (better late than never), and see if she'll sign that... Does she have her own insurance for riding? I get mine through the BHS, about £60 and insures me on any horse I'm riding in case I have an accident.