Post by wildnative on Oct 21, 2012 18:25:05 GMT
Okay, I have just had to "rescue" my 3 year old (born 22nd May 2009) New Forest filly from a horrendous situation. I'm livid about the circumstances, but now that my filly is in a "safe" place, my priorities lie with giving her the additional care she now needs.
Without going into detail, I was told just over a week ago by another livery at the yard I have just removed my pony from, that she had seen the yard owner's entire colts in the field with our mares.
This was late on the Friday night.
On the Saturday morning, I went to look at another yard with a view to moving my pony there. This had been arranged prior to finding out about the entire colts getting out of their field. It was now even more important for me to go and view this new yard. This took up most of the day due to time spent travelling, meeting all of the horses and having a good chat with the owner about routines, worming programme and all other aspects concerning keeping my pony at her yard. Arrangements have been made and agreed upon to move my pony there in the future.
Meanwhile, I had received a message to tell me that the present (now past) yard owner's colts had all been returned to their own field, but NOT by the yard owner need I say !
Sunday morning, I went over to check on my pony. I couldn't find her in her own field. I eventually found her in the colts field, which is down a steep hill so not visible from her own field. There she was, at the bottom of the hill, grazing alongside 5 warmblood cross entire colts !!!!! Angry doesn't even begin to describe my feelings at that moment. I took a few photos of her, grazing with the colts, on my mobile phone. I then decided that it would be safer to return to the yard to fetch my Monty Roberts Dually halter and a lunge line, rather than try to bring her out of that field using just a standard headcollar and rope. She isn't difficult, but the colts might have caused a problem.
Back on the yard, there was no sign of the yard owner. I decided to stick around incase she appeared. I really was seething inside, but managed to stay calm about the situation (Monty Roberts "training" going on there....breathing down = heart rate down
).
The yard owner eventually wandered out of her house through the door which comes directly into the tack room. I know that she saw me...she immediately put her head down and walked past, VERY red faced. She walked past me several times in the space of about 10 minutes, not once making eye contact but scurrying past with her head down.
A couple of the weekend helpers came into the tack room, yard owner once again came out from her house STILL with her head down and looking very sheepish. This time, she stopped just 4 - 5 feet away from me and said to the girls, "watch your feet, there is dog muck on the floor." (4 piles of it to be precise). Her 2 German Shepherds sleep in the tack room overnight, this was now 1pm and nobody had cleaned their mess up from the night before !
So, yard owner gets a shovel and starts to clean up the dog muck. She STILL DID NOT acknowledge my presence. I walked out of the tack room and stopped just outside the door. Another girl was bringing 2 piebald cobs in. The younger cob didn't have a headcollar on due to being nervous. It was easier to let it follow the older cob in (possible mare and older offspring), then get a headcollar on in a confined area.
So, yard owner comes out and starts talking to the girl about the cobs. I was "hanging around", waiting to see if the yard owner would actually tell me that her entire colts had got out. I was staying calm, waiting, giving her the chance to tell me. It is after all HER responsibility as the yard owner, and owner of the entire colts, to make her liveries, especially mare owners, aware of any potential "accidents". NOT A BLEEDIN PEEP !!!!!
While she was talking to the girl (who is a friend of mine) about the piebald cobs, I said, "She is a good type.", meaning the older mare. Yard owner replied, without even looking at me, "is it ?", in a very blunt manner. I looked at my friend, shook my head then walked away. All of the above happened over about half an hour from returning to the yard.
I went out to the field to get my pony, brought her out of the colts field, then spent about an hour just sitting in the field with her, in tears. When I eventually returned to the yard with my pony, the yard owner had gone out shopping.
So, my 3 year old filly, who is roughly 13.3/14hh, has more than likely been covered by any one of the yard owner's 5 Warmblood cross colts. She didn't even have the decency to tell me.
The week following this was spent mostly at my very unwell Dad's bedside. One of my friends was looking after my pony.
My poor Dad died on the Friday.
Over the following week while we were making funeral arrangements, the yard owner started harassing me about livery money ! Yes, you read that correctly, even on the night before my Dad's funeral.
Yes, harassing me for livery money (after JUST losing my Dad), but still not telling me about HER entire colts getting out !!!
She was posting b*tchy comments on my facebook posts I had written regarding my Dad.
I have found out through talking to other liveries, that her colts have got out more than once. Yard owner is denying all knowledge, but then claiming it was someone who doesn't work for her who had put a 3 year old colt in the wrong field. I have also been told that she has paid/offered to pay for 2 other liveries mares to have prostaglandin injections.
The fencing on her yard has become broken down in places very, very recently. She has done nothing to repair the fences where horses have clearly managed to push over and walk across, including the perimeter fence. Her colts field gate has been tied shut with a new piece of rope, the old rope is still tied to the gate and the catch is broken.
My friend who was looking after my pony had poster a photo of her on facebook, showing her looking at the camera. She was in the prpoer field in this photo. When I went up there yesterday to remove her from this yard, I found her back in the colts field, but the colts were all now in stables. The yard owner wasn't very nice, and was trying to order my friend to leave when she arrived with her trailer to transport my pony away from this awful place. She was trying to stop me from leaving, claiming that I owe her more livery money than I actually do, (she then admitted to my friend that she doesn't keep records of what I have paid her. I DO keep records myself though).
Things got bad and I actually had to call the police and the SSPCA. The police came out and the SSPCA inspector was on standby incase she was needed to attend. Yard owner backed down after the police spoke to her, and I was finally able to remove my pony and belongings to a safe place. Only myself, my friend who transported my pony, my sister and her partner who helped move belongings, and the new yard owner and SSPCA inspector know exactly where my pony is right now.
Last night, the ex yard owner was being very abusive towards me on facebook.
My 3 year old filly now looks very pregnant. Where do I stand re the colts owner, and any advice please regarding my pony's pregnancy ? I will be calling my vet tomorrow to arrange a visit. Thanks in advance.
This photo was taken yesterday (Saturday 13th October 2012), before I removed her from the old yard. I have more photos, but the angle isn't great due to my pony standing on a slope.
eta - Don't know what happened with the photo. I will try again
Without going into detail, I was told just over a week ago by another livery at the yard I have just removed my pony from, that she had seen the yard owner's entire colts in the field with our mares.
This was late on the Friday night.
On the Saturday morning, I went to look at another yard with a view to moving my pony there. This had been arranged prior to finding out about the entire colts getting out of their field. It was now even more important for me to go and view this new yard. This took up most of the day due to time spent travelling, meeting all of the horses and having a good chat with the owner about routines, worming programme and all other aspects concerning keeping my pony at her yard. Arrangements have been made and agreed upon to move my pony there in the future.
Meanwhile, I had received a message to tell me that the present (now past) yard owner's colts had all been returned to their own field, but NOT by the yard owner need I say !
Sunday morning, I went over to check on my pony. I couldn't find her in her own field. I eventually found her in the colts field, which is down a steep hill so not visible from her own field. There she was, at the bottom of the hill, grazing alongside 5 warmblood cross entire colts !!!!! Angry doesn't even begin to describe my feelings at that moment. I took a few photos of her, grazing with the colts, on my mobile phone. I then decided that it would be safer to return to the yard to fetch my Monty Roberts Dually halter and a lunge line, rather than try to bring her out of that field using just a standard headcollar and rope. She isn't difficult, but the colts might have caused a problem.
Back on the yard, there was no sign of the yard owner. I decided to stick around incase she appeared. I really was seething inside, but managed to stay calm about the situation (Monty Roberts "training" going on there....breathing down = heart rate down
).The yard owner eventually wandered out of her house through the door which comes directly into the tack room. I know that she saw me...she immediately put her head down and walked past, VERY red faced. She walked past me several times in the space of about 10 minutes, not once making eye contact but scurrying past with her head down.
A couple of the weekend helpers came into the tack room, yard owner once again came out from her house STILL with her head down and looking very sheepish. This time, she stopped just 4 - 5 feet away from me and said to the girls, "watch your feet, there is dog muck on the floor." (4 piles of it to be precise). Her 2 German Shepherds sleep in the tack room overnight, this was now 1pm and nobody had cleaned their mess up from the night before !
So, yard owner gets a shovel and starts to clean up the dog muck. She STILL DID NOT acknowledge my presence. I walked out of the tack room and stopped just outside the door. Another girl was bringing 2 piebald cobs in. The younger cob didn't have a headcollar on due to being nervous. It was easier to let it follow the older cob in (possible mare and older offspring), then get a headcollar on in a confined area.
So, yard owner comes out and starts talking to the girl about the cobs. I was "hanging around", waiting to see if the yard owner would actually tell me that her entire colts had got out. I was staying calm, waiting, giving her the chance to tell me. It is after all HER responsibility as the yard owner, and owner of the entire colts, to make her liveries, especially mare owners, aware of any potential "accidents". NOT A BLEEDIN PEEP !!!!!
While she was talking to the girl (who is a friend of mine) about the piebald cobs, I said, "She is a good type.", meaning the older mare. Yard owner replied, without even looking at me, "is it ?", in a very blunt manner. I looked at my friend, shook my head then walked away. All of the above happened over about half an hour from returning to the yard.
I went out to the field to get my pony, brought her out of the colts field, then spent about an hour just sitting in the field with her, in tears. When I eventually returned to the yard with my pony, the yard owner had gone out shopping.
So, my 3 year old filly, who is roughly 13.3/14hh, has more than likely been covered by any one of the yard owner's 5 Warmblood cross colts. She didn't even have the decency to tell me.
The week following this was spent mostly at my very unwell Dad's bedside. One of my friends was looking after my pony.
My poor Dad died on the Friday.
Over the following week while we were making funeral arrangements, the yard owner started harassing me about livery money ! Yes, you read that correctly, even on the night before my Dad's funeral.
Yes, harassing me for livery money (after JUST losing my Dad), but still not telling me about HER entire colts getting out !!!
She was posting b*tchy comments on my facebook posts I had written regarding my Dad.
I have found out through talking to other liveries, that her colts have got out more than once. Yard owner is denying all knowledge, but then claiming it was someone who doesn't work for her who had put a 3 year old colt in the wrong field. I have also been told that she has paid/offered to pay for 2 other liveries mares to have prostaglandin injections.
The fencing on her yard has become broken down in places very, very recently. She has done nothing to repair the fences where horses have clearly managed to push over and walk across, including the perimeter fence. Her colts field gate has been tied shut with a new piece of rope, the old rope is still tied to the gate and the catch is broken.
My friend who was looking after my pony had poster a photo of her on facebook, showing her looking at the camera. She was in the prpoer field in this photo. When I went up there yesterday to remove her from this yard, I found her back in the colts field, but the colts were all now in stables. The yard owner wasn't very nice, and was trying to order my friend to leave when she arrived with her trailer to transport my pony away from this awful place. She was trying to stop me from leaving, claiming that I owe her more livery money than I actually do, (she then admitted to my friend that she doesn't keep records of what I have paid her. I DO keep records myself though).
Things got bad and I actually had to call the police and the SSPCA. The police came out and the SSPCA inspector was on standby incase she was needed to attend. Yard owner backed down after the police spoke to her, and I was finally able to remove my pony and belongings to a safe place. Only myself, my friend who transported my pony, my sister and her partner who helped move belongings, and the new yard owner and SSPCA inspector know exactly where my pony is right now.
Last night, the ex yard owner was being very abusive towards me on facebook.
My 3 year old filly now looks very pregnant. Where do I stand re the colts owner, and any advice please regarding my pony's pregnancy ? I will be calling my vet tomorrow to arrange a visit. Thanks in advance.
This photo was taken yesterday (Saturday 13th October 2012), before I removed her from the old yard. I have more photos, but the angle isn't great due to my pony standing on a slope.
eta - Don't know what happened with the photo. I will try again
Copy and paste this ling into your search bar. This one only shows a tiny thumbnail. The actual photo was taken on my smartphone, then sent to my laptop via bluetooth. Uploaded directly from bluetooth inbox to photobucket, but I can't get it to post on here.
sounds like you've had a terrible week and I hope things work out for you xx