Horse people, HELP!

#16
buzzytoes said:
I am not really sure that I would buy that they are "rescuers." If they are, then they are likely the shady kind and those people give real rescuers a bad name. Any rescue worth their salt would have contacted you, not just jumped over your fence while disregarding the no trespassing sign. I hope these people leave you alone soon!
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I thought it seemed quite sketchy. Why on Earth would they just show up at the house like that thinking they could have these horses? The whole situation gets my back up. The next person who shows up will be looking down the business end of my shot gun as I ask them what the hell they want.
 
#17
^^ That creeps me out big time, strangers wandering onto your property. I'm glad you are standing up for yourself and the horsies too. Please keep us posted.
 
#18
I recently found out that the daughter had completely lost interest in the horses and rarely saw them (she didn't live here). Her father, the man who sold us the property, had been through a nasty divorce and his ex took him to the cleaners which is why he had to sell and probably why he didn't want the horses anymore. I still have no idea why she, the daughter, is suddenly so obsessed with removing them especially since she cannot keep them herself. Hopefully we have seen the last of her and her cohorts.

It would've been nice if the father had given us some options instead of just leaving the horses and relying on our goodwill. My husband and I joked about offering to keep them in exchange for him knocking a few thousand off the asking price of the property, never dreaming that we would be keeping them regardless! He had a lovely 3 horse trailer, too, which we could certainly use. The local large animal vet is only a mile down the road but doesn't make house calls anymore so we are having to pay extra to have a doc from several counties away come see them. But he took or sold every last bit of horse equipment. The whole situation was handled badly IMO so in a way I can't blame the girl for being upset. That does not excuse the trespassing though!
 
#19
I don't mean to sound rude, OP, but I can see the daughter's point in trying to get them away. Owning horses is a lifelong thing - and to have them with no experience, on one's own property, is no small task. You have to look at it from her POV - she has no clue if these animals are getting proper care or not, or if you know a blade of grass from a flake of hay from a scoop of grain.

I don't mean to sound negative, just looking at it from her POV. It doesn't excuse the trespassing, but maybe you should reach out and speak with her a little bit and let her know you do have some experience and plan to keep and care for the horses properly.
 
#20
I believe I did indicate that I understand why she is upset. I also said that the whole situation has been handled badly. To this day neither the father nor the girl have attempted to communicate anything to us in a reasonable, straightforward way. They have essentially gone behind our backs from the beginning, starting with abandoning the horses on the property without our knowledge or consent, and then in the girl's case, sneaking around to see them and attempting to have them removed. Obviously they know where we live--would it be so difficult to contact us through normal channels? My husband and I have tried numerous times to get in touch with the girl's father about the horses and he has ignored us. We did ask the alleged horse rescuers to relay to the girl that we are prepared to take care of them and that she needn't worry. Communication is a two-way street. There is no reason why she cannot get in touch with us, in a more appropriate manner.

I have enough empathy to understand her POV, I love my animals and would be devastated if I were in her position. Then again, I doubt I would ever be in her position, because I love my animals.

ETA: I may not have owned horses before but, amazingly, it does not appear to be rocket surgery, so far. I do my research and consult with other experienced horse owners, of whom I personally know several. I can tell a blade of grass from a flake of hay. I'm not a complete idiot. If these people are so concerned about what kind of care the horses are receiving perhaps they should have been more proactive about rehoming them themselves instead of leaving their fate up to complete strangers. Sorry but that kind of reckless disregard for animals makes me angry. We now have two horses to take care of, not what we were planning on at all, but we are doing our absolute best. It's a bit late in the day for crying about it, IMO.
 
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#21
madamefifi said:
I believe I did indicate that I understand why she is upset. I also said that the whole situation has been handled badly. To this day neither the father nor the girl have attempted to communicate anything to us in a reasonable, straightforward way. They have essentially gone behind our backs from the beginning, starting with abandoning the horses on the property without our knowledge or consent, and then in the girl's case, sneaking around to see them and attempting to have them removed. Obviously they know where we live--would it be so difficult to contact us through normal channels? My husband and I have tried numerous times to get in touch with the girl's father about the horses and he has ignored us. We did ask the alleged horse rescuers to relay to the girl that we are prepared to take care of them and that she needn't worry. Communication is a two-way street. There is no reason why she cannot get in touch with us, in a more appropriate manner.

I have enough empathy to understand her POV, I love my animals and would be devastated if I were in her position. Then again, I doubt I would ever be in her position, because I love my animals.

ETA: I may not have owned horses before but, amazingly, it does not appear to be rocket surgery, so far. I do my research and consult with other experienced horse owners, of whom I personally know several. I can tell a blade of grass from a flake of hay. I'm not a complete idiot. If these people are so concerned about what kind of care the horses are receiving perhaps they should have been more proactive about rehoming them themselves instead of leaving their fate up to complete strangers. Sorry but that kind of reckless disregard for animals makes me angry. We now have two horses to take care of, not what we were planning on at all, but we are doing our absolute best. It's a bit late in the day for crying about it, IMO.
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Well said madamefifi!
 
#22
madamefifi said:
I believe I did indicate that I understand why she is upset. I also said that the whole situation has been handled badly. To this day neither the father nor the girl have attempted to communicate anything to us in a reasonable, straightforward way. They have essentially gone behind our backs from the beginning, starting with abandoning the horses on the property without our knowledge or consent, and then in the girl's case, sneaking around to see them and attempting to have them removed. Obviously they know where we live--would it be so difficult to contact us through normal channels? My husband and I have tried numerous times to get in touch with the girl's father about the horses and he has ignored us. We did ask the alleged horse rescuers to relay to the girl that we are prepared to take care of them and that she needn't worry. Communication is a two-way street. There is no reason why she cannot get in touch with us, in a more appropriate manner.

I have enough empathy to understand her POV, I love my animals and would be devastated if I were in her position. Then again, I doubt I would ever be in her position, because I love my animals.

ETA: I may not have owned horses before but, amazingly, it does not appear to be rocket surgery, so far. I do my research and consult with other experienced horse owners, of whom I personally know several. I can tell a blade of grass from a flake of hay. I'm not a complete idiot. If these people are so concerned about what kind of care the horses are receiving perhaps they should have been more proactive about rehoming them themselves instead of leaving their fate up to complete strangers. Sorry but that kind of reckless disregard for animals makes me angry. We now have two horses to take care of, not what we were planning on at all, but we are doing our absolute best. It's a bit late in the day for crying about it, IMO.
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I have to say that the lack of communication over the horses by the previous owners and their abandonment of them (and removal of every tangible piece of gear the horses would need) would make me less than eager to get in touch with them to let them know how the horses are faring. OP - you're a kind hearted person, as is evident by your rescuing Henry and these horses too, even when you weren't planning on taking on such a huge commitment.

Whether this person that is trespassing is distraught or not, there are appropriate channels that don't involve hopping fences and trying to in essence kidnap horses. She could have gone to the front door for crying out loud.

I would continue to be cautious about the situation OP, as it seems these people aren't exactly stable.
 
#23
buzzytoes said:
I am not really sure that I would buy that they are "rescuers." If they are, then they are likely the shady kind and those people give real rescuers a bad name. Any rescue worth their salt would have contacted you, not just jumped over your fence while disregarding the no trespassing sign. I hope these people leave you alone soon!
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Yep, this is exactly right!
 
#24
madamefifi said:
I believe I did indicate that I understand why she is upset. I also said that the whole situation has been handled badly. To this day neither the father nor the girl have attempted to communicate anything to us in a reasonable, straightforward way. They have essentially gone behind our backs from the beginning, starting with abandoning the horses on the property without our knowledge or consent, and then in the girl's case, sneaking around to see them and attempting to have them removed. Obviously they know where we live--would it be so difficult to contact us through normal channels? My husband and I have tried numerous times to get in touch with the girl's father about the horses and he has ignored us. We did ask the alleged horse rescuers to relay to the girl that we are prepared to take care of them and that she needn't worry. Communication is a two-way street. There is no reason why she cannot get in touch with us, in a more appropriate manner.

I have enough empathy to understand her POV, I love my animals and would be devastated if I were in her position. Then again, I doubt I would ever be in her position, because I love my animals.

ETA: I may not have owned horses before but, amazingly, it does not appear to be rocket surgery, so far. I do my research and consult with other experienced horse owners, of whom I personally know several. I can tell a blade of grass from a flake of hay. I'm not a complete idiot. If these people are so concerned about what kind of care the horses are receiving perhaps they should have been more proactive about rehoming them themselves instead of leaving their fate up to complete strangers. Sorry but that kind of reckless disregard for animals makes me angry. We now have two horses to take care of, not what we were planning on at all, but we are doing our absolute best. It's a bit late in the day for crying about it, IMO.
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I'm just saying, I've owned horses and worked in multiple barns for over 15 years, and it is not simple. I'm glad that you are reaching out to people. If you notice, earlier in the thread I also said if you had any questions to contact me. I didn't mean to offend you in my post.

I didn't say YOU didn't know the difference (please also realize, I wasn't literally talking about a flake of hay and blade of grass or grain in hand, but rather nutritionally), either, so please don't feel as if I was attacking you on that front. I applaud you for taking care of them and enjoying them as much as it seems you are. It makes me angry that they were abandoned also, and like I said, whatever the daughter may be feeling does NOT excuse her trespassing, and to add to that, how she is handling the situation.

It seems as if the daughter wasn't aware her father was leaving the horses there, IMO. Again, not excusing, but I have seen some unimaginably shady things happen in the horse world.
 
#25
Well, unless the daughter literally did not set foot on the property for 6 months--the time between when it went on the market and we closed--she could hardly have failed to notice the For Sale sign by the gate. My opinion is that that should have been her first clue that the horses would need to be moved. If she did not know her father was selling, it doesn't speak well of her interest in visiting her horses.

I understand what you're saying and I am sorry for reacting so strongly to your post. There is a lot of work involved in taking care of these animals, physically and emotionally. I would never try to minimize it because that would be extremely unfair to the horses. I appreciate your (and all the other horsey folks!) offers of help.
 
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#26
madamefifi said:
Well, unless the daughter literally did not set foot on the property for 6 months--the time between when it went on the market and we closed--she could hardly have failed to notice the For Sale sign by the gate. My opinion is that that should have been her first clue that the horses would need to be moved. If she did not know her father was selling, it doesn't speak well of her interest in visiting her horses.

I understand what you're saying and I am sorry for reacting so strongly to your post. There is a lot of work involved in taking care of these animals, physically and emotionally. I would never try to minimize it because that would be extremely unfair to the horses. I appreciate your (and all the other horsey folks!) offers of help.
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It's okay, I understand your response and where you were coming from, I just didn't want you to think I was saying anything badly against you! I honestly wasn't.
 
#27
I think its great you have taken these horses into your care.

I think in the daughters case its, you dont miss what you have until its gone. I get she wants to see them and probably without thinking, thought she would get away with hopping over the fence to see them. She should have knocked at the door and explained how she felt and that she wanted to see them. But as you say, too little too late. I see my baby 'Able' several times a day and if i get home from work late, my mum will feed in the evening. I feel so guilty about not seeing him. How she could not see them for 6 months is beyond me. She doesn't deserve them. I do hope they get the message and dont just turn up on your property. If she has a problem she should be talking to her father.

I think its wonderful what you are doing and taking all the right steps to looking after these horses. I hope they bring you much happiness and you get no further trouble with the crazy previous owners.

Good Luck!
 
#28
Sir Atticus has a green mucus discharge from his right nostril. Otherwise he seems fine--maybe a touch calmer than usual, though he came at a full gallop across the pasture when I called to him and managed to bite Blackhawk on the fanny when he got too close. I went ahead and called the vet who is coming out this afternoon. Once again I got the questions to which I have no answer, and I am mad all over again at the previous owners who refuse to communicate with us about these horses. I'm also irked about the lack of supplies, especially a trailer. There's a large animal vet one mile up the road! But I can't use him because he won't make house calls and I have no way to get the horses to him. I can see why previous owner took the trailer, I've been pricing them and WOW! Even used they are $$$$ to a staggering $$,$$$. So I imagine he made a nice chunk of change selling it on Craigslist or whatever. My husband knows someone we could probably borrow a trailer from but it sure would be nice to have our own. My closet full of purses and shoes may have to go up for sale real soon.

Question: how important is it to have a horse thermometer on hand? Any other basic medical supplies I should have? I have a mortar and pestle already.
 
#30
Found out from the vet that Blackhawk has been their patient before, though he has not been seen since 2008! They also had Atticus's mother as a patient but have never seen him. He is 4 and Hawk is 10, We will be borrowing a trailer from a friend to take them both in for a visit/castration for Atticus--after the vet met the A-man she decided it would be safer to perform his surgery at the clinic since he is rather feisty. They both need vaccinations and Hawk needs his teeth floated. We will have to wait until Atticus's gutteral pouch infection clears up. He is already feeling much better and the mucus drainage has stopped. I'll be giving him a second antibiotic injection on Friday.
 
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