Welcome home.
He's right as usual. Lots of horse owners have issues paying for upkeep at the moment, they're onto a proper cushtie number with you.
Ty Gwyn
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Shame you hadnt sorted the cost of keep before hand,but they shou ld have at least offered some payment before now.
Dont pussy foot around with them,charge at least £5 per head per week for grazing,
And demand payment before Horses leave,
Before the passport system came in for Horses,you could sell these Horses to cover expenses,after notifying the owner,28 days beforehand.
The problem now is,esspecially if these people are Horse People,they know the rules,That no Horse can leave the property to a sale,market or privately without a passport.
Worse case scenario,you could end up with these Horses,If ,the cost of keep is more than they re worth.
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Mr O
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I would lock every gate in the field until they pay up.
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mochyn
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Could you call the knackerman in?
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T.G
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Locally grazing rights cost anywhere between 3 acres for £600 from 1st May till the 1st October to 6 acres for £600 from the 1st April till the 1st November, with water laid on to the field.
So as you can see it's not a specific science.
However, that is merely grazing, and the owner does the water check and visits the horses.
DIY turnout, where they rent grazing and the owner of the fields checks on the horses is anywhere between £15 and £25 per week. The owner of the horse does not have to check the horse everyday as they are paying for the owner of the grazing to do this on their behalf and the owner of the field ensures there is water supply.
I'd suggest you investigate the local market to formulate a fair price.
Although, I do feel the horse owners are taking the proverbial.
HTH.
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welsh veg grower
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used to charge about £10 per horse per week when we had extra land. I used to keep an eye daily when i looked at ours but nothing much and would call owners if something needed doing.
Just as a side thought have you checked these owners are still going to look after take these animals back as there is a big problem with dumping horses at the moment as the market in horses is on its knees, cant give them away at the moment. RSPCA in Wales is saying they are no longer able to cope with the horses being sent to them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17098490
I would be asking them to pay up or take them away as you dont want to be left with horses to care for
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Nick
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I would lock every gate in the field until they pay up. |
Once they are out on them would work well.
touchwood
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Shame you hadnt sorted the cost of keep before hand,but they shou ld have at least offered some payment before now. |
You're so right, but hindsight is a wonderful thing...we honestly thought we were doing someone a favour for a few weeks. I started thinking I was having the p*** taken a couple of months ago when they casually mentioned not putting the horses on their own field but "renting it out to campers to get some income". Thats when I said the horses couldn't stay where they were and even gave them the telephone number of the person that tops our field so they could get there's done. Needless to say they haven't contacted him and are still saying they haven't got time to sort their field out at the moment.
And if worse comes to worse I know the local slaughterman and am not adverse to eating horse....we've reared our own pigs for the freezer in the past so can't see much difference. 
mochyn
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Since the owners aren't looking after them, tell them you're going to contact the RSPCA.
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touchwood
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Thanks to everyone for your input....I worry that I'm being unreasonable...mind you you've got me worried now that I'm going to end up with them dumped on me. 
Any idea where I would stand if I took them to where they lived and tethered them up there. Obviously telling the owners what I had done.
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Ty Gwyn
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Ideally,you d like some money,and the Horses gone.
Do you know where these peoples land is?
Are you able to catch the Horses or have a suitable loading place?
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T.G
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Why not just walk them to the owners place and put them in their field or tell the owners you will be returning the horses this evening or tomorrow regardless of their setup?
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touchwood
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I know where their land is and it's walking distance...about 1/4 mile.
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tahir
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And demand payment before Horses leave |
That's IF they want them back
T.G
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In your situation, to bring the situation to an end, which I suspect niggles you more than the financial side bothers you, I'd just walk them back, put them in the field with a bucket of water each, pop a note through the owners door (with or without a bill) and walk away.
At the end of the day, they are their horses, their problem.
We've had horses left with us in the past to cover payment, we even had one left with us which we were interested in buying and wanted a trial, the animal was left with us over Christmas, I knew I was being a bit of a mug but it meant we had an extended trial. Anyway the long and short of it was we ended up with the animal, the owner refused to come for it and had left the passport with us originally, probably a bit of a HUGE hint they were glad to see the back of it.
I'd have returned it except they'd driven it up from Southampton, crazy bsj'd creature found a lovely home for it locally in the end where i do believe it's still competing.
So I've had experience of a similar situation.
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welsh veg grower
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I think I would say that you offerd a few weeks and now that it has become a more perminant thing you would like payment. You could suggest say £40 a month and that you would like it from this month please, in advance (i think you may have to accept that the previous months are unpaid for as it wasnt really a formal agreement). Say if this isnt acceptable to them can they please remove the horses by the end of the week, otherwise they will be encuring costs.
seems reasonable, especially if they are local and you dont want to fall out.
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Bungo
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We pay £10 a week to graze our horse in a field ajoining our land, there is no laid on water.
I think it would be more than reasonable to charge that much.
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touchwood
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Oh well....I've taken the bull by the horns..or should I say "horse by the forelock"  and told them the horses have to be gone by the weekend.
Reading your comments I realised the money isn't really the issue, it's the principle thats annoyed me and I really don't want the responsibily.
I'll keep you posted on the outcome.
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tahir
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it's the principle thats annoyed me and I really don't want the responsibily. |
Same here, we upset a neighbour this year by refusing to have their horse, he wanted to bring it over as a matter of urgency as he had no grass. It died a few days later!
Tavascarow
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Since the owners aren't looking after them, tell them you're going to contact the RSPCA. |
Ideally,you d like some money,and the Horses gone.
Do you know where these peoples land is?
Are you able to catch the Horses or have a suitable loading place?
In that order, if threatening them with the RSPCA doesn't work deliver them their horses early one morning & post a bill for their keep through their letter box.
Also let everyone in the village now what these new residents are like.
gritstone
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Oh dear you're the same as me tried to help someone out and they've screwed you. I keep helping horse folk out and end up footing the bill. I charge £10 a week per horse and I'm cheap. Hate to stereotype but horse folk are a complete pein in the a--e
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Tavascarow
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Hate to stereotype but horse folk are a complete pein in the a--e |
Good & bad in all walks of life.
I let fields to two horse owners one phones me up & reminds me the rent is waiting for me, the other I have to chase.
gritstone
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It might be me being known as a soft touch.  Most disappear owing money or leave their horses for me to sort out, the one I've got at the moment has been known to open the gate into my mowing grass when he's run out of grass. I've had 5 different horse owners asking me to help them because they've nowhere to put their horse, so I've tried to help and then realised why no one else wants them.
But you are right there's good and bad in all walks.
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Dogwalker
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I had trouble earlier this year with some goat owners whose two young goats had over stayed the arrangements, complicated by the fact the man was ill and having chemo. Ended up finding someone interested in buying them and asking the owners if they were ready to sell or if they were going to get on and sort the alternative grazing they'd talked about for months. the goats were moved in a fortnight.
I've now got a friends goat here as a long term visitor because friend had to move to a council bungalow. I get £2 a day to look after her which is no bother with mine to do anyway except she's a cantankerous(?sp) beast. She's slowly learning I mean it when I tie here up to do her feet etc.
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Rosanne
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You have not mentioned passports. Did you have them when you received them The horses should not be moved without the passport going with them, where ever they are going.
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gritstone
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You can move on grounds of welfare, if they're not coming to see them that's neglect, phone RSPCA and animal health and ask them your options.
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Castle Farm
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Your being fly grazed, same, as fly tipping, but you have horses instead of rubbish.
It's a big problem in S Wales with horses been dumped in fields and the owner of that field can't move them on without the passports.
RSPCA as usual don't want to know, unless they are injured or at deaths door.
Your in a bit of a spot really, they can move them whenever they like but you can't.
I think 'short and curlies' is the expression I'm looking for.
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touchwood
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The owners came and moved the horses yesterday 
Looks like I've got away lightly...won't be making the same mistake again.
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Treacodactyl
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Glad you got it sorted. You often get told to ensure you get a proper contract drawn up and you wonder if it's worth it, sounds like it is essential these days.
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12Bore
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Good news, sigh of relief time
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Lulu22
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Same problem. Perhaps worse....Hey everyone
My mum told me about the problem one of our family friends is having. It's a very similar issue. A horse owner went and asked for permission to use their paddock for grazing... they agreed on grazing of $20/ week... which is a really reasonable rate in that area in New Zealand However, the horse owner hasn't paid any of the grazing costs and when the family friend telephoned her, she said a lot of cuss words... and threatened to send people over to "sort them out"...
So yeah... that polite girl that asked permission for use of paddocks has morphed into some grotesque vulgar monster threatening them.... what... the hell did they get themselves into?? I don't know whether or not they drew a contract with that girl... but yeessh. They want her to remove the horse at the very least if they cannot even pay for grazing, but they are worried if they take the hardline and use force of law, afterwards she'll attack their property with vandalism while they are away overseas.... And they're going overseas soon... soo.... =S
I'm not sure if they have sorted this problem out. Any advice on how to deal with this problem??
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