i share a horse with his owner and she wants me to pay towards the vet bill?

Question

she called the emergancy vet out to him as he sliced his leg open and it got infected, she didnt tell me about this, i found out when i went to go see him and he could hardly walk and was stabled up. she then didnt tell me when he was better and was back out in the field and was rideable again (the reason i wasnt up regular was because i had just had a baby at the time), she now wants money for the massive bill, what do i do.....?

Answer 1

If sharing the horse means that you are part owner then yes I would say that you would be responsible for part of the vet bill.

Answer 2

Before this question can be answered fully, there is something that must be clarified (by you, the asker). When you say "I SHARE a horse", do you mean that you are a half-owner, legally, on paper?

If the answer is yes, then, as part (half) legal owner, you are responsible for part (half) of the horse's expenses, including vet bills. The only time you might not have to pay is, if you DON'T pay, and the other person takes you to court, and you can PROVE that the horse's injury happened because of gross negligence on the part of the other person. That means that you have to prove that the injury occurred directly as a result of something the other person did (or did not do). An example would be: the person allowed the horse to wander around an area where there were clearly hazards, like broken glass or sharp metal protrusions. If it was purely an accident, then, it was not anybody's fault. An example would be: the horse brushed up against a tree.

Another think to consider is - infections don't happen overnight. If the injury was as severe as you have described, then it appears as if the other person was somewhat negligent in not having it seen by a vet immediately. Since you weren't there, and you weren't even called, then it seems as if it was up to the other person to make a better decision, but, they didn't.

If the answer is no - maybe you just share the basic upkeep (like food) and care (like keeping the stable clean, etc.), then you have to decide how important this horse is to you - because surely the owner will not want to share the priveleges with you if you aren't willing to share the burdens.

If you ARE part legal owner, then, the other person had an obligation to notify you WHEN the injury occurred, and discussed the treatment plan and expenses with you. I hope you can work this out, because I know how much this is upsetting to you and how much you must miss the horse. Good luck to you!

Answer 3

You are sharing the horse, that means your also partially responsible for the bills.
If this was an emergency vet vist, then its understandable if she did not call you first, an emergency is just that. However, since you are sharing, you should be notified about it before you come to the situation face to face, you really need to discuss that with her when you pay her.
How long were you away from the horse with the baby? Is there a chance she didnt realize you were still sharing until down the road? Sounds like there needs to be more communication between the two of you.
As you know, horses arent inexpensive to keep so this is a major commitment. Its possible you may want to re-think it if you arent going to be around the horse much now that you have the baby.

Answer 4

Moot point for you, but for the benefit of others who might read this, you should have this all in writing, very specifically. And, once this is worked through, if you are still sharing the horse, I highly recommend you draw up a simple contract so there will be no confusion in the future. You'll BOTH be glad you did.

Did you have an agreement, either verbally or written? What has happened in the past? Have you shared with general medical bills, such as immunizations & deworming? Have you paid for the farrier?

When you say "sharing" do you mean, you occasionally ride her horse? Or are you sharing stabling fees, feed bills, mucking duties, and all care? If you share all care, riding, and feeding equally, perhaps you should be sharing vet bills equally. If you simply ride her horse occasionally, that's a different story.

IF there have been no prior agreements, and if the horse was accidentally injured in the stall or on pasture, or while she was working with the horse herself, she should pay. If you have previously shared expenses, or if you were working with the horse at the time it was injured (which I understand you were not), you should help pay.

And perhaps, if you've paid nothing at all in the past, maybe you could pay this vet bill as a simple "thank you" for allowing you to ride her horse.

I don't think I've been much help, but there are too many details and potential complications. Definitely talk to her, and be up-front about what you think is right. You may be pushed into making a decision of paying the bill in order to keep riding the horse, or not paying the bill and losing that right as well as her friendship. I hope it doesn't come to that, though.

Good luck.

Answer 5

well that's tricky. this other person is the only owner? do you have any official document to say that you are sharing? you did not approve the treatment in advance, but, then again, it IS her horse, so she can do what she wants. i'd be irritated too. it's up to you how much of a fight you want to make over it. could be unpleasant. i think you could go either way. pay and get it over with, or say, hey, i didn't know about this or approve it, so i'm not paying, and, probably, stop sharing this horse with her either way.

Answer 6

If the horse is shared and you have an agreement to split medical bills, then you need to pay her. But, let her know that you want to be kept up to date about things that happens to the horse, since it is shared. You deserve to know, too!!

Answer 7

You say you "share a horse with his owner"...what does that mean? Are you part owner as well? If so, then yes, you should be responsible for your share of any bills. If not, then no, you are not responsible.

Answer 8

Well if you do share the horse, then yes you should be paying for it. If you dont want to deal with it after this, then dont share the horse.

But another question was, who's fault was it that caused the injury????

Answer 9

Sounds like she is the one making all the decisions without consulting you first, so I'd say do not give her a dime. Tell her you just had a baby and can't afford to "share" in the horse anyway.

Answer 10

share the horse share the cost.that's a no brainer.what did you want her to do let him suffer til you was up and around. i do think she should of called you to let you know what had happened but it would not change the facts any. he had to be treated sooner not later....