giving away or surrendering

Hoping someone might have some advice...I beieve no matter how I proceed I will be left with the responsibility and want to know where I stand legally if I have to surrender horses to the RSPCA.

I have been looking after (letting graze in my paddock for free, water and general keeping eye on) a friend's two horses. I made it clear that they would have to go when I eventually find my own horses. That time has now come. From 'no problem and thanks' she is now suggesting that she may send horses to meatworks.

I won't go into the morals of her choices or my feelings on the matter.

Suffice to say that I think it very probable that I will be left to deal with the horses myself. The only thing I most certainly won't do is send them to the meatworks. Do I have to assume legal responsibility for them to give them away or surrender them to RSPCA? What steps would I have to take? I have tried to contact my local RSPCA all day and left messages but they are hopelessly understaffed and I don't think I will hear back from them.

I assume I would need to get some sort of statement from her to give the horses to me in the first place but I am not willing to allow her to drag that out for weeks. I need to know what action I can take in the event that I am left with two horses and nothing in writing.

I am sure there will other people out there with a similar expereince who might be able to give me some pointers?

She will have to surrender the horses herself. If you sign them over you are assuming legal ownership of the horses. That means if the horses are neglected or something along those lines you can be held at fault. Not too mention if she wasn't serious about sending them off and one day comes to get her horses you could get into trouble for signing them over.

I would ask her to sign ownership over to you before signing them over or finding a new owner.

She has rung to say she will collect them tomorrow. Giving them to a friend who has other horses and wants to take them or riding. So it has worked out OK. Very relieved it didn't go the way I thought.

For benefit of anyone who might be interested, I did eventually get in contact with RSPCA who advised me that if she wouldn't sign them over or take any other action, then I only needed to inform her in writing that I was going to do X in X days and she then has opportunity to respond. If she doesn't, then I can do what I need to do, and the RSPCA would be happy to take them in those circumstances. The woman I spoke to said she thought she had seen them when she had gone to a neighbours and knows that they are in excellent condition and well looked after. She even uses the same farrier I do.

There would be 'surrender' fees which I would have paid but it wouldn't have been a good situation despite the help from the RSPCA.

Anyway, a happy ending. Nice to have one of those!