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barn owner holding my horses hostage

125K views 757 replies 119 participants last post by  barrelbeginner 
#1 ·
Hope this is the place to vent because right now I need it. So I purchased my mare in February and the man was nice enough to allow me to keep her there, HE NEVER ASKED ME TO PAY HIM ANYTHING. There was a verbal understanding I would just take care of her and that was fine. In March she had my colt and I have bought feed and hay for them ever since.

Today I received a voicemail from the man who owns the barn asking me if I had received the letter that he send me in the mail. I called him back and he told me that he had sent a certified letter to me on June 12th stating that as of May 27th I was required to start paying him $15 a day or move my horses (I guess he just made up a date and waited 3 weeks to send a letter). I have yet to receive the letter he talked about, and he NEVER verbally asked me to pay him anything for stall rent or anything EVER.

Since I am only finding this out on June 18th, this to him means I owe him $360 today to move them or I would owe him $360 plus any additional days it takes me to come up with the money or he's keeping my horses.

If he would have asked me to do that I would have gladly it, but he never did. Instead what I would do because I appreciated him letting me keep them there would be to help out around there, like feeding his horses, bathing them, cleaning the feed room, and cleaning stalls to help them out for being nice to me. So, on my lunch break I politely went down to the police station to see what my rights are as far as getting my horses away from there are. They tried to call him to get "his side" of the story but he didn't answer so they left a voicemail. Then the officer told me he can not legally hold my horses and they can assist me in getting them from him if I just call them when I go over there tonight. My biggest fear now is that he will get the voicemail from the police station and get off work early and go hide my horses. I'm praying that if that happens I will be able to press charges to get them back. I absolutely do not want to press charges and I don't want him getting into trouble, but I don't think it's fair for him to make up a date to start charging me board and then hope that I will either pay him all this money he made up or hope I will give up and just give him my horses back.

The only thing in writing is my receipt of purchase and all of the receipts I have from the feed stores for everything I have bought for them since February. There was never a verbal/written agreement about me paying anything for boarding my horses. I really just want to scream right now!!!! Needless to say today has been very stressful and frustrating. Buying my mare has been a lifelong dream of mine I finally made come true, and this man is trying to take her away from me.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
It doesnt sound like he's trying to 'take her away'. It just sounds as if he wants the money he thinks hes owed. Sounds like a misunderstanding. Why would he offer to keep your horses for free? Perhaps you guys had different ideas of the deal? And dont jump my case :) im just trying to understand.
did she previously belong to him?

reading that again, it seems entirely messed up. why wouldnt he speak to you before sending a letter. I wish you luck in getting your horses!
 
#11 ·
It doesnt sound like he's trying to 'take her away'. It just sounds as if he wants the money he thinks hes owed. Sounds like a misunderstanding. Why would he offer to keep your horses for free? Perhaps you guys had different ideas of the deal? And dont jump my case :) im just trying to understand.
did she previously belong to him?

reading that again, it seems entirely messed up. why wouldnt he speak to you before sending a letter. I wish you luck in getting your horses!

I helped him out at his barn for about a year and had expressed interest in my mare. One day he told me he'd sell her to me for a price I thought was fair so I bought her. The verbal agreement was that he was okay with me keeping her there as long as I paid for her feed/hay, which I have done. I helped him out around the barn so he never asked for anything, until today when he sprung all this on me about owing him money. Honestly I think it's because he's struggling to feed his 11 horses and thinks he can take advantage of me to get more money.
 
#6 ·
Do you have a truck and trailer, you need to go get your horses now. He didn't send you any letter, or he would have some sort of proof of it being sent. And would also have that it had not been received by you with your signature.

Might search and see if he has habit of doing this too.

But you will probably have to get a lawyer and fight this, if he won't allow you to leave with horses, and physically stops you.

You can always counter with since you were supplying feed, the board was free to best of your knowledge, and was never discussed.
 
#8 ·
plus if he doesnt have an extra copy (common sence for a legitimate business letter) and this "letter" never shows up theres nothing for him to do. just make sure your horses are in a safe secure place. and make sure all YOUR paperwork is in order
 
#10 ·
I was around him for a while before purchasing a horse from him, and when I finally did purchase her he never asked me for anything for keeping her there other than to purchase feed and hay (which I have my receipts for). In return for me appreciating him doing that I would help around the barn like cleaning the feed room and feed his 11 horses when he couldn't or was out of town. We never had an issue until he came on hard financial times and rather than asking me to start paying him monthly for board he just up and did this. The only thing we ever had in writing was my receipt from buying her and things worked out fine. It almost seems like he is doing this because he is broke and he thinks he can scare tactic me into thinking I owe him all of this money.

I am going to go there tonight and try to get them from him, but I know he's going to try to keep holding them hostage for something he thinks I owe him that he never even brought up until today. An officer told me they will go there with me and unless he can produce a written contract with my signature showing I agreed to pay him anything then he can't hold them. The only problem will be if I can't catch him while he's at home!!!!!
 
#15 ·
What a guy! I can understand him thinking over the situation and wanting board, but the proper thing to have done was tell you in person. He should have said to you, "On such & such date, I will be charging you X of amounts of $$$ for board." Then he could have handed you the letter stating that. From that date on, you can either pay him board or move your horses. He is an idiot & did it all wrong. Don't hang out with people like that.
 
#18 ·
I wish I had it in writing, but hopefully I'll be able to get them away from there today with the help of a cop. I think it's absolutely ridiculous for him to say he sent a letter telling me I would have to pay $465 a month for my mare and colt to stand in a dirt field..... Ludicrous!!!! For that I could have them at an awesome facility being treated like royalty..... Heading over there in about an hour when I know he will be home from work with the gate keys, so his wife can't lie again and say she doesn't have hers!!! thanks everyone for ur replies!
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#21 ·
Honestly if he would have told me he wanted some money for board I would have paid something and we could have come to an agreement, but if he would have said $15 a day I would have laughed in his face and moved my horses that very day....
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