# How can my Grandmother sign my mare over too me



## Gradelover2000 (Jan 3, 2021)

I've had my mare brownie for 13 years. we bought her when i was a minor so she was my grandmother's. She is a Grade (unregistered Quarab) there was no bill of sale from the sale. we were never in a hurry to get proof of ownership in my name (She's a 16 year old pasture pet) until today when we had a major fallout with my mother. earlier this year my mother stole and sold a horse that i was given for free(so again no bill of sale) that horse died not long after from misuse of a training tool and this same buyer has been trying to buy Brownie for years. 

my mom is on the warpath and she knows taking brownie will hurt me. she never liked that i followed in my grandmother's footsteps and love horses. how can i keep my girl safe?


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Sorry, is your grandmother still alive? Can she sell you the mare for 1$? That would make you the owner.


----------



## Gradelover2000 (Jan 3, 2021)

yes she is still alive would a bill of sale need to be drawn up by a lawyer or is it something i could write up myself?


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Hmm.


Get a lawyer to draft a letter to the people who bought the last horse saying that your mother was not the owner and possibly threatening legal action. It would deter them from buying another horse from her, I'd think.
You can draft your own letter, but a letter from a lawyer carries special "ooompf" and gets the recipient's attention much better.
Where does this horse live? If it's on your mother's property, move it. If not, get a restraining order against your mother barring her from the property. If you do this and number 1, include a copy of the restraining order in your letter to the buyers of the other horse.
Bring a small claims suit against your mother. It may deter her from doing this again.

I would ask, though, who has paid to take care of this horse? Because if you have no bill of sale and your mother has been taking care of it, she'd have a good case for ownership.


----------



## Gradelover2000 (Jan 3, 2021)

ACinATX said:


> Hmm.
> 
> 
> Get a lawyer to draft a letter to the people who bought the last horse saying that your mother was not the owner and possibly threatening legal action. It would deter them from buying another horse from her, I'd think.
> ...


she lives on my grandmother's property as do i. i'll talk to to my grandma about having her attorney not only draft up a bill of sale but see about a letter concerning Twister (the horse that was sold). i may write my own Bill of sale to cover us until grandma can talk to her attorney. as far as small claims against my mother, we honest just want her out of our lives. right now we are covering our bases and trying to protect anything she could use against us or hurt us with.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Normally you do not need an attorney to draft a bill of sale. I never have (and my husband is a lawyer). But in your case, it wouldn't hurt to dot your "i"s so if your grandmother is willing, then I would do it. In the meantime, as you say, you can write your own. Google it and you'll find lots of templates. It can be really basic.


----------



## AragoASB (Jul 12, 2020)

The first and greatest of all my horses I bought when I was 15 with my babysitting money. Her bill of sale was simply hand written on a pink piece of construction paper. I still have it. That was 50 years ago.


----------



## LilyandPistol (Dec 2, 2014)

AragoASB said:


> The first and greatest of all my horses I bought when I was 15 with my babysitting money. Her bill of sale was simply hand written on a pink piece of construction paper. I still have it. That was 50 years ago.


Pistol’s was hand written as well and that was only 6 years ago. No idea if it is legally binding tbh.


----------



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm wondering why you would want the horse in your name? If you are a minor and she is your mother - assuming she has custody - I would think that you would be better off keeping the horse in your grandmothers name.

If it's not a registered horse, honestly you just need a bill of sale or simply start listing yourself as the owner on the coggins and the vet records to show you are the listed owner.

Again though - if there is potential that your mother will take the horse and sell it - then I would have it in your grandmothers name....


----------



## avjudge (Feb 1, 2011)

farmpony84 said:


> I'm wondering why you would want the horse in your name? If you are a minor and she is your mother - assuming she has custody - I would think that you would be better off keeping the horse in your grandmothers name. . .


@Gradelover2000 wrote "we bought her _when_ i was a minor . . ." so I assume she no longer is. But I must admit to not being sure why the horse would have more protection under her ownership than her grandmother's. If Twister was taken from the grandmother's property where Brownie is now, then I like @ACinATX's idea of a restraining order - if it's feasible. I know very little of these things.


----------



## Gradelover2000 (Jan 3, 2021)

farmpony84 said:


> I'm wondering why you would want the horse in your name? If you are a minor and she is your mother - assuming she has custody - I would think that you would be better off keeping the horse in your grandmothers name.
> 
> If it's not a registered horse, honestly you just need a bill of sale or simply start listing yourself as the owner on the coggins and the vet records to show you are the listed owner.
> 
> Again though - if there is potential that your mother will take the horse and sell it - then I would have it in your grandmothers name....


I was eight when we bought her I'm turning 21 this year. My grandmother's mental state is starting to slip so we don't want my mom trying anything like say "well they gave her to me." And using my grandmother's slipping mental state to say grandma just forgot. My mother was honestly always against me working with horse and even more ticked off I decided to train and study to be a trainer. I honestly think she's just jealous my grandma have me opportunities she never had.


farmpony84 said:


> I'm wondering why you would want the horse in your name? If you are a minor and she is your mother - assuming she has custody - I would think that you would be better off keeping the horse in your grandmothers name.
> 
> If it's not a registered horse, honestly you just need a bill of sale or simply start listing yourself as the owner on the coggins and the vet records to show you are the listed owner.
> 
> Again though - if there is potential that your mother will take the horse and sell it - then I would have it in your grandmothers name....


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

If your grandmother's mental state slipping can be proven then your mother can still accomplish her goal if she is that set on it by saying your grandmother was not in her right mind when she sold her to you.


----------



## farrieremily (Jul 8, 2018)

I’m assuming all her care receipts and vet records are in your name or your grandmother’s. 
Those things provide fairly clear evidence and you’ll have your vet and farrier as witnesses should things go bad.

Unfortunately, if your mother is at a level where she will take and sell a horse it really won’t matter what a paper says. 
Your horse will already be gone.

I’m another opinion for a police report. Tell animal control someone is entering the property and harassing the horse. Get as many credible witnesses as you can on your side and very good pictures so you can identify your horse should she go missing so you stand a better chance of reclaiming her.

If someone buys her they won’t want to simply hand her back and be out their money. 
You may need to prove she’s stolen property in court.


----------



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

You are going to want to do more than just have this horse put in your name. I think you need to look into what it would take to become power of attorney for your grandmother to protect all of her assets (unless there is someone else in the family that can do it). 

As I said - I would have you listed as the owner on the coggins and the vet records but also have a bill of sale drawn up for a dollar. I did that when someone dumped a horse on me and disappeared. I ran an add in the paper first to try to find the owner - when there was no response I wrote out a bill of sale and gave the horse to a guy that happened to be a lawyer.


----------



## ferricyanide (Jan 14, 2020)

Could you move the horse to a more secure location away from your grandmas? I know it would cost to board, but perhaps the cost would be worth the peace of mind. And still work on the restraining order etc? If your mom is stealing your horses to sell, she won't have any money if you sue. Because her stealing and selling the horse is going to be a big expensive legal mess to sort out and involve the police. Also i imagine this is more of an emotional attachment to the horse than money anyways. I would think a temporary/permanent boarding location elsewhere is a safer solution in the mean time.


----------



## SomersetJoy (Jan 4, 2021)

I would suggest also microchipping if possible. Just as an added precaution.


----------



## Gradelover2000 (Jan 3, 2021)

Gradelover2000 said:


> I've had my mare brownie for 13 years. we bought her when i was a minor so she was my grandmother's. She is a Grade (unregistered Quarab) there was no bill of sale from the sale. we were never in a hurry to get proof of ownership in my name (She's a 16 year old pasture pet) until today when we had a major fallout with my mother. earlier this year my mother stole and sold a horse that i was given for free(so again no bill of sale) that horse died not long after from misuse of a training tool and this same buyer has been trying to buy Brownie for years.
> 
> my mom is on the warpath and she knows taking brownie will hurt me. she never liked that i followed in my grandmother's footsteps and love horses. how can i keep my girl safe?


so for the very anticlimactic resolution. yesterday my grandmother was hospitalized and i had no choice but too get back in contact with my mother. why i never thought about just talking to the woman before hand i don't know. i basically laid it out that she need to leave me out of her and grandma's little feud and i gave her a verbal warning to stay away from brownie. i told her that brownie is in my name now, all vet work will be in my name. she will never apologize for twister but at the end of the day there is no going back. i also told her this time around there will be legal repercussions is a single horse leaves this property without my permission. I'm going to trust her for right now. even after all she has done she is still my mother. she knows the boundaries I've set now to see if she'll really follow them. also I'm not worried about her stealing her while i'm not home. i work form home the the gate is literally fifteen feet from the front door and i have a very territorial dog no one can step foot on the property with me knowing.


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother but glad to hear that you might have solved the problem with your horse.


----------

