# Horse theft



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Maybe breach of contract? That is a difficult question, especially if there were no papers. I'll be following the story to see what happens!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

It is now on several media outlets Great minds think alike.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

They wouldn't charge her with a tort: "breach of contract" is a civil matter. However, they could go with fraud...


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I see this as a grey area. I believe that legally you must have a bill of sale or a lease agreement when placing a horse. What does "giving" mean? I see a lot of holes that any responsible owner would be wary of. I would not like to argue with the people who placed their horses - but were they to willing to get rid of a horse they could no longer keep? Even before the internet you had to be a bit more careful when placing an old or lame horse, and now it is easy to check people out.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

If enough people have a complaint I'm sure they can find something to charge her with but a scam is a scam and it may be that is how they prosecute depending on the state laws. I saw the link on FB but didn't read to see if she is living in AL. You can't keep/don't want to keep your horse and she takes it in then it is hers to do with how she sees fit. Sure she lied knowing her end game is to resell - no law against that. Morally wrong - yes. Ethically wrong - yes. Legally wrong - no. Are they in good care until she rehomes? Does she find good homes and is honest about them when she rehomes? Who knows. She found a way to make money with horses that the owners can't be bothered with. Do I agree with her? NO. Sad to see two little girls crying for their horsie but guess what mom and dad gave horsie away for a reason. To use the kids to stir sympathy is wrong IMO.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Looks like there is a slight update:
Vet Student Allegedly Scams Dozens Of Horse Owners


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Sounds like the university is taking a hands off position. Again, this type of thing goes on all the time. It got real bad for a time with dogs, there were reports of people taking children with them to get free dogs that were then used an bait for pits.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

QtrBel said:


> If enough people have a complaint I'm sure they can find something to charge her with but a scam is a scam and it may be that is how they prosecute depending on the state laws. I saw the link on FB but didn't read to see if she is living in AL. You can't keep/don't want to keep your horse and she takes it in then it is hers to do with how she sees fit. Sure she lied knowing her end game is to resell - no law against that. Morally wrong - yes. Ethically wrong - yes. Legally wrong - no. Are they in good care until she rehomes? Does she find good homes and is honest about them when she rehomes? Who knows. She found a way to make money with horses that the owners can't be bothered with. Do I agree with her? NO. Sad to see two little girls crying for their horsie but guess what mom and dad gave horsie away for a reason. To use the kids to stir sympathy is wrong IMO.


Even though a lot of what is said here is true, it still makes me angry. 

I had an older mare that I took care of until life was starting to become less than fun for her and then I had her put down. Before that, I had not ridden her for a few years. If at some point someone came along needing a companion horse for theirs, it would have been a nice match. Of course, I know that things can come up and I would have taken her back in such a situation. The reason I never had this situation come up is because I don't fully trust people knowing that this could happen. 

This seems to be the case in a lot of the situations in this story. The people would have just continued on to take care of their horse if she had not showed up offering something that would have good for everyone involved including the horses. These people would have never let the horses go had they known what there fate would be. A lot of these cases were not that the owner couldn't/didn't want to take care of the horse anymore.

It is unscrupulous people like this that keeps people from trusting each other and helping each other. 

Maybe a better way to go about it would be to set up a contract where it is a lease. If it is a lease then the person taking the horse knows that ownership still remains with the people giving the horse. With this there might be legal recourse if the person does something other than what they said they were going to do.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I think if i have an older horse i need to rehome, a free lease is the way to go. But even that is risky. 

Say i have an older horse that is good with kids, what happens if i lease out the horse and someone gets hurt? i could be sued. If i rehome the horse under an as-is sale, i might have more protection against a lawsuit if the new owners were negligent and their child gets hurt.


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## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

4horses said:


> I think if i have an older horse i need to rehome, a free lease is the way to go. But even that is risky.
> 
> Say i have an older horse that is good with kids, what happens if i lease out the horse and someone gets hurt? i could be sued. If i rehome the horse under an as-is sale, i might have more protection against a lawsuit if the new owners were negligent and their child gets hurt.


IMO it's best to have a contract drawn up with a lease. Then you can put in that they agree to take responsibility and understand that someone can get hurt. That should protect you.


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## Dixiesmom (May 26, 2013)

Legally there may be no recourse. But when her name is eventually released, and she graduates and becomes a practicing vet, word of mouth can certainly ruin her career if it's proved she sent horses to kill buyers. Like the vet who shot the cat with an arrow.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Lori - Most if not all of those people placed ads or had put the word out that they needed homes for their horses. One even sold the horse to her. Another had been free leased for 4 years to a lesson barn - it was the person leasing that gave the horse away but I would bet the owner knew before that that happened. They fell for her story. Had it not been her to take them it would have been someone. Sadly it was this woman.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Until anything is proven, it is hearsay, and her name would not be posted here.


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