10/03/2025
This is a case of name and shame. ........ after 40 yrs approx in the Equine industry showing, running our own Stud, breeding,working with Stallions (some times up to 4) Educating foals etc. Plus running a agistment property for years last year after 26yrs leasing out property I was given notice by Centennial Mine as all Mine properties are to be sold. My own animals I was very luck to find super new homes, but trying to find new agistment properties for my agistee's was very hard, most of the animals had been with me for years and felt like mine, two in particular a 25year mare and a older gelding owned by a dear friend I found a place in Dickson Road Jilliby the owner Chris showed me a lovely big paddock with a dam good fencing that would suit. As I was in the process of packing up the home, horse gear plus everything connected to running a stud it was some weeks before I moved the two horses but paid from the start for both animals just before the October long weekend last year I rang Chris and advised him we would be bring over the two horses I was informed that he had already put other horses in the original paddock we look at but he has another one for us. We arrived not seeing this paddock first took the horses off the float and walked them some distance to the second paddock , it was more of a bush paddock plenty of trees, water, 3 wire fences our first impression was it wasn't as good as the first paddock we looked at but the horses had plenty of shelter. I would feed and check these horses twice a day not taking much notice of the other horses on the property the paddock next to ours after a few daysI noticed had a narrow laneway along our side fence and across the top of the paddock nothing but 3 wires in the front and across the other side, the laneway was made up of star posts with 2 white elect tapes. On the morning of the Saturday of the October long weekend I drove as usual to find overnight the older maiden mare had been attacked her neck was so swollen she couldn't put it down to eat or drink a huge 3 inch hole in the top of her neck near her head
plus bite marks all over her back legs and body plus both horse were lame and in shock.some how we got them on the float and back to
Colonial Park where I call the vet. On arrival he checked out the mare one hell of a mess he gave her a huge amount of medication plus checked her inside she had been r***d the fact she wasn't in season she was very badly ripped, he advised we could lose her especially if she gets a infection inside. He also medicated the gelding. It was around this time I received a call from the property owner Chris advising that the Warmblood Stallion in the next paddock had got to her and she had been found in his paddock turns out he had gone through the two elect tapes either gone into their paddock or pulled her through into his. I checked the elect fence the following morning a lot ofvthe tape was laying on the starposts, the distance between the tape and only 2 tapes would not keep a Stallion in plus we had overcast and wet weather over the week before and the electric fence was run by solo, nothing was working. I spoke to Chris about the fact we were never told this horse was a Stallion or the fact he had a Stallion on the property, the front fence where we were walking along was just a ordinary 3 wire fence he could have come over that fence anytime. I asked for the name and phone number of the Stallions owner Tabitha and after speaking to her and Chris zgain both refused to take any responsibility Tabitha saying it was up to us to make sure our animals were save from her Stallion Humphrey. After speaking to Solicitors etc we were told they have a duty of care there is a standard when it comes to keeping Stallions. The mare was worked on by myself and friends plus the vet both sides of her neck was rotten weeks and weeks of injection s, cleaning underneath the rottening skin twice a day to make sure no infection it was a huge undertaking. I approached Chris and Tabitha regarding the vet bill which amounted to approx $1,300 myself would have paid twice that amount with sprays, ointments, cottonwool bandages etc over the healing period but they both refused to help pay the vets bill. The property owner I can understand a bit as he hasn't any horse experience but the Stallion Humphrey's owner is a previous dressage rider that rode for Australia. This was the first time I have put horses on agistment other than my own place, and it leaves a very nasty taste on one's mouth.
