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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this house sitter was bloody cheeky?

818 replies

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 18/06/2016 23:38

My DM recently got a house sitter for 10 days whilst we all went on holiday. She had used her once before and all seemed fine. She seemed very professional - took detailed information about all the animals, signed contracts, she is fully insured etc.

She was supposed to sleep at my DM's house each night, although my DM was aware that she would need to pop back here and there to exercise her own dogs (she lives with her parents).

She was paid over £600, and for that she had to look after 2 dogs and feed a cat. There are also 2 horses at my mum's, my mum's horse who is a big cob, and my daughter's pony. She wasn't expected to do anything with the horses.

While we were away the house sitter emailed to ask if it would be ok if her partner's kids came to meet the horses. My DM said that was fine. When we got back, my mum had a good chat with her and the house sitter said that the kids had come over and groomed my mum's horse, but not my daughter's pony because she was grumpy (she is grumpy).

I was the first to go into the tack room, and noticed that the bridles weren't in the right place. I didn't really think anything of it. But today my DM said that there is grease on the bottom of her saddle, from where the saddle pad hasn't been put on properly and it has rubbed the horse, which she wouldn't do. Also her bridle had been done up all wrong. The stirrups on both saddles were at different lengths to how they'd been left by Us. She suspected that the house sitter had taken the kids riding on our horses. This was confirmed when she went for a ride around the village today and a neighbour (who has booked the same house sitter) said that the house sitter had emailed a picture with the kid sat on her horse!

Not only is riding someone's horses without their permission incredibly rude, it is also a really stupid thing to do. She knew nothing about our horses, they could have had any kind of quirks, and putting 2 kids on them (when she doesn't appear to know much about horses herself) was just bloody dangerous.

Not only that, but my DM said there's no way that the bed was slept in for 10 nights, so she suspects that the house sitter had left the dogs overnight which she wasn't supposed to do.

WWYD? I absolutely think that something should be said to the house sitter, but my DM is veering towards leaving it, and just locking the tack room if she uses her again! She was paid a lot of money, and in my opinion, took the piss.

OP posts:
peachpudding · 19/06/2016 15:37

a nice horsey photo' could easily have turned into a horror show

And that is why the horse owner has a legal responsibility to make very clear the dangers and responsibilities to the house sitter (who isn't experienced with horses). To not do that is negligent.

Original poster
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 15:39

The house sitter claimed she was experienced with horses! She has horse care listed as one of the services on her website. I have explained that a few times now. There is no excuse for what she did, and she knew it was not ok, otherwise she would have told my mum she'd done it, and not just said that they had groomed one of the horses.

OP posts:
SapphireStrange · 19/06/2016 15:42

peach, that's rubbish. If you're not experienced with horses you do not go and get them from a field, tack them up and sit your kids on them. Why is that so hard to grasp? Why would you? Would you, personally, do that? (if you don't have kids, would you do it for yourself? Or sit a niece/nephew/friend's child on a stranger's horse?)

I'll say it again: the OP's mum said something along the lines of 'just check they're upright once a day.' Unless the housesitter is of extremely low comprehension ability or intelligence, there is nothing in that that suggests that it's fine for her to even go in the field, much less catch them and ride them.

And the housesitter gives horse care as one of the services she offers. So is she 'experienced' or 'inexperienced'?

EveryoneElsie · 19/06/2016 15:42

If you're not horsey you dont take money to look after horses. Its not something you can learn from a list of dos and donts.
Would she try to ride the cows because thats what they do in the rodeo?

Aeroflotgirl · 19/06/2016 15:44

Obviously not that experienced, as a horse person woukd know you don't ride horses you don't know anything about, you just don't go riding people's horses without permission, which they did not have. They used the bridle and saddles wrongly, op said saddle pad was not put On properly.

eddielizzard · 19/06/2016 15:45

i'd be absolutely spitting with rage.

yang

eddielizzard · 19/06/2016 15:46

yang!! yanbfuckingu!

NightWanderer · 19/06/2016 15:46

But have you cancelled the cheque yet?

Sorry, someone had to say it Grin, is it really that hard to read the OP's posts?

PerspicaciaTick · 19/06/2016 15:47

She obviously has no sense of boundaries or appropriate behaviour.
I couldn't trust her. Imagine if she just fancied borrowing my car, or my jewellery, my clothes (oh, it was her partner that did that), my perfume or my shoes.
Weird.

peachpudding · 19/06/2016 15:50

Littlefluffyclouds81, it might be etiquette to assume no one will ride your horse unless specifically asked but I am talking about the legal position. I assume house sitter was allowed to watch your tv, use your water, washing machine, walk your dog etc without it having to be spelt out. It was also the normal use of your horses to be ridden so permission does not always have to be asked.

Taking a dog in to the garden might not be considered taking the dog for a wal, likewise walking a horse in a circle on your property for the purposes of a photo might not be considered taking the horse for a ride.

FYI If you gave permission for the family to see the horses a child could easily have been bitten, kicked or injured. You would have been responsible. You did not specify limits.

If you have left you car keys on the kitchen table, that could have been your tacit permission to use the car. If expensive or dangerous items are left in the open, a house sitter is left to use their personal judgement about its use. Otherwise you tell them differently.

DontMindMe1 · 19/06/2016 15:52

She has also today told the other person.... that my mum had given her and her boyfriend permission to ride her horse!

To those saying 'it should have been made legal/clear....just how much clearer does it need to be to a professional house sitter that LOOKING and RIDING are NOT the same thing?

What she did was irresponsible and unprofessional. She knew the answer would have been 'no' had she asked the owner. i'm more shocked that the dad let his kids ride the horses in that situation! If those horses had spooked at being manhandled by strangers and hurt anyone - it's the owner the house sitter would have blamed - using the same excuse as above.

She breached her client's trust AND contract. She didn't carry out her duties as agreed (i think any of us could tell if someone had been using our house regularly). More so, she doesn't have the owners permission to use their horses (also used without permission) to advertise her business.

i think she deserves an honest review wherever she advertises!

clam · 19/06/2016 15:54

If the house sitter was experienced with horses: she should have known not to tack them up and ride them
If the house sitter was NOT experienced with horses: she should not have attempted to tack them up and ride them.

Ergo: SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE TACKED THEM UP AND RIDDEN THEM. In any circumstances.

Aeroflotgirl · 19/06/2016 16:00

Looking at the horses, and riding them are two different things. Obviously she did need it spelling out to her, the average housesitter would just not do that.

scaryteacher · 19/06/2016 16:02

Imagine it was a male house sitter and he was given permission to bring his friends around to look at the sports car.

To get dh's sports car out of the garage, you need to drive it out, and when he is away the keys go with him. I am not insured to drive said sports car, so I just look at it. (I am not insured for it as I don't want to be, and I have a problem with reaching the pedals anyway given the driving position in that particular car before anyone cries sexism).

If you moved the car you would need to be insured. I am sure the hypothetical house sitter would be aware of that, and wouldn't move it. Same with horses, you are aware that they could cause damage, or be expensive to fix if you damaged them.

Original poster
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 19/06/2016 16:04

She claims to be experienced with horses, and whilst I think she must have a little bit of experience, she certainly isn't as knowledgable as she makes out.

OP posts:
Aeroflotgirl · 19/06/2016 16:06

The mistake op dm made, was giving her pemission for her kids to look at the horses.

WellErrr · 19/06/2016 16:07

She could be Zara Phillips, it doesn't matter. However experienced, she didnt have permission.

WellErrr · 19/06/2016 16:08

Not that she sounds very experienced anyway.

Thattimeofyearagain · 19/06/2016 16:08

YADNBU, some prick person decided to try to put his kid on my cousins yearling , luckily he was spotted from the farmhouse, shattered her confidence & made backing her when the time came very difficult. Some people think that horses are toys, not living , breathing creatures with their own personalities.AngryAngry

scaryteacher · 19/06/2016 16:09

Why do you have to tack then up to look at them? I can see horses and ponies from my bedroom window, and if I walk down the road there is a field that sometimes has a couple of horses in it. I look at them, but I don't try to touch them, or catch them, or tack them up, or feed them apples.

I think the house sitter has problems with the idea of looking at something.

peachpudding · 19/06/2016 16:13

The answer is not to employ the house sitter again.

SapphireStrange · 19/06/2016 16:15

The answer is not to employ the house sitter again

I think that's been established.

SapphireStrange · 19/06/2016 16:15

The answer is not to employ the house sitter again

I think that's been established.

SapphireStrange · 19/06/2016 16:15

Oops, double post, sorry.

DontMindMe1 · 19/06/2016 16:16

Imagine it was a male house sitter and he was given permission to bring his friends around to look at the sports car. They take the car out of the garage to get a better picture of it, sit in the seats, adjust the seat belts etc would you say that was wrong?

No. i wouldn't. However, if i'm employing someone as a house sitter it's because i'm taking as a given that their mental faculties are in good working order to understand the basics.

With a car you need to start the cars engine before it can come 'alive'....

A horse is a living, breathing, sentient being with a mind and a will of its own.

In both situations the only commonality is that you need to
a) have direct (not implied) permission to use the object if you're not the owner
b) either have or be under the guidance of a trained and qualified person
c) be legally covered and insured in case of injury.

I wouldn't trust her to employ her ever again. £600 quid tho for 10 days!! OP - next time you need a house sitter let me know and i'll book a/l from work for 10 days Grin