To think this house sitter was bloody cheeky?

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

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.

[BirthdayBetty]

If equipment, ie, riding hats, have been damaged, it is important!

[ohtheholidays]

So to add insult to injury she's now also using your horses to help her advertise her job?!

Make sure you get some pictures of the banners with your horses on and the pictures the women and her partner have posted on FB before either of them gets the chance to remove them themselves.

[beetroot2]

No one was looking after the horses, therefore you may find it impossible to take any action. They were left for 10 days.

Lets not get nasty here OP.

I said that you were ott about your posting, you are insinuating I'm a troll.

[MariaSklodowska]

no Beetroot, a field check was taking place, as OP clearly stated, by the housesitter. At no time did a field check mean 'tack up the horses and sit on them'.
If anyone is getting nasty here, it is you.

[honeysucklejasmine]

I don't think OPs mum's decisions about the supervision of her horses is anything at all to do with the house sitter riding them. One does not excuse the other and it's ridiculous to suggest it does.

[PumpkinPies38]

Beetroot You don't have a clue about horses do you? It's very apparent and embarrassing from your posts. Please go away.

OP I have horses in a very similar environment to what you describe I would be furious beyond believe if this had happened to me and my horses for all the reasons you list plus the photos on Facebook! It's wildly unsafe, disrespectful, dishonest and not fair on the horses. They were probably nervous wrecks not knowing what was happening.

Please don't feel the need to justify yourself on this thread any more to people who have no experience of keeping horses some people will argue the sky isn't blue just for their own entertainment.

So I think what I would do in your situation is comment on the Facebook photos: "Please remove this immediately you did not have permission to ride my horse and use my equipment whilst I had contracted you to house sit for me. I am furious with your irresponsibly and dishonesty."

Then I would send an email keeping to the point and explaining that you won't be using her services or recommending her to anyone for the following reasons:
She has been dishonest and misled you
She had no permission to do what she did
It was dangerous and reckless
She could have frightened your animals
She may have damaged your equipment
She had proven herself to be highly irresponsible and untrustworthy and as such should not be allowed access to people's homes

I'd go as far to say she's not doing a good job as a mother to plonk a child onto an unknown horse is just I'm furious on your behalf!

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

Oh yes, the pictures have all been screenshotted.

Trying to sleep now but too fuming!

[lampshady]

Don't blame you for fuming. I can't believe she thought she'd get away with it, or maybe is so arrogant she didn't care.

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

Pumpkin - they were her partner's kids, not her kids! Can't imagine the kids' mum would be too thrilled about it. I can't comment on her FB as I'm not friends with her, her personal FB page seems to be an amalgamation of her own personal page and her business page. Maybe to avoid charges for having a business page, I don't know?

[beetroot2]

I said that I think the OP was being OTT about her reaction, the OP was actually being rather nasty about the sitter throughout and making unpleasant personal remarks about her. All that happened was the sitter took the horse/pony on a ride without asking and not knowing what she was doing. Ok, don't use the sitter again.

I told you Maria, to maybe think about using the word ignorant knowing how it is used.

[MariaSklodowska]

" her personal FB page seems to be an amalgamation of her own personal page and her business page "

report her to FB then, if you feel like it, I would.

[MariaSklodowska]

Beetroot OK, I will " think about using the word ignorant , knowing how it is used" . . .........

Yes you were right. By the way you sound pigshit ignorant,

Happy now?

[beetroot2]

The outcome in all this could be to use an agency next time and pay double

[minijoeyjojo]

I'd be absolutely livid too! I would be writing up the worst bloody review of her and warning all and sundry to avoid avoid avoid. How dare she ride your horses whilst left in the care of them.

She is clearly an untrustworthy person. Please do get this information out there - I have to use sitters for my lot when I'm away and I'd dread to think I might end up with her!

[PumpkinPies38]

That's annoying you can't comment on it because it would be good to warn her potential clients about her appalling conduct. You could try to add her as a friend? She sounds naive enough to accept, then post the comments.

Some people have no understanding of animals whatsoever. As you say unless you know the history and behavioural patterns of a horse you have no right putting a child on there and leading it around. We have one particular horse who we rescued from a place where he was being cruelly treated. He's good as gold being stroked and groomed but is very dangerous indeed to ride as various things trigger fear in him. He could throw a child off so easily.

She needs to be told and brought into the real world that what she did was atrociously unprofessional.

[sykadelic]

beetroot are you deliberately being obtuse? Have you seen where the OP said no harm was done? No, because we don't KNOW no harm was done, not until the equipment is tested and the horses checked out.

The sitter not only placed the horses at risk, she placed herself, her BF and those children at risk, which could have been a huge issue for the OP's mum. The horses could have spooked and kicked something and injured themselves. The saddles being put on improperly could have done some damage.

The sitter has illegally used someone else's property in a manner in which she was not authorised to do so. She may as well as taken the OP's mums car for a spin, without a license or insurance, which I'm sure you realise would be considered theft and also illegal.

I honestly truly don't understand why you're having such a hard time grasping why this is a big deal. The fact that it appears no-one was injured doesn't mean what she did was okay and should be ignored. Shit, she didn't even put the gear back the way she found it! How incredible disrespectful!

[beetroot2]

Its clear as a bell that the OP's mum didn't use a bonified agency and got it on the cheap. Its also clear that they horses were in a field at the back of the property. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

I've a feeling once my mum has dealt with her there will be no need to tell her to take the pictures down, I reckon she might just work that out by herself. My mum can be really fucking scary when she's pissed off.

[PumpkinPies38]

£600 for 10 days isn't on the cheap. What's the point about the field and it being at the back of the property?

[beetroot2]

shudders.

[MariaSklodowska]

why would you be shuddering? Are you tired and emotional?

[PumpkinPies38]

Why the shuddering?

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

Just reported her page to Facebook for promoting a business. That's about the best I can do tonight.