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.

It's also worth noting that she needs your permission to display photos taken on your property as you have a 'reasonable expectation of privacy', so the displaying of photos showing your animals and property in a context where permission has neither been sought not given is yet another indication if her unprofessionalism www.epuk.org/resources/faq

Your mum's review needs to include the words 'I did not give you permission to lend my clothing to your boyfriend.' That should put anyone off using her services pdq.

I would be going crazy. Though I suspect I am a bit more risk adverse than you as I wouldn't have let her groom them either. She wouldn't borrow somone's car, why is she so disrespectful?

bird, now you've given me my second laugh of the day

Crikey I would be fuming, I also realised I'm in the wrong job!

Op double check the FB page - if some one has left a five star review you will be able to post on it.

Haha beetroot2 is an idiot and a goady fucker. And she criticises others for misuse of the word ignorant, yet her command of the English language seems scant. Bonified? Should that be bona fide, beetroot? Lol.

Also, beetroot, what the hell are bona fide house sitting agencies? There aren't any- house sitting is either informal through family and friends, maybe for a nominal sum or it is a business being run by a private individual. There are housesitting websites but there is no way people on there charge £60 a day for some light pet feeding duties. So the mum has certainly not done anything on the cheap. If you disagree, why not post some links to these 'official house sitting agencies'.

Also, beetroot, you seem to have very little respect for the horses, referring to them as objects that can be sat on willy nilly. Wondering how a pony can look unhappy. Really? It just shows that you haven't a clue. What the house sitter did is so, so wrong.

OP, definitely take her to task and write an honest review of what she did on her house sitting website. You can consider taking the review down in return for a full apology (and I would want a partial refund of the money paid too).

"Your mum's review needs to include the words 'I did not give you permission to lend my clothing to your boyfriend.' That should put anyone off using her services pdq".

Yes, that's a great idea.

Sorry about all this, fluffy. You are right to be raging. You know she'd be suing your mum if an accident had happened, right?

Maybe post this again in the horsey bit of mumsnet (sorry don't know the name of it) for further advice?

OP I run a business and as part of that I've done some house sitting in the past. My Base rate was £40/day.
I really can't believe what she's done without permission here - completely out of order. But I would definitely contact her directly to see what she has to say before slagging her off publicly and leaving bad reviews. Hope you get a satisfactory resolution.

Inertia. The horses can be left and observed because it's summertime and they can eat the grass and drink from the field troughs. As as long as there is enough water in the trough or they are self fill, it would be OK - I'd be nervous though and would also ask actual horsey people to keep an eye out. In the winter they would need more care - hay and water for a start off and I would assume they would be stabled at night so lots of handling. Not had a horse myself so feel free to correct me anyone.

Very irresponsible and stupid behaviour from the sitters. Your poor mum. What a homecoming.

I agree that the sitter has completely taken the piss however the OP said the sitter was asked to "check the horses were standing upright once a day". That's hardly checking the horses are genuinely ok.

I'd be very careful OP or the sitter could decide to report you for not looking after your horses properly for 10 days.

My horses live at home. When I go on holiday my friend looks after them for me. She doesn't ride or groom them, because nobody does this with them except me.

Privately owned horses are completely different to riding school or trecking horses. My boys would do their nut at some random riding or grooming them. Also, if the boyfriend had a child sitting on the pommel of the saddle this could have twisted or broken the tree. I'd get this checked out OP.

Livid on your mother's behalf.

I know nothing about horses and this is extraordinarily unhelpful but calling the horse "a big cob" made me laugh. Sounds like an insult. "No, you're a big cob!" etc. Perhaps this is the sleep deprivation talking.

Janecc "As long as the water troughs are ok". Well whose checking the water troughs?

You don't leave any animal on their own for 10 days without someone checking their access to water is all fine, at least once a day.

I was away last weekend with two friends, one of whom (friend B) is single and lives alone with two dogs. She paid a young woman £40 each night (we were away three nights) to come to the house at 6pm each night, feed and walk the dogs, stay overnight, feed and walk again in the morning. Midday walk done by friend's mum as always.

First night we got a text at bedtime from friend's mum saying she was at the house having nipped round to collect something she had left there earlier. No sign of sitter, no response to calls or texts. Turns out sitter was "busy" and ultimately arrived about 11pm unable to see what the fuss was about. Friend worried all weekend about what was going on at home and her mum spent the weekend popping back and forth checking up.

When we got home on Monday, my DH collected us from the airport and dropped both friends back at friend A's house where B had left her car. When I saw B on Tuesday, she said that A's partner had clearly been driving B's car all weekend as it was filthy inside and out and half a tank of petrol had been used. Neither A nor the partner had asked, and there was no reason for him to use it as both his and A's cars were available.

People are shit.

I am horrified at what I have read. I ride but know my limits as I am not confident. Her sheer arrogance that she is a "horsey" person could have resulted in injury for all involved.

I never lend out my riding gear. It was fitted to me and me alone!! I don't want some random person wearing my equipment and perspiring in it...yuk!!

I don't think you have gone OTT at all. The friend who emailed you the first photo - what does she think of the situation now? Is she going to still use her?

I'd be furious.

The insurance angle will be a non-starter unless your Mum can show that she has caused damage in some way - tack or clothing is damaged or one of the horses (God forbid) is injured. If not then you can't claim for being pissed off (unfortunately!) with someone's services.

I'd be sending her a very stroppy email, referencing the FB photos and asking her to remove them PDQ. I would also leave a one star review for her on all the websites that she uses - resist the temptation to vent and keep it very factual. It's important that people leave honest reviews; if you'd seen this sort of write-up about her then she would never have been booked by your Mum.

Hope you manage to get it sorted and that your Mum's horses and equipment are OK.

bakeoff I agree with you I would want the troughs visually checked, which is why I said I'd be nervous of leaving them with non horsey people. I'going by what op said. Perhaps I misunderstood. I grew up on a small holding so I know how fast they can empty in hot summers. Not to mention if they started to leak or if some kids came along and emptied them for fun without realising the implication. And of course members of the public opening the gates or sabotaging the fences. As a kid, a hay barn to a neighbouring property was burnt down by a couple of 8 yr olds for fun, cars driving into our fences, kids climbed trees to saw off branches, fences deliberately broken. House sitting for farm animals is a completely different ball game.

Good grief. I'm not horsey in the slightest, I know nothing about them, but even I know that this is not ok! I hope she gets her comeuppance. You can't just take other people's animals out and about, that's ridiculous.

Again, she did claim to be horsey. The first time she housesat, she did do a bit of horse care as it was back when the weather was not so good, which she was paid for.

You said she had a contract that she and your Mum agreed ?
Were the horses mentioned at all (eg did it say something like "basic checks" "check water" . She clearly thinks your Mum is an idiot OR she has no idea what she did was wrong or she'd never have posted the photos.

I'm not sure how far it is worth arguing with stupid rather than dealing with someone who knew they were flouting limits. The first is a waste of your time .

I think I'd probably settle for an enormous bollocking - a bit of a rant on the local FB pages to warn people and a tip off to HMRC. Unless the contract was very specific that she wasn't to exercise the horses it might be quite hard to enforce. To claim on insurance you'd have to prove financial loss and unless you can prove damage to the hard hats (which would cost to get checked) I'm not seeing anything that would be claimable.

Sorry Jane, my anger wasn't directed at you, more the OP and posters saying the horse would be fine.

checking water supply is so basic. I can't understand how most "horsey" posters on this thread haven't mentioned it.

Your mum's review needs to include the words 'I did not give you permission to lend my clothing to your boyfriend.' That should put anyone off using her services pdq.

I'd use a list of each item done without permission.

I'm absolutely not a horsy person, but even I can see that what was done here is unforgiveable.

I'd get the equipment fully checked out and if there's any damage hit her with a claim for repai/replacement.

I owned horses from the age of 10,, although I would probably no longer describe myself as " horsey". However, I would never ride anyone's horse without permission . Quite aside from the safety aspect it's someone else's property and you don't borrow it without asking.