Sale gone bad. In my second year of college I moved away to Hawaii to attend a different school. One of the younger girls at the barn was in need of a horse to show. So while I was away they agreed to pay board etc.....basically a full lease. I was close to both the girl and her parents so the situation seemed to be a good one. I kept in touch while I was away and things seemed to be going well. The girl took Calais to HITS in Ocala FL for the last couple of weeks of the circuit. She had won a bunch on him in. She had expressed to me and my family that they couldn't afford to buy a horse at the time (her family had just been through a divorce) and they wanted to continue leasing Calais. I was happy to hear it thinking that everything was working out and I could still have my horse when I came back. Well my trainer (contact owner for name) went behind my back and the other family’s and sent Calais to another trainer to be sold without my consent. She told me that the family wanted to get a new horse because it wasn't working out with Calais. I found out later that this wasnt the case but since I was so far away I took her word for it. She sent Calais to another trainer who then contacted me and told me that he had no one to buy my horse. He said that I could not send him back to the other trainer she didn’t want to have anything to do with the horse anymore (mind you I have been riding and competing with this woman as my trainer for several years and this was a serious emotional let down for me). He said my only other option was to send Calais to Cincinnatti to a man named (contact owner for name). I had no other option at this point so I said yes. I was supposed to be contacted when my horse arrived and updated as to whether or not he had been sold within the first few weeks. He was sent off in mid March to early April of 2003. I never heard anything from anyone. I continued to call my trainer and the other trainer who had sent my horse to Ohio but never received any information. My year in Hawaii was up in August and I returned home. I drove out to my old barn to talk to the former trainer to see if she had found anything out about my horse. She said that the man in Ohio had finally contacted her and told her that Calais had been sold 5 times but had failed the vet each time. So I contacted the man, who was extremely rude, and explained to him that I had not heard any news of my horse till just then. He told me that I was a liar and that if I wanted my horse back I had to give him $5,000 to cover all boarding and showing fees for the summer. It was apparent to me by this time that I may not see my horse again. I had just begun school at FSU and was a poor college student, there was no way I could come up with the money, money I shouldn't have to pay. I believe that the man in Ohio had been showing my horse all summer as well as teaching lessons on him, I highly doubt that my horse was not earning his way especially if he was in pain enough to fail the vet. I also found out that my horse had been sold for the first time about 2 weeks after arriving at this man’s property. Had I been contacted I could have had the horse sent home or lowered my price. I tried to get my trainer involved but she didn't want anything to do with it. My parents wouldn't help either. I attempted to get a lawyer but he said that my case did not have a good prognosis. So here I am two years later and horseless. I never filled a report because I didn't know that I could. Please help me.....no one else has.
