OP says she the OP is a practicing insurance defense attorney. So did she advise the family and trainer at the barn in the town where they board and live?
Dont blame the family for following advice from others. I hope the horse can be saved by any means necessary if he passes the European approved test for glanders.
Agreed. And they are now “finally” getting quotes on sending him back?
Also, what about the board and training the family was going to pay here in the US if horse got released??? Complaining that you’d have to pay that in Europe (which with some of the agents I know is CHEAP compared to California) is a red herring.
I dunno… I had some issues I think I mentioned waay up thread with the lab work in Europe. Import company wanted specific cELISA values for the piro tests on my horse before they’d take him because they didn’t want him stuck with USDA with any suspect tests. The lab report I received just said “negative” after every test. Anyway, I was back in Mountain Time USA and was working for days to get it sorted out and get the deal closed and horse on his way. I was on the phone with the lab and the European vet and his office and the import company in the middle of the night sometimes. And updating the sellers on the problem.
There are numerous ways to be proactive and find solutions without just getting on Twitter and Facebook and GFM. I think all of the trainer’s online rants just demonstrate how poorly she did at being an agent for and advising her clients.
As someone mentioned to me probably not since it appears her loyalty is with the trainer so therefore has no interest in helping the family of it means casting the trainer in a bad light.
I think you’ve made the USDA and Jet Pets the wrong target. Many of us are eyeballing the trainer
The trainer has gotten numerous offers to help sell the horse in Europe.
With the disclaimer that I’ve never imported a horse, and thus don’t know the ins/outs of doing so…I am thinking along those same lines. There is some interesting language used by the trainer. She has stated a few times on FB that the horse was purchased for $36,000, including import. And has indicated in a FB post that the insurance company denied “since the first blood test that showed suspect was upon arrival to the US.” It makes me wonder when ownership actually transferred, and when and what insurance policies were actually purchased.
Could the answer just be that the major medical/mortality policy restricts coverage to when the horse is within the US? Mine does. The insurance company’s argument would be that since he tested positive as soon as he arrived the condition must have arisen when he was outside the US. There are policies/riders that specifically cover the international portions of the purchase and transport, and having those would be the safest bet (of course hindsight is 20-20 there).
I admit the thought of such a sum on a credit card even for a catastrophic human medical expense gives me palpitations as well.
I also feel sad for the teenager, not just because of the likely loss of this horse, but because of the guilt she must feel because it is her horse that is costing her family so much money and aggravation. Also, she will presumably be going to college soon, which is another looming expense for the family, even if there is money set aside/scholarships and so forth.
Re: insurance. When I imported, I made sure the policy was in force from the minute the bill of sale was signed. I even made sure it covered the horse for gelding while in Spain,as well as in transport. It’s not hard, and I am sorry if these folks didn’t get the right coverage. BTW, no sale went through until negative test results were in hand, even though I paid for those tests. And I paid for the test to be done in the U.S. lab. My shipper advised me of that.
I didn’t know about the U.S. lab part of things, but I had a thorough shipper. At that point, the horse was mine, but had he tested positive,he never would have gotten on the plane. This is truly a sad, horrible situation for all.
The child should not feel guilty. None of this is her fault. And it’s DEFINITELY not the moms fault that she was naive sand trusted a trainer she liked for advice on buying a horse for her daughter. I will indeed criticize the way they have tried to fundraise online for reasons I have previously mentioned… but that’s it. As far as the rest of the situation goes, and getting into this mess in the first place, the family and the horse have my whole hearted sympathy.
Back to the military angle that we are supposed to stop focusing on… however… given that her Dad spent 30 years in uniform, and her older sibling also chose to serve, my guess is that the GI Bill benefit will be available to this girl to pay for 4 years of college.
People might not be aware that GI Bill benefits are transferable yo spouses and kids if the service member doesn’t use them… but they are. It’s a really great benefit for military families, and with the rate of inflation with college tuition, I know more than one family that has used it to pay for one child’s tuition. So at least there’s that.
@Virginia Horse Mom I didn’t mean the teen should feel guilty! I can only think of how I would have felt at 15 in such a situation, though! I would have still felt horrible, no matter how much I was assured this wasn’t my fault. I do hope the family has tuition assistance with her college through the GI Bill, since this would be a great expense to be hit with before the child goes to college.
I understand. And I feel for the kid too.
And yes - it definitely would be a RIDICULOUS expense for a middle class family to face right before the college years, and the associated expense. I totally understand the logic of that concern. But this is a military family. Military service comes with its own unique bucket of hardships, and blessings. Though nothing in life is perfect… my experience is that there are abundant blessings to focus on if you choose to do so. The GI Bill rules that children of service members sometimes benefit from is a good thing to focus on 
Those rules guarantee a child of a service member who has not yet used this benefit an amount of tuition assistance equivalent to a full ride scholarship to an in state public university for 4 years. It’s an incredibly generous benefit. This is one of many many reasons that the GFM struck a nerve with me. I don’t mean to keep harping on it… but I am looking at this situation from a slightly different angle than others and people should understand what the facts of the situation are before responding to fundraising efforts via GFM. It’s not a good situation… but it could be worse.
So GI transfer is only if it happened in time. That’s not a thing when someone wants to make it a thing anymore.
The GI bill has nothing to do with this. At the end of the day the trainer saw military and saw money and led this family astray.
For me what is more appalling is the OP seeming having more loyalty to the trainer than the family that this is about.
OP if you don’t know many people read these forums and many people move. Never ever will I have anything to do with your trainer.
ETA: the military and it’s benefits to the SERVICE member, despite being transferable or not shouldn’t be an issue. I am disgusted with the trainer for taking advantage of this family.
@Denali6298 - that’s fair, and I can understand and respect what you are saying. I’m definitelypast the point of unbiased commentary… the whole thing has gotten under my skin in a major way. I’ll own it. :o
Well also to be fair the rules recently changed. I also wanted to emphasize the entitlements to the service member.
Not sure how you could infer that from any of my posts… but regardless, you seem to have very strong opinions on this subject. Why don’t you post your feelings directly on the trainer’s FB page so both the trainer and family can see and respond? Or are you only tough when you are posting anonymously behind your keyboard?
How about this, I walk into her barn in three months, interview her as a trainer and bring this thread up? Cuz that’s a reality. Or are you only hiding behind a screen name?
I don’t think you need to wait three months. I’m sure the trainer would be happy to talk about it with you now.
I’d rather wait the three months for a face to face. ;)Don’t wanna hide behind my keyboard and all.
ETA: OP you may have missed it but I’m moving to your area soon. You bet I’m taking notes about what people say about trainers.
Alrighty then.
Thank you to everyone for posting their thoughts, info, and experiences, as well as everyone who sent kind words and encouragement via PM. I’ve been forwarding all the posts and messages on to the family and trainer. Since the trainer and family are now openly and publicly posting directly on FB, I won’t continue to post updates any longer on this thread. This experience has sure opened my eyes about the hidden costs of importing, and hopefully it will help future buyers weigh the considerations carefully before deciding to purchase overseas.
Who’s now wondering the op is the trainer??
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