They killed the wrong horse
A woman whose breeding horse was accidentally euthanised while on lease has been left with a payout but few answers.
Michelle Lines leased her mare to a breeding company on a recommendation from a friend, but a year later the company got in touch to say Sav the mare was wrongly euthanised by another party.
The Disputes Tribunal found the company Lines originally leased the horse to wasn’t responsible for its death, but she wants others to be aware of the risks associated with leasing horses for surrogate breeding.
Lines, 34, had a close connection with Sav. Her grandfather gifted Sav’s mother to her when she was 17.
‘‘He said, she’s yours when it’s finished racing,’’ Lines said from her Cambridge home. ‘‘Everyone always referred to her as my horse. She was given to me to start my breeding programme.’’
Sav was born in 2011. Since then, she’s been Lines’ best friend.
‘‘I was always going to have Sav, I was going to keep her for life. She was ridiculously special to me, especially with the connection to my grandad.’’
Lines took Sav to EquiBreed NZ, a Waikato company specialising in reproduction, in 2014. From there, EquiBreed NZ leased Sav to Kiwi Prestige Polo (KPP) and under the company’s care she gave birth to a foal.
‘‘I heard the company [EquiBreed NZ] was really good through a friend and thought I would do a nice thing, rather than have her just sitting in a paddock.’’
Lines said all her communication was through EquiBreed NZ and in February 2015, she touched base to get an update on Sav. She was told Sav would be back in August, so Lines began preparing for her to come home. At the start of August, she received some distressing news from Lee Morris at EquiBreed NZ.
‘‘She said, your mare has been accidentally euthanised,’’ Lines said. ‘‘She said she didn’t know how, but they were meant to put another mare to sleep and they put yours to sleep. After that she had no details, she couldn’t give me anything.’’
Lines took the case to the Disputes Tribunal this year where she received a payout of $1000 from KPP. She said the money means nothing compared to the emotional damage she’s suffered due to the loss of her horse.
‘‘I broke down. I was pretty upset. She was my baby, you know. I bred her, she was my world. I tried to build myself up, have my business with breeding and now that’s all gone now. I’ve got nothing – I don’t have anything.’’
Her claim against EquiBreed
‘‘I broke down. I was pretty upset. She was my baby, you know. I bred her, she was my world.’’
Michelle Lines
was dismissed, with the Disputes Tribunal ruling the primary responsibility of the care of Sav was passed on to KPP.
It said without EquiBreed NZ being at KPP’s property to continuously observe Sav, it was not realistic to expect EquiBreed NZ to ensure the condition and safety of Sav at all times.
Once Sav was in the possession of KPP, it was their responsibility to make sure she properly cared for, the tribunal ruled.
‘‘I can’t get my head around how it’s even possible [that Sav was killed],’’ Lines said. ‘‘EquiBreed NZ were who all my dealings were with.
‘‘I don’t know how she died, whether she was shot or injected. I don’t know anything.’’
Lee Morris from EquiBreed NZ responded to questions via email and referred to the Disputes Tribunal report saying EquiBreed NZ did not cause the loss of the mare by failing to take sufficient care and the claim against the company was dismissed.
Representative for KPP, Ross Ainsley, said what happened was deeply upsetting for all involved.
In a written response he said the matter was properly dealt with through the tribunal and a compensatory sum was paid. ‘‘The matter is now behind us and all parties have moved on,’’ he said. ‘‘To be honest, I can see no purpose in revisiting the story at this stage.’’