As explained in the site Terms of Use which are accepted when you enter the NFED, the advertiser is entirely responsible for the advert, ensuring that it is legal & accurately describes the animal or items. We are not able to judge if the description is correct or any complaints received are legitimate. 

The NFED acts as a point of contact only. Any arrangements, payments or contracts between buyer and vendor are the sole responsibility of the parties concerned. We cannot provide or share personal information, so please ensure that any important information, contracts or records are kept securely.

In the event of a dispute between users, we cannot act as referee. We would advise you to contact your local trading standards office or similar official body for advice, we may then be guided by their findings.

Approval of an advert, only confirms that the rules and guideline requirements have been met; it is not endorsing the information, advertiser or advert any way whatsoever. 

Taking the above into account if you still wish to submit a report, Click Here.

If necessary, the advertiser will be advised that we have received a complaint & reminded of their legal responsibilities, but the complainant’s details will remain confidential. The advertiser can then remove or modify the advert if they believe it is incorrect. 

Should any future investigations arise, all correspondence may be passed on to the official investigating official authority for possible use as evidence. If the complaint is upheld, the advertiser may be liable for any refunds or damages for losses caused.

Horses can be unpredictable at the best of times but even more so when trying out an unknown horse for the first time or moving a horse to a new home. Making any changes to the horse’s routine; moving yards, change of rider, tack or feed may result in huge changes to the behavior of the horse & this should be taken into consideration.

Dealers: Buying from a reputable horse dealer can offer protection. If you have a problem, you must first talk to the dealer as you would be covered under The Sale of Goods Act. If the dealer does not satisfactorily resolve your complaint or you feel the horse has been falsely advertised, you should then contact Trading Standards. Trading Standards have the resources & power to investigate properly & fairly considering all the facts from both parties, then take action, close down or prosecute when necessary. 

Welfare Issues:Welfare issues should be reported to official bodies who have the power to investigate individual cases properly, then take action & prosecute if necessary. This is the only way to prevent reoccurrence.
www.worldhorsewelfare.org/
www.rspca.org.uk/

Livery Yards: If you are considering moving to a new yard, we can only advise you to thoroughly check all facilities, talk to existing liveries to get a fair picture & then use your own judgement as to whether the yard is right for you. A livery agreement explaining exactly what is expected from both parties is highly recommended & can save a lot of problems. Livery agreements or contracts are readily available online from reputable sources including the BHS. As in all walks of life, there are good & bad yard owners & liveries alike. If either has an issue, it is far better to discuss problems privately together whilst referring to your livery agreement.

Occasionally we receive an advert that may cause problems, disagreements or goes against popular opinion, but still follows guidelines & is not breaking any UK laws. The pros & cons of accepting the advert must be looked in to very carefully. If it is deliberate cruelty, the advertiser is unlikely to advertise the fact, so it is far more likely due to ignorance or possibly necessity. In most cases the damage has already been done, so it is better/kinder to accept the advert knowing that it may cause problems. The advertiser will undoubtedly receive advice from concerned readers, which will hopefully prevent a reoccurrence, but with luck the animal will quickly find a new home & be given a second chance. Should it turn out to be deliberate cruelty, we do have all the advertiser details which may be passed on to official investigating authorities if required.

The alternative would be to not accept the advert or remove the offending words/photos. This would certainly be the easier option for us but turning a blind eye would not prevent it happening again or help the animal in any way. Rest assured, that by accepting an advert, we are not condoning abuse or cruelty in any way.