The following details the Terms and Conditions (“T&C”) for Caballus Equine Ltd. Some aspects of the T&C may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation and clarification if required. These T&C shall apply to all matters that we handle on your behalf and to the exclusion of any other T&C. By allowing us to continue looking after your horse, you are deemed to accept these T&C. “Inform” means we will inform you in writing, by text or e-mail.

 

1. FEES:

Our fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the medicines, materials, and consumables used. A written estimate is available on request.

2. EMERGENCY SERVICE:

Caballus Equine Ltd. provides a 24 hour, seven day a week veterinary service for emergencies on the Isle of Wight only and makes no claim to offer or to be able to provide an out of hours service outside of the Isle of Wight. Our provision of services elsewhere shall be limited to dentistry and related procedures only and you are advised to arrange other veterinary cover for emergencies or other procedures if your horse/pony/donkey is based elsewhere in the country. If you have an emergency outside of working hours, please call us on 07403129075.

If in the unlikely event that you cannot get through on 07403129075, please try us on 07964451743.

3. NORMAL WORKING HOURS

Our normal working hours are 08.30 to 18.00 Monday through Friday. Outside of these times additional call out charges may apply unless by prior arrangement.

4. METHODS OF PAYMENT and SETTLEMENT TERMS:

All clients will be expected to pay in full at the time of treatment.

Interest will be charged at a rate of 2.5% per month on invoices that remain unpaid after 14 days of the date of the invoice (see 5. below) and a £30 administrative fee will be added to all payments that have been outstanding for more than 14 days.

Treatment on account will ONLY be available by prior arrangement where this is agreed with the Director in writing.

You may settle your account using: CASH, CREDIT/DEBIT CARD (MasterCard, Visa, Visa Electron or American Express) or BACS. Card payments must be made in the presence of the cardholder. Failure to pay the outstanding balance within 30 days of any treatment will result in referral to our debt collection agency and we reserve the right to pass your contact details to our appointed debt collection agency. Further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt. We may also inform other local veterinary practices, farriers and other relevant paraprofessionals of the reasons for referral of the debt to the debt collection agency.

5. ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS:

We will happily provide a written estimate (not a quotation) as to the probable cost of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate; often a horse’s illness will not follow a predictable or standard course.

6. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES:

If for any reason you are unable to settle your account as specified we ask that you discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that instalments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned with the express written permission of the Director. If you fail to make any payment due to us under this agreement by the due date for payment, then you shall, if you do not have the express permission of the Director to pay by instalments or part-payments, pay interest on the overdue amount at the rate of 2.5% per month. Such interest shall accrue on a monthly basis from the due date until actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You shall pay the interest together with the overdue amount. You are agreeing that the interest amount for failure to pay is fair given that it costs us significantly more time and money to administer and monitor an overdue debt payment than if you had paid on time.

7. TERMINATION OF SERVICE:

You may ask us to stop caring for your horse, pony or donkey at any time.

We may stop looking after your animals if you do not accept our advice; or fail to settle your account on time; or if we are prohibited by law from doing any further work on your matter; or if the relationship between you and us sadly breaks down; or if we no longer have the expertise. Under these circumstances we will serve notice in writing of imminent withdrawal of services. We will then invoice you for any work already done.

8. HORSE HEALTH INSURANCE:

Caballus Equine Ltd. strongly supports the principle of insuring your horse against unexpected illness or accidents, although we cannot give any recommendations regarding individual insurance companies. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your account in accordance with these terms and then reclaim the fees from your insurance company. Insurance companies will often assume that this has been done. We will only allow insurers to pay us directly by prior written agreement with the Director.

9. COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS:

We hope that you never have reason to complain about the standards of service received from Caballus Equine Ltd. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments in the first instance in writing to the Director.

10. OWNERSHIP OF RADIOGRAPHS AND SIMILAR RECORDS:

The care given to your horse may involve making some specific investigations; for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph, remains with Caballus Equine Ltd. Where possible, we undertake to provide you with copies of any such images but reserve the right to levy an additional charge for doing so in order to cover time and expenses. Sometimes this may not be technically possible.

11. NON-VARIATION:

No addition or variance of these T&C will bind Caballus Equine Ltd. unless specifically agreed in writing and signed by the Director. No agent or person employed by or under contract with Caballus Equine Ltd. has the authority to alter or vary these T&C in any way. The Director shall have authority to vary these T&C from time to time. By continuing to employ our services you are agreeing to any modification of these T&C.

12. DATA PROTECTION:

In holding and using data about you, we will comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation.

In instructing us to look after your horse, you authorise us to use that data in the course of the work that we do for you, and also to send you from time to time in the future, free of charge, details of the services that we provide. We will, where specifically required, pass on to Insurers, referral practices and farriers and other paraprofessionals details of clinical histories, case records and diagnostic images relating to your horse.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:

This condition applies to any claim:- by you; against us (including any successor business), any past, present or future directors of this firm, and/or any past present or future employees of this firm. Such claim shall be limited in amount to £5,000.00 for each and every claim, including claimants’ costs. All claims, whether made by one or more of the parties referred to above or by a third party, arising from the same act or omissions, shall be regarded as one claim.

For the avoidance of doubt, this limitation of liability shall apply to any claim for negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of trust, and any liability whatsoever.

14. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to providing the same high quality service to all our clients, regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

15. PASSPORTS:

All horses, ponies and donkeys MUST have passports, which should be available for the vet to check and passports should be signed by the owner to confirm that the animal is not going for human consumption.

If you do not have a passport, we can help you obtain one. Where a passport is not available the detailed record of medicinal products must be retained and, where so instructed by the attending veterinary surgeon, the animal must subsequently be signed out of the food chain. 

16. PRESCRIPTIONS:

Prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V (POM-Vs) from Caballus Equine Ltd. OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy. We can only prescribe POM-Vs for animals under our care. A prescription may not be appropriate where immediate treatment is necessary. Sometimes it becomes necessary to use medicines intended for a different species or different condition, or to use human medicines, due to the absence of an appropriate or effective licensed medicine for the species/condition being treated. In this case, the veterinary surgeon will endeavour to inform you of this and all such decisions will be made on a clinical basis only. You agree to the use of unlicensed or human medicines in accordance with the drugs Cascade where this is clinically appropriate unless you explicitly inform us to the contrary. Where you do not agree, you understand that this may deprive your horse/pony/donkey of the best (or only) treatment available for their condition and that we may be unable to continue offering our services to your animals.

We are only able to issue a prescription for an animal with a passport.

You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be dispensed for your animal. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The standard charge for an examination is available on request. 

17. REFERRALS AND SECOND OPINIONS:

Whilst we endeavour to provide the highest level of care for you and your horse, if you wish to request a referral to, or second opinion from, another veterinary surgeon or practice we will, with your permission, assist you in the process and forward on all clinical records promptly to that veterinary surgeon / practice.

18. PREVIOUS VETERINARY RECORDS

By agreeing to these T&C you give us permission to contact and seek veterinary clinical records from all previous veterinary practices that have treated your horses/ponies/donkeys.