# Take Advantage of your boarding....



## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

If you board your horse at a full care facility, or even self care where your horse is still handled and turned out by hired help,take a moment to talk with them about your horses behavoir. Many wont have to ask,I myself let boarders know how their horses are for me (in the nicest way possible if its not flattering lol).
I know how my horse behaves for me,and I know it isnt the same as he behaves for others (watching my fiance try to show him in halter was a GREAT example :rofl and its always nice to have the extra insight.
Its also shows us handelers that you CARE if your horse gives us a hard time and we certainly appreciate when you actualy work on those issues. Your horse will be all around better for it and a good handler will always reinforce the the basic principles that you set for your horse


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## Yoshi (Feb 6, 2011)

This is a good post! 
Some boarders do take others for granted, that's for sure.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

When I first moved Hunter to my barn the BO was hesitant to have him because he was only 2 and our barn is full of seniors. When they started turning them out last spring Hunter was a bit of a brat and I was constantly worried that he would get us evicted. I made sure I had communication with BO and she is the only one who handles him (except her dad on Saturdays and Hunter doesn't like him). I am always asking her if he has been behaving. He is now 3 and starting to mature - behaves a lot better. No biting etc. We shall see when they start turning them out again.


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## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

Deffinatly good when you have a young horse in training  Salem is just coming up on 3 and its given me a great advantage being able to turn him out myself,be the one dropping his grain,so I was able to keep all my "rules" in place.I try to give every horse boundries and guidelines and have seen a noticible difference in some just with the right handeling.Its good that you were aware to begin with and making sure that your horse wasnt being a problem


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I forgot to add my name and number to the contact list up in our barn (I've only been there since December) or I would have probably been called about my mare's behaviour lately. Haha. One lady brings in the outside horses at night on the weekends (I do chores in the morning and take them out). My mare's pasture friends were moved and sold last week, so she's all by herself. She's fine by herself, but if you bring out other horses, then take them away again, she goes nuts and runs and snorts around, calling to them. 

The lady wasn't expecting it (Not that I was when I first saw it on Saturday either) and was freaking out because she thought Abby might jump a low part of the fence. She called our BO and asked what to do. Her pen has a gate in the middle so it can become two. She was put off to one side so she couldn't jump the low spot. My BO called the next morning and told me so I wouldn't be like "Erm..why is she stuck on this side?" 

Since I do chores on the weekend, I've been asked by another lady about the condition of her horses' stalls, as in if they have eaten all of their hay and such. 

I went home one weekend and my BO called me to tell me Abby was getting a cold and to call the vet to get a script for some meds I can't remember the name of to give her. 

Communication like that is really nice.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

This is only tangentially relevant to the thread, but around here most of the barn help are Mexicans or other Latin Americans, most of them probably illegal immigrants. They work hard for not much money and have few options if they are not treated well by management. Many of them are seperated from their families for months or years and are just plain lonely.
Remeber to say hi, practice your Spanish, learn their names and remember them at Christmas.
They are people, and they will repay you well if they know who you are.


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## Luvs2jump (Oct 11, 2010)

That's one thing I love about my barn, if my horse gives any one including the barn owner a hard time, I am told about it. I'm just grateful that he's lazy to everyone on the ground and is real careful when there are little kids around.


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## Opus (Jan 3, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> This is only tangentially relevant to the thread, but around here most of the barn help are Mexicans or other Latin Americans, most of them probably illegal immigrants.


I read this first sentence and thought 'Oh, crap. Where's this going?'  Good to see it went in the opposite direction. 

I completely agree with your post! While we don't have a ton of migrant workers down here (Ga.) that deal with horses, there's still plenty out and about, coming by with a load of hay, at the local ag place, etc. I'm friendly with everyone anyway, but I always like to make an extra effort with them.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

I don't have to ask... If I see anyone at my barn (who handles/interacts with my horse, or even watches her be handled) they will *Tell* me how my horse is behaving. She is usually very good for people - except that she won't let anyone catch her if she's out in her field, and she's a witch at feeding time. Kicking and pawing and yelling "hurry up!!" (unless I'm there at feeding time, then she behaves... because she knows better!)


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## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

Reiterin said:


> I don't have to ask... If I see anyone at my barn (who handles/interacts with my horse, or even watches her be handled) they will *Tell* me how my horse is behaving. She is usually very good for people - except that she won't let anyone catch her if she's out in her field, and she's a witch at feeding time. Kicking and pawing and yelling "hurry up!!" (unless I'm there at feeding time, then she behaves... because she knows better!)


 Lol yup,they sure know when its ok to be an ***! Salem knows he isnt supposed to put his nose near the feeder when Im pouring his grain and hes very good about that-or so I thought until I saw another girl feed him one morning and he had his whole head in the feeder before she even had the baggie through the feeder hole!


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## NoHorse (Feb 18, 2011)

Only one of the four horses I do stalls for asks how her horse has been, and only occasionally, at that. I am pretty honest with her (her horse is huge brat; I'll exhaust all my options before I muck the stall with him IN it) and she does seem to appreciate it. 
She asked me one time and after I told her, she said she was asking because she had found out her husband, who had been feeding her horse while she was gone for a week, had been giving him a QUART of concentrates A DAY. So, yeah, he was a little hyperactive and had bucked her off twice that day.


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## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

We have 37 horses at my barn.I do feeding, water, turnout, stalls along with the owner and whoevers worken that day. Most of the horses are well behaved, but there are some........and I think what gets me the most is when I tell someone their horse has been rearing up on us,running into us,pinning and bitting at us and they just laugh.:shock: Seriously? You dont see a problem with that?!?!?!?


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