# Barn Not Quite What We Expected (yes, this is a vent!)



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

Let me start by saying we are moving to a wonderful full service barn with two of the most amazing owners / trainers I have ever met this Friday!! OMG. I can't wait 

Here's the story. I'd like to know what boarders would think, and what I might be missing in the mind of my BO...

Before searching for a horse, my husband and I searched for a barn since we are brand new to the area and don't know anyone in the horse world over here. We found a barn that was super close to home and my office, offering either pasture board or stall board. The place isn't a pretty show barn with all the amenities, but it seemed functional, flexible, owner lives onsite, and would be really close to home. And affordable, since I'm in an area where the average monthly rate is $850 - $1000 plus tax, and most places require an additional minimum monthly spend.

So, the BO gave us the tour, answered our questions, the usual. Showed us her round bales for pasture boarding, showed us our grain options, talked about doing beet pulp if needed, smartpaks no problem, normal blanket changes no problem. So, I adopted Remi and moved him in. The next day, we realize that the bag of grain we brought from the rescue to transition him hadn't been opened. When we asked her, she said, "oh, if you want him to have grain, you're welcome to feed him when you're here or ask the other boarder to do it when she feeds her horses." Um, what??? Isn't that what I'm paying YOU for? He also hadn't been given any hay. When we asked about that, she said "its been too warm. I won't start putting round bales out until it gets cold. they have grass." Where we live, the grass goes dormant by October / November. It doesn't matter what the weather is. The pasture has NO grass! After several times back and forth with her, she agreed to have her guy that takes care of the horses feed him grain. However, we were welcome to throw him hay if we'd like (meaning she wasn't going to give him any). She got ****y with my husband, telling him "I have been doing this for 15 years, I think I know what I'm doing." Now, it was fully explained to her before we moved in that I was looking for a facility where I wouldn't have to worry about his care because I work full time and have a two year old at home. I made it clear that I could not get to the barn more than a few times a week. 

She also informed us when we put a sheet on Remi that we shouldn't be blanketing (I'm sorry, I didn't ask your opinion) and that we should be sure to watch the weather if it gets warm and we need to come back and take it off. So, I guess blanketing IS a problem. After the first few days, she put Remi in with another gelding. Yay, he can have a friend! Turns out the horse is an A**HOLE and none of the other boarders want their horse with him. He ran my horse into the corner the entire time and wouldn't let him near the water or gate. When I would try to bring Remi in, this douche ran circles around me and wouldn't let Remi near me. So, we asked BO to please move Remi out of there. He was starting to exhibit soundness problems, and I was concerned with the bullying, especially on the hills. She again insisted that the other horse was not bullying him and there was nothing wrong. (Turns out my guy has negative angles in his coffin bone, and being run on the hill DID aggravate it, but that's a story for another thread). She finally relented when my husband got on the phone and told her to move him NOW.

Now, over the past week, I noticed my guy seemed a little more ribby. I checked the bin where they stored the grain we brought with him and I see there is WAY too much in there for the amount of time he has been at the farm and amount he should've been eating. Needless to say, I am not happy. I have only seen her out at the barn twice in the almost month that I have been there. I don't understand why we were led to believe one thing, and then treated like we were being PITAs for asking why our horse wasn't being fed! Now it seems that they have stopped feeding him completely. I told the BO yesterday that since I am transitioning him to a new grain, I will handle all of his feedings (yay, I get to deal with my son in the mornings, take him to daycare, and get to the barn for breakfast while I'm dressed in a suit and have to be at the office by 8). 

This horse was a rescue. The last thing I wanted to do was through his whole routine off and turn his world upside down. Was I really being unreasonable expecting him to be fed as planned, and have hay as discussed?? He's pasture boarded, so there are no stalls to clean. What the hell else am I paying for??? My husband is so ****ed he wants to demand our money back. I told him good luck with that... Now I just feel horrible for brining Remi to his craphole where he's not being taken care of. Four more days...

I know I can be picky and overreact about little things when it comes to my horses, but this situation seems really insane.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Are you waiting 4 days because there's no room at the new place or for the month's board to be used up? If the latter, I'd move today. If the former, then I'd certainly be at the barn 2X/day to feed. Others will disagree, but if you haven't told her you're moving him, don't. Just come pick him up and say he's going to the vet or something and don't come back. Make sure you pack up everything before hand though. Some BOs are just absolutely, totally nutso and will do ugly things to horses that are moving, if they know before.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Did you sign a boarding agreement that outlines what, exactly, you're getting for your money?


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## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

The day we moved in we found out there is no boarding agreement for pasture board because she doesn't collect or pay the state tax that is supposed to be taken. We have not moved him yet because we already paid for December and have to pay prorate for the new place. I couldn't afford any more than starting this Friday, and I had to wait for payday. Last week's vet visit cost me $1300 for him, plus tomorrow night's farrier follow up is another $200 for bar shoes and pads. I am totally tapped out until payday. Believe me, I spent the whole weekend in tears with my husband feeling like crap because we couldn't get him out earlier.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Can you contact the rescue explain the situation and move him back there until you find a better barn? Poor guy sounds like he is not in the right place for him or you!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Zimpatico said:


> #1 The day we moved in we found out there is no boarding agreement for pasture board because she doesn't collect or pay the state tax that is supposed to be taken.
> 
> 
> #2 We have not moved him yet because we already paid for December and have to pay prorate for the new place. I couldn't afford any more than starting this Friday, and I had to wait for payday. Last week's vet visit cost me $1300 for him, plus tomorrow night's farrier follow up is another $200 for bar shoes and pads. I am totally tapped out until payday. Believe me, I spent the whole weekend in tears with my husband feeling like crap because we couldn't get him out earlier.


Ok, #1 was your first red flag that let you know the BO is a liar and basically, a thief. Next time you see something like this, load your horse back on the trailer and, if necessary, take him back to the rescue and pay for his keep there until you find a better situation. 

#2, I understand. You can only do what you can do with what you have. So, make sure you and/or your DH goes out to the barn every single day until you can accomplish the move, just to make sure your horse is being cared for and nothing ugly happens. 

You're in a bad situation, but it's not the worst I've ever heard of. So, do what you can with what you have for as long as it takes to get him out and don't look back. He won't, horses pretty much live in the moment and once he's in a better situation he'll be all over this one. So take a lesson from him and move forward when you can and don't waste energy or emotion on what has gone before.


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## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

Thanks guys. Yeah, we definitely had red flags, but I think I was trying to make the best of it. Since I've never pasture boarded before, I wasn't really sure what should be included and what shouldn't... I've always been at big show barns and I guess I kept telling myself that I was being a princess and expecting too much. I should've listened to my gut from the moment we got there.

In the mean time, my husband is helping with dropping my son off and picking him up as much as possible this week so that I can handle morning and after work feedings. I'll make **** sure he gets what he needs from now until we pack up and leave. I just don't understand what the hell people are thinking!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Zimpatico said:


> The day we moved in we found out there is no boarding agreement for pasture board because she doesn't collect or pay the state tax that is supposed to be taken.


I guess let this be red flag number one. Before you move a horse in, you should ALWAYS view the boarding contract first. The fact that there is _not_ a boarding contract doesn't give you a leg to stand on.



Zimpatico said:


> So, the BO gave us the tour, answered our questions, the usual. Showed us her round bales for pasture boarding, showed us our grain options, talked about doing beet pulp if needed, smartpaks no problem, normal blanket changes no problem.
> 
> So, I adopted Remi and moved him in. The next day, we realize that the bag of grain we brought from the rescue to transition him hadn't been opened. When we asked her, she said, "oh, if you want him to have grain, you're welcome to feed him when you're here or ask the other boarder to do it when she feeds her horses." Um, what??? Isn't that what I'm paying YOU for?


You said you asked questions. Did you ASK if you were responsible for feeding grain, or if they would do it?

If you didn't ask or didn't talk about it, I don't think the BO did anything wrong. 

But either way, here's where a boarding contract comes in handy because it spells out exactly who does what. 




Zimpatico said:


> He also hadn't been given any hay. When we asked about that, she said "its been too warm. I won't start putting round bales out until it gets cold. they have grass." Where we live, the grass goes dormant by October / November. It doesn't matter what the weather is. The pasture has NO grass!


This is simply a difference in opinions. Her way isn't wrong, but neither is yours. 

Where I used to board my horses (we are in North Dakota, btw), she wouldn't start feeding hay until January; unless we had a very bad spell of weather. The horses just stayed out to graze. I sometimes felt that wasn't enough, so then I would go out and feed my guys. No problem. 

Her way wasn't wrong; just didn't agree with what I thought.

You are going to have differences in opinions on this. 



Zimpatico said:


> After several times back and forth with her, she agreed to have her guy that takes care of the horses feed him grain. However, we were welcome to throw him hay if we'd like (meaning she wasn't going to give him any).


Honestly, this could be considered generous, if you have free access to whatever hay you want and she is not going to charge you anything extra for it.




Zimpatico said:


> She got ****y with my husband, telling him "I have been doing this for 15 years, I think I know what I'm doing." Now, it was fully explained to her before we moved in that I was looking for a facility where I wouldn't have to worry about his care because I work full time and have a two year old at home. I made it clear that I could not get to the barn more than a few times a week.


What exactly did you make clear?

Did you ask if "full board" included feeding hay and grain, and if hay was fed all year-round or just certain times?

Full board can mean different things to different people (and BO's!).

As far as what time of year to feed hay = her place, her rules.




Zimpatico said:


> She also informed us when we put a sheet on Remi that we shouldn't be blanketing (I'm sorry, I didn't ask your opinion) and that we should be sure to watch the weather if it gets warm and we need to come back and take it off. So, I guess blanketing IS a problem.


Did you ask if blanketing was included in the board?



Zimpatico said:


> After the first few days, she put Remi in with another gelding. Yay, he can have a friend! Turns out the horse is an A**HOLE and none of the other boarders want their horse with him.
> ....
> She again insisted that the other horse was not bullying him and there was nothing wrong.


This I would absolutely be concerned about. The BO should be sensitive toward which horses are bullying the others, and they should be separated accordingly. Especially when it sounds obvious as you describe it. 



Zimpatico said:


> Now, over the past week, I noticed my guy seemed a little more ribby. I checked the bin where they stored the grain we brought with him and I see there is WAY too much in there for the amount of time he has been at the farm and amount he should've been eating.


This I would be upset about, if she did indeed tell you that they would take care of feeding him grain. And she didn't intend to (or her helper) then she shouldn't have said they would do it.



Zimpatico said:


> What the hell else am I paying for??? My husband is so ****ed he wants to demand our money back. I told him good luck with that.


You are paying for your horse to live there. 

Same as you pay rent on an apartment. You are paying to occupy that space.

Overall, it really sounds like you and hubby did not have a clear picture of what exactly this boarding barn included and did not include. Didn't help you didn't have a boarding contract. I see mistakes on both your part and the BO's part.

I've only ever done pasture board. And I've always been responsible for everything myself (grain, blankets, etc). They did feed hay, but they feed hay when THEY thought it was necessary. (not me)


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

i understand the "not wasting hay" when there is grass, but the past month or so we've been putting the horses in a paddock at night to MAKE them eat hay as otherwise they spend all day and night overgrazing the pasture that has zero value left to it. 

That is with about 3-4 acres for 2 horses so not hard to get the pasture to come back in the spring but if I had a boarding facility i'd be getting them off of it sooner so they didn't damage the pasture.

but glad you learned, glad things are headed in the right direction


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I've always pasture boarded my horses. The first place that I was at was all business. I paid 350.a month for each horse, grain and hay included. They didn't give hay in the summer because there was a lot of grass but they got it when they needed it. The place that I'm at now I pay 125.00 for each horse and I provide my own food. The owner will feed my horses when I'm not there because she wants them to be fed all at once so no one frets over not getting food when everyone else is. I've been there three years now and I feed her horses for her when I'm there and she's working late or something. Not an agreement but something that has evolved over time. There are as many agreements as there are people. 
The point is, when you make one, you should stick to it. It wasn't fair that she told you all of these things that would happen and then almost nothing is given. I know that the cost of boarding varies in different places, but geeze, 850. to 1,000. is a lot of money to take every month without doing anything for it but a space.


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## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

A couple of things to clarify... She advertises herself as full board. I have never, in 22 years of owning and boarding horses, heard of full board not including the barn being responsible for feeding hay, grain, giving water and cleaning stalls That is what full board means. Otherwise it would be self-care. When you tell someone you are offering full board at x dollars, then I am not just paying for my horse to live on her property. I am paying for my horse to be taken care of. Regardless of differences of opinion, when my horse is running the gate, there's no grass to eat, and drops weight, he needs to be fed!!

I have spoken with some of the other borders over the past few days and apparently she has done this bait and switch with all of them. The borders who are here are upset about it but don't leave because the barn is in the right location at the right price range and they have the time to do it. So, they sort of just suck it up. A few did ask her about renegotiating their agreement to a self care deal. She refuses saying that doesn't work because she gets stuck taking care of people's horses. So she is still claiming to be full care, and charging for it, even though she's not actually providing any of the care. 

As for the bullying issue, I also found out that a week before my guy got there, another boarder pulled her gelding because this horse was bullying him the exact same way. So she is fully aware that this horse has a hard time getting along withe others. 

And on the boarding contract, we asked about viewing it when we toured and said said oh yeah I can print a copy. Then the day we arrived, expecting to have something to sign, there was no contract to be found. Yes, this was my bad for not seeing it before hand and still moving in. 

There's nothing I can do now except take care of him for the remaining days, move out and move on. I'm just ****ed at myself for being duped and ****ed at her for taking money from people under false pretenses.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Zimpatico said:


> I'm just ****ed at myself for being duped and ****ed at her for taking money from people under false pretenses.


Don't waste time and energy on being ****ed at your self or even her. Negativity feeds on itself and spills into other parts of your life. She is what she is and someone, someday will sort her out, that's just the way the world works. Take care of your horse and move to the new place and know that it won't be perfect (because perfect is a dream) but it will be a whole lot better than where you are.


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