# Not sure how much more I can take



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Honestly? Move. It just sounds like a situation that I would not want to be in between the mess, the other animals, and the constant stream of strangers (who are not horse folks) on the property handing your horse Lord knows what in the form of treats (not to mention the liability it places on you if somebody does something really stupid and gets hurt), it sounds like a crappily-run establishment where people are just not paying attention.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

If it were me, I wouldn't be boarding at no dam zoo!


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

It depends partially on price point. Are you getting a really good deal? If so, expecting your BO to put a bunch of time in extras is unrealistic 

If not, you need to have a talk. Write down your concerns and have a conversation. Maybe she just doesn't notice? It might not have even dawned on her that the things which concern you are an issue. At the very least, having a conversation will make sure that your BO won't be broadsided when you leave. Just be polite and respectful.

If your Bo is not willing to change and you can find somewhere better in your price range, move.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I'd move. Unless the petting zoo is set well away from the boarding barn with a separate entrance and the barn is well signed as off-limits to non-boarders, it's a huge liability. It's a situation like this that created the circumstances in the recent case in Connecticut that resulted in horses being classified as 'vicious animals.' Non-horsepeople don't know how to read a horse's mood or intentions and I wouldn't chance having them near my horse.


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## nrhagirl09 (Jul 27, 2015)

Move. Move. Oh, did I say move? 
I probably would've left the moment the communication was dead, but like Verona said... non-horse people have no idea how to act to horses moods and all the different signs of annoyance, discomfort, etc. I don't know much about your horse, but I can almost promise there is at least one horse in there that gets a little nippy when fed treats, is skiddish, isn't keen to new people, and so on. If a non-horse person wanders into the barn and feeds a horse a treat without permission and gets bitten, God knows what would happen. Heaven forbid that horse may even have an allergy to the ingredients! IMO, its just not save or worth the risk.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Funny, where I ride, there are goats and chickens, dogs. and we just finished three weeks of Pony Camp, with 20 kids running all over the place. it's awesome! so alive and so relaxed and happy place. love it.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

if you are not happy there move. 
Go speak face to face to the owner. 
Be polite. 
You may get told to move, so you should have an option open.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Monthly baseline vitals? I do a lot for my boarders but I would certainly draw the line there.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I've never had a place offer that either, but it's a part of the contract for her to provide the service.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

SEAmom said:


> I've never had a place offer that either, but it's a part of the contract for her to provide the service.





natisha said:


> Monthly baseline vitals? I do a lot for my boarders but I would certainly draw the line there.



If it's in the contract then it should be carried out, but wow that's thorough.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> Funny, where I ride, there are goats and chickens, dogs. and we just finished three weeks of Pony Camp, with 20 kids running all over the place. it's awesome! so alive and so relaxed and happy place. love it.


That's all good and well, except the pig destroys things. In fact, she broke into the feed room so many times that she broke the door. Now it's held shut with a lead rope and she still tries. She pees in front of the horse's stalls, poops everywhere. She used to be in the paddock with the donkeys until she figure out how to escape. She's also become territorial. The chickens poop on the hay, in the stalls, around the barn, but other than that and running around the arena they aren't much of a problem. There really isn't enough space for all the animals she has roaming around. The dog isn't allowed out to the barn when people are there because he's old and aggressive. If he's outside the house when someone drives by he'll chase the car barking. He already broke a leg running into a boarder's car as she was leaving. 

I don't mind the animals when they have their own space. I do mind that they are free to roam the property and have been destructive already. 

I also mind that she wants to start a petting zoo. There is nowhere to put it that it won't be in/next to/or VERY close to the horse barn. It's not a safe situation for the horses or the people. There are horses there with specific dietary restrictions. One is old and missing a few teeth. He can't eat anything that isn't soft. I can just imagine some stranger giving him a treat (even with the no treats sign on his stall) and him choking. All the boarders would have to start carrying their own liability insurance - and probably medical, too, for the horses.

I had a look into the future when she had her wedding there last fall. There were kids running around giving handful upon handful of treats to ALL the horses. One kid was trying to get my horse to eat treats off a little boys head. WTH?


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

BlueSpark said:


> It depends partially on price point. Are you getting a really good deal? If so, expecting your BO to put a bunch of time in extras is unrealistic
> 
> If not, you need to have a talk. Write down your concerns and have a conversation. Maybe she just doesn't notice? It might not have even dawned on her that the things which concern you are an issue. At the very least, having a conversation will make sure that your BO won't be broadsided when you leave. Just be polite and respectful.
> 
> ...


It's on the higher end for cost. When I moved there, I took a $75/mo hit increase on what I was paying. I liked it, though. The issue is where I live vs where there are places to board horses. The closest 25 min when there's no traffic. That 25 minutes will absolutely turn into an hour since it involves taking a major highway well known for bumper to bumper traffic from 3-7pm daily. Since I'd like to see him more than once weekly, going more than 30 minutes isn't reasonable for my daily schedule/home life.


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## EdmontonHorseGal (Jun 2, 2013)

you have a written boarding contract that stipulates the care for your horse (feed, deworming, etc) at this place? and you have proof those things aren't being attended to as per the contract? and your horse is receiving injuries and you are not being notified?

MOVE. NOW.

everything else is stuff that could potentially make for a very unsafe barn in my mind (the loose animals, horses being fed treats by who knows who, the 'staff' not noticing injuries unless really serious, etc).

i understand your frustration on convenience/travel. i board at a place that isn't exactly the safest as far as the facility (old fences that need repair but still hold the horses in, barb wire, garbage pile in an area where horses graze loose, etc). my barn is 40 blocks from home and there isn't anything else in the same price range that isn't triple (or more) the distance away. i don't drive, so i'm kinda stuck there for now. but the horses are cared for well enough and the manager will call me with any issues in my mare, including tiny leg scrapes that you couldn't even see if you weren't right next to her.


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## Regula (Jan 23, 2012)

That's a lot of animals in a very small space. 
14 horses on 17 acres (not all of which is pasture I assume) is already a stretch. I personally would only find that acceptable if she were really meticulous about picking up poop from the fields for worm and fly control. Plus all the other animals, plus strangers coming and going (and feeding your horse)... No, thanks.

I looked at a place once that had a free-roaming pig and they had the exact same issues you describe. The pig broke into the feed room, pooped and peed everywhere, destroyed the field it was in...

Having so many animals in such a small space miiight work if the owner is really well organized and works hard at keeping everything clean, but it doesn't sound like that is happening at all.

I am usually pretty easy going, I don't mind when other boarders bring their dogs etc, but in that case I would find another barn too. If it were me, I'd rather drive longer and have better care.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

SEAmom said:


> That's all good and well, except the pig destroys things. In fact, she broke into the feed room so many times that she broke the door. Now it's held shut with a lead rope and she still tries. She pees in front of the horse's stalls, poops everywhere. She used to be in the paddock with the donkeys until she figure out how to escape. She's also become territorial. The chickens poop on the hay, in the stalls, around the barn, but other than that and running around the arena they aren't much of a problem. There really isn't enough space for all the animals she has roaming around. The dog isn't allowed out to the barn when people are there because he's old and aggressive. If he's outside the house when someone drives by he'll chase the car barking. He already broke a leg running into a boarder's car as she was leaving.
> 
> I don't mind the animals when they have their own space. I do mind that they are free to roam the property and have been destructive already.
> 
> ...


As much as you have loved it there and enjoy the convenience of the short distance, it seems as if the above are signs that your time there is coming to an end. Change is always hard as we struggle against the inconvenience, finally get used to the idea, look around for options, and settle into new situations and relationships.

I have found that Change, while unsettling, is often for the best . . . so I would start exploring and networking and finding options for boarding somewhere else. Who knows? Maybe your best horse friend in the world will be at the next place you and your horse move.

A farmer's wife in Vermont said to me one day, "Holly, I've come to see that Life is just a series of adjustments."


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Move. I keep MY chickens enclosed. If I let them free range, they would flutter to my loft and crap all over my hay! =/
I have never had a bird drop dead from the heat in the last 8 years. They do suffer if you don't offer them water, and I'll bet she thinks that they can forage for food and water, which doesn't happen. The ONLY free range animals I have (besides horses inside their fences) are my two dogs, and they sleep in the house at night. A pig roaming the property?!?!?!? SOMEbody is gonna get hurt from that.
What a mess!!


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Corporal said:


> Move. I keep MY chickens enclosed. If I let them free range, they would flutter to my loft and crap all over my hay! =/
> I have never had a bird drop dead from the heat in the last 8 years. They do suffer if you don't offer them water, and I'll bet she thinks that they can forage for food and water, which doesn't happen. The ONLY free range animals I have (besides horses inside their fences) are my two dogs, and they sleep in the house at night. A pig roaming the property?!?!?!? SOMEbody is gonna get hurt from that.
> What a mess!!


The chickens were in an enclosure for 2-3 weeks, but I guess one or more of them kept finding a way to empty all the water. Not really sure about the details, but that's what the BO told me about it. At least the goats are in an enclosure. Guess they had gotten an illness from the "older" goat (the other 2 are 14ish weeks old) and all three had to be vaccinated. 

I've been looking around and found a place that could be promising. Just waiting to find out if they will allow me to continue using my trainer (not being able to keep her is a deal breaker and I'm stuck without a trailer to take my horse to her place) and making sure the significant increase in boarding cost is something we can do and maintain our current financial situation. I'll be going out there tomorrow evening to look at the place and speak to the owners. The husband will be giving a lesson, so I'll have an opportunity to see his methods.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

I guess you have to weigh your options. No place is perfect. I generally love my barn- sure there are issues, but never enough to make me move. Its easy for people responding to your post to say "MOVE. NOW!" but its up to you whether it is worth the chance the 'new' place could have other 'issues'. I would talk to the BO about things as far as the Petting Zoo- she may have no idea it is a problem.
AND... on the bright side, you will have a horse who does not spook at pigs, chickens.....


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you have a copy of the contract, it's time to have a heart to heart with the BO. Chicken dust isn't compatible with the equine respiratory system. Plus horses shouldn't be expected to eat manured hay. Perhaps ask her about her liability to the boarders if the pig gets into the tack room or if someone should slip and get hurt. You are more aware of possibilities than I, just make it good.


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