# New to boarding and shocked!



## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

We are new to boarding and are saddened and shocked by this and are hopeful it is not the norm. At the facility where we board there is a barn worker who does all of the turn out, feeding, watering, stalls, etc. for 12-14 horses. He is an older foreigner who is now a U.S. citizen but does not speak very good English and is not well educated. This man loves horses (he says they are his children!) and takes very good care of them. Being older he is not a fast worker but he works very hard. He is kind and as honest as they come. Our horse really likes this man and, to us, that says a lot. 

Unfortunately he is required to work 7 days a week 365 days a year and to finish his work he is there about 9-10 hours a day. No matter what time we show up he is at the barn working. It has been made clear to him that they will give his job to someone else if he doesn't like it. He makes less then $40/day and if there is any missed "piles" in the paddock/pastures he will not receive full pay for that day. He rarely receives his full salary even with his job done well for the month. The poor man is obviously lonely but thinks he has no options and must work at this barn and is basically "stuck". 

My daughter and I enjoy barn work and like to do our part to keep the barn clean and tidy and we like to leave it clean as possible. Yesterday I asked if I could clean our horses stall and he almost said yes but was very nervous about it and then said he'd get in a lot of trouble if I did any work because that is HIS job. Apparently we are not even supposed to sweep the aisle! He proceeded to tell me about how much he appreciates our efforts and that most other boarders won't even pick up after their horse if they poop in the aisle. The attitude at this barn is boarders pay money and shouldn't have to do anything other than ride and groom their horse. This is not a really high priced barn - I'd say they are on the low end of mid-range but a lovely facility overall. 

I am appalled at how this man is treated. This is the man that takes good care of all the horses and should be valued. Anyone who treats another good, honest person like this should be ashamed of themselves. We thank him often and he clearly isn't used to that level of respect which is very sad.

I hope all of you reading this take some time to think about how you treat your barn help and what they do for your horse every day. These people are taking care of the horse you love and should be respected - regardless of their age and education. I'm sure that there are many dishonest and uncaring barn help out there, but I doubt that they last very long and any one barn. Next time you are at the barn thank them for what they do and give them a little help - their work is hard and I'm sure they would appreciate it!

On another note - even with the horrible treatment this man gets at his job he absolutely LOVES America. He votes in every election and is so happy to be living in this country. I'm thankful to be reminded for how fortunate I am to be living in the U.S..


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

Wow that is no good at all Is he paid under the table or how do they work it out?
he has rights and I am sure there has to be something to help.
If all the boarders feel he is doing well Maybe the boarders can to to the BO and talk to them about getting him a raise or something.
I manage a barn and it is Hard but rewarding work. I and my daughter do all feeding and cleaning.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I feel terrible for this man..He can come take care of my barn when I get it for atleast double what he makes there!

I'd ask all the boarders to get together or try to help him find a legality thing where he can find something better for himself.

I know at our barn, everyone helps out, all the time. I've had people pick up after my horse if I was out smoking a cigarette or be willing to make sure she doesn't go too far if there's no tie spots left and I leave her ground tied (she's about 85% on that still lol). I've helped the BO feed, turn-in/out, etc. 

Just because I pay for someone to do something, does NOT mean I can't help them out on a bad/stressful day, if I have extra time, if I'm feeling generous, etc. Everyone does favours for everyone-it's all returned.

I came to have a thing against anyone foreign after where I worked for about 6 months..But I have respect for those who come here legally and TRY, which is exactly how this man sounds.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Slip him some 20's
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

I'm pretty sure he works under the table. I'm assuming with his lack of education and age (in his 60's) he just took any work he could find. He also does not speak good English which is not in his favor. It is also my understanding that he agreed to a salary wage but has no recourse if the wage is not paid and that is being taken advantage of. He has no access to a computer or any knowledge of them so finding other work is very difficult for him.

Treatment of this man was the first red flag for us at this barn and there have been a few more with this place so we have decided to move our horse and are currently looking. We feel a bit like we are abandoning this man though!

Oddly, we are at the barn about 4 days a week and only have met two other boarders on one occasion each. My daughter liked one right away but the other was really rude and I have absolutely no doubt she thinks of herself "above" any hired help. We don't know either well enough to talk about any barn politics.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Good lord.....sounds like one of the jobs I had years ago....hope he gets a better position elsewhere.

I'm not trying to 'generalize' here, but after years of working in many different horse related disciplines I've found that quite a few employers will take advantage of their workers 'love for horses'. One of my first horse jobs required well over 60 hours a week of hard physical labor....my starting pay was $186 a week....boy was I naive.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

if he is also getting a place to live on the facility, that should be considered when valuing his pay.

you are sure he is legal? usually the help gets treated like doo-doo when they are illegals (and they are tons of them in the horse industry) and they cannot complain or they'll get turned in.

It really does stink when you see how many horse people will pay big buck for their horse to be kept in a fancy place, hire and pay a lot of money for a trainer, have the best of tack and so on, yet could care less about the staff that work right under their noses. 

I have always tried to get to know the workers at the barn a bit. Being able to speak Spanish makes that easier. They have names, families, histories and problems that would make me cringe to have to deal with. I always start a Christmas fund a couple of weeks before Christmas so that all the boarders can put in a year end tip. it's not much but it's something.

If you get to a new facility, you could always mention that you know of a really good worker. Maybe they would have a good job to offer that man.


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## newhorsemom (Jun 20, 2008)

He does not live on the facility and drives to work every day.

Honestly - I don't know for sure if he is a legit citizen. He talked about voting so I assumed as much but for all I know he could have meant how he would have voted if he could. I was under the impression that he did vote in the past few elections but don't know for certain. I do know that he is a good hearted man and takes very good care of the horses. We just appreciate our horse getting good care and we really value what he does - I just wish others did the same.


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## tigggr1570 (Sep 4, 2012)

newhorsemom said:


> I'm pretty sure he works under the table. I'm assuming with his lack of education and age (in his 60's) he just took any work he could find. He also does not speak good English which is not in his favor. It is also my understanding that he agreed to a salary wage but has no recourse if the wage is not paid and that is being taken advantage of. He has no access to a computer or any knowledge of them so finding other work is very difficult for him.
> 
> Treatment of this man was the first red flag for us at this barn and there have been a few more with this place so we have decided to move our horse and are currently looking. We feel a bit like we are abandoning this man though!
> 
> Oddly, we are at the barn about 4 days a week and only have met two other boarders on one occasion each. My daughter liked one right away but the other was really rude and I have absolutely no doubt she thinks of herself "above" any hired help. We don't know either well enough to talk about any barn politics.


when you find a new barn, tell the new bo about this man and if a position comes up, they may look at hiring him away from the other barn


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I would slip him some cash and clue him in on other positions if you hear of anything. Hopefully the way he is being treated is not the norm.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Unfortunately, how he is treated is the norm and maybe a little better than the norm. I've seen barn workers who were given a "place" to live as part of their salary. It was an old, falling apart camper shell with no running water or electricity, they had to use the bathrooms in the barn and cooked on a camp stove. 

I'd slip the guy as fat a tip as I could afford before I left, and I'd be trying to see if I could get him hooked up at another barn that might treat him a bit better. 

Be very careful though, dollars to donuts, he's not legal.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

If I were him, I'd beef up my resume (with job experience) and find a new job elsewhere.

Most libraries have a volunteer program and some work on teaching foreigners to speak better English. It's free..


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I agree he probably is not legal, which means he doesn't have a work visa or green card-far from citizenship. I have seen way too many barn workers treated like this over the years, and have made more than one BO aware that I will clean up after myself and my horse because 1) that is the way to do it and 2) I enjoy mucking, etc.....and they soon leave me to it. I am, after all the one paying the bills. I also. like you treat these workers just like I would treat another boarder....etc. Last I knew slaverly ended about 150 yrs ago. Someone who takes care of my horses and CARES about them is worth their weight in gold. Make sure he knows it, and I would not move. He will take great care of your horse.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If he is an illegal immigrant and the BO knows this then it's their call. If he is legal, then hopefully you have a labor relations board that looks into these cases. Every province in Canada does. Can you find out his home country? It's not to difficult to find some who speaks his language. It would have to be done on the sly so at to not jeopardize his job.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

Assuming the guy is here legally, is it legal to pay someone less than minimum wage and no time off? Even when you hire someone privately as opposed to as a company, is that even remotely legal to take such gross advantage of someone? However, this is actually a business, so no excuse, really.

It's really just very sad. Legal or not, he is a human being, and is being taken advantage of. It's not an attractive side of humanity.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Starting out cleaning stalls and turning out horses myself in the beginning of my horse career and still further on when I moved up the pay scale- I worked with quite a few people from Mexico. They spoke hardly any English and I knew very little Spanish. Most communication was done through hand signals. I had made friends with them, they would *try* to tell me about ranches, horses and their family in Mexico and I would *try* to tell them about mine. If they made something good for dinner they would bring me a plate to share and I would return the favor by buying some beer for them when I went to store or a jug of hooch.
But they _always_ appreciated kindness and the fact I treated them like a person and not a personal slave.
I agree, slip the man a few extra bucks and I promise he will be very grateful.


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## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

He very well could be legal and they are getting around it by paying him as a self employed contractor instead of an employee. If that is the only barn he works at they can get in serious trouble for that since he is working more than full time. The states want their taxes and they miss out on a lot when he is a contractor instead of an employee.

I would ask him point blank if he is a legal us citizen next time you see him. If he is there are many organizations out there that would help him. And also lawyers that would gladly go after any and all back pay he would be entitled to for his overtime and pay he should have gotten. 

If you really want to help him you can always pm me and I will get you information on people that can help, if he is a legal citizen. Even if he isn't though there are organizations out there to help.


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## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

At the facility I trained at, the stable hand was an older man from Cambodia. He was completely legal. He'd arrive at the barn before anyone else, and leave after everyone else.

We all had one day off a week on different days to overlap the work load. There were 3 trainers and one stable had and when the stable hand was off, we took care of the stable. We also did our part around the barn and helped clean stalls on rainy days when the horses stayed in and things like that.

He was treated like crap too and technically we weren't supposed to help him because he was the stable hand and we were trainers. 

If he was caught sitting down for a break he was yelled at. This one time I walked into the feed room and caught him sitting down...he looked panicked. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, I was just here for some electrolytes, and to keep resting. Everyone needs a break.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## outnabout (Jul 23, 2010)

Some of them are embarassed to take money. Maybe you could ask him to help you with something and then give him a huge tip.
These guys are worth their weight in gold. Better than the drunks and shady ex-cons we find too frequently around here.


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## dbarabians (May 21, 2011)

If the man is of hispanic origin contact the nearest chapter of LULAC.
Even if the man has no "papers" what they are doing is illegal. If he is a citizen he needs to call the local employment commission. Slavery ended in 1860's in this country. Sadly there are many that take advantage of the "help".
This man has rights what ever his status is. 
This is one of the reasons I volunteer to advise and counsel immigrants.
I have heard more cases of abuse like this than I care to remember.
Where did love and respect for our fellow man go? Shalom


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## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

That's, what, $4 an hour? And we thought it was bad that my sister was only being pair $14 an hour at a horse stud...

That poor guy is the sort of person that needs to be appreciated in the industry - who will do back-breaking work without complaint, which a lot of kids these days can't handle.

Personally, that guy must either be ridiculously kind-hearted, or the BO has something over him, whether it be his legal status, or perhaps he is desperate for money. I can't think of anyone who would put up with that sort of treatment unless they had no choice.

I'm glad you're changing barns though, OP. Is there any chance that you could drop hints that you're leaving because of how they treat the staff?


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

My bf works at a stable. He cleans the water, stalls and feeds. He has to Live on site (he gets free rent so not bad) he has no days off, and any vacation time he gets is un-payed. He gets $250 a week (80 a month goes for his horse being boarded there). But he only has to feed and clean (takes about 4 hours in the morning) then he is free to do what ever until evening feeding. He dose had to maintain the property, like drag the arena, fix the auto water, broken pipes etc. My bf has a good deal, but the man you are talking about is clearly being taken advantage of. And it ticks me off that people would do that


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

newhorsemom said:


> We are new to boarding and are saddened and shocked by this and are hopeful it is not the norm. At the facility where we board there is a barn worker who does all of the turn out, feeding, watering, stalls, etc. for 12-14 horses. He is an older foreigner who is now a U.S. citizen but does not speak very good English and is not well educated. This man loves horses (he says they are his children!) and takes very good care of them. Being older he is not a fast worker but he works very hard. He is kind and as honest as they come. Our horse really likes this man and, to us, that says a lot.
> 
> Unfortunately he is required to work 7 days a week 365 days a year and to finish his work he is there about 9-10 hours a day. No matter what time we show up he is at the barn working. It has been made clear to him that they will give his job to someone else if he doesn't like it. He makes less then $40/day and if there is any missed "piles" in the paddock/pastures he will not receive full pay for that day. He rarely receives his full salary even with his job done well for the month. The poor man is obviously lonely but thinks he has no options and must work at this barn and is basically "stuck".
> 
> ...


Bless you kindness and heart for putting someone forward like that. Is there another facility nearby where he could be referred and move? It makes me mad that someone would take so much advantage of this poor fellow. It breaks my heart to read your thread. Some people are just gross.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

go to the local labor board and turn in the barn owner and manager.. but the older man will probably lose his job. You could take an envelope put some cash into it and put a note in that says thank you


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## Samstead (Dec 13, 2011)

stevenson said:


> go to the local labor board and turn in the barn owner and manager.. but the older man will probably lose his job. You could take an envelope put some cash into it and put a note in that says thank you


plus if he's an illegal immigrant he'd probably be deported and who knows what life is like back home for him and what would happen to the horse. I'd slip him cash.


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

The man is being abused and is being taken advantage of very badly. I don't know about anyone else but I happen to LIKE cleaning stalls and if I see my horse's stall needs a little "room service" in the late afternoon I will not hesitate to do some cleaning. 

Our barn staff is terrific and I make sure I let them know how much I appreciate their care and attention. This has come back to me ten fold in that each time I lost a horse (two in 20 months due to age related illness or severe injury), I got a hug and kind words from them all. They always took that little extra time with my horses and the horses adored them. If I had a maintenance issue, something as simple as needing to hang a new bucket holder, the barn staff would always wave away my request for a screwdriver or drill and take care of it themselves or they would take care of other maintenance issues for me immediately while those that weren't so, hmm, friendly, they would make wait unless it was something critical.

Others at our barn are the same as a few of you indicated, they pay the staff to work and don't bother to even acknowledge their presence let alone actually speak to them. These are the same people who just about flat out refuse to clean up after themselves including even the basics of just keeping the front of their own stalls neat. The barn manager gets on people about that but people are still lazy. Barn etiquette has taken a serious nosedive the past decade or so and it is a sad thing.


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