# Do you want to see your BO or BM?



## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

I'm curious... When you go to the barn, do you like to see your barn owner or barn manager there?

I feed in the evenings so I'm there when most people have already left and don't see many boarders. I also like to try and ride when no one is there so I can get stuff done.. Everyone is always asking me their opinions or to ride their horse for them which I do love to do but when I ride as little as I do these days it takes away time from my own horses.

No one has said anything but I get the feeling that they may think I'm not there enough.. Does that make sense?





FYI I hate those acronyms...Anyone have another suggestion? Instead of barn owner I think body odor and barn manager as bowel movement! I don't want to be thought of as any of those!!!


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

I prefer there to be no one there when I go to the barn. I like to be alone during my horsey zen time. Plus I am not to fond of my Barn Manager. Some of the boarders I don't mind seeing, and I like all the minimum wage type people at my barn. But all in all, I'd rather be by myself.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I like to be able to see them once or twice a week. I wouldn't particularly like seeing them everyday since I'm kind of a loner type, but questions do come up and I hate talking on the phone so it's nice when I see them regularly. At the last place Lacey lived at, I never saw the BO, I had to literally go into her house and find her if I wanted to talk to her at all. She never answered her phone either, or called me back which made things even harder. That was seriously excessive in the direction of not seeing her. 
At the place I am now, I see the guy who owns the land pretty much once a week or more. Often I just see him and wave and call out "Hi!" and that's the extent of our conversation, but it's nice to know that he's around if I did need to talk about an issue or something. I'm also the only person using his land (I hesitate to say boarding since I'm not paying anything, I just take care of his llamas and fill his bird feeders when he goes to Arizona for a month every month or so) so he's not afraid of getting roped into a long conversation.

Yknow, with your boarders now, it might be that they talk so much when they see you becuase they don't feel they see you enough. Kind of like a dog that misses it's BFF? Horrible comparison, but yknow. Perhaps if they saw that you were around more they'd start leaving you alone more once they realize they can rely on the fact that you will be around if they do discover they have a question. I know that would happen to me with my previous BO who was never around. When I saw her I had so many questions and stories bottled up inside that we'd end up talking for an hour or more just to get all my questions answered.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

It depends on my relationship with the BO. 

At my last barn I was at I dreaded seeing her. I liked to just have the arena to myself and zen. 

Where I ride at now though, I love to see her.


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

I don't mind seeing the land owners. I do business with the wife. Occasionally I see the husband around taking care of stuff and we'll say hi or wave, but no real conversation. And their two boys (like 6 and 8 years old I think) I see some mornings or late afternoons. They are always excited to see me and will run over to me. Generally they are okay, but the don't stop talking even when you ask them to unless you use your "starting to get irritated" voice, but will stay outside the fence if you tell them that they'll get run over while lunging.  
The wife(whom I would consider the BO), I see her around if I come out at certain times, but for the most part, I am all alone out there. Their house and stuff is at the front of the property and the horses are at the back. The property is about 10 acres, so it's like I'm by myself, which I like, as I am a very solitary person. 
The BO works from home, so I know that she is always available if I need her(like when I lost Thelma for a half hour.... :blush: ) even if I don't see her regularly.
It helps that there is even a separate driveway that goes to the barn too, so I don't have to park up at the house either.


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

I like to see the BO around. She is a very nice lady and I like her a lot. But more than anything, the more I see her around, the more comfortable I feel about having my horse there on her property.

I know without a doubt that she is there should anything happen and I know that she will be there everyday, no matter what.

I wouldnt want to board at a place where I never saw the BO. It would make me wonder about the security of the place and if she ever showed up.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I think the answers so far make it pretty clear that the answer depends totally on the situation and the people.

I boarded one place where I was happiest if I snuck in and and out and never had to see the barn owner. That barn owner was intrusive and annoying and just preferred to not have to discuss any aspect of life with her. Her husband was nice, I was perfectly content if he was out there.

Last place I boarded the owner is someone who has become a good friend. I was always happy to see her.

When I was boarding at my trainer's it was nice to see him several times per week in case I had a question that needed resolving.

Now days that everyone can text everyone else I am guessing it is not as important to actually see your barn manager as you can text them any thing you need them to know.



starlinestables said:


> FYI I hate those acronyms...Anyone have another suggestion? Instead of barn owner I think body odor and barn manager as bowel movement! I don't want to be thought of as any of those!!!


Glad I am not the only one who has to think about those two acronyms when I see them.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I see the barn owner a few times a week unless he's out on a long haul. Sometimes we wave and others, we speak if he's out and neither one of us are busy. They are VERY nice people. The only thing I hate about him is that he finds it very amusing to sneak down there when I'm having my zen time and scare the crap out of me. But hearing him laugh after I jump out of my skin and scream is kind of funny.

As far as the acronyms...I guess I'm a little...to a whole lot...on the s-l-o-w side. I never even thought of associating either one of them with stinky pits or poo...LOL


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## Sketter (Aug 26, 2009)

I like having my Bo around at the barn i'm at now, hes really nice and always has some advice or somthing interesting to tell me. He also likes to hang out while everyone rides and gives out advice too.. now I know some people may not like that but i'm always open for suggestions. He was a reiner at one time but has also taught english too so some of the different techniqies he knows I find interesting and just helps me expand my knowlage of the horse and rididng


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

I like to see the BO/BM around and doing things but I would never bother them if they were working on something. I do feel that people need to relearn courtesy. If your BO is working on fixing fences or cleaning stalls, its not a great time to strike up a conversation unless you want to grab a pitchfork. 

I like to keep people in their own categories. BO's have their place. In some circumstances, they are the BO and the BM at the same time. Unless they open the door, they are *not* a trainer. They take care of your horse, the end. 

Barn work is very hard work. Its harder if you keep getting derailed by someone wanting to know how Pookies working trot looks. If the BO is just standing around, hanging out...by all means...fire away! If not, I don't think its right to bother someone for free advice.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I guess I'm lucky. They pretty much stay out of the barn unless, on rare occasion, they decide to go down and give thier mini-donkeys a treat. There have been a couple of occasions that I have had to ask them to feed for me, but those are few and far between. But as far as cleaning the stalls, working on fences (I've spent at least $500 this year on fencing), and cutting and moving trees that have fallen in the corrals, that is all mine. I even have to cut the grass behind the barn in order to get to the stink pile. But, on the positive side, he calls me the (B)owel (M)ovement. Now I'm wondering if he calls me that because I'm a pain in his...? Oh well, even he has told me that if I leave that he's going to have to get rid of his minis because there's no way they could take care of them every day. His wife is afraid she might break one of her fake nails.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I love the breaking the fake nails. Classic. I like seeing my BO/BM out at the barn, its nice to just say hi, keep her updated on my lack of job status lol, and she's a very nice person. I agree that it depends on the person. At the place before last, I was supposed to be the BM, though the BO really didn't know how to just let me do what needed to be done, and he was half the problem, but different story, and I always tried to make sure that he wasn't around when I left my "trailer" to go see my horse, because I can guarantee you he would find something I needed to do, even though I was "off" that day or whatever, and he was a bit of a pain. The current place I'm at, most of the boarders pitch in, help clean stalls and feed, and since its a small facility, we all get along when we are all out there, and its nice to see people though I do like being out there by myself sometimes, so I can get done what I want to get done without having to worry about other people being around, and using the arena, or the round pen or whatever.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I board with my trainer. Since she's my trainer, I see her quite a bit for lessons and so forth, so I don't need her hanging around or making an effort to walk down there just because I came by. 

As my trainer when my horse went berserk yesterday, she dropped everything and spent an hour or more with us. I wouldn't expect that service from anyone else though and she obviously will bill me for that time. 

As long as I had some means of timely communication (phone, e-mail, etc...) with the person taking care of my horse, I would be happy. As long as my horse is receiving what I am paying for, I don't need to actually *see* the person who either does it or oversees the folks that do.


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## Ne0n Zero (Dec 25, 2008)

First barn I was at, I hated seeing the BO. She was a drama queen in her own way, and my friend and I liked to ride just the two of us. We were always on eggshells around her because she was good at finding something new she thought we did wrong and blaming it on us.
Her house was right on the property but most of the time she'd hide inside with her TV or go to the store or something. 

The last three barns I've been at after that one I love/d seeing the BO's. 

The first one was there almost 24/7 as her trailer she lived in was right on the property and she'd always be out feeding or riding or giving lessons or that sort of thing. She was always very nice, and took fantastic care of the horses. She'd only really give advice when asked (if you weren't in a lesson, of course), but it was nice to see her all the time (could see most of the property from her house) because I knew if anything was to happen to one of the horses she'd know and take care of it right away, and she did on a few of those freak accident occasions.

The one after that, the BO was so hysterically funny, there was always something interesting to talk about with her. She loved seeing us come out and ride our horses and sometimes she'd ride with us or go on nighttime trail rides with us all over the property. She was there all the time too, but it never bothered me. She also was one to not give advice unless asked, but she would always compliment my horse or riding whenever she felt like it xD

The one I'm at now I've only been there a few days, but she's such a nice lady. Her house is also right on the property. She lives there with her husband and I think three kids? She has her rules such as don't use her or anyone else's horse without permission (or at all? idk) or anyone else's stuff, but we're allowed to use anything out of her horse first aid shelf if we need it. All we need to do is tell her what and how much we used so she can restock. 
She basically tells us to treat the place as our own, but obviously use common sense and don't do anything stupid. 
So I don't mind seeing her around either, they're always fun to talk to.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

I've always had good relationships with my barn managers - I've had several since I became an adult. As such, I always enjoyed having them around.
One thing has been in common for all - when they were at the barn, they were busy. They were never just hanging around, causing drama, getting into my alone time with my horse, or anything else. They were just there getting things done. If I wanted to chat with them, I'd pick up a pitchfork, throw some grain during feeding time, or whatever else was going on. If I wanted to be alone, I could easily do that. If I had a question, they were happy to answer, unless they were with another client (in which case I'd keep my distance so they'd have their privacy).

However, generally my barn managers have not also been my trainers. Only twice was I in the situation where my barn manager and trainer were the same person, and I have to say, as much as I loved them, I always felt I had to be at my absolute best riding - even if I wasn't taking a lesson - as I felt judged. I know they didn't intend it, but I couldn't let myself just relax and enjoy a lazy ride.
Now my barn manager isn't even a trainer at all. My trainer comes in only for my lessons, and the rest of the time I'm free to ride how I want - working hard to practice, or just being lazy. My barn manager is generally around from about 5am until 4pm, but he stays out of everyone's way. He's there if we need him, happy to take a break and chat once in a while, but doing his own thing the rest of the time.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

Back at my old barn, I would rather not see the BO at all. Ever. She was so impossible to deal with. And there was no manager or any other staff. It was just me and the other boarders, one of them being my huntseat coach, which was cool. Us boarders just kind of did our own thing.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

I think it gets in my way when I see the barn owners. They come out and want to chat and I just want to ride my horse and my horse wants to go over to the gate to say "hi" .... ugh - I don't see my barn owners very often though since my schedule is a bit different than the normal persons. So it's not all that bad.


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## phoenix heartbeat (Feb 9, 2011)

I like to see the owners of the place we board two of our horses at. They are great people and are very nice and understanding ppl. The manager on the other hand I really dont care for...Shes hardly EVER there except maybe 3 days a week for lessons and shes the head trainer but I have yet to actually see her riding when im there which is mon-fri. 6 am to noon! shes nice and knowledgeable and all but still...

Me on the other hand. I'm always around. Our clients who live here that have their horses in training are always around. I encourage them to spend as much time as they want to with their horses. I also tend to give them their privacy to when they are working with their horses. As I know I dont like a BO or BM hovering when im trying to work.


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## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

I'm acctualy very irritated at the moment because I never see the BM. He is so had to get ahold off. If your not trying to give him money he doesn't want any thing to go with you. I like having him there so I can pester him to get the thing he said he would do when I moved there DONE!!!! I asked for 2 eyelets in my stall to hang water buckets from and I still don't have them! I have to leave the buckets on the floor. There always dirty. It's a concret barn so I can't do it my self. 

So yes I like to see the BO/BM!


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I don't board, but I do work at a barn, and it seems like people prefer to see the BO rather than the BM because the BO is a lot more knowledgeable about horses, plus she owns most of the lesson horses (actually...she owns 20+ of the horses I think). Plus, she's such an awesome person and will drop everything to help a worker or a boarder. She's awesome.  I love working for her.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I love my BO and MB.  The BO scares of a little sometimes, but she doesn't mean to. She's just intimidating. But I do like her. She's very, very nice to me. She lets me bring my horse to CTRs and clinics with her horse, has me work around the barn, helps me with my horse. She even bought me a tee shirt from the NATRC summit. 

The MB is only five years older than me, so we're good friends. We ride all the time together.


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

I want lots of people there, including my barn owner and manager =) I like talking to them, and most of the people at my barn are really nice so they make good company.


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## wannahorse22 (Dec 27, 2009)

My BO/BM 's house is on in a private corridor in the main barn. So her family is basically always there. You don't se them ALL the time. It's nice though, because she has a daughter my age, so it's fun riding and hanging out with her. Plus, in the summer a lot of the barn girls get to sleep over


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