# Giving notice to leave a barn



## ChristineNJ

Can you leave a barn nicely by letting the owner know you are leaving at the end of the month which will be 2 weeks early and then let them know you will pay the extra 2 weeks into the next month.....which will really be giving 30 days notice just not from the first of the month. ??


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## TessaMay

It always depends on the BO. I've had all great BO's, but I know some people have had nightmares with giving notice and having to BO flip out on them and/or stop caring for their horse properly. 

What you suggest doing is the nice, correct way to give notice though. Just make sure they realize you are offering to pay the two weeks that you won't be there. I would even suggest giving them a check right away to show that's your intention. Whenever I give notice, I always do it with the thought in the back of my mind that maybe I'll have to move before the end of the 30 days and lose some money if something went wrong, but I still believe in giving 30 to be polite no matter what.


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## Mulefeather

It will depend on why you are leaving, and your level of trust in your barn owners. If you're leaving because of any sort poor or negligent care, be ready to move your horse the day you give your notice- and give it to them check in hand. 

Some people get insulted or flip out when you leave a barn for whatever reason, no matter if it's a non-personal reason or not.


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## EliRose

When I left my barn recently, I told them the night before that my boy (and two other horses owned by another boarder) was leaving the next morning. Now we didn't have a boarding contract, and offered to pay for full next month's board, but it certainly did NOT go over well with my old BO. However the other boarder and I were leaving because our horses were being neglected (not being properly fed, watered, or generally cared for), so giving 30 days notice was not an option.


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## Saddlebag

It's always a good idea to leave the door open as one never knows what life will dish out.


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## DraftyAiresMum

My old BO always used to say that if someone gave him 30-days notice and left before the 30 days was up, as long as they were paid up to when they were supposed to leave, he was fine with it. 

Unfortunately, there's always likely to be a bit of drama and bad blood when you leave a barn. Or at least that's been my experience. I left my old barn on what I thought was good terms. I simply couldn't afford $300 a month and driving 13 miles one way to never see my horse because of my work schedule. I was moving to a barn 2 miles from my house and that charged just over half the price I had been paying. I found out after I left that, even though my BO had been amiable to my face about leaving (and I gave him 30-days written notice with my final board payment), he proceeded to bad-mouth me to anyone and everyone who would listen the moment I left the property with my horse. He even went so far as to tell my friend that still boarded there that if she and I were to ever go on a trail ride, I would not be allowed to park on his property or bring my horse onto his property because I had "betrayed" him.


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## aspin231

Every boarding contract I've ever had has stated 30 days notice from the 1st. I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it. 
So basically in your situation, you could give notice now, but would pay a full month's board for next month. You contract may be different, or your BO may be sympathetic though. Good luck.


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## verona1016

Sounds like you're doing the right thing, OP. Some BOs can be irrational no matter what you do (as others' stories have demonstrated), but hopefully you already have an idea of whether or not your BO would fall into that camp or not.



aspin231 said:


> Every boarding contract I've ever had has stated 30 days notice from the 1st.


Interesting- I've never seen one worded that way. My current boarding contract says "This agreement may be terminated by either party with thirty (30) days’ notice to the other party, with or without cause."


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## Chasin Ponies

I experienced a vendetta against my horse when I gave 30 days notice to leave a stable where I had boarded for 20 years.

The BO simply stopped feeding my horse completely so I pulled my horse out immediately. This same thing was done to several other boarders.

You can hope that this will go smoothly but don't count on it and be prepared to yank your horse out of there at a moment's notice. 

Stable owners are notorious for not being business oriented and for taking thing personally.

Only about half of the boarding stables I know personally ask for 30 days notice to leave, you are actually being more than fair to give them notice and extra money too!

Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.


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## stevenson

om gosh.. you people have terrible boarding owners. Or terrible opinions of owners. 
IF your contract says give 30 days notice , but does not state from a certain date, then give 30 days notice. If you are paid for the 30 days, and then move before that time the Owner should have no problem, especially if you state, I am giving 30 days notice and full pmt for the 30 days, but will actually be moving my horse in 2 weeks. Thank you for the care etc... 
I only asked for a 2 week notice and that the water troughs and pens be cleaned. Got the 2 week notice and cleaned everything myself, and was glad that the person was gone. And she bad mouthed me. If I was asked about her , I told the person asking me.
and what type of low life would stop feeding a horse ? the money was paid so what diff does it make.


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## Cielo Notturno

Do you trust your BO?

In good circumstances, the right thing is the 30 days notice.

If you feel that your horse might be in danger, show up with a trailer, load the horse, load your tack, give the money for 30 days and just go. 

Some BOs are decent and reasonable people, and they will be ok with a 30 days notice and will care properly for the horse until he leaves. 

Some others are not good people, and especially if you are leaving because the horse is treated poorly, don't say anything at all until you are there with the trailer. If a BO already showed that he is prone to bad care and abuse, it will only escalate if you say that you are leaving and then you don't leave like right that moment. Don't even tell the BO in the morning, and show up in the afternoon. Tell him the moment you have your horse and your tack under your care so they cannot be harmed/damaged. If you think that he can lose it and become violent, have 1/2 male, big friends to go with you, just in case. It shouldn't be necessary, but better safe than sorry.
Always give the 30 days money, even though you won't be there for those 30 days. It is the right thing to do anyway, and it makes it even so they can't give you problems for the money.


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## 2BigReds

Yikes... I'm glad that everyone I've boarded with has been professional! :shock: When I left both of my former barns, it was due to financial reasons, and I let them know that. I guess that they would be much happier knowing that I was paying last month's board upon notice instead of being late or unable to pay board at all. (First move was to a less expensive barn, better pasture board, closer to the new apartment and a trainer in our discipline on site; second move medical crapola put me out of work for 6 weeks so I moved back to the central valley to be close to family.) Both places I definitely feel like I could go back to and that they would be confident that I would only go back if I could afford to. I can't imagine boarding somewhere I didn't feel that I could give notice safely, and hope i will never have to! It makes me so sad that so many people and their horses have had to deal with such.


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## TessaMay

Just wanted to note that if you're moving because of care issues it's not _always_ the case that giving 30 days and staying will mean that your horse's care will get even worse. 

The very first barn I boarded at I only stayed 2 or 3 months. I would show up after dark and my horse would still be out in a turn out that was nothing but mud, wouldn't have had her stall cleaned that day and by the time I would leave (around 9pm) there would still be no signs that the BM was going to show up to feed for the night. I didn't want to deal with the drama of complaining and hoping it got fixed (the BM was the drama queen type) so I just found a new barn and put in my notice expecting to have to move her before the end of the 30 days and call it a loss. But, when I put in my notice to the BO he asked about why I was leaving and when I told him he apologized and my care went up greatly for the rest of the time I was there. 

I'm not saying this is a common thing and like I said before, always be ready to move sooner just in case, but it does happen sometimes.


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## my2geldings

ChristineNJ said:


> Can you leave a barn nicely by letting the owner know you are leaving at the end of the month which will be 2 weeks early and then let them know you will pay the extra 2 weeks into the next month.....which will really be giving 30 days notice just not from the first of the month. ??


It depends on whether or not you have a boarding contract, and what it says. The situation you are describing sounds like it could be fine, but it depends what the agreement is.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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