# Need advice on how/where hire help to clean my stalls.



## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Well, I painstakingly typed all this up on my phone a few nights ago...hit my back button and it all disappeared....was too mad and tired to do it again :twisted: :twisted:

I need to hire someone to come out, clean and strip my stalls on a one time basis. My stalls are a mess, and I need to be able to start bringing my horses in at night again. Normally I'd do it myself,but since May I've been dealing with a broken dislocated right elbow. Need surgery in the worst way, no insurance Yada Yada Yada. I'm working on it, but that's a whole nother story!

My girls have been out 24/7 since I was hurt, but with Fall coming, I need to be able to stall them during cold windy rainy weather.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to find and hire someone HONEST AND RELIABLE to do the work. 

*******Craigslist is not an option******* Around here, that's an invitation to get scammed, or robbed, or both!!

I have a Newerspreader and a mower to pull it,manure forks and pitch forks, and shovels. 
******Im willing to pay very well to get this done.******One person could do it in 2 days, 2 people in one day. It's a lot of work.
Once they're cleaned, I can manage to maintain them daily using my one good arm. 

The only horse person I know has her own barn to run and a full time job, so I'm hesitant to ask her (she has a son in his 20's, he and a friend could possibly do it)
Also, if and when I have surgery, she's agreed to board them for me while I recover. 

I've looked on FB searching for barn help/stall cleaning in my area with no results. I'm thinking of contacting someone in the landscape business to see if I can find someone. 
Since I live alone, I have to be careful with who I allow on my property.

So, all you HF peeps, please send me your ideas on how best to find someone to do the work. I'm in Wilson Nc an hour east of Raleigh.

Thanks in advance :grin:


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I would try to find someone you know as opposed to a stranger. Will the son of your neighbor do it? Maybe some older teens of friends who you use a couple of bucks. If I lived closer, I would just come over and help but I don't. I found out what it's like to not be able to do the things that need to get done when I was left with one hand to work with for a while. I didn't like it.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Friends with kids are your best bet. My Mom used to "loan" me out to all sorts of labor and horse chores to her friends growing up, and when I was injured I always asked for teenagers (Horsey or not, as long as they were respectful) to come do chores for me.

I usually offer to pay 10/hour, or just kick them $20 if it's a job thats only going to take 30min or so, so it feels like it's worth their time. It usually takes me about fifteen minutes to completely strip one stall and re-bed it. I don't know if you need to take any mats our or not, or how many stalls you have. I would give a non-horsey person a little more time. 

Stripping is self explanatory. They don't need to be horse people to do it. Shovel everything out, hose and clean mats if necessary, get rid of any hazardous material and then re-bed with shavings. Easy concept to grasp.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Asking on Facebook might surprise you, you could get a good response - Or find a local horse facebook group, or 4-H group maybe?


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

I was going to say the same thing about Facebook. Surely someone knows someone who knows someone...


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

This may sound strange......check with your local Jahovah's Witness Kingdom Hall.
They saved my hay crop back inthe early summer!

Tell them thast you are in a bind and need some strong backs. I think they will send you some. They sent me Levi, who threw bales up into the loft like they were ballons!


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

greentree said:


> This may sound strange......check with your local Jahovah's Witness Kingdom Hall.
> They saved my hay crop back inthe early summer!
> 
> Tell them thast you are in a bind and need some strong backs. I think they will send you some. They sent me Levi, who threw bales up into the loft like they were ballons!


Yep that does sound weird. :lol: But glad you got some good help!!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Use resources you have already....
Vet, farrier, feed store, tack store....
They may very well know of people that are looking for a few extra bucks cash....
Work during the evening after regular job hours, a few nights and job completed.
Not sure where you are but my local high school has FFA and 4H clubs....
The kids involved in the agricultural clubs are hard-working and often do "extras" to afford to do the shows, raise their animals and put $$ away for their college education.

Good luck with that arm.
:runninghorse2:....


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I agree with Greentree, check with the local Kingdom Hall. FWIW, I did call the elders at the my local Kingdom Hall several years back. The person they put me in contact with wanted $20/hr ---- I told the person, they would need a college degree in Barn Management before I ever paid that for menial labor. I honestly don't think they were interested in cleaning stalls, lollol


My farriers were commenting that even the office manager at the vet facility and her husband can't find good help. 

They said just about everyone willing to do grunt work ( and that's for a short time), around here, is either on some kind of drugs, or are chain smokers and drink too much.

The only person I know that I would trust to come into my barn and do an honest few hours work lives too far away. I can get him here if we've got a day's worth of work; I would have better luck finding a housekeeper and me continue to do the barn work, and pray I can keep "working past the pain".


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I would put up fliers at the tack store.

What about trying to find a landscaper- would they actually be interested in hauling away the bedding and manure for composting? That's obviously more attractive if they're just loading up an existing manure pile, but might be worth asking.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Ask around. Ask your vet, farrier, dentist...etc. Friends family, and yes anyone with kids! Kids will definitely do the dirty work LOL.  Facebook, even Instagram make a little flyer...you'll find someone!


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm a word of mouth person. Its the way I get all my jobs. People know I can work as can my daughters.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'd ask around bigger barns or farms - they often use casual labour or have someone who'd be happy to have extra income from working in the evenings or early mornings, weekends etc. Most of that sort of manual work in this area is done by Mexicans, you can usually find someone to refer a reliable trustworthy person too you


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Great suggestions from one and all! I may have gotten lucky; asked at my feed store yesterday and one of the part timers there does stall work. Just spoke to him via phone, and will meet with him at the feed store tomorrow to discuss further. 
I know him, feel I could trust him. It's going to be a lot of work so need to confirm we're on the same page. 

Will let you know if it works out.
Thanks!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Sweet!!! Glad you were able to find someone so quickly.  Let us know how it works out.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Update: So the guy at the feed store bailed on me, after not showing up on the agreed day, I called him, was told he "might could do it on the weekend or following week" NO show, no calls, didn't return my calls. Left me hanging for 2 weeks!

I was back at the feed store yesterday and spoke to another young man that works there, he said he would do the work. Showed up a couple hours later with 2 helpers, who spent 3 hours working very hard, and got one stall done. It was really hot out, but they kept at it. He thought with 3 guys working on it, they'd get all 3 stalls done. The one older guy he brought....well we were all worried about him, he was huffing and puffing so hard. I was very pleased with the results.

Anyway, he's committed to coming back and doing at least one more stall for me. Have to work around his full time job schedule . Trying to get the 2nd stall done before Thursday as Hurricane Matthew may pay a visit to our area. And so it goes....


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

*Hombre, *. I sure am glad you found help. Gee, if they are willing to come back and clean another stall, could you afford to have one or two of them come every other week to keep the stalls from building up so bad again?

With your elbow in limbo, you aren't going to be able to do a whole lot for a long time.

I've been watching Matthew on the Weather Channel.

Spray paint your cell phone w/Area Code on the sides of your horses, if you think you're going to get hammered. It makes things easier for people to reunite them.

Prayers coming your way, especially if you're close to the coast.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> *Hombre, *. I sure am glad you found help. Gee, if they are willing to come back and clean another stall, could you afford to have one or two of them come every other week to keep the stalls from building up so bad again?
> 
> With your elbow in limbo, you aren't going to be able to do a whole lot for a long time.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I'm about 100 miles from the coast, and we may get lucky if it veers east off S Carolina instead of coming inland. But we will be getting lots of rain from Matthew, possibly 4to6 inches based on the path it takes. And temps will be in the low 60's. Both my horses were shivering uncontrollably from being soaked overnight in the rain a few mornings ago at that temp.

One stall is done and ready to use. The guy who came out and cleaned it works 5 and a half days a week, his helper works Midnight shift, so they haven't been back out to do the 2nd stall. Hard to get them together at the same time..

I bought a wheeled garden cart that I can push one handed with no problems, and I can scoop poop with one hand daily. Nope, can't afford to pay someone to come out regularly...well, I might be able to, but it's a $$ hardship for me. 

Stalls were in bad shape due to a back injury on the job. Finally got to the point where I could manage getting them straightened out and then I broke my elbow...OOPS! Big #/&!*&# Oops! 

I'm going to put both mares in the one stall during the storm. They're used to being fed side by side already. It's 12x12 so plenty of room.

Lol, my neighbor, who's in her late 40's and a true princess has been helping me make some repairs the past 2 days. She's never used a drill or hammer, much less climb a ladder, but she's a trooper! So I supervised and she did the labor. It gave her a sense of accomplishment to help me, and learn a few things. Then she goes home and pops a muscle relaxer! Poor dear.I'm glad she's here for me, this being helpless sucks!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Ask at local barns and ask your friend- not if she'd do it but does she know anyone.

It's really not that hard.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Update:

FINALLY got the 2nd stall done Wednesday night. Justin, the young man who did the first one, hadn't heard from him in 2 weeks. Saw him at the feed store Tues and we chatted for about 30 minutes. Turns out he had car trouble, Matthew showed up, he's very busy...etc. So he and his Co worker (the first guy who baled on me) showed up Wed night and knocked it out in a few hours. 

Justin is an extremely hard worker, I was very impressed with the work they did. Of courselves I paid a premium rate to get it done, but it was worth it to me.

My only option had I not been able to get both stalls done was to re home my horses, which would have just about killed me. It would not have been possible to leave them outside all winter long. That thought had me extremely worried. &#55357;&#56866; They've been my life and my sanity for over 30 years.

So, brought the girls into the barn last night, they were happy about it. Got the putting on and taking off blankets with one arm down pat &#55357;&#56838; And have a system devised for feeding them without stressing my bad arm.
Life is good, I'm grateful for the small pleasures. &#55357;&#56397;&#55357;&#56397;


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

YAY!:happydance::happydance:

It doesn't take much to keep us happy, does it:cowboy:

I had told DH one horse's stall is in need of new grid mats. He found a decent deal on them and ordered mats for both stalls:grin:

FWIW, in case you're ever interested, I don't use regular stall mats. I use grid mats that are made for wash racks.

The current mats have been down nine years. Considering they aren't made for stalls and the beating they have taken, I got my money's worth. Based on the nine years for the first set, these new ones should make it to the end, as my two remaining horses are 21 & 22.

I put the crush in the stalls, and put the mats down my self, nine years ago. My how things have changed. I now need a cane to walk, DH had a heart attack, and we may have to hire someone to do what I did alone. 

Getting old is no sport for sissies - my best advice is to keep moving so you keep limber and keep your muscle memory active. Don't overdo your arm but don't under-do it either.

It sounds like you avoided all the flooding from Hurricane Matthew. I'm happy to hear that, too:grin:


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