# Help me make a difficult decision...



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Honestly... I would move.

My past barns have made tons of promises but no action.. and it ended up costing me a lot of money in vet and farrier bills. 

Plus her attitude on them leaving... NOT professional! 

But that's just me..


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks, Sky. I am very close to deciding to move now - been drawing pros and cons all day long, and I can always search for a new place if needed. I also got contacted by another 24/7 pasturing facility, that seems nice enough and I will go to see them this evening - might be among my choices, if the public transport is reasonable around there (I don't have a car right now).


----------



## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

If you have a gut feelin to move, then do so. Your horse will not be harmed being in a stable, plenty of horses are in a box more than outside (mine included at the moment) and get by just fine. 

I agree with Sky, her attitude for the boarders who have left leaves a lot to be desired. Chances are she will do the same to you, but do not let that put you off. At some stage you have to decide your happiness is much more important than somebody elses.


----------



## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

The current barn seems to have a lot of negatives.

Th 2nd barn, not as many negatives, but the lack of trails depends on if you enjoy limited access or ride more in an arena.

Maybe the 3rd barn you will see tonight will have some other choices that may be better.

Let us know.

.


----------



## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

Short answer? I would move


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

My rides' car just broke down in the blizzard and the tonights' visit is cancelled for an unknown period of time - I'll visit the place anyway, as soon as I can, though, but for now I gave a positive answer for the second barn - will use my time there as a possibility to do some quality flatwork lessons and increase my boys' muscling. Now I've got a complicated chat with the current BO coming up...

Thanks for your input, guys, that's a lot of baby dragons finding new owners!


----------



## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

Good for you and your horses. By the way, I loved the baby dragon


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Haha, just don't feed it too much spicy feeds - might get a bit too sparkly! 

It's good that summer is soon to come - then he'll be again in 24/7 pastures, and I hope I'll find a place with unlimited pasture time for next autumn/winter, too.


----------



## Reno Bay (Jul 8, 2012)

I have never seen an automatic waterer O__O that's awesome.

But yeah, if you're feeling uncomfortable where you are now, I say move. 24/7 in a pasture may be better for them, but stalling overnight (at least temporarily if the BO at the new place agrees to 24/7 365 turnout) probably won't kill the horse. There are pros and cons to everything. If I felt confident that my horse could be outside 24/7 without potential predators or other disasters, I would love to do so. However, I tend to be accident prone...and Reno seems to follow in my footsteps (seriously - my room is messy, his stall is messy; I keep my room clean, his stall is significantly less messy).

I hope you find a great facility for your baby.


----------



## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Move!
As long as your horse gets out all day every day in winter, it will be quite alright sleeping inside. And you'll never know, maybe if you and your friends get together on this and talk to the BO, something can be done with pasture 24/7 for next winter.

The dragon IS awfully cute......but I'm afraid my kitties would consider him a meal;-)


----------



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

move asap ! even if the barn you move to isnt perfect, at least you dont have to worry about your horse getting hurt. if you dont end up loving it there, you at least buy yourself some time to find another place with out the worry of the barn owner turning on you or your horse getting hurt.


----------



## onuilmar (Feb 8, 2013)

I've always gone by "actions speaks louder than words" and "words are cheap." It always rankles me when someone promises and then fails to follow through.

Don't get me wrong: I don't expect perfection. I am speaking about the overall pattern of behavior. It would bother me immensely to watch such problems grow and the fees being jacked up and still nothing is done. Especially if the money is clearly going elsewhere. (Not that it is.)

But I am just responding to what you have told us. Of course there may be mitigating circumstances that I am unaware.

I am just hearing your discomfort with the situation and agreeing that those are things that would give me pause. Going else where might be a very smart move.


----------



## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

I would move also. Lack of concern for safety is unacceptable!


----------



## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

Add me to the list of those who would move. 

The only negatives you said about the second barn were no auto waterers in stalls. I assume there are still buckets though. I don't really see that as being an issue. 

The hay is in the barn. Everywhere I have boarded is the same way. I know it's not ideal, but I am yet to find anywhere that does not do this.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

AlexS, I guess I might have a paranoia concerning hay in barns, although I realize that keeping hay in barns is a common practice. You see, the barn where my horse was kept as a youngster before I bought him, burnt down to the ground one day - the fire started in the hay storage. Luckily, there were only two horses in the barn at the moment (the others were in the pastures), and one of them was mine. They were lead timely and safely out of danger,, but my horse still reacts with heightened attitude towards any flames and bigger smoke, so it has somehow been sealed in our memories. 

It is true, automatic waterers are not that common actually, I've just got used to them in my current barn. There is still the possibility to keep a bucket in your horses stall and the BO or a barn hand will clean and fill them for the horses every morning and evening, so I guess it shouldn't be a problem at all.

Meanwhile, I had a long talk with the owner of the third option. The place sounds almost too good to be true, but for now I will be boarding in the second option with my two friends and their horses from April, and just look how everything will be going.

For a little while today I considered staying in my current barn due to emotional attachments (the other boarders and the trails are fantastic, it's like leaving a family!), but then I realized that I am fearing the upcoming chat with my BO regarding me leaving. That made me understand one thing - what good can rise from a place in which I fear the person that should be trusted over anyone else?

Sometimes changes are very hard, but we have to be considerate about both those of whom we are responsible, and ourselves. And, to add to my choice, I just got a titbit of information that my Dressage trainer is giving lessons also in this barn, as it is not far from my current place. And my farrier already agreed to visit us in the new place. That's a good start! I'll just have to get an additional lock for my geldings' stall - he's a genius when it comes to opening any locks he can reach, and then letting out all of his buddies.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Saranda.. be careful about locking your horse in his stall. Maybe it'd be better to just use the rope from the halter to tie a quick release (with the tail through so it cannot be pulled apart) around his stall door so he isn't trapped..


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I might have used the wrong name for it, Sky, as I just realized - late hours make my English skills worse.  He is not going to be locked in his stall, as in with a key and a lock - I was thinking of something more like this - 










Just lower than he can reach with his teeth, but easy to open for a human. Was latch the correct name for it?


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Saranda said:


> I might have used the wrong name for it, Sky, as I just realized - late hours make my English skills worse.  He is not going to be locked in his stall, as in with a key and a lock - I was thinking of something more like this -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah that makes more sense  Lock I think of like bike chair or padlock.. had me freaked! But yeah a latch/bolt type thing wouldn't be bad


----------



## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

My barn ain't pretty, but its functional and safe with two arenas and loads of trails. Ontop of that, the BO is great and the times I've left her to board somewhere else, she willingly trailered me.

I hit one case with a different BO who went batpoop crazy when I told her I was leaving. To the point where I almost needed a lawyer to obtain my freedom. She was psychotic!

I think you should move. The grass is always greener on the other side. There could be some issues with the new place. But you'll never know how great it could be unless you jump the fence.


----------



## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

Not gonna lie-- I skipped to the baby dragon first! 

I would move. The new barn sounds fine, and with the flexibility of a winter paddock if you are *truly* that worried...

That being said I don't thing stalling in a 12x12 overnight in the winter is so bad. My boy has an in-and-out (stall attached to a little paddock/run) and he prefers to lay down/roll in his stall on cold nights. I know this because I leave a bay horse in the evening and return in the morning to find a rare, bedding-chip marked appaloosa... I swear, he pulls out half the bedding into his mane and tail.

Anyway! I say a quick, quiet transition to a new barn is in order.  And if the old BO gets fussy? So long as you are paid up to date and within the confines of your boarding contract, I say kill her with kindness as you walk out the door!


----------



## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

Ooh, just saw your update! Best of luck at your new barn.


----------



## FaydesMom (Mar 25, 2012)

Since your decision has already been made it's kind of a moot point, but I agree a move is the way to go. As you said, I would not want to stay where I was uncomfortable speaking to the manager. And I would be quite concerned about promises of things to come that never seem to happen.

And that baby dragon is just SOOOOO cute!


----------



## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

Saranda said:


> I might have used the wrong name for it, Sky, as I just realized - late hours make my English skills worse.  He is not going to be locked in his stall, as in with a key and a lock - I was thinking of something more like this -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
We use kickflaps on all our doors, and it is impossible for horses to open them. My youngest locked me in a stall with one and it took some effort for me to get out! I was lucky i had a pair of scissors in my pocket!


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I am not completely sure I know what a kickflap is. Maybe you have a picture?


----------



## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

Here is a link to one: 

Kick Over Bolt

And this is what they look like on the door:









It becomes a habit to kick them over when you come out of the stall. Very simple concept but they do the job especially for the super smart ponies who like to go walk-about on their own accord


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Now I get it, thanks.  I've seen and used them in a stable in the UK, but I'm not sure I can get them here. They're sure handy, though!


----------



## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

I would leave just based on the safety issues. Dont cut yourself short to be loyal when she truly is loyal to you.


----------



## AllieJ333 (Nov 2, 2012)

MOVE. Your current barn owner isn't going to repair anything any time soon, she obviously doesn't really care about the welfare of the horses living there.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I actually believe that she does care, a lot, it's just that her perception is somewhat distorted regarding several matters and she is seeing something that is not ok as a normal situation. Nonetheless, I'm moving, although this decision hurts.


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If it were me, I'd ask the barn owner why the repairs aren't being done despite her promises? I maintain an acreage and a house and it seems things break down faster than they can be attended to. Help is always greatly appreciated, especially when one can't hold both ends of a board at the same time. Can you devote a day and the two of you put in a concentrated effort to get things right? It's amazing how much can get done in a day. It seems a job that would take an hour with one person doesn't take half the time with 2, but more like 1/4 of the time.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

So, it's been a couple of weeks since we moved and doing quite great, actually. My gelding is dealing with being stabled overnight well, he had a very smooth transition into the new herd and seems to be enjoying life - which is what I do, too, as he is much closer to me now and I can visit more often. Not regretting the choice I made at all!


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Move. I'm older (55yo) and wiser now and I look at all of my activities, like recent old fruit tree pruning as: "Is it cheaper to do it myself, or go to the ER."
Those repairs smell of somebody's Vet bill. When I boarded my horses back in 1985, the farmer gave me the spot that used to be the family's dump. I spent 14 years picking up nails, glass, styrofoam, pieces of old fencing, etc. Even though I Still find such stuff periodically in the backyard of my 100yo farm, I try to fix any possible horse dangerous situations. I replaced the old cattle w/barbed wire fencing in 2008, and I just have the one dangerous repair left, which is where the 2nd owner cemeted metal to support a wooden manger, now rotted out and burned. I have those cement cinder blocks with holes on top of the 3 left, so nobody gets hurt, and it took me one whole hour of sawing to get the first one off. I have the blades ready and will be removing the other 3 this summer. I even bought cement repair to put on top of those places.
If I was a BO with this problem and your horse got hurt you could sue me for the Vet bill. You don't want to be around to see any train wrecks.
Now...How will you be shipping my dragon?


----------



## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

Saranda... your baby dragon is AWESOME! Where'd you get it? Can I sketch it for an art project?


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Ponies, I just got it off somewhere on the internet, by googling "baby dragon" or something alike, so I hold no ownership of the picture.  I guess it was in DeviantArt. But it sure is extremely cute!


----------

