# Need Opinion your how our barn is operated?



## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

My sister and I are new horse owners. We had horses when we were kids but never have boarded until now so we are new to the boarding scene. We bought our horses appx 3 months ago from the barn owner where we currently board. Here is our situation: for 3 months we as well as all other boarders were allowed to use the main barn to groom, bath and tack up our horses using cross ties. We felt very safe using these cross ties. We had free use of round pen to lunge our horses as well as a large arena to exercise our horses...no problems.
Ok...here is the issue we have. Apprx 1 month ago all boarder were sent an email stating that all pasture horses were not allowed to groom, tack up or use the wash area in the barn. (Only stalled horses are allowed to use the barn.) Our horses are pasture only so this means we have to use an area that has only three single tie ups.(these ties up were put up by the barn owner when we indicated that there was only one tie up for all these boarders to use) The problem is they are not really safe....one is right next to a small ditch (this eliminates this tie up) and the other one is not safe because it is at a pen that has a horse that bites on our horse when we are grooming/tacking up. And the other tie up in on a post that is attached to the round pen where sometimes there may or may not be a horse penned in it (not being lunged but placed in there for the day). 
Ok, so if we do get the chance to groom and tack up our horse safely (which is a crap shoot) and we would like to lunge our horse in the round pen there is this penned horse in there. We feel we shouldn't have to move this horse since it is not ours to move and we don't feel we should have to go get the barn owner out of her house to move this horse so we can lunge ours.
Ok, if we get to groom/tack our horse safely, lunge them without having to move a horse out of the round pen, then there is the issue of a horse being penned in the exerise arena which again we should not have to move nor get the owner to move. 
My sister and I have looked into another barn and they seem to be wonderful and they will come pick up ours for free. Our barn was great until the rule changes 1 month ago and the issues of horses being penned for the day in the round pen and arena which should be freely available to all boarders. Also, 4 boarders have just this week left and they have boarded here for a long time. 
If this were your barn would you deal with these inconveniences or move your horse? 
p.s) there are some other small issues but these are the main ones.


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## busysmurf (Feb 16, 2012)

If you've got somewhere else to go, go. Don't deal with the headaches
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Born2Ride (Apr 13, 2011)

I agree. I wouldn't tolerate such a drastic rule change, were you required to sign a new boarding contract stating these new rules? If there's another barn, that fits your needs better, I would certainly move them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

Born2Ride said:


> I agree. I wouldn't tolerate such a drastic rule change, were you required to sign a new boarding contract stating these new rules? If there's another barn, that fits your needs better, I would certainly move them.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 We were not asked to sign a new lease. One item that we just found out from a boarder that left just yesterday was that the feed they are providing was not good quality. She said it was feed that said it was for cattle, horse and sheep. We just assumed they were feeding the horses decent feed. So much for assuming


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## MisssMarie (Jan 31, 2012)

Then I'd leave the next day if I could if they were feeding bad or inferior feed
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Born2Ride (Apr 13, 2011)

rosieposie said:


> We were not asked to sign a new lease. One item that we just found out from a boarder that left just yesterday was that the feed they are providing was not good quality. She said it was feed that said it was for cattle, horse and sheep. We just assumed they were feeding the horses decent feed. So much for assuming


Hmm... that sounds silly. It sounds like to me your getting ripped off, depending on how much you pay, most boarding facilitys strive to provide good quality feed. So if your not getting any amenities and not even good feed... your basically paying them for your horse to mow the lawn. Doesn't sound right to me.


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## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

Born2Ride said:


> Hmm... that sounds silly. It sounds like to me your getting ripped off, depending on how much you pay, most boarding facilitys strive to provide good quality feed. So if your not getting any amenities and not even good feed... your basically paying them for your horse to mow the lawn. Doesn't sound right to me.


thanks for all the replies. I didn't want to overreact but I figured everything that is going on is not right and wanted everyones opinions. We will be telling our barn owner by tomorrow. I'll let everyone know what happens.


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## Nitefeatherz (Jan 23, 2012)

Sounds like this BO doesn't really care about keeping people...even if you DO stay I would expect some kind of discount for the decrease in amenities from when you started...but honestly if it were my horses I would move. Let us know how it goes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Send the barn owner an email
Sense the services provided have been cut in half I will only be paying half as much , when the services return to the previous level I will start paying the full amount.

Leases work two ways, you agreed to pay X amount in return for Y services. If the BO suddenly decides to change the services, I would suddenly decide to change the amount I was paying.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

rosieposie said:


> If this were your barn would you deal with these inconveniences or move your horse?
> p.s) there are some other small issues but these are the main ones.


I have never seen the need to treat pasture or stall boarded horses differently.

To me it's a form of discrimination.


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## elleng0728 (Oct 13, 2011)

If your current barn isn't meeting your needs and you can move do it. Give appropriate notice and move to something that suits you better.


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## yadlim (Feb 2, 2012)

As someone who has boarded for years....

MOVE AND MOVE NOW!!

Changes like this usually mean that something is going terribley wrong with the stable owners and they are trying to penny pinch in anyway possible. Poor quality feed, trying to force everyone to use the more expensive stalls, these are warning signs that things about about to get BAD. GET OUT with your horses still heathy and no one hurt. 

A few things that I NEVER accept in the care of my horse - 
poor quality feed - that is a vet bill waiting to happen
poor quality water - again, vet bill waiting to happen'
bad fences - see above
"classes" of boarders - that some are better than others, it tends to lead to differences in care too
rough handlign of my horse - which can come about if he is seen as 'less worthy' then some of the other horses

Moving is very stressful, pressing your rights to use the full stable facilities will make being there even more stressful. However, you (plureal of you and your friend) and the horses will be better off for it. Not all horses need to be stalled - but all shoudl receive the same care.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

elleng0728 said:


> If your current barn isn't meeting your needs and you can move do it. Give appropriate notice and move to something that suits you better.


I wouldn't feel ANY need to give notice at all. I would be out of there NOW. I do agree that things sound like they are going downhill in a bit if a hurry, and that is a concern. One day you are apt to go out and the place has been seized or something.......I really suggest you go while you can.

I was at one place years ago that a similar thing happened. I heard through the grapevine that the owner was going to be indicted for mortgage fraud (which explains where all the $$ came from, but anyway....)I moved the next day. Literally. The day I moved-the owners grooms were moving his horses to "another farm". By the next week the farm had been seized. Not a good situation.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

yeh you have no obligation to give any notice. Sounds like the BO's broke the lease agreement.


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## AndreaSctlnd (Jan 17, 2012)

I totally agree with those that said the lease was broken by the owener and you need to vacate NOW! My stable where I board is totally open to me whenever. I can use any of the amenities at any time. As I was told by the owner, I am paying him...this is now "my" barn. The only condition we have is that they are also a theraputic riding stable and on Saturday's when they are doing therepy, we can't use the arena. But that was stated in our agreement at the get go. I agree that something is rotten in Denmark and it sounds pretty hinky. I wish you good luck in not only a new barn but in your horse ownership.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Joe4d said:


> yeh you have no obligation to give any notice. Sounds like the BO's broke the lease agreement.


If it was indeed stated in the boarding contract.

Most contracts come with a clause - that the undersigned agrees to follow new rules as they are implemented.

There actually are barns out there that don't allow pasture boarded horses to use the facility. Couple of times a year I have an inquiry if the pasture boarded horses at our barn get to use the indoor, have a tack locker, etc.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

mls said:


> If it was indeed stated in the boarding contract.
> 
> Most contracts come with a clause - that the undersigned agrees to follow new rules as they are implemented.
> 
> There actually are barns out there that don't allow pasture boarded horses to use the facility. Couple of times a year I have an inquiry if the pasture boarded horses at our barn get to use the indoor, have a tack locker, etc.


My rationale for leaving and feeling the BO had broken the agreement was the inferior feed. Period. However-"new rules" is totally different IMO than all of a sudden removing amenities that were previously included. Sort of reminds me of the cereal boxes and candy bars getting smaller but at the same price, only more extreme.


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## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

Sent an email to my barn owner. I told her that we found another barn that suited our needs better and she was fine with everything. I am so relieved! A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders 
Thanks to everyone's replies.


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## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

Joe4d said:


> Send the barn owner an email
> Sense the services provided have been cut in half I will only be paying half as much , when the services return to the previous level I will start paying the full amount.
> 
> Leases work two ways, you agreed to pay X amount in return for Y services. If the BO suddenly decides to change the services, I would suddenly decide to change the amount I was paying.


I did that 

I was at a self care facility, and he raised my rate, because more people wanted it. He raised my board $50, did I mention that this was the BM NOT BO. I garuntee he was pocketing the moeney. That farm needed a lot of work, but he just kept it "safe." 

So you know what I told him. "If your raising my board I'm taking an extra stall for hay, and grain." Then I walked off. End of that. :twisted:


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Check your existing lease agreement. If the contract says you're entitled to certain amenities and you're no longer getting them, the barn owner has breached his part of the agreement and the contract is, for the most part, null. If s/he is not maintaining their part of the bargain, you are no longer required to do your part, which was providing notice upon relocating.

I board at a barn with a lot of great amenities and I keep my mare in the pasture. I get full access to all of the facilities, but the lesson program gets first dibs on the arena. If a boarder wants to ride during a lesson, they are asked to stay out of the way of the lesson kids, whether it's in another arena all together, the parcel of land across the road or in a corner of the in-use arena. If it's a jumping lesson, only the lesson students are allowed in the arena for safety's sake. All lessons are scheduled weeks in advance, on a public whiteboard, so it's easy for me to schedule my riding time around lessons. If I was in your situation though, I'd be very upset about the sudden lack of amenities I'm paying for.


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## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

HI everyone...here is my update. Our new BO came and got our 2 horses and she didn't even charge us to pick them up. Very nice of her so we got her a gift card for thanks. We got the horses up to new place with no problems and they got settled in nicely. My horse actually had a spring in her step and all the "boys" in the adjacent pasture were checking out the 2 new girls!  Our girls looked so happy and content. They will have their own stalls from now on (I like to think of stalls as their own snug little bedroom) and we now get to finally enjoy our horses with no hassles. We now know our horses are being well fed, and are being taken excellent care of.


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

rosieposie said:


> HI everyone...here is my update. Our new BO came and got our 2 horses and she didn't even charge us to pick them up. Very nice of her so we got her a gift card for thanks. We got the horses up to new place with no problems and they got settled in nicely. My horse actually had a spring in her step and all the "boys" in the adjacent pasture were checking out the 2 new girls!  Our girls looked so happy and content. They will have their own stalls from now on (I like to think of stalls as their own snug little bedroom) and we now get to finally enjoy our horses with no hassles. We now know our horses are being well fed, and are being taken excellent care of.


What awesome news!! Congratulations on having the sense to know things weren't right - now go on, and _enjoy those beautiful horses!!!_


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## rosieposie (Jan 17, 2012)

Northernstar said:


> What awesome news!! Congratulations on having the sense to know things weren't right - now go on, and _enjoy those beautiful horses!!!_


 
Thank you!!!


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Pasture boarded horses pay less because they consume less labor and overhead when it comes to keeping them.

That does NOT mean, in my book, that they are any less entitled to the use of the riding (to include tacking and grooming) facilities.

Just the exclusion from the use of customary facilities for grooming and tacking would be enough for me to give my 30 days and GTHO.

The feed issue is just icing on the cake.

Glad to see you felt the same way.


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## karebear444 (Feb 3, 2012)

*Boarding*

If you are able I would immediately make plans to leave. There is no reason to have to put up with that especially if your horses aren't getting good feed.

I sympathize with you, I have boarded my horse as long as I have had her, have experianced some pretty bad things and have moved my horse alot. I've dealt with dirty water, no water, not enough hay, poor quality hay and moldy hay. My tack being used and not put back, my halters on other horses and I have even had tack stolen. I had trouble with grain not being fed when I provided it. Like you, there were horses being pastured in the outdoor arena that I have the right to use so I couldn't use it. At one place, I also dealt with changing barn hours such as barn closed all holidays. One change I was not informed about I drove 40 mins and couldn't ride one day because someone was showing their horse to a perspective buyer. I stood out in the cold for 45 mins. with my horse and then it was getting dark so I had to unsaddle and leave. Wouldn't have cared so much but I told her I was coming. I had constant phone calls and texts from the barn owner that was constantly changing her mind and decided she wasn't going to board 2 weeks after I moved my horse there leaving me in a bad situation. That same barn owner asked me for damages when I left due to my horse cribbing and the area that was damaged my horse didn't even have access too. Not to mention other people watching me ride and critiqueing me when I didn't ask for it, if I wanted to be judged I would go to the shows at least I could win ribbons there right? Oh yeah and then there was the great idea of let's get a bull and I get to go get my horse out of the pasture when that big scary beast is in there! Eek! Sorry I'm ranting, but my experiance with boarding has been a nightmare up until 2 years ago. Thank God I've finally found a good place!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

karebear444 said:


> Oh yeah and then there was the great idea of let's get *a bull* and I get to go get my horse out of the pasture when that big scary beast is in there! Eek! Sorry I'm ranting, but my experiance with boarding has been a nightmare up until 2 years ago. Thank God I've finally found a good place!


Oh my goodness... :shock:

I thank God you have too!


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## karebear444 (Feb 3, 2012)

So glad you found a nice place to keep them! Life is too short to deal with the hassles of boarding at a place that doesn't meet you or your horses needs. I'm happy for you


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

You can use the barn because your horse is out in the pasture is the dumbest thing i have heard..... that is discrimination and that is not something you should be dealing with. Why support them with your money when you cant use the barn. get out of there


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