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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
  
| I board at a nice boarding barn, it's a 52 stall barn and most all stalls are full. They turn out mares with mares, gelding with gelding, etc.
My gelding is out in a good sized pasture with around 6-8 other geldings usually from 8am-4pm. There really isn't much grass out there, but they put out a small pile of hay during the day. My horse loves to be outside during the day, and is used to that, but is great in a stall. I went last Friday to ride, and he was inside at 11am, and one of the ladies that "works" there, not sure if she works off board or what, but she boards two horses there also. But, she seems to always be turning in and out. She told me that he was in because he's losing weight. He is, and I'm not thrilled about it. He is in a 34in girth, and had to take it up a few holes the other day. She said they are trying to put groceries on him. From what I see, they put some hay outside in the pastures, but since my guy is not at the top of the chain, nor at the bottom, he doesn't seem to get much during the day. At night when they come in, there's probably 3 flakes they get at night. I personally do not think that is enough, but I'm not sure what to do. There is a young colt that is in the pasture with him, and he seems to cause a lot of trouble. He is clearly at the top of the chain. As I said, I went Friday to ride, and he had no cuts on his face, and I went the day after, and he has a quarter sized patch on his face, where the halter rides on his cheek. He was in his stall with his halter on, and apparently the barn rule is that halters are always on in the pasture, and they come off in the stall. Sometimes I get there and his halter is off in his stall, but on Sat it was on, rubbing on his scrape.
I guess I'm just frustrated, as I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to be a b*tch, so I went to the lady who works there, and asked if they could take his halter off when he's stalled, and she said she would tell everyone.
I don't want him to continue to lose weight, but I don't know if I should put him on a weight gain supplement. He did not have any problem with weight with his previous owner. | |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
 
| Talk with the barn owner or manager, not someone who is just working there. You need to be involved in the weight gain plan, they should not be making decisions on his care without involving you.
Consider ulcers if there is trouble in the pasture stressing him out.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Thank you for the advice! I agree, they should be informing me of what they are doing with him. I don't get there until after work, so he's always in and had his dinner. But, I have taken some days off of work lately during the week, and I have gone and watched the dynamics outside, as well as on the weekend when he is out. He has a few buddies that he follows around like a puppy dog. I haven't noticed him being stressed out, but as I said, I only watch for 30 min or so. I had a nice leather halter on him, and went out the other day, and he had no halter on, so they didn't tell me, and threw on some cheapo halter that did not fit him. I asked about it, and they said that grey colt likes to yank halters off, and said I could check the pasture. I did for 30 min, and didn't find it. I bought a new one. I have only been here for a little over a month, and don't want to be known as "nasty, or *****y" but also want to be involved in his care. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 233
| A nice facility and segregated turn out isn't a nice barn if horses aren't fed and get beat up on.
Be looking for a place to move, and meanwhile figure out what your boarding contract says about how much hay a horse gets. "a pile" isn't enough for 6-8 horses for 12 hours, especially when there are bullies or troublemakers that aren't moved. Treating ulcers isn't cheap.
Wearing halters in group turnout is asking for trouble. If the barn staff isn't experienced enough to put on and remove halters, what else can they not do? There is no excuse for the barn staff to lose your halter.
You aren't being a ***** when you insist on services you are paying for. You are paying for your horse to be fed and safe, and it sounds like he is neither of those things. Move him yesterday. | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Why in the heck are they leaving halters on horses in the first place, you never leave a halter on..unless its a break away.. And sounds like to me hes not getting enough to eat, he needs more hay day and night.I bet your paying a pretty penny to board at this place. I would be talking to the barn owner on this one, really ticks me off to hear a nice horse that you board under their care is losing weight and leaving that halter on is a big no no. No excuse. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| I'm confused... you're mad because he wasn't turned out because they wanted to make sure he got fed properly since he was loosing weight but also mad because at turn out he doesn't get to eat as much, but you still want him out?
Maybe the fact that he is low man in a herd you should just consider boarding somewhere with fewer horses or somewhere he gets his own pasture.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| I did just get him a breakaway halter. Some of their rules seem kind of random. It says they always turn them out with halters, and they are supposed to get taken off when they come in. As I stated earlier, sometimes I get there at night and it's on, other times it's off. Sometimes he has his halter on, sometimes it's some random halter, and I spend my time searching the pasture for his..He has a lot of cuts/nicks/scrapes on his since he's been there, and everyone tells me it's normal since he's out with others, and I get that. But, right about his brand, on his butt, it's about a 3in long by 2 in scrape, that has taken all his hair off, it's just skin now. Blue Kote it is I guess..My MIL has been boarding her horse ther for YEARS, and they host all the NBHA pointed races there. I'm not saying it's the gray colt that's all the problem, but just from a few observations, he's not very friendly with some of the other horses. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| I'm mad because they don't keep me informed at ALL. They are deciding what to do with him, how much to feed, and I have no knowledge of this. Should I really keep him cooped up inside all day because one horse causes most of the issues? One would think they might consider moving the colt..
Edited by emricmacy 2017-09-25 12:53 PM
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | emricmacy - 2017-09-25 12:50 PM I did just get him a breakaway halter. Some of their rules seem kind of random. It says they always turn them out with halters, and they are supposed to get taken off when they come in. As I stated earlier, sometimes I get there at night and it's on, other times it's off. Sometimes he has his halter on, sometimes it's some random halter, and I spend my time searching the pasture for his..He has a lot of cuts/nicks/scrapes on his since he's been there, and everyone tells me it's normal since he's out with others, and I get that. But, right about his brand, on his butt, it's about a 3in long by 2 in scrape, that has taken all his hair off, it's just skin now. Blue Kote it is I guess..My MIL has been boarding her horse ther for YEARS, and they host all the NBHA pointed races there. I'm not saying it's the gray colt that's all the problem, but just from a few observations, he's not very friendly with some of the other horses.
Is this a stud colt or a colt thats been gelded thats being a problem? | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| He has been gelded. | |
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 The One
Posts: 7998
Location: South Georgia | I board my mare, so I understand the struggle. I'd suggest you speak with the barn owner and express your concerns. If it were where I board, the owner would suggest a pasture change. Also, the barn girls adjust my horses feed amount based on her observed body condition OR me asking them to feed more or less. Communication is the key. There will always be a little bit of variation between the girls, but overall, my horse looks great and I have no complaints. I am just not afraid to ask questions or ask them to do things differently. They are ok with that. | |
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 Quiet Riot
Posts: 2568
Location: North Dakota | Has your horse has his teeth floated lately? I like to get my horse at least checked every 6 months. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| He had his teeth floated about 7 months ago. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Being turned out with halters left on is a huge NO. That's basic horse care. So much can go wrong with halters left on and horses left unsupervised. I'm shocked that is their policy.
Your horse will continue to lose weight if he is left for 8 hours a day without any feed/forage. Per your description, very little grass, not enough hay for everyone. Horses need 24/7 access to some type of forage. Not just for weight control, but for their gastric health. If the barn has 1-2 more dominate horses in the group the hay should be put out in multiple piles so that every horse has access. There should be enough put out they have just cleaned it up, or there is a little left over when the staff goes out there to put more hay out or to bring everyone in for the night. I would think that by dispersing the hay into multiple piles that would help with him getting cut up, but if not I would ask that he either be moved, or that the problem horse be removed.
If these 2 issues can't be resolved, I would move my horse to a different facility. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| Thank you for all your advice. I am going to talk to the owner of the barn tomorrow! | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | First of all i'm just gonna say, dont EVER be worried what others think of you when it comes to the care of YOUR horse. You are paying THEM to take care of him. If they cant do that, then you need to find another barn. Your horses health and happiness always comes first. If they arent telling you things, you need to demand to be involved and remind them you make the decisions, NOT them. I currently board and have boarded all my life. Suggest a pasture change or alternate days with the colt, its not fair for your horse to be stuck inside, you pay to be there just like the colts owners do! If he losing weight, find out why. Supplements are going to help if hes being picked on or stress from the others. He may just not be happy at the barn. I would seriously be considering moving if i was you. It doesnt sound like youre going to get the care you want for your horse. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
| In the area I am in, a 52 stall horse barn is HUGE! The thing that also get's me, is when I listen to the workers there talk about the horses, it it NEVER by the horses name, like my horse, they say "the blue roan". Would an ulcer supplement be worth it? He doesn't seem stressed out in his stall, or anything, but I'm not there during the day to watch every second in the pasture. I know he's tripled the amount of cuts, nicks, scrapes, etc since he's been here. | |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: North Dakota | I would talk to someone first and if they blow you off then consider finding another place to board.
I manage a smaller boarding barn and I would absolutely want to hear from someone if they had concerns. I don't always fill the owners in on every detail as most aren't out very often. If it was leaving their horse in a stall all day rather than them being turned out, that would have been a conversation before it happened. I would defiantly mention that one horse seems to be the problem child and why should your horse suffer by being stuck inside when you pay for him to go out during the day. A change of pasture or pens would be a good idea. Or they need to put out more food in different areas so the horses aren't fighting. | |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| MidWest1452 - 2017-09-25 3:00 PM I would talk to someone first and if they blow you off then consider finding another place to board. I manage a smaller boarding barn and I would absolutely want to hear from someone if they had concerns. I don't always fill the owners in on every detail as most aren't out very often. If it was leaving their horse in a stall all day rather than them being turned out, that would have been a conversation before it happened. I would defiantly mention that one horse seems to be the problem child and why should your horse suffer by being stuck inside when you pay for him to go out during the day. A change of pasture or pens would be a good idea. Or they need to put out more food in different areas so the horses aren't fighting.
I agree with this but I also see the other side. You acknowledged you were aware he was losing weight yet you did not initiate a conversation with the barn owner to address it. I would not be angry that they took the iniative even though it may not be your preferred action, many boarding facilities would not do anything. As to only a little hay, horses need forage 24/7 and they should be providing adequate hay throughout the pasture. As to the trouble horse, it has been my experience that once the alpha horse is removed the next in line just steps up to take his place. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | You're horse needs more hay, plain and simple. If he's coming in at night I'd ask that they double his night time hay. This way if he's not getting enough during the day he's making up for it at night when he's alone and can eat. I'd add a small amount of oil and concentrates to his feed along with a probiotic. I'd suggest having a chat with the barn owner and see what their recommendation is.
As for the halters during the day unfortunately lots of barns do it so that the horses are easy to catch at night and takes less time for the staff. I agree that they should have breakaway halters at the very least. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Talk with the barn owner and tell them if things don't change you're going to be forced to put in an official 30 day notice of leave.
Get on an ulcer treatment plan and plan ahead to a preventative plan
Wait a few weeks and if nothing changes or things go back to how they were: MAIL a certified letter to the barn giving them your 30day notice and your last payment.
I am considering boarding my boy at a small barn with an arena so that I can ride after work with the lights. I don't even have him there yet and the barn owner is asking me to send her his schedule and his quirks so she can prepare for his care and figure out what barn would best suit him. To me: if a barn owner views your horse as another paycheck and doesn't listen to you because you can simply be replaced, then who the heck cares how nice of a barn it is. Barn owners should take the time to listen and make changes. Maybe ask the Barn Owner for an email update every now and again with staff changes, etc so you can be in the know.
Hugs to you!! Put that foot down Momma and take care of that baby !!  | |
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Advice regarding boarding barn and horse losing weight