well, here is another Twist…May has 31 days … so removal by end of day May 29th?
I was in banking and it was commonly assumed a month was 30 days just for conversation but contractually interest was accrued by the day
Once upon a time it was part of my assignments to review installation manuals, every word had to looked at to make sure the terminology could not be misunderstood by the Average individual ( a prudent individual whose behavior would be used as the benchmark)
She can remove the horses May 2; it’s a question of paying for 30 days after giving notice. Isn’t May (1+ 30)=May 31? If she paid for the month of May and gave notice May 1, I would think that she’s fulfilled her obligation and can move the horses whenever she wants on or prior to May 31.Your BO is raising a ridiculous ruckus to get back at you for leaving.
I never get these kinds of conundrums. It is not a horse prison. You have more control than the BO, because you can move your horses when you are ready. Deal with the rest of it later.
What you really want out of this is avoiding a verbal confrontation with BO. That is about timing your leaving, planning it efficiently, as well as avoiding the BO and being matter-of-fact and distant when you can’t.
The board contracts were done separately, so they are separate, independent. As an example, you could have sold one horse and kept the other, without modifying the contract of the horse who stayed. The boarding and the monthly board payments happened concurrently, not consecutively. So the notice period is the same, concurrent, not consecutive. Hope that makes sense.
Not a lawyer, but have handled many business contracts in the course of doing business. This is a silly argument by the BO to cause trouble and maybe bully you into another month of board for both horses.
How exactly does this BO “stop” you from leaving? You don’t need the BO’s permission for any legal or other reason. They are your horses, put them in your trailer and go. If you manage this properly and the BO doesn’t know or anticipate the leaving moment, and especially if BO isn’t even there, then you. just. load. and. leave. Move it up a few days if you need to (or a week or two) to help you with the timing and avoid awkwardness.
As has been said on these boards many times, if you can manage it, just pay double-board for whatever period you can afford, so you can move the horses before the end date. Don’t notify the BO exactly when you are leaving to avoid an awkward and pointless confrontation.
The easiest for all parties is that you leave when the BO isn’t even there - easier for you, easier for the BO. Leaving early leaves the BO better off financially, because you paid for that month and aren’t using the feed. And the BO can go ahead and fill the stall (although this BO may not have many takers if the word is out).
Make sure that your actual leaving is a fast process. Quick load & go. Get as much of your personal stuff out early as you can, so that whatever is left is loaded fast when you take the horses. Start getting your odds & ends out now.
The legal aspects go with your state, as mentioned above, but keep in mind that anything legal begins with the BO and requires their time and money to initiate. The BO knows she/he has little chance of recovering much.
Do not make a bigger deal out of this than it is. You are moving your horses, do what you know is right (30 days notice per horse is a concurrent 30 days, not consecutive), don’t argue with the BO, just make a plan and move them.
Good luck on a smooth transition! 
I agree with the previous posters. You just owe 30 day of board for each horse. NOT 60 days per horse. That’s ridiculous and greedy. Get your tack and other items out now. From experience these can and will start to walk off if they aren’t locked up/taken with you. Have everything ready to go so on the day of you leaving you load horses up and go. I once had to leave while in class of nursing school with the help of friends (I had horse trailer and no truck at the time) because a BO demanded I pay him past 30 days of board I had given him with my notice on my two horses. He wanted me to pay him for another month because he didn’t have anyone lined up at the time. Berated me through text threatening to lock my horses up and calling me a liar and a thief for not paying him more. My friends and I showed up while he was gone that day. A few of my friends went to pack my stuff and while another friend and I loaded her horse and mine up and were out in 15 minutes. He then stalked the next place I was at for several weeks and would go off at the next place saying I owed him money. :rolleyes: But eventually he quit. We should start a crazy BO thread. It seems to be the norm more than the exception. :sigh:
So yes that is exactly what this Manager is claiming I have to do even though I have paid board for both horses for the month of May. My lawyer friends have both said she is in the wrong and that because I have 2 separate fully filled out contracts per horse I should show up with the police and leave. I have to move due to the pandemic and getting a new job. She has no where in the contract stating “30 days notice and an additional 30 days per extra boarded horse.”
The contracts I signed specifically stated "30 days notice (Per boarded horse) so I sent her a text stating both (one name) and (one name) shall be leaving May 30th. Which she proceeded to say I owe for both horses through June cause I owe 60 days instead even though the contract doesn’t say it. But once I pay I can leave whenever I’d please. I do not have the money to pay another $710 for month I don’t even owe for.
So with what you’re saying I’d owe for both horses for the month of June? Because both Lawyers I’ve talked to have said “it’s 30 days per horse” I gave my notice that both (one name) and (one name) will be leaving on May 30th to be proper with the 30 days notice. And she came back saying I can leave whenever I pay board for both horses for June (or take one horse May 30th and the next June 30th) but until then she’s going to hold my other horse there till I pay. I do not have $710 extra dollars to pay for board that I legally don’t have to pay for so I’m not paying it. I was told to call the cops and move yet I can’t move till the 16th cause again money being an issue since I’ve been laid off and unemployment hasn’t kicked in.
As mentioned in the main post my contracts state “Upon termination of this agreement 30 days notice (per boarded horse) is required.” So within that me having 2 separate contracts one having been signed August of 2019 and the newest one for the new horse being April of 2020 and the contract saying “this contract if good for the horse(s) listed below.” so only one horse is on each contract meaning they are completely separate.
So the lady is very sketchy and self centered. I have a friend who has 5 horses there and for any reason I know for a fact the barn manager would let her just leave because that’d be absolute bs for my friend to go 5 MONTHS notice like the heck? Within the lawyers I had a friend contact for me they both agree to get my horses out asap and let her take me to court over it. My board has been paid and proper 30 days per horse was given. The contract does not state the 30 days per horse is to be stacked as in (2 horses means 60 days notice, 3 horses means 90 days notice, etc etc) so the factor also I’ve gotten a reply from the barn manager means she got my message that i stated having 2 separate contracts and that i was giving 30 days notice per horse but nope she chose to tweak it and say she needs 2 months to fill the stalls when she has a waiting list as well. I’m forced to take a job and move out of state due to this pandemic and being laid off. I also do not have the money to just front another $710 for board that isn’t owed because my horses were leaving May 30th. Her words “you may take your horses whenever once board is completely paid for.”
Unless she padlocks your horses into their stalls (I’m being a bit facetious but maybe this situation is legit cray cray, in which case bring the cops and a big bolt cutter), you may take your horses whenever you darn well please.
My vote is to stay quiet to her, take your horses the instant you are able to, and let her freak out if she needs to. Keep copies of the contracts in the rare chance she actually tries to pursue legal action against you. And why should she, if she “has a waiting list”? It should be easy for her to fill the spaces then, no?
What a nightmare! I think your BM is out of line. Have you considered calling law enforcement?
If it’s one contract with two horses then the wording is ambiguous. In Contract Law ambiguity is resolved against the person who drafted the contact.
The OP says she has TWO contracts and this suggests one horse per contract. If that is so it’s 30 days, period. We don’t have a “magic multiple” that somehow doubles if you have two horses on two contracts. That would be absurd.
Pay the 30 up and you’re free to go. I she wants to try and sue you for an additional 30 days the only I would say to her is “good luck with that.”
G.
I am planning on doing so to be escorted when I go to get them. Problem is I can’t leave till the 16th anyways so I’m stuck there hoping she doesn’t decide to take it out on my horses like she has to others. My horses weren’t as horrible to handle and definitely not headshy but now they’re beyond horrible. My worry is her literally trying to hide one of my horses till she gets her money cause I wouldn’t put it past her. I already have a major legal action against her I was trying to just let alone. She authorized the vet to give my horse a shot and she wasn’t ever even asked to hold my horse for the shots he was supposed to be given but she proceeded to do so anyways. And when I confronted her she blew up at me telling me “oh well guess you should have been here” (I had to work I couldn’t take off plus she wiped my bank account clean after I told her I only had a certain amount of money to spare for the shots that month). Plus another one of my guys went through a fence she claimed he was herd bound but we later found out another boarder was messing with him, a dog was chasing him (he hates dogs), and 2 other horses had gotten out at the farm. So she proceeded to argue with me asking to switch fields as he was showing major signs of stress and anxiety as well as I later found a HUGE gash on his leg which made him lame for a month that she claims she never saw but said she looked him over completely after the accident.
I would remove your horses for a “trail ride” and drop off a check for 30 days per horse and not look back. She can’t hold your horses hostage. You’re not late on board. She can take you to court if she feels like it.
My first barn padlocked all the pasture gates, the stalls, and barricaded the drive way with vehicles. They didn’t have money for hay or grain and a lot of horses were dropping weight fast and they lost 7 boarders in a month. Including having the police out to cut a padlock off a horse’s stall. Boarder had been there for 10 years and had never been late so she showed up with a professional hauler and a check and the BO ran and locked the stall.
I never had a contract but I gave 30 days notice, and they said oh no it was actually 90 days. I showed up during feed time, got my horse out of the pasture, and rode him off the property via the driveway. I came back a few hours later to get my stuff and drop off my check and a mostly naked and very drunk BO screamed at me for 10 minutes.
Yea that’s ridiculous and not how it works. You owe 30 days not 60. If i were you, I’d leave and not tell her. Pack up in the middle of the night and go. If possible I’d leave a few days before the end of may. Maintain that you’ll be out by may 30th but plan on leaving before and not telling her.
Dear lord :eek:
Horses attracting the crazy has always been a fascinating and terrifying phenomenon…
It was special and I was very young, there really wasn’t a lot of internet for resources, and it was my first horse.
Think I would have been traumatized for life should I have found my horses pack locked anywhere. I think its already traumatic enough to have to change barns ( I’ve done it 4 times in my life and 3 of those because I moved countries). I find the horse world so small already that that kind of thing will get around and very few people would want to board in a facility like that.
To clarify one thing, people keep saying ‘leave a check and take your horses’. I believe the OP has already paid for May, when they gave notice. So leaving a check would be paying for June which is what the OP is trying not to do (reasonably).
OP, do you ever take your horses off property for any activities? If so you can use that front as a way to remove them, hopefully limiting the barn owner drama. You are just taking Dobbin and Sparkles out for a trail ride at the park - and then leave a note in the feed room for the feeders so they do not panic.
How is she going to hold him? She can’t.
If somehow this lady is trying to prevent you from removing your horse, at any time for any reason, call the police.
Again, as several have explained, make a plan to avoid the BO, load and go quickly, and do what you need to do.
Don’t make a bigger drama out of this than it already is. Just make your plan and go when you are ready.
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