Is this the norm ? Barn that presents itself as warm fuzzy/ we love horses/ horses get great care/ pretty picture…but they ship anything lame/older/ requiring anything xtra to the auctions. Example over heard: horse examined by vet, vet recommend some testing …response was “well, if that’s the case send him to auction. He can be someone else’s problem”…however, when they ship these horses they tell the boarders and students they’ve been sold or are going to friends. Yet…they can be found proof positive at the auction. Why lie? It’s not like people aren’t going to find out???
Also a bit creepy— they tell the teenage barn worker who helps them to lie to boarders and clientele. That seems unethical to me. Underage impressionable youngster who is dependent on the establishment for free board/ lessons etc. is being told to lie to the clientele.
Believe me, I knw the horse biz is dirty but…yeah, well, I guess that’s it…never cease to be amazed how dirty/creepy it is. Sigh…
Well I mean, I’m not sure that anyone is surprised by this and as far as other clients are concerned, the horse HAS been sold. I wouldn’t give them my business, but I’m not sure anyone would tell 10 year old Suzie that they sent the horse down the road to be auctioned or even that 10 year old Suzie understands what that means. I doubt their clients are rabidly shopping the auction listings.
For what it’s worth, for old-timey horsemen, this is a way of doing things. Horses are business, not pets. I’m not saying I would do business that way or with anyone who did, but I also wouldn’t call it “horrifying.”
ETA: every single one of this poster’s posts is about people lying to her. Sour grapes.
I would absolutely call it horrifying. My retirees stay here. There is a huge lesson barn in my area that does this. It is disgusting. I would not support a barn like that. Also, they are liars.
oh good glad to hear it! That’s thing about this particular place----they present one version smiley/warm fuzzy horse loverz…behind the scenes it’s a different story. And they are sooooooo invested in hiding hiding hiding the unsavory goings on. Lie straight to your face. Employees have been threatened with firing if they talk to clientele about anything (other than everything is unicorns and rainbows…) The owner is clearly afraid what she’s doing will turn off clientele/damage business…which begs the question…then why do it? Amount time and ickiness spent covering bad goings on…could be time spent on quality stuff/ good business people are willing to pay good money for.—I mean, I know how hard horse biz is, but, unsavory practices bite you in the but and don’t make you better money IMHO.
All I can tell you is, do business with better people. Every thread is about tracking down horses and how you were told they were going to “friends” and also, trainers lying to you.
I’m sorry you don’t like it, but unless you can afford to give every unwanted horse a home, this is a way that people do business. Again, do business with other people if you don’t like it, but I’m not sure what the point of this thread is. Are you going to take it to them and say “see! the internet says you shouldn’t make your teenage barn help lie to customers!”
Or are you just venting? maybe be clear about that.
Venture Cat, I get why you’re upset. I wouldn’t want to do business with a barn that was lying to my face and I don’t like people who treat horses as disposable. But you need to CALM DOWN. Posters who happen to politely disagree with you are not trolls just because they disagree. Namecalling/slinging insults is unnecessary.
First one is how the barn deals with animals that are not useful, the second is what they tell their clients has happened to Dobbin.
I am not a fan of barns that dispose of their old lesson horses this way. I would prefer they euthanize over sending to auction. I am not anti-auction or even slightly anti-slaughter, I am just one of those people that thinks lesson horses are extra special creatures that deserve more from us.
On the other topic, I have no problem with lesson students not being told the truth about where Dobbin went. It is none of their business for starters. I do not find it wrong if the instructor does not tell them that Dobbin had gotten too lame to do lessons anymore and was euthanized and a truck came and picked up his dead body on the day that the barn is closed for lessons. Lesson kids do not need to learn this stuff this way, lesson kids do not need to deal with this stuff.
If you want to discuss the topic you brought up like an adult then stop this stuff and simply ignore the poster you do not agree with.
You are not making yourself look like someone people can discuss with.
Unfortunately, I think this practice is very common. It was when I was younger, and while I think a lot of traders have been pushed out of business, it does seem like a practice that is still alive and well in some of the less affluent areas. When I was in NY, I went to the Unadilla auctions a few times with some local friends who recognized horses from local schools and camps.
As a kid, I took lessons at a barn that sourced horses from a dealer that picked and dropped horses at auction. My mother intercepted one such horse (a younger lesson horse she had grown to be fond of) who they had already arranged for pick up – he had been in the program a while, was being used despite not being sound, and they thought they could dispose of him quietly but she knew what his outcome would be. She begged them not to take him, gave them money, and well, the rest is history (we left that farm shortly after).
If you can’t afford to retire them, the right thing to do is to euthanize your old/lame horses rather than send them down the road to an unknown and most likely terrifying (for the horse) fate. I’m not so sure you have to lie to the lesson kids about it either. At least over a certain age, children need to learn about the realities of life and death and how we treat our animals with compassion by allowing them a gentle death when the time comes.
yes, I get that. Certainly this is a not uncommon scenario. I guess what icked me out in this particular situation is…no attempt is made to find a re-home and I’m not talking horses ready to be retired. Horses that might warrant a few vet visits but fixable in a place where people are willing to kick down for such things. Don’t get me wrong, I know this stuff is part and parcel in horse biz…I just find it disappointing when the establishment pretty actively promotes itself as not being that way.
I do think it’s unsavory to get minors to lie for you though, particularly when you have leverage over them because of board arrangements. I personally wouldn’t endorse that and I think quite a few parents wouldn’t like that.
I’m not doing biz with the place—just peripherally associated. Have a friend there. And the management is quite a bit like soloudinhere—all smiles until you have a issue to discuss…then they tell you to get out. As an example-- My friend had issue with a maintenance issue in a stall–a minor inexpensive repair–asked nicely about getting it fixed was told it was fine, friend said all do respect it’ll be my vet bill and battle to be reimbursed. They fixed but have since treated friend like persona non grata.
clearly, we all have neg experiences places and stuff that’s not your cup of tea—have to find balance, places/people you can live with the care/atmosphere. I’m just genuinely curious what is the norm in other peoples opinions. I typically stay private/ away from big boarding facilities have my own place or have in past teamed up with friends co-op style. Have been lucky.
What business DOES tolerate employees telling customers everything that is wrong with the company? it is NOT ok to kvetch about your employer to ANY customers and most employers would fire you for that behavior.
Selling horses down the river happens at many lesson mill-type barns but I wouldn’t want to participate in a program that did it. It is the barn’s decision how to handle telling kids that Dobbin isn’t there any more.
If you do euth and plan to tell the kids about it, I recommend telling the parents first and letting them break it to the kid how they want. I personally wouldn’t care but I know plenty of moms who could get pretty hot if you decided to educate their kids about death without letting them know.
Your mom did a good thing