Barn owners -- hypothetically

[Spyder]

Hypothetically.

You have a Couple field boarding a couple of horses temporarily, while they build their own barn and get their place together. Your place is a small, adults-only barn but has great facilities. No trainer present, not a busy, or lesson barn, just a quiet place for horses and their owners to enjoy their horses.

The Owners don’t have time to ride so they have a two people to ride the horses for them. You agree to let the two Riders keep the Owners’ horses exercised. The Riders show up rarely.

One day one of the Owners calls to say they will be coming by with a Rider to ride the horses. The day arrives, the Owner shows up, then the Rider shows. The Owner then says that soon there will be 2 children (7 or 8 years old) accompanied by their parents arriving and the Rider will give lessons to the 2 children on one of the Owner’s horses. You explain to the Owner that the barn is an adults-only barn, as advertised. A few minutes later the parents with children arrive ready for their lessons.

What would you do? How would you feel?

[frugalannie]

I would say (and have said) “I’m sorry but my insurance doesn’t permit this use on the property. I’m sure you understand that I must say no.”

[luvmyhackney]

I would say that is against my insurance policy and ask them to leave. They are bringing more traffic and hassle than you want to deal with.

[Incantation]

This.
Then I would be seeing these boarders as a nuisance in the least and a probably a liability changing riders so frequently, and I may ask them to leave.

[trubandloki]

@Spyder

Hypothetically.

You have a Couple field boarding a couple of horses temporarily, while they build their own barn and get their place together. Your place is a small, adults-only barn but has great facilities. No trainer present, not a busy, or lesson barn, just a quiet place for horses and their owners to enjoy their horses.

The Owners don’t have time to ride so they have a two people to ride the horses for them. You agree to let the two Riders keep the Owners’ horses exercised. The Riders show up rarely.

One day one of the Owners calls to say they will be coming by with a Rider to ride the horses. The day arrives, the Owner shows up, then the Rider shows. The Owner then says that soon there will be 2 children (7 or 8 years old) accompanied by their parents arriving and the Rider will give lessons to the 2 children on one of the Owner’s horses. You explain to the Owner that the barn is an adults-only barn, as advertised. A few minutes later the parents with children arrive ready for their lessons.

What would you do? How would you feel?

Two Three great answers above, I agree with both all of them.

Tell this person that your rules and insurance do not allow for this. Add that they are NOT allowed to have minors riding or give lessons on your property.

[BrownDerby]

@Spyder

One day one of the Owners calls to say they will be coming by with a Rider to ride the horses. The day arrives, the Owner shows up, then the Rider shows. The Owner then says that soon there will be 2 children (7 or 8 years old) accompanied by their parents arriving and the Rider will give lessons to the 2 children on one of the Owner’s horses. You explain to the Owner that the barn is an adults-only barn, as advertised. A few minutes later the parents with children arrive ready for their lessons.

What would you do? How would you feel?

How I feel would be that the Owner is in for a rude awakening when their new place is completed and the circus comes to town.

[GraceLikeRain]

A firm heck no to the horse owner. What a boundary to cross!

[Mosey_2003]

That takes some real balls!

[Ghazzu]

“No” is a complete sentence.

[clanter]

well I can add other way to say no as I am in a city that has limitations on the number head allowed, we are at our limit.

Even so, no would have been my answer at first as we are not a boarding stable

[SharonA1]

What does your written contract say?

If no contract, or the contract doesn’t specify “adults only,” I would allow it this one time because it’s not the children’s fault and heaven knows we need young riders, but I would be clear that this was a one-time thing. I would explain this to the parents as well as the owner, as clearly the owner has a more-casual approach to horses than does the BO. And then I would direct the parents how to find a more-appropriate barn. (Again, it’s not the parents’ or the children’s fault, and it would be nice to encourage the hobby in some small way.)

[NaturallyHappy]

I’m in the “nope, my insurance won’t allow it” camp. I understand the kids will be disappointed but there are too many unknowns with too much liability … can the person teach? Are the horses kid safe?? Did they bring helmets???

[Ghazzu]

@NaturallyHappy

I’m in the “nope, my insurance won’t allow it” camp. I understand the kids will be disappointed but there are too many unknowns with too much liability … can the person teach? Are the horses kid safe?? Did they bring helmets???

And the circumstances as described show hat the other adults involved do not have good judgement, which makes the risk even more of a concern.

[mmeqcenter]

Allowing it once just gives them cause to press their luck again.

Once is all it takes for a kid to fall off and get seriously injured, and then BO sued. If this barn is adult-only with no trainer, most likely the OP does not have liability insurance that covers lessons being given on the property. Most likely the “Rider” giving the lessons does not carry instructor liability insurance.

[mmeqcenter]

What would I do? Repeat that children and lessons are not permitted, no exceptions.
How would I feel? Pretty pissed.

[UtahWI]

Right here with mmeqcenter. I have allowed boarders to bring in trainers to teach them, but those trainers have to have their own insurance and the paperwork adding them in to mine has to be completed before anything happens.

[OverandOnward]

@Spyder

One day one of the Owners calls to say they will be coming by with a Rider to ride the horses. The day arrives, the Owner shows up, then the Rider shows. The Owner then says that soon there will be 2 children (7 or 8 years old) accompanied by their parents arriving and the Rider will give lessons to the 2 children on one of the Owner’s horses. You explain to the Owner that the barn is an adults-only barn, as advertised. A few minutes later the parents with children arrive ready for their lessons.

What would you do? How would you feel?

I’m very curious what you actually did, and how you actually felt about it. How you felt and responded when they first told you that the children were coming. And then again when the children arrived.

You explain to the Owner that the barn is an adults-only barn, as advertised. A few minutes later the parents with children arrive ready for their lessons.

Dying of suspense, here. What happened then ???

[BeeHoney]

This is a hard no situation.

First of all, you’ve made it clear that this is adults only barn. When you run a business it is important not to undermine yourself by making exceptions. Your policies and rules mean nothing if you don’t enforce them consistently across the board.

Secondly, this is a significant liability issue. Even at barns that allow outside instructors to teach, typically the instructor must show proof of their own professional liability policy and also list the facility as an additional insured on their policy. If the person teaching the lessons does NOT have their own professional liability policy, the facility/property owner has a much greater risk of being pulled into a lawsuit should there be an accident. And guess what–a boarding barn’s commercial liability policy does NOT insure the professional activities of others, so your insurance would have a good excuse to decline to cover any resulting liability.

ETA: even if the trainer has their own commercial liability policy for their own farm, this does not cover them when they travel to teach lessons. So it is important to have the actual documentation from the insurance company.

As side considerations, many facilities require guests including outside students to sign liability releases and also charge an extra fee to trainers who want to teach on their premises–this is completely fair as it involves additional traffic, risk, and annoyance for the facility owner. Failing to ask you prior to setting up lessons is either woefully ignorant (as in too ignorant to be teaching lessons to anyone) or shady.

What would I feel in this scenario? I think I can fairly say I would be annoyed, angry even. I don’t mind answering questions or responding to requests from clients at all. But I do not appreciate shady and sneaky behavior.

[OverandOnward]

One more point to what has already been posted. As far as disappointing the children if you refused – you didn’t disappoint them. Their parents and the horse owners disappointed them. By not calling several days ahead to let you know of their plans. Then you would have had time to talk through it with them.

Assuming that is what happened.

Just a personal opinion, but when things happen as a surprise and weren’t notified in advance – I’m often suspicious of why.

[2DogsFarm]

@SharonA1

I would allow it this one time because it’s not the children’s fault

& Whose fault would it be if one of these kids gets hurt on the property?
As this seems to not have happened - thread title says “hypothetically” - my advice is NO.
@Spyder The liability issue is all you need to state to stop this before it happens.