One would think this would be common sense.
I think I’ve mentioned this on the forum a time or two, but I boarded at one barn that had a robust lesson program. And when I asked about several items missing from my personal tack box, I was told “It’s a lesson barn, kids use things in the tack room.”
Um absolutely not.
The instructor I had as a teenager would’ve been belligerent.
It hasn’t been posted (yet) above the haul-in sign in sheet.
“No children riding bicycles in the arena when others are riding”. 
Don’t tie your horse to the bumper of your car/truck
"Keep the arena gate closed while there is riding in the arena."
Especially if children are riding, and/or early-stage learners of any age.
I thought every lesson program, at least, would have this policy. But apparently not. A certain lesson program had a serious injury to a child student, during a lesson, when their horse bolted through an open arena gate. Child student still aboard but with no control, the horse galloped back to the barn, where it slammed on the brakes and she flew off and slammed into whatever was in front of them. Resulting in a long hospital stay. She never rode again.
I think this is just not knowing horse behavior, unfortunately more usual these days. So many riders now don’t seem to know about the common horse behavior of being secretly fixated on the gate, with absolute but secret intentions of exiting at the first opportunity. And some riders, especially children, not strong enough and/or knowledgeable enough to stop them.
I usually addressed these things in person with that one boarder who had to do stupid things constantly.
Don’t bring your 3 children under 7 in with your 2 yr. old gelding, which one will you save when he decides to spin around and kick?
Don’t ask your (non horsey) husband to hold your horse still on the crosstie while you try to measure him with a huge tape measure and he’s rearing.
I could go on…
Thankfully she left because I was too bossy 
Literally ALL of the barn rules that we had posted were because of our problem boarders and their teenage DD. ALL OF THEM. Yes, we talked to them in person, the parents swore they’d talk to her, nothing ever changed. The barn rules were posted after multiple talks and disagreements as hey, this is what you signed and agreed to-either abide by them or leave.
From when I boarded at a 100% self-care place, with an ancient pole barn loaded with over 600 bales of hay:
–No open flame in or near the barn area.
Or ever. 
Adults, too.
I would ignore the no unload one more than likely. I hate for horses to stand on the trailer if we are not moving. Of course most of the year here that would also be a heat stroke in the making.
A lot of these are probably it depends lol. (Although I am 100% don’t tie your horses to things that aren’t sturdy)
Like riding in the pasture- is it a couple acres or a couple hundred? a couple acres no, a big field doesn’t bother me. Watch your language around kids- that’s just ridiculous. No riding in halters? that’s a weird one, I’ve competed in endurance with a horse in a rope halter only. No lunging in ring with riders? Depends on size of ring.
Depends on who is lunging and if they are lunging for training or just to get the bucks out.
Someone was lunging the other day and where I board the ring is massive, but person lunging could barely keep horse under control, horse was getting bucks out with little control.
I chose to trail ride and not bother with the ring.
Yeah, I ride with the gate open (well, we don’t have fencing right now anyway but when we did). In the field with other horses (they’re all turned out together, I wouldn’t ride in strange horses’ pasture). I ride bareback in a halter. I don’t care if someone is lunging or riding bikes or driving the four wheeler or unloading massive construction equipment. Or revving the go cart right behind the crossties (okay I turn the horse around, but it’s fine once they can see it).
However, this place is not a traditional “training program” boarding barn. The horses are very used to all kinds of nonsense going on, and they aren’t startled by it for more than a second. Flushing birds out of the woods is infinitely scarier 
.
And that’s the difference - these aren’t random occurrences and the general horse handling safety is in place. Gates are shut, horses are tied properly or put in stalls, and there is enough space that you can get away from anything too scary.
I once trotted a horse off for a vet check, and the only flat space is in the yard behind the (fenced) pool. Music was playing and the kids and dogs were running around screaming - the vet asked if my horse was going to be spooked by the commotion. It took me a moment to figure out what “commotion” she was talking about. “Oh, nope he’s not going to care.” She didn’t believe me, I could tell - but he didn’t even flinch.
I’m realizing that I used to tiptoe around my horses too much. Don’t get me wrong, the “barn rules” are all safety related. But the barn rule is also “the kid is going to ride his bike like a maniac on the driveway. Your horse is going to get used to it, but if it bothers you, it’s okay if you leave”. Works for us!
For some horses, the crazier it gets, the less spooky they get. Silence is a mind killer for some of them.
Depends on the horse and trailer. The interior of my trailer was way cooler than out in the hot sun. At clinics I’d load her back up and sit inside with her to have my lunch in a cool place.
Also re: hating them on without the trailer moving - that’s a key survival point for me, they must learn to stand in their house comfortable and quietly whether it has wheels or is in a barn. My current horse (who I stupidly took her to an event that overfaced her and made her stupidly excited to the point where she was no longer enjoying her adrenaline rush - who knew a junkie could get enough lol) once tried to self load before I got the back of the trailer opened because she knew the inside of the trailer was a safe place.
We had to post “No Smoking In The Barn” because of the stall cleaning company, who would smoke while on the job and throw the butts on the floor. Not that any option would be great, but we bedded with straw at the time.
They no longer work for the barn in question.
Necessary rules are situational. Not every situation needs all the rules mentioned in this thread. But in the end, their place, their rules.
Those who don’t need that rule to stay safe and sane are obviously not where the problems are coming from.
Just a personal opinion, I’m not in favor of making a rule for every one-off adverse event, if a repeat of that incident is unlikely. I’m not that reactionary.
But if there has been a tendency by multiple people to a create hazardous or adverse situation, then maybe a rule will help. Or, help getting rid of those people whose behavior tends to cause problems for others. That’s what rules are really about, imo.
Just life experience – if a ‘new’ rule has been violated by just one person (or in this case, one service provider), the problem may be that person / service provider, not the rule. If a change can be made in that one behavior, or kick them out, then does that take care of the problem? 
If so then probably it’s not worth a big effort to inform everyone of a new common-sense rule. 
The barn manager at the time was gobsmacked that it needed to be said, but as it had occurred to multiple people providing that service, she thought better safe than sorry and had the sign printed.
And also fired the stall cleaning company.
Hafta love 
a Barn Manager 
who fixes a bad situation – permanently. 
I agree they should stand quietly where ever they may be but I still feel better not having them stand there. Without air moving the temperature can rise quickly in my area.
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