Boarder’s horse damaged arena, what to do?

[MSEF_equine]

We are a boarding barn with an indoor arena. A few years ago, a boarder brought her gelding here for outdoor board. She barely rides but often has two to three part boarders on the horse. One thing I noticed almost right away was that her horse is very stiff when it is ridden and often very reactive to leg. It often kicks out HARD, especially in the canter. More than once, it has kicked the arena wall when being ridden at the canter. One time it left a sizeable dent, another time the sound of the kick spooked another horse so badly the rider was thrown off. I have asked the owner for the safety of her own horse, the rider, other riders, and my arena walls, to please ride him on the second track. Since she barely ever comes out, I asked her to also tell that to her part boarders. Today, one of her part boarders (a new one, she goes through many because of the horse’s behavior) was riding the horse at a canter and it kicked the wall so hard he put his leg right through it. Luckily he seems okay, but to fix this large hole, I need to rip out an entire section of the arena wall, replace it, and paint it. The white walls have faded slightly so there will be no way to color match the arena without repainting the whole arena so I’m either stuck doing that, or having a section of my arena look completely different. And I KNOW horses being the idiots they are, will have meltdowns about this different looking patch.
So my questions:

1. What do I charge her? Normally if a horse breaks a fence board or a jump pole, I don’t charge for it. Wear and tear and unfortunate circumstances bring what they are. But in this case, this is a horse with a known and repeated problem and I’ve asked her to talk to her part boarders about not riding on the wall. She did not tell convey this to her new part boarder.
2. Even if I can repair it, what do I do to prevent this again? I’ve already asked her to avoid the walls. I’ve mentioned it to previous part boarders. I know when I’m not around, they still ride next to the wall. I don’t want to keep repairing my arena. Do I just say they can’t ride inside any more? Do I give notice? Do I just hope it doesn’t happen again? The owner is a pretty decent person, but also very removed much disassociated with her horse aside from paying bills.

I do not have a boarding contract because in the past when I’ve had one, it hasn’t mattered. To fight a contract is a long legal battle where you spend more money and time fighting it than just letting something go.

[mmeqcenter]

Charge for the costs of the repair plus your time at whatever your hourly rate is.

The only way you can prevent it from happening again is asking them to leave.

[endlessclimb]

I’d ask her to leave. The headache she causes isn’t worth it.

I’d grab a chunk of the section he kicked through, and go get it color matched at a hardware store. It still won’t be perfect-perfect, but it will be way closer than using the original paint.

[trubandloki]

@MSEF_equine

We are a boarding barn with an indoor arena. A few years ago, a boarder brought her gelding here for outdoor board. She barely rides but often has two to three part boarders on the horse. One thing I noticed almost right away was that her horse is very stiff when it is ridden and often very reactive to leg. It often kicks out HARD, especially in the canter. More than once, it has kicked the arena wall when being ridden at the canter. One time it left a sizeable dent, another time the sound of the kick spooked another horse so badly the rider was thrown off. I have asked the owner for the safety of her own horse, the rider, other riders, and my arena walls, to please ride him on the second track. Since she barely ever comes out, I asked her to also tell that to her part boarders. Today, one of her part boarders (a new one, she goes through many because of the horse’s behavior) was riding the horse at a canter and it kicked the wall so hard he put his leg right through it. Luckily he seems okay, but to fix this large hole, I need to rip out an entire section of the arena wall, replace it, and paint it. The white walls have faded slightly so there will be no way to color match the arena without repainting the whole arena so I’m either stuck doing that, or having a section of my arena look completely different. And I KNOW horses being the idiots they are, will have meltdowns about this different looking patch.
So my questions:

1. What do I charge her? Normally if a horse breaks a fence board or a jump pole, I don’t charge for it. Wear and tear and unfortunate circumstances bring what they are. But in this case, this is a horse with a known and repeated problem and I’ve asked her to talk to her part boarders about not riding on the wall. She did not tell convey this to her new part boarder.
2. Even if I can repair it, what do I do to prevent this again? I’ve already asked her to avoid the walls. I’ve mentioned it to previous part boarders. I know when I’m not around, they still ride next to the wall. I don’t want to keep repairing my arena. Do I just say they can’t ride inside any more? Do I give notice? Do I just hope it doesn’t happen again? The owner is a pretty decent person, but also very removed much disassociated with her horse aside from paying bills.

I do not have a boarding contract because in the past when I’ve had one, it hasn’t mattered. To fight a contract is a long legal battle where you spend more money and time fighting it than just letting something go.

I am very pro-barn owner (as my posting history proves), but to me this falls into the category of the cost of doing business, unless your boarding contract has something about the horse owner being responsible for repairs for damages caused by their horse.

You knew this horse kicked, you knew this owner had an endless stream of people riding their horse.
This appeared to be a liability you were fine with, until it broke your barn.

Give this boarder notice and fix your barn and be happy they will not be there to break it again.

I agree with @endlessclimb, take a chunk of the broken part and get it color matched to be as close as possible.

This boarder is for sure not responsible for you painting your entire arena.

[endlessclimb]

@trubandloki

This boarder is for sure not responsible for you painting your entire arena.

Agreed. And honestly, me personally, I wouldn’t even charge them anything. Just use this as the reason they’ve got to go. Perhaps mention that they are responsible for the full sheet of plywood+labor, but you’re doing them a favor by just asking them to leave.

[anonevent]

On one hand, if my horse caused damage, I’d insist on paying for the repair (short of repainting the arena).

Perhaps insist that you also warn new part-boarders moving forward rather than trusting the horse’s owner. Or, if you don’t want to bother, insist that the horse does not have arena access and say that you understand if they want to move the horse.

[SusanO]

Maybe in the future create a contract that all part-boarders need to be approved and they need to sign a contract. Not just a liability waver but including the rules of the barn and penalties for damage. Then you can hammer home that the horse kicks out and if they ride him on the rail and he breaks something then they have to pay for the repairs. I think too late now. I do think you should contact the owner, tell her about the damage and that you will need the horse to go elsewhere. It is costing you $$$ to fix this damage and you can’t subsidize the repairs if he does it again and there is no other way to prevent his behavior. Maybe she will feel guilty and pay for the damage even though there is no contract. If she doesn’t offer to pay then you have your answer.

[clanter]

@MSEF_equine

The white walls have faded slightly so there will be no way to color match the arena without repainting the whole arena so I’m either stuck doing that, or having a section of my arena look completely different.

take a small, intact paint sample from the existing wall to a paint store, have them color match it, and then use that paint for touch-ups or small areas

with today’s electronics they have optical scanners that is linked to their colors to give them the proper mix

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/home-builders/services/paint-technology-and-application/sw-article-pro-howtogettouchup

[luvmyhackney]

Just ask them to leave.

I wouldn’t bill them for it. Just fix it and move on.

It can be a reminder to riders.

[beowulf]

I agree this sounds like something your boarding contract should spell out, and something that would be built into your boarding fee to cover reasonable general repairs (fences being another common one).

OP, this horse is a walking liability for you. You’ve now put out there written acknowledgment that this horse is dangerous. I worry for you if the unthinkable happens and a part boarder gets seriously hurt.

This boarder and her horse need to go yesterday, to protect you and your bottom line. And you need to give all boarders a contract, so that it is clear what obligations both parties have.

[MSEF_equine]

If I chose to repaint the whole arena, I wouldn’t charge them for that. I agree that would be ridiculous.

[Simkie]

@MSEF_equine

I do not have a boarding contract because in the past when I’ve had one, it hasn’t mattered. To fight a contract is a long legal battle where you spend more money and time fighting it than just letting something go.

The purpose of a contract isn’t just to have a way to take someone to court.

It’s also to codify expectations for BOTH parties, and to provide a resource if either party isn’t upholding their end.

Without a boarding contract here, you’re SOL. The boarder has no obligation to cover this cost. She also has no expectation to cover it, because you’ve never set one.

I definitely wouldn’t ask her to pay.

But DO use this opportunity to get ALL your boarders on a contract, and decide how you want set expectations for damage going forward.

[NaturallyHappy]

As a barn owner, I’d probably eat the cost to remind me to be smarter next time. I’d ask her to leave and immediately restrict arena use until she’s gone. That kick through the wall could have ended really horribly.

[Annie10]

I would just fix it and then ask her to leave. The color thing wouldn’t bother me one bit. Horses need to deal with stuff like that.
This part boarder foolishness is going to cause you a world of hurt one day when something really bad happens and somebody gets hurt and sues your a*( off.
You really need a contract just to spell out expectations for each side on everything from who eats what to who holds for the farrier so there are no misunderstandings going forward.

[SharonA1]

What would you do if a usually saintly horse, owned by a wonderful boarder, damaged the wall?
I guess I feel that is what you should do in this case. Horse boarding is by definition asking for wear and tear.

If you do want the horse to leave, or you want anything to change, then by all means use this incident as a talking point (it seems to me that his horse needs some vet care), but I don’t see grounds for charging the boarder. For me, I would want the BO/BM to have a contract and something in writing with boarders’ signatures on it, before the BO/BM started charging.

But, you might just start with a conversation with her; for all we know, she might offer to pay for the damage. Or she’ll be upset and decide to leave on her own. But get a contract in place for all your boarders, so everyone knows what to expect in the future.

[mmeqcenter]

IMO this is not at all “normal wear and tear” that a BO typically wouldn’t charge for. It is not even a little bit normal for a horse to kick out constantly while being ridden. I would have asked them to leave a while ago but, everyone has difference tolerances.

[OverandOnward]

Is there any chance that your insurance would cover at least part of the damage? You’ll need to call your insurer and ask to know for sure.

OP if you were a boarder, in a similar situation as your boarder, would you expect to pay something? It’s an interesting question and because you did give the boarder a caution, I think it’s fair to ask for something, as this is over and above normal wear and tear.

Wear and tear is damage that can be expected to happen, that comes along normally at irregular intervals. From different horses, not all from the same horse. Insurance probably has a more exact definition.

If only you had thought to say to her much earlier " … and when telling the riders that they can’t ride him near the wall, also tell them that if he does damage the wall any more than he’s already done, I’ll be billing you for it, because this is preventable. You can try to get whoever was riding him to reimburse you."

I think you could definitely say something to her. And say that you have reminded her (I hope) to be sure that the horse’s riders don’t allow him near the wall. Maybe you can go from there and assign some financial responsibility. “I’m not asking you to pay for the labor, but I’d like you to cover the materials.” Whatever you are comfortable with.

If a tenant leaves an apartment with a hole in a wall, they are definitely on the hook for the cost of the repair. Of course that is covered by a contract. But it’s also a common expectation.

My horse once damaged a fence at a board barn. It was the only time in my ownership of him that he ever damaged anything (not counting the cheap plastic flower decor that he ate). The BO asked me to pay for the materials, and I did. I rather thought it was a wear and tear item, the horse had been there for 4 years with no other damage, and any horse could have done it. But it wasn’t a great deal of money and not worth fighting over, so I paid it without discussing it.

I used to know an owner with a mare who, over time, would just destroy everything she could reach in and around her stall. That owner was asked to leave one barn after another. She lasted only a few months in each barn during the time that I knew her. She liked the mare enough to keep her and keep moving during that time. I don’t know what caused the mare’s behavior. The default would be manic boredom, I suppose. In the barn where I knew them, the mare was on turnout for all but 3 or 4 hours per day for two grain/alfalfa feedings. But it was a destructive time. She ripped trim segments from her upper stall door (dutch doors) and wherever it was present inside the stall. Kicked through stall boards. Tore feeders off walls (or tried to). I do not know if the owner was ever billed for this by any barn. Owner eventually moved out of state, no idea what happened to the mare – probably needed a permanent pasture life.

[OverandOnward]

@MSEF_equine

The white walls have faded slightly so there will be no way to color match the arena without repainting the whole arena

No way would I repaint the entire arena to make it all match again. Unless I was hosting the World Equestrian Games in that arena.

In fact, the unmatched section is a reminder to everyone. Make sure everyone knows why that section doesn’t match. Do not ride so close to the walls!

Actually, maybe this is an idea … use a piece of board removed from that section to make a painted sign to attach to this horse’s stall. “Don’t ride this horse close to the arena walls. If he kicks out and damages the wall, you will be billed for the repair.”

@MSEF_equine

And I KNOW horses being the idiots they are, will have meltdowns about this different looking patch.

That’s not an arena problem. That’s a horse problem. And maybe a rider problem if they don’t know how to handle it and desensitize their horse to the spot.

Any horse may stare and/or spook at first. But every rider needs to be competent enough to school their horse through this until the horse no longer reacts. How will they ride anywhere outside of the arena if their horse can’t handle a change in wall color?

[HPFarmette]

I feel bad for the horse and you the barn owner about these “part boarders”. Maybe they are the reason for the horse kicking out.

[OverandOnward]

Also maybe you can choose a gray-ish or off-white color that sort of matches the wall on either side? It won’t be perfect. But it won’t be a bright contrast If you choose a matte, and/or muted color?