This has not been my experience in over 50 years of horsekeeping in various facilities. Horses do not smell of urine if their stall is less than filthy. How curious - and unfortunate imo - that others have experienced otherwise.
Likewise for feedtubs and water buckets: they belong to specific stalls and rarely get switched around.
Just goes to show there are very few universal truths.
I was talking in general. It happened at a barn I was in once. Old grain under a feed tub. It doesn’t take long to go bad, it’s often wet and dark under the tub.
I don’t own a horse (so it didn’t impact my horse’s care), but I’ve ridden at places that have stall sharing. Usually, one horse occupied the stall for periods during the day and the other exclusively at night. For bad weather there was lean-to in the paddock for the horses without access to a stall. But it wasn’t a show barn, or a full-care facility.
On a practical basis, I have to say, that having more horses per stalls does seem to result in the stalls being dirtier, because there’s a greater likelihood the stall will be occupied, making it more difficult to pick out, clean, or strip. Plus, if the weather is bad and more horses are inside, there’s the difficulty of rotating horses on the cross-ties to more thoroughly clean stalls while people are going back and forth to tack up and do other chores. But there’s a big difference between “less than ideally clean” and “bio-hazard.”
I live in an expensive area as well, but it does sound like you can do better, based on the feedback from people who live closer to you. I hate to say it, but in my experience, facilities do not change based upon feedback. Whenever I ride somewhere, I just assume that how they do things is how they do things, and if I don’t like it, I know I’ll have to leave. Having a horse obviously complicates things, but if your horse is not thriving, and the facility is operating on a tight budget (stall sharing is obviously a way to increase the number of horses the barn can board), again, it’s time to move.
I would have to respectfully disagree that horses never have urine on them unless their stall is filthy. A 1500 lb. 17+ hand horse might produce ~75 lbs. of manure and urine per day. If that horse is stalled from 4:30pm to 8:30am (16 hours) in a 12x12 stall and lays down in a normal manner it’s just very likely that the horse will at some point during the night lay down in its own waste. Some horses strongly prefer to urinate in a stall and won’t urinate outside. A horse that likes to lay down in the same spot that it urinates in and lays down right after it urinates is going to get a pee spot on it. Obviously some barns have evening staff to pick stalls, but wet spots might still not be picked out until morning. Some horses are stall walkers or are just exceptionally messy. Type, amount and absorbency of the bedding could also have an effect.
One other thought though–if an excessive bad odor of urine/ammonia is noticed in a horse’s stall or on a urine stain, that could be related to a diet containing excessive protein which is then excreted in the urine as ammonia.
I think we would both agree to tell the OP that if she feels her horse’s stall is filthy that she should move to another stable.
You also have horses like my old man, who will walk this bedding to the sides of the stall to the point there is 2" or less in the middle of the stall. He pees in the middle. So there ultimately isnt enough bedding to absorb it very well, or provide a dry barrier between him and it.
I’ve never been able to figure out why he does this. Owned him for 18 years now. He is the least anxious horse on earth. I think he just doesnt pick his feet up and shuffles the shavings to the side.
You also have horses like my old man, who will walk this bedding to the sides of the stall to the point there is 2" or less in the middle of the stall. He pees in the middle. So there ultimately isnt enough bedding to absorb it very well, or provide a dry barrier between him and it.
I’ve never been able to figure out why he does this. Owned him for 18 years now. He is the least anxious horse on earth. I think he just doesnt pick his feet up and shuffles the shavings to the side.
OP I didn’t mean to come off like a jerk but, did you not know stall sharing was a thing at this barn? Also, with the urine issue that tells me your horse isn’t being groomed everyday. Leave the barn. You need a reality check over your horse not thriving?
You need a reality check about horses. Screw the training. You allowed your horse to suffer and then need a BB to tell you your right.
But you are coming off as a jerk.
I don’t think that her horse is “suffering.” A horse lying in pee or having a scrape is pretty normal.
The question is whether she should expect better care for the money she is paying. And, the answer may be yes. But it’s really hard to know unless you go look at other barns. Again - I have no issue with stall sharing in general; my horses share their stalls because they can go in and out of them at will. They mix it up all the time.
The issue is whether the OP should expect a clean stall when her horse comes in from turnout, and I think the answer should be yes. Each horse should get a clean stall when they come in - after all, the BM/BO is getting paid double for that stall - they should be able to pay for cleaning 2x a day. Although I can see why that is a challenge if there is always a horse IN the stall; it takes longer and is more difficult. But…that’s what you get for double booking stalls…figure it out.
In all my (40+) years of boarding (granted, not in CT) I have never heard of “stall sharing”.
I would be concerned about the water buckets not being cleaned every time, feed being left over from another horse (unless they all get the same feed / supplements, ha!) and what happens if a horse falls sick with a contagious, quarantine-worthy disease? It’s happened at my barn a couple times but we were able to contain it right away. Not so if that horse had been “stall sharing”.
Kids medicating horses or even feeding with no (competent) adult supervision - big no, as well. I’ve seen what can happen when kids are left to their own devices. Someone responsible and knowledgeable needs to be supervising, because everyone can make mistakes.
Kids riding your horse - depends on the kid. But I certainly wouldn’t be paying the same amount as for a “training” ride.
People checking your horse regularly when you’re not home - As part of paying full board, I assume that workers handling my horse WILL notice if something’s majorly wrong. At times they have, but other times they haven’t (eye thing, leg thing that no one noticed…). It is a big barn with lots of horses, and I realize things may be missed at times, so when I have to leave for a period of time, I “recruit” other boarders, or workers that I know are competent, to keep an eye on my horse and notify me right away if they see major things (eye, colic, etc). The more pairs of eye, the better. But you need to develop a reliable “network” for that.
In a nutshell, OP, I would be looking for a different facility and read each boarding contract very carefully.
FYI- I have been at/seen/am aware of multiple barns in New England that have a “shared stall” situation. There are horses on night turnout and horses on day turnout and they swap, usually only a few horses because the barn is overfull or because Dobbin is black and gets too hot during the day, etc. But the stalls are fully mucked and cleaned in between including changing water. Honestly I think this is pretty common. Although, usually boarders are ASKED if they are ok with this, or it’s the BO, BM or trainers horses that are swapping out depending on the situation. I also know of several places that have horses on 24/7 turnout and do not have enough stalls for every horse. Horses on 24/7 turnout have a shed in their night paddocks and there are emergency plans if there is a big storm/hurricane. I know one place had their barn built so that several cross-tie areas off the aisle could easily be turned into stalls if necessary, and you can always put up panels and/or temp. stall in the indoor.
So the stall swapping in general doesn’t bother me but the way they are doing it does. They should be fully cleaning the stalls in between, full stop. I’d ask that either her stall be fully cleaned or switched so that she isn’t stall sharing because of the skin irritation she is getting from the damp bedding (you did say something about damp bedding didn’t you?).
It sounds like there are a number of care items that have changed since you moved in 3 years ago. And it sounds like the BM is not that interested in rectifying the situation. She sounds… Not that into it, anymore. It might be time to move regardless.
The stall sharing would be a hard no for me because it sounds like the stalls are never properly cleaned. I would expect them to be fully picked out between each change in order for that to be acceptable. As someone who currently makes a living doing stalls I can’t stand when people are lazy about it… I would also be worried that they’re not cleaning out uneaten grain in between. Sure, a little extra grain once won’t kill a horse, but if they go in the same stall and get a little extra grain every single day, it could quickly become a problem.
The rest of your list ranges from typical for boarding to very annoying and concerning, but the stall hygiene issue alone would be enough for me to leave.
Honestly, @Denali6298, I think you might be on here just to argue…you’re still coming across a a jerk. Read my posts. I wouldn’t be posting on here if I weren’t advocating for my horse, who has gotten strong under the lesson I take with BO/trainer and seems happy, just has terrible dermatitis and has to share a stall, which I was not in any contract I signed, but am being told daily that this isn’t a big deal, so after a while I began to question myself and insistence that her stall stay open to air out and stay clean (and my aggravation of my requests not being followed)–thus my reality check before making waves and finding her in a similar or worse situation with a terrible trainer.
Me too. I left my boarding barn in 1991 to move across country and have had my horses at home ever since. I think I paid $200 for my own stall w/paddock, abundant hay and as much bedding as I needed. These threads make me so happy that I have total control over my horses care because where I was obviously was not the norm in boarding.
I would not board at a place where horses are housed in the isle way. I certainly wouldn’t pay $ 1000 a month for a shared stall that is not decently bedded when my horse is in it.
Some teens are more reliable and horse savvy than adults so age alone wouldn’t put me off, but I am one who would be there daily to give meds myself ( if needed).
No one rides my horse but me and that is a deal breaker if the trainer won’t accept that.
You are happy with the training your horse receives , but not the care they provide and you horse is the one suffering because of it.
OP, when asking that the stall your horse is using at night not be used during the day, what exactly are you asking of the BO? Does she have twelve horses using the stalls at night and twelve different horses during the day? Or are the fewer horses on the opposite shift to your horse, where one or more stall can be left open, and it’s just not the stall you’re using? In other words, from the BO’s perspective, what tradeoff are you asking her to make with your request?
The BO thought she found a great way to make a profit by stall sharing.
She found out the hard way that her profit evaporated by the expectation of boarders that their horse would have a clean stall and clean and full water buckets.
Having to clean stalls and water buckets more than once a day will blow through any extra money very quickly especially with the price of shavings these days.
Rather than admit to her mistake she opted for cutting corners.
I imagine you are not the only boarder who has voiced her displeasure even if the BO has not disclosed this fact to you.
Stall sharing makes sense from a BO s stand point but not for a boarder,imo .
Is the BO going to foot the vet bill if your horse or any other contracts a communicable disease?
I understand that liability could be very difficult to prove in a boarding situation but in the case of your horse who seems to be very sensitive, it seems to me that if she were to get some kind of skin disease it could be directly linked to the condition of the stall.
I get that you like the training your horse is getting, but I would try to find another place to keep your horse.
This BO is cutting corners and doing some dangerous things in my opinion. And she wont be paying any of the vet bills either.
Yes, horses do get hurt, but she doesnt seem to be making any effort to mitigate the risk.
Ultimately it is your decision, but I think you should look elsewhere. And I believe you can find another trainer who will suit you just as well.
Good luck
I live and board on the CT shoreline (tho likely further east and in a relatively cheaper area). I have boarded in many parts of the state and have never encountered stall sharing. Some of the stables that host shows will use boarder stalls as “day stalls” for shows which is worse IMO to have outside horses. But this was disclosed up front and the assumption was that your horse is showing home and away and so will be exposed anyway.
In your place I would certainly look at my boarding options. The corners getting cut here are concerning and you are not happy. Doubly difficult to find both the boarding and the training/lessons at one place. Easier if you can trailer out for lessons. Good luck!
There are 14 horses and 9 stalls, so theoretically, my mare’s can stay open, but it’s complicated by the fact that there is a stallion in one barn, and the mares can’t go in that barn if he’s in there, and some horses don’t ever share their stall because they have an attached paddock that they have access to the stall 24/7. The two horses in this situation are long-term boarders with geldings, so they can be in the same barn with a stallion. It’s complicated, but on a nice day, her stall can stay open…but it doesn’t always work like that because it’s easier for the working students to put the geldings in her stall because its one less horse to shuffle. On rainy days, the pasture horses and the horses going outside during the day don’t have enough shelters to be out and leave her stall open, so a horse goes into her stall for the day, and the stall only gets picked, not fully cleaned of wet spots and replaced bedding. So basically, I’m asking that she monitor the situation, either by finding a way to keep her stall open, or cleaning it well and re-bedding if someone has to go in there during the day.
Guys you can talk all day long about how you don’t like stall sharing and how it’s not the norm at most barns in this area but the reality is, that this IS the situation at this barn and if OP doesn’t like it, they should leave. It’s not unethical, it’s not shady, it’s not greedy. That’s just how things work at this barn. Not every barn operates the same.
I say it all the time on here. Barn management won’t raise their standards to appease boarders. It doesn’t happen. Go to a barn with similar standards to yours. SOMETIMES you can maybe ask nicely to pay an additional fee for extras, but even then, the BM is under obligation to clean your horses stall out more than everyone else’s just because that’s how you’d like things to be.
This is why boarders get such a bad rep. People demand extras and special treatment for free. These people usually end up barn hopping around because every barn they go to they get laughed out of when the start this crap. OP save yourself the drama and just leave now if it really bothers you.
@Equkelly would it not be expected that the stall gets cleaned out after another one has been in it for 8 hours? I’m really asking, not being snarky. Just thought that this would be standard of care, even if they didn’t tell me about stall sharing. I really don’t like drama, or to cause trouble but I also don’t like feeling super anxious about the horse’s skin turning raw and infected overnight and spending 45 minutes a day scrubbing out terrible dermatitis to prevent it from turning into cellulitis.
Its not relevant what everyone else does and what everyone else’s standard of care is. That’s not how things work at this barn. Would I like it? Absolutely not, therefore I wouldn’t board there. Or If I really didn’t want to leave I’d do it myself and pay for or bring in more shavings or I’d see if I could pay someone to do it for me.
This is the same thing when people complain about barn management refusing to blanket their horse when none of the other horses get blanketed. You can complain all you want and get the vets advice and present scholarly articles about why some horses need to be blanketed but none of that matters if the barn you’re at doesn’t blanket horses, don’t plan on them starting to.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
