Boarding Expectations

[Equkelly]

I think a lot of people here have only ever been in one type of boarding situation in their entire lives. We can debate all day long about if this is normal or not normal but it’s clear it’s not normal to most of you but that doesn’t make it not normal period. There are boarding situations with zero stalls. There are boarding situations with 2 dozen unused stalls and there are boarding situations where if you board there you get your own stall.

If OP would like her horse to have her own stall and she would like it cleaned out multiple times a day, she needs to go to a facility that offers that. This one does not. I’m so tired of all the posts here being like “hey my boarding barn does things this way and they’ve always done things this way and I knew they did things this way but I would like things done THAT way, what should I do?” MOVE. You are not entitled to customized care. You are entitled to what you pay for and if you’d like additional services, you do it yourself or you leave. This is why boarders are notorious for starting drama.

[SusanO]

I agree with Equkelly. I have a friend with a beautiful facility. A lovely barn with huge stalls and large green pastures with run-in sheds. Her philosophy is that horses live outside 24x7 unless they need to be in a stall waiting for the vet, farrier, etc. Her business model is built around this. If horses were kept in the stalls 12 hours a day her labor costs would go up ( probably have to hire another person), her hay and shavings costs would go up and there would be more maintenance costs. Plus she thinks horses need to live outdoors.

So people have moved to her facility knowing this because “WOW” lovely well kept place. fabulous indoor, etc. BUT they start thinking. This is good to have so much wonderful turnout but Dobbin can’t live outside 24x7. He is IR and can’t have access to that much grass, is allergic to bugs, goes crazy when the flies get after him, needs to keep his coat unbleached since he is showing yada yada yada. Surely he is the exception and he can live in the stall part of the day.

This never ends well. Boarder is miffed her horse cannot be an exception and friend really doesn’t like the drama that goes with this. And I don’t blame her. Those are her rules and she is paying the bills. My philosophy is that my horses are in/out when they want to be and not 24x7. Nether of our ideas are wrong. I made the sacrifices to buy my own place so I could do that. I would not expect to have my horse at her place under my rules.

So even though the dirty stall and stall sharing would be a deal breaker for me that is how this barn owner runs her barn. Personally the stall sharing would drive me crazy as a barn owner but nobody asked me. So OP needs to find a barn that shares her standard of care and not expect this BO to make exceptions for her. I think both she and the BO will be happier and less stressed this way. Life is too short to be this stressed…

[Equkelly]

@SusanO your friends place sounds lovely! I know of several places like that and people always come in and try that same thing despite knowing that’s not how it works.

My favorite is when they try to get the vet involved. “My vet says precious needs to be fed “x” three times a day and stalled for 33 hours a day and needs to be blanketed and unblanketed at all temperatures under 60 degrees.” BO was like “well will your vet be coming out here to do all that because I sure won’t be.”

[SonnysMom]

@Equkelly

I think a lot of people here have only ever been in one type of boarding situation in their entire lives. We can debate all day long about if this is normal or not normal but it’s clear it’s not normal to most of you but that doesn’t make it not normal period. There are boarding situations with zero stalls. There are boarding situations with 2 dozen unused stalls and there are boarding situations where if you board there you get your own stall.

If OP would like her horse to have her own stall and she would like it cleaned out multiple times a day, she needs to go to a facility that offers that. This one does not. I’m so tired of all the posts here being like “hey my boarding barn does things this way and they’ve always done things this way and I knew they did things this way but I would like things done THAT way, what should I do?” MOVE. You are not entitled to customized care. You are entitled to what you pay for and if you’d like additional services, you do it yourself or you leave. This is why boarders are notorious for starting drama.

Except that OP has stated the shared stalls are new and was not part of the boarding contract. It sounds like the BO has changed the terms but my guess is hasn’t provided a reduction in board. It does not sound like OP is asking for the stall to be cleaned multiples times while her horse is in the stall. She just expects the stall to be clean when first put in the stall. I don’t think that is too much to ask. So yes the stall would get cleaned twice a day between horses. It also sounds like there are other stalls they could use instead of her mare’s stall. Maybe they could double up with an owner that doesn’t care if the stall is fully cleaned and whose horse isn’t getting a resulting rash. Any full board contract I have signed addressed that the stall is cleaned.
Yes she likely should move since it sounds like service at this barn is slipping and the BO is probably not holding up to her boarding contract. However I got the feeling that the OP was doing a reality check on if she was being the overbearing boarder or if she had a legitimate complaint and should she try to work it out with the BO. To me it sounds like the BO is burned out and really doesn’t care anymore.

[Beck]

I agree with SonnysMom. The reality check; the stall cleaning issue. The OP is not asking for anything unreasonable, anywhere.

[trubandloki]

@Beck

I agree with SonnysMom. The reality check; the stall cleaning issue. The OP is not asking for anything unreasonable, anywhere.

I think the point being made is it does not matter if it is reasonable or unreasonable to us or the OP. This barn is doing this thing so either OP stays and deals with this thing or the OP finds another barn that does not do this thing. No amount of hands on hips and making demands is going to make things great there for the OP.

The positive here is, the OP has one more thing to put on their list of ‘make sure’ when barn shopping.

[Beck]

@trubandloki

I think the point being made is it does not matter if it is reasonable or unreasonable to us or the OP.

I don’t know if any SPCA or other standards-setting organisation that would approve housing an animal in another animal’s excrement. Or its own. It isn’t really a matter of opinion.

If this is the standard of horsekeeping in this barn of course the OP needs to leave.

The OP has been told multiple times that they are being too picky. Boggles the mind, is all.

[clanter]

@Beck

I don’t know if any SPCA or other standards-setting organisation that would approve housing an animal in another animal’s excrement. Or its own. It isn’t really a matter of opinion.

If this is the standard of horsekeeping in this barn of course the OP needs to leave.

The OP has been told multiple times that they are being too picky. Boggles the mind, is all.

The Humane Society of the United States

6. Don’t forget about shelter
Horses need constant access to a dry, safe, comfortable shelter to protect them from rain, wind, and snow. In warm and sunny weather, the shelter you supply will provide your companion with much needed shade and relief from biting insects. At a minimum, you should have a well-constructed, three-sided shed into which your horse can retreat at all times. You will need to remove manure from the stall or shelter every day.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resour…are-guidelines

[Equkelly]

@Beck

I don’t know if any SPCA or other standards-setting organisation that would approve housing an animal in another animal’s excrement. Or its own. It isn’t really a matter of opinion.

If this is the standard of horsekeeping in this barn of course the OP needs to leave.

The OP has been told multiple times that they are being too picky. Boggles the mind, is all.

Literally no one is saying OP is being too picky. But some of us knew 108 posts ago that the barn owner will not be changing anything because that’s just not how things work. It’s not how they operate. If they’re doing things that way it must work for everyone else because if it didn’t they wouldn’t board there so the BO is under zero obligation to change their ways.

It just saves everyone drama when you go to a barn with the same standards you have rather than trying to get someone to raise them. They won’t. If you really want “extras” (like getting a stall cleaned out an extra time) you do it yourself or ask fo pay someone to do it for you.

I understand for 99% of you a clean stall with fresh shavings is the standard. For OP’s barn it’s an “extra”. And if boarders could get it in their heads that they are not entitled to extras, I swear boarding barns would be a million times more peaceful.

[Beck]

@Equkelly

If you really want “extras” (like getting a stall cleaned out an extra time)

It isn’t an “extra” time, though.

[Equkelly]

@Beck

It isn’t an “extra” time, though.

Yes it is. If they don’t do it for everyone else and you expect them to do it for you it’s an extra. This is not hard.

Again, one of those threads where you can tell who has been on the barn work side of things and who has just paid for for other people to do it for them. Nothing wrong with the latter but some of you really need to get a clue.

[trubandloki]

@Beck

It isn’t an “extra” time, though.

It is at THIS place.

Like - if you were boarding at a barn where the stall cleaner got Monday off. If you wanted your stall cleaned on Monday that would be extra. Yes, there are barns that do this. If it is not something you can deal with then you (general) do not board there. You (same general) do not board there and then have a snit fit that your stall was not cleaned on Monday.

[Nova2000]

The barn I am at now, my horse shares a stall, but it is their stall. He shares an attached limestone paddock with a buddy, but it is theirs, not rotated with other horses when they are on turnout. They get along, and they share if they need to, but most of the time they rotate themselves when one needs to take a nap. The board rates are reasonable compared to the area, so it’s not an issue for me. Not all the stalls are set up this way, but the price is the same. The BO works to pair horses with a buddy they get along with.

I wouldn’t expect anyone running a hand over, but they do put eyes on the horses. One reason I really like then barn I’m at, is that there are no barn hours. She actually has the approach the more variety of hours someone is there, the more eyes there are on the barn and horses if something is amiss.

I would not want the teens riding, unless I gave permission for my horse to be used for lessons, which if that was the case, I would expect a discount, instead of paying for training. The exception is if it is a qualified working student, it is not uncommon for the trainer to have their assistant work the horse, and if qualified, not a big deal for me.

I get it about feeling like a high maintenance boarder, but I don’t feel Iike I am, I just ask for some very basic things which to me are common sense. The barn I am now is the happiest I have ever been as a boarder. I am fiercely independent, and don’t do well at a barn where I am expected to be in a structured training program, or treated differently if I am not, but I like having access to a quality trainer. I also recently took my horse to a dressage lesson with a trainer I highly respect, only to come back to the barn to be told that we are not allowed to take our horses to outside trainers for lessons. I was a bit taken aback, I had never agreed to this or signed a boarding contract stating anything like that, and I never would have agreed to it. She was very kind about it, apologizing because she realized she had never really told me that when I came, but because she’s so small, it takes away from her income. The BO is a good trainer, an upper level eventer, but I do much better with a true dressage trainer. I want to earn my bronze, so it’s important to me. I will have to figure that out in the future, because I like I said, I am so happy otherwise at this barn. and I do lesson with the BO too for jumping.

So, in the end, you need to decide what is or isn’t a deal breaker for you, safety and care being of priority.

[Beck]

@Equkelly

Yes it is. If they don’t do it for everyone else and you expect them to do it for you it’s an extra. This is not hard.

Again, one of those threads where you can tell who has been on the barn work side of things and who has just paid for for other people to do it for them. Nothing wrong with the latter but some of you really need to get a clue.

If each horse had its own stall, each of those stalls would be cleaned once per day. Using a stall for two horses on a ‘time share’ sort of basis is the same as using two stalls. Two cleanings; one per horse.

I have been on both ‘sides’ - actually more on the barn work side. 🙂

[Equkelly]

@Beck

If each horse had its own stall

They don’t.

[SonnysMom]

@Equkelly

Yes it is. If they don’t do it for everyone else and you expect them to do it for you it’s an extra. This is not hard.

Again, one of those threads where you can tell who has been on the barn work side of things and who has just paid for for other people to do it for them. Nothing wrong with the latter but some of you really need to get a clue.

You are wrong there. I have worked full time at a show barn with 50 horses, I had done co-op, full board, training board and work off some board. This week after an 8 hour work day I get to do turn-out, muck stalls, dump/fill water and hay for 10 horses both Monday and Friday. Don’t think I don’t have a clue. I have a big clue. I know what things cost. I know how much work it is to mow, weed-eat, drag rings. I know how fun it is to break up ice in the trough in the winter, slog through the mud in the spring. I know how much money and work it is to maintain fences. I know how much a decent farm tractor is. I know how much labor is involved. I full board my retired horse. But I still help pick up hay. I help source that hay- small grass, small alfalfa and round bales so I know prices. I help when BO/friend goes on vacation. I am routine reminded why I made the decision to board rather than have them at home. At this point keeping horses at home does not work with my real job’s schedule especially when I was traveling for work pre-Covid.

When OP moved in she agreed to the stall was only used for her horse and was cleaned once a day. The contract never addressed sharing a stall. Since the BO does not have exactly twice as many horses as stalls there are some stalls that are not doubled up on. I do not think it is unreasonable for the barn to not use OP’s stall and use another one. Or clean it well before her mare is put in it or switch her to the other barn that the barn rats don’t like to use for doubling up since they are less convenient. I don’t see why communicating with the BO is a big deal. If the BO won’t accommodate then fine she can move. The OP is really mostly asking if she is being unreasonable or is the BO being difficult. Sometimes all it takes is a good reasoned reminder to the BO that she is not living up to her board agreement. Or maybe it is a lost cause. If she asked and her answer is no then fine. But if she never asks the right questions then things will never improve. BO is allowing her staff to be lazy- either by not taking the extra horse to the stall further away or by not making them do a better job cleaning stalls.

[trubandloki]

@SonnysMom

The OP is really mostly asking if she is being unreasonable or is the BO being difficult. Sometimes all it takes is a good reasoned reminder to the BO that she is not living up to her board agreement. Or maybe it is a lost cause. If she asked and her answer is no then fine. But if she never asks the right questions then things will never improve. BO is allowing her staff to be lazy- either by not taking the extra horse to the stall further away or by not making them do a better job cleaning stalls.

But… the OP has talked to the barn owner and the barn owner has no problem with what they are doing here and has basically made the OP feel like they are being a difficult client so it goes back to what has been said a million times - either accept this level of care or move your horse.

[candyappy]

I worked at my boarding barn for several years and all I can say is the BO would never put a new horse in a dirty stall. We always cleaned and re-bedded before a new horse came in.

If OP is paying for full board and the stalls are shared, there is no reason why the stalls should be wet and filled with another horses manure when her’s ( and other boarders) horses are put into them.

[S1969]

@Denali6298

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.

[sophie]

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.