I copied this in here because it is so similar to so many of the OCD barn owners that get described on these pages.
Re: Live in Stall Help Opportunity (Lebanon)
compensation: 0.00
DO NOT TAKE THIS POSITION. IT WILL BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
This “lifestyle opportunity” is a call for slave labor. When it says “chores come first,” it means 7 days a week, 365 days a year, no days off to rest or go to church, and absolutely no days off even if your mother is in the hospital and dying. If for any reason, you have to take a day off (let’s say to visit your mother who is dying in the hospital out of town), you will be told that everything is okay and take the time you need. In reality, you will come back home and be told that you are “effing lazy and unreliable” and that it’s not going to work out and you need to move.
Regarding the “nice and modern” 36ft 5th wheel with a slide out: “Needing a few tweaks” means that the interior is covered in black mold, the slide-out is not insulated properly, the entire 5th wheel is not level (and sliding off its supports), the roof leaks, it is missing skylights, there is a soft spot in the bathroom floor in front of the toilet, the front of the 5th wheel leaks (bedroom), your heat consists of a small space heater (you will freeze in winter), the interior is always wet (and moldy), and your cooking surface is a hot plate because you will not be allowed to have propane. There is no laundry on site (unless you buy yourself that washer/dryer combo) and there is no trash service. Over the winter, if your clothes get wet, they will never get dry. Both of us ended up with upper respiratory infections and discovered the black mold. It can kill you.
The property is a “work in progress” for sure. It is located on the power line trellises, and there are too many “projects” to name. You will be expected to work on them every day, especially weekends. The most notable projects would be the electrical system and fencing for the back pasture. The barn and 5th wheel are fire hazards. The laid down fencing in the back pasture is a hazard if you have your horse there. The covered arena is not usable for riding or training as it normally houses horses.
When we took this position, these people had contacted us about our ad looking for a work-for-rent situation. We have a lot of horse knowledge as well as practical farm and barn maintenance experience, but just before we were fired, we found out that the only reason she decided to hire us was because I wrote a nice “cover letter” that said I understood that animals have needs that must be met daily. What I meant by this was that I understand that feeding and general care must be done every day. What SHE understood by this was that we were okay with never having a day off or really leaving the property. We were expected to do almost everything, even on her days off when she says she wants to “groom, train, ride, and spend time with” her horses…which she doesn’t.
In order to complete the stall cleaning in 3 hours, you will be expected to clean each stall in 9.45 minutes, which consists of daily stripping most of the stalls, walking the wheelbarrow all the way around the barn and back to dump it, going into the covered arena to get shavings, and raking the shavings so that every inch of the stall has the same thickness. You must also pick manure balls out of each stall a second time each day. It is not a reasonable goal for one person. And yes, there is a specific way you MUST clean the stall. When we worked there, we were expected to clean each stall in 7.5 minutes. We timed ourselves, and it takes a minimum of 12-15 minutes per stall. And that was flying.
Your daily schedule on weekdays will be to start cleaning stalls at 7am. You will have a list of projects to complete each day on top of three feedings, stall cleaning, blowing/raking aisles after every feeding, turning out horses, hauling hay, making feed, etc. And that does not even include grooming or working her horses. You will not have time to take a lunch break in her schedule, and you will be lucky to take bathroom breaks. You get a break at 5 or 6pm after you feed supper and blow the aisles again, but you must be around to check on the horses and feed a snack at 9pm, blow the aisles again, and close up the barns. If a project has not been done to her standards, you will be expected to redo it the next day or for as long as it takes for her to be happy. Don’t expect your break between 5 and 9, she will text or call you constantly when/if she comes up to the barn to check your work.
This woman is afraid of smelling ammonia in the horse stalls (it’s urea, actually), yet she does not care that she is polluting the environment with 12 years worth of feces and urine-soaked shavings piled behind her barn (that the 5th wheel sits on) above a creek that is a tributary to the Santiam River.
You will not have time for your own horse if you have one. Or for your family or spouse/significant other. On weekends, you will be expected to feed in the morning, so your day will start at 6am. You will be expected to finish all of your chores and be available to work on “big projects” with the owner…if she shows up to the barn. You will never spend a holiday meal with family or friends without being made to feel guilty. And don’t expect to take a vacation day to the beach. Ever. Unless of course, you haul her horses to the beach for her, groom and saddle them, wait for her to ride, and then take them home.
Regarding a good situation for a couple (1 with an outside job), you will rarely see each other or have any time together to relax. In fact, if you have an outside job, you will be told that you are not allowed to do any work in the barn, leaving your spouse to finish everything up on his 14-hour day. Anyone who has been married for any length of time will know that this can be a very sticky situation and cause a rift in the relationship. You will flat out not be able to take this position if you have another job or are in school or want any type of social life or go to church, etc. “The horses come first.”
Nothing you do will ever be up to standard. This woman has major issues. One day, she will be beyond happy with the job you’re doing, and the next, she will tell you it’s not going to work out. As far as being “envious” of the person working her farm, she will use her days off (weekends) to do stuff in her house. It was rare for her to come up to the barn until all the chores were already finished, and then she will want you to help her with other projects. She is not flexible or easy to get along with, and you will be micro-managed.
If you work for minimum wage at the hours that are required, based on HER 10-hour schedule (which does not include any breaks and is not realistic), you should earn $2784.25 a month. A moldy, wet trailer that is illegal in which to live in Linn County is not worth the hours or the hard labor, even if you are desperate.
The “quality horses” that live at this barn are unpredictable and dangerous. They are not handled much, and most of them have no manners. Do not let their fat bellies fool you, the horses are neglected in terms of farrier, dental, and vet care.
Even if you have a lot of horse experience, it will not be enough for these people. Even if you work hard every day to try to live up their expectations, it will not be enough for these people. From experience.
The husband and wife had outside jobs and the wife would leave instructions (and nasty comments about our work the day before) in a notebook every day, Monday through Friday.