Grain and boarding

[Red_Barn]

@S1969

Well, her response was to someone saying “if you’re not paying full board, it’s your responsibility.”

Even if you are paying “full board” (and that means different things to different people anyhow) you might have to pay an additional fee if you want something other than the barn standard that’s included in the price.

If you’re very busy, OP, you might suggest that: just add the cost of the grain AND the cost of labor to your monthly board, and you won’t have to think about it again. Seeing the other person’s point of view, and offering to pay extra for stuff like that, invariably generates more good will than expecting special favors for free.

[Casey09]

I think it’s most helpful to always have a bag in your garage. Take the bag out of your garage when you run out at the barn, and then replace your supply in the garage. I store them in a metal trash can, but for me, that’s the easiest way.

[tabula_rashah]

While I agree checking and re-filling grain is your responsibility, it would be odd (and rather annoying) if she’s been letting you know ahead of time for all the years and then suddenly doesn’t.

[S1969]

@Red_Barn

Even if you are paying “full board” (and that means different things to different people anyhow) you might have to pay an additional fee if you want something other than the barn standard that’s included in the price.

I understand that. That’s why I asked if she was refusing the barn’s grain, preferring to buy her own.

I’ve never heard of any “full board” situation that doesn’t provide grain at all, but I do understand that a barn shouldn’t be expected to fulfill special requests if an owner doesn’t want to feed what they offer.

[beowulf]

I see. I generally don’t like these kinds of arrangements because this situation invariably happens. I used to tell boarders I was always happy to accommodate a vet-sanctioned special diet/need – but that it would be XYZ dollars on top of the contracted board amount. This usually got the tire kickers and time wasters away, and kept those who had legitimate dietary still within my barn’s threshold of care. That way I could control the feed and ensure they’d never be out or I’d never have to rely on a third party to provide the feed.

As an aside, it was an absolute nightmare offering part-board / self care. I regretted it within a week and will never do it again. There were way too many instances like OP’s where the horse was out of food and I couldn’t in good conscience not feed them some of my own hay/grain.

I still believe the BO/BM/Staff are going above and beyond to notify someone who is providing feed that they are out of feed. IMHO that is absurd to expect of staff. They are way too busy – and if they are like other barns, probably understaffed – to be micromanaging a boarder’s feed supply schedule.

[Red_Barn]

@beowulf

As an aside, it was an absolute nightmare offering part-board / self care. I regretted it within a week and will never do it again. There were way too many instances like OP’s where the horse was out of food and I couldn’t in good conscience not feed them some of my own hay/grain.

Every BO I know says exactly the same thing. One person (admittedly a bit of a pushover) regularly ended up paying the farrier (!) or vet (!) and then trying to recoup her money from boarders who were either absent or felt entitled to special treatment because they were “friends.”

I haven’t been a boarder for many years - thank God! - but when I was, I really appreciated people who spelled everything out clearly and put it in the contract. I think BOs who do too much for nothing, and then play the martyr or resent the boarders, often create these little dramas themselves, inadvertently or not.

[Djones]

Maybe, just maybe, she forgot. Maybe she picked up her phone to text you and the cat fell on her head.
Who Knows.

How do you not know after FIVE YEARS how often they are buying feed for the horse? LOL Someone has to tell you this? I know it’s nice to get a heads up and guess what- you GOT a heads up. You just didn’t like the timing. I’m sorry, but boo freaking hoo.

There’s another side to this story. That much I’m sure of

[JB]

In the end it doesn’t matter. You provide the feed, and unless there is a specific agreement that the BO will let anyone know when their feed/supplements/medications are running low, expect to take that responsibility onto yourself.

I’m not really sure what you are looking for in continuing to say “she always did it before, she didn’t warn me early enough this time”, when she DID give you notice and you chose to not make sure there was more feed before it actually ran out. That’s on you. I can’t imagine anyone at your family gathering would have had a meltdown if you’d said “I need to run out for a little bit so my horse doesn’t run out of food”. Was the feed store also closed on Saturday and Sunday?

Did you ask her what “running low” meant when she let you know on Friday? If you didn’t, and assumed that meant a week left, that’s on you. If she told you “a few days” and you still chose to use company as an excuse, that’s on you.

Life changes, people change patterns.

We are responsible for how we react to events that happen.

@Vicbrenan

its only recently that she hasn’t been giving me much notice,

You finally got “bitten” by something that isn’t even new. The first time you got short notice, that should have been your cue to take the responsibility for making sure there was always feed in the bin.

[Red_Barn]

@Djones

Maybe, just maybe, she forgot. Maybe she picked up her phone to text you and the cat fell on her head.

I hate it when that happens.

[scislandsprite]

Mine used to give me roughly maybe 2 weeks notice on supplements & grain. Honestly I also tracked it myself so I could bring in the new grain/supplements a few days before the current feed ran out. I usually would go in once every week to check how much was left & I fed by weight so a 50lb bag of grain would last exactly 50 days so if I marked it on the calendar, I could eyeball it pretty well if needed.

[jvanrens]

Full board at the barn I’m at doesn’t include grain. I knew that going in. In my case, I only have a stall if required. My boy has breathing issues, so he’s better off outside.

[Spudsmyguy]

In all my years of boarding, only one full care barn had grain supplied by the barn and it was Purina Omolene or some other brand of sweet feed. Every other place was you supply your own and have it baggied. One place I looked at not long ago, charge the owners $1.50 a day extra to have them feed your horse the grain you supply.

[Scribbler]

I think there is huge local difference in what full board means in regard to grain at the lower to medium end boarding barn, especially barns without resident trainers and showing programs . Also individual BO translate it differently according to their resources of time and labor.

In show barns, or any barn, it makes sense for the BM/BO to settle on their preferred feed or range of feeds, that works with their business model, horse keeping ideas and budget.

You could easily around here end up at a nice casual smaller recreational where they’ve decided “horses don’t need grain” or any bagged feeds.

Three cheers for self board!!

[LilDunFilly]

I would love if a BO notified me about a week out if I was running low of concentrates, but I also keep track myself.

I planned/priced my mare’s diet out based on how much she eats and when I’d need more. A 50 lb bag of grain lasts a few days longer than 2 months based on correct feed amounts, thus I should be ordering it every 1.5 months (give it some wiggle-room to arrive before I run out). 50 lb of flaxseed and hay pellets last 6 months, so I should order every 5.5. These dates are kept as reminders on my phone.

Now, I bag her daily ration (not on barn’s supplements) so I know when I am low, but I couldn’t imagine not having a rough idea of when X concentrate was low because I budget for how much I need per month.

[candyappy]

@jvanrens

This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada

I had no idea Canada had a Thanksgiving?? Learn something new every day.

[candyappy]

@endlessclimb

It’s not full board if you’re supplying your own grain.

That is where things differ according to personal experience. I would still consider it full board because in my day owners paid full board and supplied ( and fed) grain if they wanted to. It was still full board because you got all the services the barn provided for the cost.

I think if people have to provide and pay for any supplemental hay,( over what the barn feeds) then they are not actually paying for full board either. I am sure they would disagree.

There are many horses who don’t need grain. They all need hay.

[trubandloki]

I wish the barn owner would give me more notice when my horse’s grain got low. Oh wait. I am the barn owner and it is all on me. And like everyone above has said, it is not hard to figure out how long a bag of grain/supplements will last you, so you will need to buy some.

On all the other details that have been tossed in to make the barn owner seem at fault here - I am thinking your life has changed quite a bit, with a new horse and a new baby. So maybe the relationship change is not 100% the barn owner changing but a combination of things and you are taking it personally when it is not.

Did you ask, nicely, why your dog can’t come to the barn? How do you know other dogs are allowed (versus the owners of those dogs are jerks and were told no dog and are doing it anyway)?

If you really do not understand the changes just make plans to do something with the barn owner and have a discussion. Ya know, that whole adulting thing.

Someone else mentioned it above, but it is worth repeating. Why jump with guns blazing for what seems like a simple life thing? Maybe the barn owner also got busy with the holiday and meant to text you days before they did? Maybe the barn owner assumed that by now you knew how long your grain lasted? Maybe someone else is feeding and they forgot to mention to the barn owner that you were getting low on your grain? The list of things that caused the delay goes on and on and on…

[JB]

@endlessclimb

It’s not full board if you’re supplying your own grain.

If the boarding contract is that full board includes this feed (or selection of feeds), either at the amount required by your horse, or up to 10lb or whatever, but you choose to supply your own feed, it’s still full board. Most BOs won’t discount down to “partial board” just because you supply your own feed. That’s their contract. Allowing you do something different doesn’t make make it no full board, unless there’s a (lower) partial board or self-care contract

[LCDR]

I assume you buy your horse’s feed and personally deliver the bags to your boarding barn.

In that case, perhaps keep a spare bag at home or in your car for just such late notices.

As an aside, the pandemic has introduced me to ordering feed from Chewy. Delivery is reliably by FedEx the second day after placing the order, delivered directly to my barn, I now use the standing order option, which can be at your choice of 4, 5, or 6 week intervals. I receive a notice the week before that my order is coming up for shipment, and I can decrease or increase the amount if necessary. The biggest hassle is dealing with the cardboard boxes. Each bag is shipped in its own box.

[Amy3996]

@endlessclimb

It’s not full board if you’re supplying your own grain.

@S1969

I’ve never heard of any “full board” situation that doesn’t provide grain at all,

The barn where I board is full care. BM handles cleaning stalls, turn-in/out. Hay + bedding are included in the board price. Blanketing is an additional monthly fee. We supply our own grain. It’s a small private facility. No trainer on site, no show program. I 100% prefer the amenities and flexibility here to any other place I’ve boarded. Not providing grain doesn’t make it self care or partial care IMO. If I arranged grain delivery to the barn, I could leave for weeks or a month and my horse’s needs would be tended to.