How would you handle this? Unqualified peeps blanketing horses at barn

[LilDunFilly]

@J-Lu

Such the same old here.

Yes, if the “same old here” means “someone is telling me that my attitude and conduct in this thread leaves something to be desired” then yeah.

@J-Lu

No, my horse didn’t require the hotwire although you think he did because you DIDN’T read the posts or ask for clarification in a normal way. ALL paddocks have hot wire and his food bucket was moved to the hotwire then they painted the run-in and hot-wired that side of the run-in off. You have no idea what you’re posting about and support my argument here. YOU have no idea about how to be objective and know relatively little about the actual situation. But that won’t stop you from posting.

I did not say your horse requires hotwire. I said YOU posted that hotwire was installed after your horse damaged the fence.

@J-Lu

One responded by saying my horse is somewhat unpredictable, damaged their run-in so they had to put hot wire in there (not true until they put a mare in with my horse’s gelding friend and they have a weird 3-some dynamic - they share a run-in)

Your “not true” is denying your horse is unpredictable, and that your horse only damaged the fence AFTER the shift in herd dynamics (due to the BOs putting that mare in). I have no idea if he requires hotwire. I’ve never kept my horse somewhere with hotwire so I don’t have any opinions on it’s use.

@J-Lu

I do know more than the posters here because I actually own and ride the horse and experience the barn conditions. None of you do. But you seem to think you do and are unwilling to be told what you’re saying isn’t applicable to the situation.

Yeah, I’d assume you’d know more about your horse than we do. Doesn’t mean you are right. I don’t need to personally know your horse to make the statement “A horse known for spooking frequently might have spooked”. That’s a real general conclusion to come to. Could also be wrong.

@J-Lu

You respond by mentioning your mare. Your mare isn’t my horse and any trainer would agree that what you post doesn’t apply. So goes the armchair trainers on COTH.

My mare does apply here actually! My mare did something I’d never seen her do (and have never seen her do since); had I been asked beforehand if she would mug someone, I’d have said no. Compared to you, who operates under the impression that if you have never personally seen THING then your horse could never do THING. That is just… not possible to know unless you have cameras to watch him 24/7. Also, how is this being an armchair trainer? Have I offered you training advice? Exercises? Something to work on? No, I just told you to consider some other explanation or opinions, which YOU asked for. I’m being an armchair owner though that doesn’t really work because I am a horse owner.

@J-Lu

I assume you support non-horsie youth blanketing horses. Good for you.

It doesn’t take rocket science to blanket a horse. I was shown maybe 5 times how to do it before being left on my own. Haven’t run into any issues yet getting one on or off over the last several years. Also, a ~20-year-old isn’t “a youth”.

Unfortunately, lots of barns rely on “non-horsie” people to do many tasks. Barn help is hard to find in general. The muckers at several barns I’ve been to are non-horsie. One of the staffers at my current barn is non-horsie; his main job is groundskeeping and mucking but he also sometimes helps with other things (turnout/in, throwing hay, blanketing, etc.). Alas, he is an adult and capable of following instructions and the horses are (for the most part) very well-behaved. If he runs into a problem, he asks questions and gets help. I’d also argue that “being horsie” isn’t a guarantee that someone is any good; many are very sketch or just… were trained wrong.

It doesn’t take that long to wind up with decent horse-handling skills if you (general) can

1. follow directions
2. aren’t scared of horses
3. if you are scared, you don’t shut down

[Sdel]

@RhythmNCruise

Have we heard anything about the shed painting and the hot wire that was run to block the painted side of the run-in off?

I believe it was included, but I thought it was generally irrelevant honestly. It sounds like this hot wire is a new and permanent addition to keep the horses from further damaging the run in, regardless of what the fix was.

[LilDunFilly]

@RhythmNCruise

Have we heard anything about the shed painting and the hot wire that was run to block the painted side of the run-in off? I don’t remember reading that anywhere, but maybe I missed it? It sure seems like another important detail that may have been conveniently omitted from the tale of the unqualified daughter and the perfect horse.

It was said earlier. @J-Lu edited it out of a comment but someone had saved it (post #51).

@J-Lu

Mostly 2-5 horses per pasture. My horse 1/pasture. Smaller pasture (~1 acre?). Horses are fed grain in different buckets. Hay in bunches in the winter. Horses are very rarely haltered and are fed in order of dominance or physically separated by the pasture paddock gate. There are 6 pastures, each with a shared run-in.

No, horses are not haltered when blanketed/unblanketed. It happens during feeding. Usually the feed buckets are not on an electrified fence. My horse’s bucket was moved to the electrified portion of the paddock when the newly painted side of his run-in was protected with electric tape.

[LilDunFilly]

@K_VanOlst

What in the sam hill this gets crazier and crazier.

I like including personal anicdotes because I think it gives advice context. I am wondering if she just isn’t able to see the connection between my story and what I was trying to tell her? Like, my mare being an idgit =/= her horse touching hotwire so this story is irrelevant?

[Sdel]

@J-Lu

I assume you support non-horsie youth blanketing horses. Good for you.

Tell us how you really feel about the BO’s daughter. Your tone doesn’t make it sound like you have a lot of respect for or think very highly of her or her parents, which you claim to be your friends.

[J-Lu]

Thanks. @Libby2563,

They put hotwire along the fencing within the shared run-in because the geldings, who were best buds, had issues when the mare was introduced to the neighboring paddock. The geldings and even the mare would challenge each other or be OK over the gate and fence in the run-in. Both geldings are still somewhat attached despite the mare, but both have attachments to the mare, my horse less-so but he challenges the mare when I walk through the run-in to take him out. AT that moment, he’s protective of me. The other gelding, definitely has attachment to the mare. The hotwire along the outside fence in the pasture paddock he was fed at remained the same. The BOs painted the run-in recently, hot-wired that area off for my horse and moved his feed bucket and water trough down where there is hotwire. This was new for him. It was supposed to be very temporary but now appears permanent or at least very long term for the aesthetics of the painted run-in shed. The daughter is new to blanketing horses - not a great combination.

My horse was blamed for “destroying the run-in” but he doesn’t chew nearly as much as their gelding chews the fences and outside walls of the run-in. My horse chews previously chewed areas. I purchased “No Chew” for my self AND a bottle for them, but I dont think they ever used it. It stops my horse from chewing wood. Their gelding and mare are as aggressive as my gelding can be regarding interaction over the fence in the run-in. I chalk this up to herd dynamics since they mainly get along just fine over the fence in the run-in and hang out together. The geldings both occasionally have issues with the mare.

ALL paddocks have hotwire in their paddocks and along their 3-baord pastures but not in the exact locations where horses are typically fed. Some of the intra-run-in sheds are hot wired.

We’ve since moved to a feed bucket on a paddock fence that is not hot-wired. It requires someone walking into the actual paddock to feed but it is now what it is and they are OK with that.

Thanks for your post.

[endlessclimb]

It bothers me when someone thinks they’re doing someone a favor when they buy a bottle of no chew (or anything like that), after damage has been done by their animal.

You aren’t doing anyone a favor. YOUR animal caused the damage. You should repair the damage (labor AND materials) and then prevent it from happening again.

Horses will do damage, no doubt. But that’s akin to saying “my horse kicked the bars out of the stall front, and I bought kicking chains for BOTH legs.” Right, ok, but how did you repair the stall front your horse obliterated?

Or a real life one - my mare rushed through a door and yanked some trim off of the overhead door opening. I bought 16’ of new trim (garage door trim too, with the seal encased, moneyyy), caulk, and replaced it like new the weekend after it happened. Even if you don’t have the skill to repair, you should get the materials and pay the BO (or another laborer) for their time.

[IPEsq]

@J-Lu

We’ve since moved to a feed bucket on a paddock fence that is not hot-wired. It requires someone walking into the actual paddock to feed but it is now what it is and they are OK with that.

Great!

[quietann]

In general, I’ve been billed for destruction caused by my horses, but not wood chewing for some reason. I don’t know; maybe it’s traditional to not bill for it?

I got billed this week for Lola destroying a big plastic water trough… She kicked a hole in it (how???) Feronia caused a few bills for breaking fence boards when someone put her hay at the fence line. She does. not. share her hay with others… Shr chewed on her shed recently but BO said she won’t bill me unless repairs are needed.

[Lunabear1988]

This thread has changed my own blanketing and unblanketing habits. I’ve often haltered to blanket other’s horses, as some I just didn’t trust fully or they were grouchy about it (One lady had four horses that were all grouchy…) But I’ll admit I never really haltered my own horse to do it.

It’s funny because when I got him he was kind of scared about getting blanketed and unblanketed and now he’s so steady that my husband can do it. But he has all new pasture mates. One is a big 4 year old warmblood. So I actually carry a crop out with me and a halter now. I just don’t know the herd and I’m not sure how solid the dynamics are right now. It’s just not worth the risk.

Lots of good thoughts and tips in this thread.

[J-Lu]

not relevant.

[J-Lu]

@Sdel

@J-Lu

I assume you support non-horsie youth blanketing horses. Good for you.

Tell us how you really feel about the BO’s daughter. Your tone doesn’t make it sound like you have a lot of respect for or think very highly of her or her parents, which you claim to be your friends.

I don’t care what you think. She’s very inexperienced with horses, but I’ve known her for many years through the family. I care about her health and that of horses she’s blanketing. She’s new to blanketing the farm horses. Is that not a problem to you? I can claim friends even though their daughter is new to blanketing horses. You’ve got to be kidding

[J-Lu]

Give it a rest!!
ALL of their horses chew the outside of the run-in and paddock fences.

MY horse doesn’t chew as much as their horses chew. MY horse chewed where previous horses’ chewed and likely learned to chew, Hell no am I paying for that.

What an odd post. This has nothing to do with my horse but you will, of course, post anyway. So bizarre.

[J-Lu]

yep.

[K_VanOlst]

@J-Lu

MY horse doesn’t chew as much as their horses chew.

What their horses do or do not do is irrelevant. Your horse is the issue in this scenario. They own the property. You do not. Thanks for reminding me why I always say no when people ask to board at my farm I cannot imagine how these poor BOs have dealt with you and your attitude for 10 years.

[LilDunFilly]

@J-Lu

not relevant.

And once again you failed to answer any of the questions asked of you, to go “nuh uh”. So I’ll ask again: Is that post I linked earlier how you think you should talk to people?

@J-Lu

I don’t care what you think.

Then why did you ask this forum for opinions?

@J-Lu

She’s new to blanketing the farm horses. Is that not a problem to you?

First, everyone starts somewhere and blanketting horses is not rocket science. It does not take years of training to learn to do competently. Second, as many people have pointed out, this situation (horse touched hotwire and was upset), can and does happen to people regardless of experience. And to answer your question, unless there are multiple issues then no it wouldn’t bother me. Based on your posts, I have no idea if this blanketing fiasco is a one-off or if she’s making a muck out of the blanketing and tasks given to her. Horse experience vs. no horse experience can be a crapshoot. I’ve met many people with horse experience working in barns who I wouldn’t trust with a pet rock. I’ve also met and trained many non-horsie people to work around horses safely.

At the end of the day, if I didn’t trust the barn I board at to hire people who wouldn’t injure, maim, kill, or traumatize my horse, I would move my horse. The barn I’m at now has been struggling to find someone competent and pickings are slim (middle of nowhere + weather sucks in the winter). The most reliable employee is someone who had minimal horse experience before getting this job but they followed directions and learned how to handle horses.

[LilDunFilly]

@K_VanOlst

@J-Lu

MY horse doesn’t chew as much as their horses chew.

What their horses do or do not do is irrelevant. Your horse is the issue in this scenario. They own the property. You do not. Thanks for reminding me why I always say no when people ask to board at my farm I cannot imagine how these poor BOs have dealt with you and your attitude for 10 years.

Is wood chewing that common in your experience? Most of the horses I’ve met that were wood-chewers, wind-suckers, or cribbers developed those vices due to being stalled. I’ve heard of some horses becoming wood-chewers due to hunger or because they’re mouthy (usually young horses). But I wonder the odds of both the BO’s horses and OP’s horses have the habit independantly.

[K_VanOlst]

@LilDunFilly

Is wood chewing that common in your experience?

Blessedly I only had one horse who really struggled with it and it was a habit he picked up on the track - once he was no longer boarded (inadequate turnout/insufficient hay) and I had control of his time outside (16+ hours a day) and hay (free choice), he never struggled with it again. Ymmv. I also understand turnout options in the Midwest are not the same as those in densely populated areas on the West Coast or in the mountains, so it’s not that easy for some folks.

However, if I had boarders at my place, my feelings towards my own horse destroying things vs. a boarder’s horse destroying things would be vastly different. Particularly if it was a difficult boarder (the person).

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

@LilDunFilly

At the end of the day, if I didn’t trust the barn I board at to hire people who wouldn’t injure, maim, kill, or traumatize my horse, I would move my horse. The barn I’m at now has been struggling to find someone competent and pickings are slim (middle of nowhere + weather sucks in the winter). The most reliable employee is someone who had minimal horse experience before getting this job but they followed directions and learned how to handle horses.

All this, 1000%. On my local FB page, I’ll occasionally see ads by small barn owners or managers for someone to come mornings and nights to muck or pick stalls, feed, move horses, fill buckets, and change blankets for $30-$50 a day, and they complain they can find no takers for “two hours of easy work,” but finding people who are willing to get up at the ass-crack of dawn, drive way out of their way to a relatively remote area, get dirty before they go to their other job, and do that in all weathers for unpredictable horses is hard. Also driving back and forth twice a day. So of course relying on a family member is preferable. (Yes, there’s an off chance you might find a kid or a young trainer on their way back and forth to another barn to do this as a side gig for pocket change, but it’s not like there is a “deep pool of experienced applicants” lining up for such work.)

I have never been at a barn where every horse chewed wood, and there is no way to know which horse is “the worst” if they all do it.

[MsM]

IME, many horses chew wood. Most dont do much damage in the short term if it is a proper hardwood. Unless the horse is an absolute beaver, the boarding barns I have used chalk it up to normal wear and tear and we work together to discourage and block before the damage is extensive. Breaking fences or kicking a board out of a stall are absolutely something the boarder will pay for.