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

[Edre]

Sobering reminder to all, and a good one to keep with us, always.

The scariest thing I have ever come across (in my millions of miles of driving throughout my life) was the loose donkey on the road. It was a busy road (4 lanes), and posted speed limit of 45 (which means that in the left lanes, people will be going 60…) It was pure luck that I was going to my hotel from a horse show, so had all the horse stuff in the car, and clearly there were a few other people in the same situation, and we were able to safely get him off the road, haltered, and back where he belonged.

We(general) should never assume that animals will make the “right” choice (or the “predictable”) choice, especially when they are stressed, scared, or presented with unfamiliar circumstances. We may often be blessed that they do, but that doesn’t mean they always will.
An ounce of prevention will always be better than a pound of cure - and for us, as horse people, that means not taking it for granted that they will make the decision/reaction we expect/need/wish them to make.

[skydy]

Thanks @FitzE.

It was a shock to learn as a kid, the serious consequences that a loose horse could pose, and it hurts to remember it now. It affected me very much at the time, the “unfairness” of it, that “unfairness” that only one’s 9 year old self can feel, before they learn that the world is not fair.

I was reminded of it, only because of this discussion. I haven’t thought about the young lady and her husband for so many years and it isn’t pleasant to remember. It was just one of those very hard but important lessons that we learn growing up.

[skydy]

I must say that I was not told the circumstance that led to the horse being on the highway when the young lady was so severely injured, it may have been an unavoidable horse escape.

However, good horse people do their utmost to prevent horses escaping onto roads and leave nothing to chance. Loose horses and open gates are an inexcusable risk to horses and humans. Horses can find enough ways to get themselves and people seriously injured. They certainly don’t need any help from negligent humans.

[FitzE]

I’m sorry. I imagine it’s a very painful memory and just tragically sad. And, as you say, it’s bad enough that these things can happen through honest unforeseen accident.

But, your bolded is dead on: to set up a situation in which this is more likely to happen with loose horses and open gates? Breathtaking arrogance, ignorance, and a level of self-involvement that is difficult to fathom. As you say, good horse people do their best to leave nothing to chance while acknowledging the risk that even their best may not prevent every accident.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

As much as we disagree on things around COTH, I’d always thought that there was a near-universal consensus on:

1. Close gates.

2. Barn work is hard, and respect barn staff and the effort they put in, especially on the holidays.

3. “Hundreds” of dollars is not that much per month for full care board in most areas of the country.

[enjoytheride]

We have had up to 10 deer at a time in our hay field. They jump our electrobraid fence easily. Why your cousin thought they needed a gap in the fence is beyond me/

[Sdel]

It’s made out of coral panels. They probably aren’t willing to jump it because it looks very solid and it’s pretty tall. Plus to make it easier and more inviting to go to the feeder that was not even 30 ft off the fence. It had a clear animal trail through the opening.

Because it is a metal panel, it was purposefully bent back. It’s not the only alteration….he cut out sections of the top part of a few other panels to make them lower as well. But it’s completely unnecessary since not even 40 ft away is a brushy decrepit barb wire fence the deer can jump.

[candyappy]

@J-Lu

IF THEY DID, we observers would notice and stop them.

I used to let my chickens free range for a bit while I watched them. Despite having tons of grass they chose to go out by the road. I was younger then and really fit and I couldn’t even catch them.

Good luck with a loose horse…

[SuzieQNutter]

@Impractical_Horsewoman

As much as we disagree on things around COTH, I’d always thought that there was a near-universal consensus on:

1. Close gates.

You leave a gate the way you find it.

Leave a gate open that was closed and livestock can escape.

Close a gate that was open and you might cut off livestock from water.

[2DogsFarm]

Then your cousin is a mere 1 Step away from the City Friend visiting me.
We were driving a backroad & I spotted a deer at the edge of a fenced field we passed.
I pointed it out & he said:
“Good thing they’re fenced in!”

[Sdel]

He knows well enough. I’m about ready to revoke his hunting permission. It isn’t the first time he’s decided he can just do things to my property and equipment without talking to me about it first.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that the poor herd bound cows were distressed by the time I found them. Their herd had almost left them behind by the time we un-did the fence so they could go through. So, yes, even herd bound animals can find themselves separated on the wrong side of a fence/gate and panic.

The kicker…neighbor B’s cows accessed my place through neighbor C’s property and they promptly disappeared through another downed fence back to neighbor B’s property. And a few weeks ago, the sheriff came up asking about the bull on the road that belonged to neighbor B. Neighbor B is clearly not very concerned about his animals.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

Okay, I’ll 'fess up–I’ve closed gates when boarders have left gates open (when they’ve brought their horses in to ride and left the gate open, swinging in the breeze, because their horse was kept solo in the paddock and they didn’t feel it necessary), and when it wasn’t left open for a specific purpose (like moving a new horse quickly into the paddock). The situation you describe (someone closing a gate that should be open between paddocks) is pretty rare at a regular self-enclosed boarding barn, versus a large property with a network of internal gates for livestock, or if you’re riding out cross-country.

[findeight]

Think we need to differentiate here. Suburban boarding barns are designed and/or often regulated to allow horses and only a very few cows, sheep, goats, emus etc. in small enclosures on limited acreage, maybe 100 or so acres fenced and crossfenced into enclosures with adequate food and water. This is where most of us board out or even have our own small farms/ranchettes.

There are rural livestock operations on vest acreage that are more open range oriented. Food and water are not provided individually, grazing and water access might require moving into another fenced section seasonally or in reaction to climate conditions.

IMO you can never say never or always BUT in the first example, yes, CLOSE open gates. In the second, NO, leave them open…especially if they are chained or fastened open (the way I have found them in bigger livestock running spreads). Most areas with these type operations have “Open Range” laws protecting livestock owners from liability for damage or injury by loose livestock. No idea how that works in Australia or other countries.

SQ is right to leave open gates OPEN for where she lives and how she keeps her horses and livestock. Those of us keeping in US suburban, horse oriented farms are also right to CLOSE our gates, Remember we are also liable for any damage or injury caused by our loose horses in most suburban jurisdictions.

Bit of situational awareness required,

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

You said what I was trying to explain far more eloquently! (i.e., no, I didn’t mean close a chained-open gate on a cattle farm, but in a boarding barn, if a boarder coming in from the arena left the gate open on a windy day, or someone forgot to close the main gate when they were driving through to the parking lot, I’m going to close it).

[SuzieQNutter]

@Impractical_Horsewoman

Okay, I’ll 'fess up–I’ve closed gates when boarders have left gates open (when they’ve brought their horses in to ride and left the gate open, swinging in the breeze, because their horse was kept solo in the paddock and they didn’t feel it necessary), and when it wasn’t left open for a specific purpose (like moving a new horse quickly into the paddock). The situation you describe (someone closing a gate that should be open between paddocks) is pretty rare at a regular self-enclosed boarding barn, versus a large property with a network of internal gates for livestock, or if you’re riding out cross-country.

Yes that advice is for properties that you don’t know. If you know the animals and gates and infrastructure, then you know where the horses get water.

Where I went yesterday there is a cattle grid in the road. There is cattle and horses out on the road. It is the motorist’s responsibility to not hit the livestock and of course you don’t shut all the open gates.

One day I followed along slowly as a farmer on a four wheeler and his dogs moved his dairy cattle along the road and into a paddock. I then waited while he closed the gate and gathered his dogs. The thank you he gave me told me most motorists don’t do that. It was only a few seconds or so.

[whitehouse1988]

Mine leave …alone or with friends. ,…