Los Angeles Equestrian Center

[FjordBCRF]

@Paint_Party

Apparently that went okay until one of the workers OD’ed and passed out in the barn aisle, in front of horses in the crossties, so they had to call the paramedics.

I wanted to read this as it was the horses in the crossties that called the paramedics!

@Paint_Party

The pay is good so that is not the issue

Again, specific to my location, there are a few places that offer decent paid for barn work. That pay does not include benefits of any kind which you CAN get working full time at the Dollar Store. Maybe not AS big a deal to younger workers…but it’s far from sustainable.

Also! Friendly reminder! Any immigrant here who did at one point have paperwork and it’s since lapsed…it’s a civil violation…just like running a red light, burning trash without a permit, or a noise ordinance violation. It is NOT “illegal”.

[Maythehorsebewithme]

@Paint_Party

isclaimer: The following is my experience. Depending on your region of the country, yours may be different.

I’m in northern Arizona. There isn’t any immigrant labor, documented or otherwise. Finding and keeping barn staff (feeding, blanketing and cleaning), recruited from the surrounding communities, is a constant struggle.

Hudson Valley, lower New York state. Less and less immigrant labor lately, and the BO now will only hire people with the correct papers, mostly U.S. citizens. The last few hires:

1. Neglected to close the stall door after cleaning, horse escaped, ran around, fractured splint bone (is now OK). Denied the fault, claimed the horse jumped the wheelbarrow. Lie discovered upon review of security tapes.
2. Was fired because she was abusive to a mini–beat on the little thing for some unknown reason. This was observed by a couple of people.
3. Quit with no notice over 4th of July weekend, because was “sick” and then posted pictures of him at the beach on the 4th on his facebook page.
4. Was fired because put his hands on one of the female barn workers.

[kenyarider]

INE, in the PNW most if not all the barn help were undocumented, in the SW most of the help is young 20s college students or single parents. In both places, it was very difficult to find and keep good barn workers. The work is beyond hard and for the amount of work the pay is pretty low. I suspect if the BO had the funds, they would pay $30 per hour just to ensure reliable help. But I certainly can’t afford $2000 a month for board so that’s not happening. We horse people have to decide if we are either prepared (and able) to do the work ourselves or pay what it actually costs to get good workers. To date, we aren’t doing either. Agricultural work, slaughter house work and a host of other jobs are very hard and very low pay. We have lived on the backs of immigrant workers for a very long time. DT is changing that with his policies. It makes for interesting times IMO.

[Annie10]

@neigh

Please explain to me how “the paperwork” could have been gotten “in order” for illegal grooms? The path to be in this country legally is practically non-existent. You cannot go on line and print out a formatted visa, birth certificates indicating citizenship are of no consequence. How would you have fixed to situation?

There are enough people that are here legally that it can be done. So I don’t even wanna hear that noise. And I know this doesn’t apply to everybody, but it applies to a great number—-, if you can afford to pay a coyote to bring your behind over here you can afford to get your paperwork in order.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Annie10

We all learned at some point. None of us were born knowing those things and neither was anyone else who works(ed) with horses

Yes, as does anyone skilled in a particular area. It doesn’t mean they are not skilled.

[Annie10]

@ParadoxFarm

@Annie10

We all learned at some point. None of us were born knowing those things and neither was anyone else who works(ed) with horses

Yes, as does anyone skilled in a particular area. It doesn’t mean they are not skilled.

Did I say they weren’t?

[ParadoxFarm]

@Annie10

if you can afford to pay a coyote to bring your behind over here you can afford to get your paperwork in order.

But there is not an easy way to “get your paperwork in order”. That’s the whole problem. I agree it would be great if we could provide a pathway for workers who want to work in/and are skilled in the equine industry. But it’s not happening.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Annie10

Did I say they weren’t?

I guess I don’t get your point.

[Annie10]

That’s probably good cause I guess I don’t get yours either. I didn’t say they were unskilled. I think others have been using that term. Not i. Anybody can learn how to do anything. Number one they need to be taught, number two they need to be willing to learn, and number three they need to invest the time to do so. But it’s not like only brown skin people who are undocumented are able to learn how to take care of a horse.

[Annie10]

@ParadoxFarm

@Annie10

if you can afford to pay a coyote to bring your behind over here you can afford to get your paperwork in order.

But there is not an easy way to “get your paperwork in order”. That’s the whole problem. I agree it would be great if we could provide a pathway for workers who want to work in/and are skilled in the equine industry. But it’s not happening.

But but but. It’s always easier to make excuses why you or anybody else can’t do something or won’t do something as opposed to just getting it done.

[ParadoxFarm]

Right. But right now, who is doing that work for the most part? Who is willing to learn, invest their time, and accept the offered pay?

[Annie10]

@ParadoxFarm

Right. But right now, who is doing that work for the most part? Who is willing to learn, invest their time, and accept the offered pay?

That’s not a question that I can answer. That’s a very abstract question. I don’t know what their available personnel Pool is in that area, etc. etc. But I guess they won’t know until they start advertising and trying to hire people. Maybe God forbid some of the people who actually oen or work with these animals or ride them will take some initiative and learn how to take care of them.

[ParadoxFarm]

@Annie10

But but but. It’s always easier to make excuses why you or anybody else can’t do something or won’t do something as opposed to just getting it done.

If I could wave my magic wand to allow a viable pathway, I would. But, dang it, I cannot.

[Annie10]

@ParadoxFarm

@Annie10

But but but. It’s always easier to make excuses why you or anybody else can’t do something or won’t do something as opposed to just getting it done.

If I could wave my magic want to allow a viable pathway, I would. But, dang it, I cannot.

Well, there are plenty of people in this country legally who have figured out how to get it done, so I’m not really sure where the disconnect is.

[appypaint]

That’s the thing: there is no path. These “solutions” aren’t tenable, and I don’t think many are interested in problem-solving as much as they want to direct punishment.

[FjordBCRF]

@appypaint

That’s the thing: there is no path.

But it’s so easy to say there is!!

[ParadoxFarm]

@Annie10

But I guess they won’t know until they start advertising and trying to hire people. Maybe God forbid some of the people who actually oen or work with these animals or ride them will take some initiative and learn how to take care of them.

So, respectfully, do you mean in general those who board should be taking care of their own horses? Most board because they cannot do this. I can speak in my general area that hiring workers is very difficult. My niece worked for years at a barn, and when she would start training a new person to do stalls/turnout, etc., some would leave at lunchtime and never come back. So…they DO advertise and this is what happens around here. It’s extremely difficult. I am NOT saying workers should obtain employment illegally. I AM saying there is a BIG need for these types of workers, and for those willing to do it, and do it well, I believe there needs to be an easy way for them to obtain the documentation to do so.

[albytb]

I’d suggest not falling for the obvious conservative bait if we want this thread to remain up

[Annie10]

What I’m saying is that as many owners trainers and whatever of all of these horses that there are at this facility I can’t imagine why they can’t put their heads together and come up with a solution. Whether it’s make the facility into a horse co-op and those who can’t compensate those who do, or they hire people and train them, every area has labor pools, and other such organizations where they can find people. The bottom line is those animals are the responsibilities of their owners, and it is those owners responsibility to find someone who care to care for them or do it themselves. And if they can’t, or won’t for whatever reason, then they need to come up with another solution for that too.

[kenyarider]

Our immigration laws, especially for those coming from Central and South America, are arcane, complex and often requires years of waiting before the paperwork comes through. I have a friend whose Mexican husband has been waiting for years to get his citizenship here. As in over 7 years. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that getting a green card, citizenship or a visa if you are (your words) brown is quick or easy because it’s not. If it were, LAEC would not be in the position it now is.