More barn drama! (you know you love it) FINAL UPDATE page 13

[BarbaricYawp]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7885348]
Lots of people. I’ve heard of it many times, which is why so many horse owners - and it happens a lot with dogs as well - do not allow the horse or dog to leave their property until it is 100% paid for. [/QUOTE]

This. ^^ And as with every other dealing you have with people, even the ones you think you know well, you MUST get it in writing. Boarding agreements with ‘work off’ discounts should include language to the effect that the discount is in exchange for xyz chores done on xyz days of the week and failing performance of those chores, the regular rate applies. Sales contracts should include clauses about what happens if the animal isn’t paid for in full by the agreed upon date (stuff happens, I get that, but there is NO reason that the seller should be continuing to feed and care for an animal without compensation because of events in the buyers life). We’ve had people who wanted to buy horses, take 6 months to pay and have us board them free of charge. Seriously? Uh, maybe you can’t afford a horse?

People are amazingly flexible when it comes to justifying their own behaviour, as you have discovered. Protect yourself first.

[red_mares]

[QUOTE=TBROCKS;7882898]

She IS a professional scammer. Surprise. I learned from a mutual acquaintance that she bought that mare on a lease to own deal, and before the mare had been paid for and before she paid up her back board, she showed up with a trailer and the previous owner had to threaten to call the police, told her to get off the property and if she couldn’t finish payments on the mare she wasn’t taking her anywhere. She somehow managed to produce a check and was allowed to take the mare, but honestly WHO DOES THAT?
.[/QUOTE]

I can tell you does that, the B#$%h at my barn. Her trick is to tell the 78 yro barn owner that she paid her board in cash, but he just forgot; that’s why he doesn’t have her check.:mad: How sleazy is it to take advantage of an old man that way?

The kicker is that she was in the BO’s SIL’s barn until he threw her out (& sent her here knowing she doesn’t pay???). Then again SIL lost a nice horse by not paying the bill at a BNT.

[asb_own_me]

@partlycloudy;7885332

We’ve had people stroll right into the barns…one barn is down a rather long laneway and ask about boarding. I think it is incredibly rude and not cool to just walk into someone’s barn without being invited. Would you just walk into their house?

Had the same thing happen to me one evening, not long after DH and I had moved in to our place. It was dusk, and I was cleaning stalls, had the radio turned up, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned to move the wheelbarrow and some nosy neighbor was standing there IN MY BARN AISLE.

Little did he know I was packin’ :yes:

Our neighbors don’t pop in on us anymore.

[findeight]

I don’t even like people I don’t know knocking on my door in the suburbs. If I had moved further out for more peace, quiet and privacy? Driving past the private sign and the no trespassing sign up a 1/4 mile drive to bang on the door asking about boarding is not making me your friend. And, no, I don’t owe any explanation why the answer is no.

I just don’t get why some think those signs mean they can just come on up because it does not mean them.

[spotmenow]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7885348]

If the buyer cries poverty, then they shouldn’t be buying anyway. The purchase price is nothing compared to the money we all need for monthly bills & routine food, care, equipment, and supplies, let alone the nest egg for emergencies or other unlooked-for issues.[/QUOTE]

That is why I cringe when I see the Facebook posts “looking for a horse that is (insert ridiculous criteria here regarding age, breed, size, level of training, etc.)…must be $800 or less BUT great home guaranteed”.

[CHT]

[QUOTE=spotmenow;7885612]
That is why I cringe when I see the Facebook posts “looking for a horse that is (insert ridiculous criteria here regarding age, breed, size, level of training, etc.)…must be $800 or less BUT great home guaranteed”.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes those are kids whose parents told them they had to buy the horse and tack and the parent would pay the board/care. Don’t assume because the money to buy is low, that the care will be low too.

[Trevelyan96]

OP, I hope you do get Crazy Scammer (CS) out on the 8th! Good on you for being such a nice person. Going forward you can continue to be a nice person who just sets clear boundaries on your generosity. Check the laws in your state re stableman’s liens, present Crazy Scammer with an statement of the board amount past due, a daily board fee of $100/day for every day after the 8th, and a clause that a small claims case will be files on 12/15 for satisfaction of the amount owed if the mare is on the premises past the move out date.

I say a prayer of gratitude for my fantastic boarder every time I read a thread like this. Good boarders are out there, and the best of them are usually the ones that are thrilled to see a good solid boarding contract that indicates a professionally run facility and no misunderstandings about what is expected in terms of animal care or human behavior.

Seeing other barn drama first hand has also helped me formulate a plan that I hope protects both me and any horse - including those boarded with me - from crazies like your current NB (Nightmare boarder). I’m also fortunate to be in a state with good stablemens’ lien laws. And I totally understand your anxiety about having the horse abandoned by the CS. That’s why I recommend finding out the laws in your state and presenting CS with a new statement and contract today - it will speed up any legal proceedings you might have to take if she overstays her welcome or abandons the poor horse.

One thing I picked up on really quickly is that ‘working off’ board never seems to work out. Board is xx$. Work is paid at xx$ rate. If you want to work for board money, you get on the schedule for the specific days and times you will feed/muck/turnout, whatever, and a check that you can deposit in your bank account to help you pay your board bill, but the board amount is always the same and is DUE IN FULL on the same day every month. If you don’t show up on scheduled days, you don’t get paid. Keeping income (board) /expenses (help) separate elimates many misunderstandings and keeps accounting simpler.

[Anne_FS]

[QUOTE=Trevelyan96;7885641]
One thing I picked up on really quickly is that ‘working off’ board never seems to work out. Board is xx$. Work is paid at xx$ rate. If you want to work for board money, you get on the schedule for the specific days and times you will feed/muck/turnout, whatever, and a check that you can deposit in your bank account to help you pay your board bill, but the board amount is always the same and is DUE IN FULL on the same day every month. If you don’t show up on scheduled days, you don’t get paid. Keeping income (board) /expenses (help) separate elimates many misunderstandings and keeps accounting simpler.[/QUOTE]

This is a great idea, although I wouldn’t actually pay them the cash. That way you can be out double: the money you paid them plus the board money you never get.

When we were working off board back in the day it was set up as you say: Board is $xxx per month. Work is paid at this $xx rate and here’s your schedule. You don’t work you’re not paid because someone else will have to do your work and they’ll get paid that money. This eliminates the oh-I-can’t-come-today-but-I’ll-work-twice-as-long-tomorrow people. And that’s pay by the chore, not by the hour, or else you always get the kid who takes 5 hours to muck 5 stalls in between hanging out & chit-chatting and earning the same amount of money as the kids getting through 3x as much work. At the end of the month you got your board bill in full with what you earned subtracted from it and you paid the balance.

I thought this was fair to the BO and worked out great for our family because showing up on time and working was never a problem. Worked off a ton of board dollars for years doing this.

[GaitedGloryRider]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7885713]
This is a great idea, although I wouldn’t actually pay them the cash. That way you can be out double: the money you paid them plus the board money you never get.

When we were working off board back in the day it was set up as you say: Board is $xxx per month. Work is paid at this $xx rate and here’s your schedule. You don’t work you’re not paid because someone else will have to do your work and they’ll get paid that money. This eliminates the oh-I-can’t-come-today-but-I’ll-work-twice-as-long-tomorrow people. And that’s pay by the chore, not by the hour, or else you always get the kid who takes 5 hours to muck 5 stalls in between hanging out & chit-chatting and earning the same amount of money as the kids getting through 3x as much work. At the end of the month you got your board bill in full with what you earned subtracted from it and you paid the balance.

I thought this was fair to the BO and worked out great for our family because showing up on time and working was never a problem. Worked off a ton of board dollars for years doing this.[/QUOTE]

That is exactly how my old BO did with me (and other boarders). She preferred to have boarders doing the work for her when she was away at shows because she felt they have a vested interest in making sure the work is done and the horses taken care of (which we did!). Only once in the nearly 20 years I was there was there ever an issue…one boarder on PM feed duty decided he didn’t feel like bringing the horses in for dinner and just tossed bales of hay over the fence (resulting in much fighting among the horses and some minor injuries). The rest of us boarders flipped our lids when we found out (one boarder happened to show up shortly after he did that), promptly kicked him off the feed schedule and ratted him out the BO when she got back. He never worked off board again.

A calender was kept in the barn with chores listed for each day and each person would sign up for what they could do, then initial when it was done. Each chore paid a certain amount, nothing was by the hour. We all helped each other out and kept each other in check…actually BO had a pretty sweet deal set up as the way she ran her system us boarders ended up sussing out the bad eggs for her. Smart lady. When the first of the month came we just grabbed the calender, figured up what we owed with her and settled up.

[CaitlinandTheBay]

[QUOTE=GaitedGloryRider;7886140]
That is exactly how my old BO did with me (and other boarders). She preferred to have boarders doing the work for her when she was away at shows because she felt they have a vested interest in making sure the work is done and the horses taken care of (which we did!). Only once in the nearly 20 years I was there was there ever an issue…one boarder on PM feed duty decided he didn’t feel like bringing the horses in for dinner and just tossed bales of hay over the fence (resulting in much fighting among the horses and some minor injuries). The rest of us boarders flipped our lids when we found out (one boarder happened to show up shortly after he did that), promptly kicked him off the feed schedule and ratted him out the BO when she got back. He never worked off board again.

A calender was kept in the barn with chores listed for each day and each person would sign up for what they could do, then initial when it was done. Each chore paid a certain amount, nothing was by the hour. We all helped each other out and kept each other in check…actually BO had a pretty sweet deal set up as the way she ran her system us boarders ended up sussing out the bad eggs for her. Smart lady. When the first of the month came we just grabbed the calender, figured up what we owed with her and settled up.[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what my barn does now except with feeding. Each time you “feed” (which includes things like blankets/mucking/trough scrubbing) you earn $X off your next month’s board. It’s all on a calendar and you just mark your days (we basically all have our set days) and you check them off after your done. It’s a great system for a small barn.

[Bopper]

Any updates? I just want to know how this one ends.

[TBROCKS]

Small update: the mare is still on my property, of course. Herself The Boarder came out Sunday, dropped off grain and beet pulp and flounced off without so much as a word, no “will you still be feeding my horse?” or “is there anything I can do?” or even “sorry this ended badly, but thanks for all you’ve done”.
So, I busied myself by moving all her tack etc out of the tack room and into the empty stall. Her feed was moved to the stall as well. Locks were installed on all the doors in the barn, as well as my front gate.
A message was sent: “Hello, just a reminder your mare’s last day to be on my property is December 8. Your tack has been relocated to my empty stall. Your feed is there too, for your convenience, because we will no longer be feeding your mare. You will have access to our property between 8am and 9am and 5pm to 6pm for feeding/blanketing her, at other times the gate will be locked. Please let me know your plans for moving her. Thanks.”

I remembered I have a friend in the local animal control who might know the protocol if she abandons the mare, so I called him. He was able to speak to his friend at the state agricultural department, who advised us that a letter from a lawyer, stating that the mare must be moved by a specified date, and if not moved becomes our property, would cover us legally. Both strongly advised AGAINST dropping her at the owner’s residence. So, my lawyer is drafting the letter, I’m waiting for them to email me the draft and if it’s good, then it gets mailed certified and regular mail, today. If the mare is abandoned, we were told we should take her to the auction.
That’s the plan. Hopefully she will step up and do right by her horse, but we’re prepared for the worst.

[Gorgonzola]

[QUOTE=TBROCKS;7890807]
Small update: the mare is still on my property, of course. Herself The Boarder came out Sunday, dropped off grain and beet pulp and flounced off without so much as a word, no “will you still be feeding my horse?” or “is there anything I can do?” or even “sorry this ended badly, but thanks for all you’ve done”.
So, I busied myself by moving all her tack etc out of the tack room and into the empty stall. Her feed was moved to the stall as well. Locks were installed on all the doors in the barn, as well as my front gate.
A message was sent: “Hello, just a reminder your mare’s last day to be on my property is December 8. Your tack has been relocated to my empty stall. Your feed is there too, for your convenience, because we will no longer be feeding your mare. You will have access to our property between 8am and 9am and 5pm to 6pm for feeding/blanketing her, at other times the gate will be locked. Please let me know your plans for moving her. Thanks.”

I remembered I have a friend in the local animal control who might know the protocol if she abandons the mare, so I called him. He was able to speak to his friend at the state agricultural department, who advised us that a letter from a lawyer, stating that the mare must be moved by a specified date, and if not moved becomes our property, would cover us legally. Both strongly advised AGAINST dropping her at the owner’s residence. So, my lawyer is drafting the letter, I’m waiting for them to email me the draft and if it’s good, then it gets mailed certified and regular mail, today. If the mare is abandoned, we were told we should take her to the auction.
That’s the plan. Hopefully she will step up and do right by her horse, but we’re prepared for the worst.[/QUOTE]

Good luck!!

Can’t wait to hear if she comes back with a sob story or threats this time!

[FindersKeepers]

OP, so sorry you’ve had such a rough go of it. Don’t beat yourself up for trying to be kind.

I’ve been that person on hard times before. I was fresh out of college and had a lease end suddenly requiring me to take my mare back and I had limited funds for board. I found an amazing private farm with a barn owner that was willing to work with me. I paid her $200 a month, and I worked my tail off. Happily, gratefully, and dependably. I mucked, fed, and turned out for 10 horses, 5 days a week. I was always on time, always willing to take extra shifts, and always willing to do more. My tiny amount of board was always paid on time, in cash, and we had an amazing relationship. It allowed me the opportunity to get on my feet and get some savings in the bank and I gained a wonderful second family. Even when I could afford the full board price, we continued our arrangement as the help was worth more to her than the cash.

Its just important to remember that your kindness is valuable and not to waste it on someone that does not deserve it. Because I can assure you that there are people out there that would be incredibly grateful and would pull their weight in return of your generosity.

[Anne_FS]

Good luck, OP.

I’d probably feed her through December 8. Just because it’s not the horse’s fault and because it would eliminate the boarder coming on to my property 2X every day. I’d still send the letter saying Dec. 8 is the last day I’d do so.

Two things I’m wondering: does the letter from the lawyer specifying “removal by [blank date] or horse becomes my property” have to be given X days ahead? I mean, I know she’s known the 12/8 date for awhile, but does this “official” notice have to specify and start the clock over again? Might there be state or local requirements on seizure of abandoned property that must be met?

And the second thing: I’m curious to see if horse ends up at trainer’s barn. Of course now that she no longer has an enabler, she may simply write a board check every month to the new place, wherever that is. I mean, she didn’t have to pay board at OP’s so she didn’t, but she may be perfectly capable of paying it but just used OP as a sucker. (Sorry, OP, many of us have been burnt this way. I loved FindersKeepers post above mine stating how it CAN work out so well sometimes, and that kindness is often so appreciated).

[Crockpot]

He was able to speak to his friend at the state agricultural department, who advised us that a letter from a lawyer, stating that the mare must be moved by a specified date, and if not moved becomes our property, would cover us legally. Both strongly advised AGAINST dropping her at the owner’s residence. So, my lawyer is drafting the letter, I’m waiting for them to email me the draft and if it’s good, then it gets mailed certified and regular mail, today. If the mare is abandoned, we were told we should take her to the auction.

personally I would never want to do that- so yes - I would rather drop off at the owners place. Why should I have to live with having sent their poor horse to auction thereby leaving them off the hook.LALALALA.

No.

[TBROCKS]

[QUOTE=Crockpot;7891053]
personally I would never want to do that- so yes - I would rather drop off at the owners place. Why should I have to live with having sent their poor horse to auction thereby leaving them off the hook.LALALALA.

No.[/QUOTE]

She lives in a subdivision. We were told that if the horse broke free and hurt someone or something, we could be responsible for it. So I’m glad he told us don’t because I had fully intended to do that.

[TBROCKS]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7891037]
Good luck, OP.

I’d probably feed her through December 8. Just because it’s not the horse’s fault and because it would eliminate the boarder coming on to my property 2X every day. I’d still send the letter saying Dec. 8 is the last day I’d do so.

Two things I’m wondering: does the letter from the lawyer specifying “removal by [blank date] or horse becomes my property” have to be given X days ahead? I mean, I know she’s known the 12/8 date for awhile, but does this “official” notice have to specify and start the clock over again? Might there be state or local requirements on seizure of abandoned property that must be met?

And the second thing: I’m curious to see if horse ends up at trainer’s barn. Of course now that she no longer has an enabler, she may simply write a board check every month to the new place, wherever that is. I mean, she didn’t have to pay board at OP’s so she didn’t, but she may be perfectly capable of paying it but just used OP as a sucker. (Sorry, OP, many of us have been burnt this way. I loved FindersKeepers post above mine stating how it CAN work out so well sometimes, and that kindness is often so appreciated).[/QUOTE]

As bad as it sounds, we want to do everything in our power that sends the message “take your horse”. I don’t want to give ANY message that we’re interested in taking on that horse or want to continue caring for it. It’s a hardship for her to come out twice a day, and quite frankly, too bad. Of course, if she doesn’t make it out, the horse will eat. We’re not taking anything out on the animal.
We were told that the letter from the lawyer must give her 2 weeks. So “my” two weeks that I gave her really doesn’t count. Of course, she doesn’t need to know that.

[AllWeatherGal]

[QUOTE=JBD;7877960]
Just curious- has anyone helped out someone who professes to be on a tight spot and it turned out OK?[/QUOTE]

Yes, although my tight spot wasn’t financial. As the receiver of the kindness, I am sooo happy.

[Anne_FS]

[QUOTE=TBROCKS;7891093]
We were told that the letter from the lawyer must give her 2 weeks. So “my” two weeks that I gave her really doesn’t count. Of course, she doesn’t need to know that.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I figured. So will you wait to see if the horse is not removed on 12/8 and if not, date the letter that day? Because if you give her the letter today, she’ll just say yippee! I have two more weeks of free board before I have to move.

I never doubted that you would feed the horse if she didn’t show up. <3