I’m outta here, Christmas beckons. hope you all have a peaceful holiday and great 2017…
Thank you everyone who has shared their experiences. I was afraid no one (except maybe my closest friends) would stand up with me. And to those saying it took courage to post, I don’t feel very brave. I feel pretty cowardly that I didn’t leave sooner and post this months ago. I only hope no one else gets taken by her like I did and that no other horses suffer. Her barn is still full…some of those people privately messaged their support but are currently stuck there as I once was.
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Good luck Stormy, hope you have a much better 2017
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OP-so very sorry to hear this unfold, as well as so many others. There are no winners here. I know how hard it is to loose a special horse, and I can’t imagine what you are feeling now.
Just a head’s up, when I google Ellen Doughty-Hume this thread doesn’t come up. I know many said that you can get this post from google, but perhaps put her name in the title? It would be a shame if others go down this road for lack of information because it doesn’t appear in the results. Just my suggestion, I’m not very astute with google sometimes.
Merry Christmas! Hope you have a much better 2017
Senden
I have no dog is this hunt so to speak as I don’t know Ellen or the OP and I don’t event, however, as a barn owner living in the DFW area I can vouch for several of the OP’s point.
First, the Dallas Fort Worth area is growing rapidly and horse property is being sold to developers for housing developments. Trying to find a decent place to board seven horses in this area is near impossible. Purchasing suitable horse farm property doesn’t happen over night, even if you are a cash buyer. If the property lacks fencing and/or a barn, you’re looking at months after the purchase before you can bring the horses home.
Secondly, while flash floods have occurred in the area, and we are prone to severe weather, there is NO excuse for leaving horses in a pasture known to flood during a rainstorm. If you have a weather app on your phone it will warn you of flash flood warnings, thunderstorms, etc. Anyone living in north Texas should know that thunderstorms, hail storms and flooding is a distinct possibility. As a barn owner who boards a couple of horses it is my responsibility to make certain that the horses in my care aren’t out in severe weather. There have been a number of nights when my husband I were out in a rainstorm bringing the horses in during the wee hours of the morning. If you don’t want the responsibility for the care and well being of the horses entrusted to your care, get out of the business.
I don’t understand the “blame the victim mentality” on this thread.
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Thank you for sharing and I am sorry for your losses. I don’t know you, but have known of you for awhile because of my slight stalking of Patronus Charm. I can only hope that 2016 (like it has been for so many) was a crap year you can put behind you, and that 2017 gives you many happier returns.
Obviously too generous.
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When I left the last place I boarded (after seven years of insanity), the barn owner was literally during shots in the barn parking lot.
There were sheriffs armed with shot guns.
I lost 30k worth of property.
There are court records. Lots of them.
There were restraining orders.
The drug peddling cross dresser with weapons charges who lived with the barn owner was hiding in my yard when I came home at night. He showed up at the hearing for his restraining order in drag and sat in the gallery during the proceedings rather than “appearing.”
Of course i stayed too long. At first I thought this person had gotten a raw deal. Then I thought I could manage the situation, just do my own thing. Then you have five (or seven or fourteen horses) and it becomes incomprehensible difficult to get out.
The police are still being called out to this property on the regular.
And there are still people who believe this lunatic is a good person who runs a reputable facility.
Madness abounds in this industry.
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Stormy thank you for being brave and posting what happened to you and your horses on COTH. I agree with others who have said that these types of incidents must be talked about so others can be warned in advance. I feel terrible for you for all that you’ve gone through, and I’m so happy that everything seems to be on the up and up for you now!
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"And they left us a message in the little house - a single bullet sitting on the bar counter. " - patalane 50
This takes emotional manipulation to a different level. It’s no longer simply the “I’m always right” mentality that some warped trainers have. I sincerely hope her current help/students are still reading this thread.
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[QUOTE=flaxenfilly23;8984002]
Ainsley and Eventer212121, I have absolutely no issue with you ladies personally. I can absolutely understand your need to defend Ellen and if someone were coming after one of my friends/trainers the same way, I am sure I would do the same in your shoes. To that point, that is what started this shit show. I was told Ellen had made a rude comment regarding Mouse’s passing and lost it. So I get it. I really really do.
As far as I can tell, she has not given either of you a reason to distrust her or question her judgement. For that I am glad. I don’t mean that in a snarky way, I truly do not wish any bad on any of her clients/friends/employees.
I do however have an issue with one thing you posted regarding your side of events.
“All I can say is that the flash flood was just that. A flash flood. Which happened very quickly, in an area that hadn’t flooded like that for decades. I could tell you what I’ve been told about the other side of the story, but like I said, I wasn’t here for that and have no first hand experience. I CAN, however, say that there are NOT horses going out there. Were there? For a few months this year, late spring/early summer, yes. There were 5 animals being pasture boarded in that area. Any time there was rain in the forecast, they were moved (and shut in) pastures on higher grounds that could not flood. They left before Stormy did.”
“3). Ziggy injuring his stifle in the hail storm.
I most definitely was here for that one…! If you look up the hail storm, you will see that it was a super cell that created record amounts of freakishly large and damaging hail. I don’t know much about the weather, but I have learned that super cells come out of nowhere, and move extremely fast, with little warning. Was I aware there was a storm brewing? Yes. Was it supposed to hit us? No. It was supposed to go safely north of us, but turned around and came back towards us at the last minute. It was also just a regular rain/thunderstorm. (I know now that there’s no such thing as a regular thunderstorm in Texas.)”
You are conflicting yourself here. Either storms move through unexpectedly, with not enough warning to bring horses in, or you have time to get them to safety out of an area that had already killed one horse and had another in the hospital for a week. Late spring/early summer are the WORST months here for crazy storms and 5 horses take a lot more time to move to safety than 2 do. As a matter of fact Bailey died in June. I remember vividly because I spent all day Fathers Day searching for him and was the one to find his dead body.
Regardless, if in the future you find yourself on the opposite side from where you are now, don’t hesitate to reach out. I understand your position and can see how things look from your point of view.[/QUOTE]
YOU FAIL TO MENTION THAT WHEN BAILEY DIED, ELLEN WAS COMPETING AT GREAT MEADOWS IN Virginia. She wasn’t in town and fired the barn manager that was in charge, as soon as she returned. Stormy asked for those horses to be put down there specifically because the grass was so nice and lush down there. The barn is built on a hill, that area hasn’t flooded in over 50 years, and those 2 particular horses were pasture boarded, they didn’t have stalls. Should those horses have been brought up with reason in the forecast, yes, because there is no run in down there. The barn manager at the time failed to do that
And she got fired for it.
Like every point on here, it only tells half the story. Ellen’s too classy to air stormys dirty laundry online. I know she is pursuing this matter through a lawyer.
Stormy said she has proof to back up EVERY CLAIM. [edit] I know FOR A FACT there is proof to disprove mammy of those items
Thank You. Honest people don’t fear the truth.
My DD and I went through this with my mare out on a breeding lease that went bad. A COTH thread of 15 pages. And it took many of the turns that this one did, and then there were the photos! http://s1054.photobucket.com/user/Jordan_Elizabeth_Hattaway/library/Horses%20Taken%20or%20Still%20in%20Possession%20of%20KO?sort=3&page=1 That kind of helped turn things around from the OP blaming! 28 days out from foaling and our mare body scored a 2.
It takes some balls to admit that you’ve been fleeced but we need to stop being conned. I am grateful for those of you who spoke up in support. That is so incredibly awesome for you to stand up for this.
These people who do this - there is that fine line of defining them sociopaths vs psychopaths based on a slim degree of some conscience. A sociopath typically has a conscience, but it’s weak. They may know that taking your money is wrong, and they might feel some guilt or remorse, but that won’t stop their behavior. Both lack empathy, the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. But a psychopath has less regard for others. And some play it like a game and keep score to raise themselves in the game as winners. They plan the game. It is typically about control. How they treat animals and the fact that animals lose their lives in this psycho play leads me to label these people a lot fiercer.
Most of us really want to believe the good in other people. Why I hate to read the negative comments some post. Like the rest of life - you end up telling everyone who you are by your actions and words. I am encouraged that some of you have hung in here to support the OP so that the thread could take the turn back to where the focus should be.
I NEVER EVER asked for my horses to be put down there! I was extremely uncomfortable with it and expressed that numerous times. EVERY time forecast called for rain, I personally called to make sure they were brought up to a pen near the barn with shelter…not just because it was a flood plain (hence that oh so lush grass you mentioned) but because there is no cover to protect from hail or lightning in that paddock. Unfortunately I was out of town directing a movie for two weeks when this happened so I didn’t know the weather. It RAINED FOR TWO FULL DAYS and they were essentially forgotten down below. (easy to fact check. Pull weather reports for rockwall county Fathers Day weekend 2015)…Yes, the barn manager was fired and Ellen took responsibility and her insurance paid me (as I stated in my post). This is why I stayed, believing there was NO way something negligent would happen again.
I was wrong. Fella collicked less than a month later…and we’ve seen ALL the posts about that. Even I learned details reading them that even I didn’t previously know.
[edit] Erin Walker, but you don’t have a clue what you are talking about. You’ve been riding for 6 months and you were not around for a single one of those incidents. All you can go on is what Ellen tells you and this entire thread shows how “honest” she is.
I don’t have any dirty laundry…at least not horse related which is what this is all about. Unlike you, I don’t feel the need to bring in irrelevant things like people’s sexual orientation or professions or whatever.
As for Ellen pursuing this thru a lawyer, I say GOOD! Because she’s going to need one!! I will state once again: I STAND BEHIND EVERYTHING I SAID 100% and have evidence to each point. My attorney will have no problem winning if she’s brave enough to (hahahaha) try and….(not exactly sure what)?? Sue me? For…? Hahaha! If she’s stupid enough to do that, I say: BRING IT ON!
Sidenote: Let’s say that I’m the “evil” crazy person (snicker) you say that I am and I made up my OP (which I didn’t, of course), what about the SCORES of other people who have their own unrelated Ellen horror stories? Is everyone in Area 5 insane liars? Or do you think perhaps just then one you’re attempting to defend? Hhmmmm…
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I NEVER EVER asked for my horses to be put down there! I was extremely uncomfortable with it and expressed that numerous times. EVERY time forecast called for rain, I personally called to make sure they were brought up to a pen near the barn with shelter…not just because it was a flood plain (hence that oh so lush grass you mentioned) but because there is no cover to protect from hail or lightning in that paddock. Unfortunately I was out of town directing a movie for two weeks when this happened so I didn’t know the weather. It RAINED FOR TWO FULL DAYS and they were essentially forgotten down below. (easy to fact check. Pull weather reports for rockwall county Fathers Day weekend 2015)…Yes, the barn manager was fired and Ellen took responsibility and her insurance paid me (as I stated in my post). This is why I stayed, believing there was NO way something negligent would happen again.
I was wrong. Fella collicked less than a month later…and we’ve seen ALL the posts about that. Even I learned details reading them that even I didn’t previously know.
You can call “bullshit” all you want, Erin Walker, but you don’t have a clue what you are talking about. You’ve been riding for 6 months and you were not around for a single one of those incidents. All you can go on is what Ellen tells you and this entire thread shows how “honest” she is.
I don’t have any dirty laundry…at least not horse related which is what this is all about. Unlike you, I don’t feel the need to bring in irrelevant things like people’s sexual orientation or professions or whatever.
As for Ellen pursuing this thru a lawyer, I say GOOD! Because she’s going to need one!! I will state once again: I STAND BEHIND EVERYTHING I SAID 100% and have evidence to each point. My attorney will have no problem winning if she’s brave enough to (hahahaha) try and….(not exactly sure what)?? Sue me? For…? Hahaha! If she’s stupid enough to do that, I say: BRING IT ON!
Sidenote: Let’s say that I’m the “evil” crazy person (snicker) you say that I am and I made up my OP (which I didn’t, of course), what about the SCORES of other people who have their own unrelated Ellen horror stories? Is everyone in Area 5 insane liars? Or do you think perhaps just then one you’re attempting to defend? Hhmmmm…
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He said, she said. Yikes! I have no idea what to think! 
And for the working student(s). You know if a trainer, BM, or a ‘WS!’ didn’t call me in a colic situation I’d be your next nightmare. I had a horse with a wire cut in a boarding situation once, and got told that he was injured 2 days later when I came to the barn - and no one had even bothered to wash the open wound. The dried blood told that tale. I moved him as soon as he could travel (bc I had to ride him home, and quick fence an area to keep him in the yard).
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Man she’s MAD!! :eek:
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I always think it’s funny when someone who is what, 20?, says “well oh yeah this will go through a LAWYER!” Like the grown ups care.
I MIGHT believe Ellen wasn’t responding due to “her class” if I hadn’t seen her lack of tact and class in so many other situations. No one “with class” publicly blasts SALLY O’CONNOR because you didn’t agree with your dressage score. You don’t take your horse into another divisions show jumping warmup to teach him a lesson after he dumps you. I will freely admit that her one and only post on this thread was very tasteful and mature. She is either learning from past mistakes or she is feeding you all the information she wants and either asking or hoping you will do her dirty work for her.
Edited to remove a name
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Eventing212121, (ahem, Erin), I think perhaps that some might take you more seriously if you hadn’t insinuated that Stormy’s horse Bailey deserved to die because of karma. No matter your “position” in this argument, you stooped so low with such a disgusting suggestion that you should be able to discuss the inner workings of the earths core.
Please just stop while you’re…“ahead”.
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