New to Barn Scene - Frustrated

[OneTwoMany]

@Horsecare101

other people having a say in what happens with my horse is so strange. It’s a very different world than I’m used to.

This is part of the upside (and downside) of boarding. When you board, you have the benefit of shared responsibility. There is someone to feed on a regular basis, water, hay, turn in, turn out, notify you when there is an injury or emergency, etc. On the other hand, some BO’s find it hard to sit on their hands when they believe the horses in their care would benefit from a tweak in their program. Some BO’s will say something to the owner, some might just toss the extra flake of hay and be done with it. I’m not excusing or judging anyone’s behavior. I’m just saying it happens.

@brody

My horse owners don’t decide what their horses get fed or how much. I do. Part of my service provision. Luckily it works well for all of us.

I think OP is on self-care board, but what @brody states is very common in competitive show barns in our area. The condition of the horse is a reflection on the trainer and their program. If you board, ride and show with a competitive trainer they will manage the program.

@Hopeless the signature you are thinking of belongs to @findeight

[OneTwoMany]

@Horsecare101

other people having a say in what happens with my horse is so strange. It’s a very different world than I’m used to.

This is part of the upside (and downside) of boarding. When you board, you have the benefit of shared responsibility. There is someone to feed on a regular basis, water, hay, turn in, turn out, notify you when there is an injury or emergency, etc. On the other hand, some BM’s find it hard to sit on their hands when they believe the horses in their care would benefit from a tweak in their program.

A BM may see things the HO doesn’t see. For example, under the HO’s feeding program the BM may see the horse is being forced to fast for hours without anything to eat, or the BM may observe the horse becomes agitated or destructive when a neighboring horse has hay, and the HO’s horse does not. There are dozens of other possible examples. Some BM’s will say something to the HO, some might just toss the extra flake of hay and be done with it. I’m not excusing or judging anyone’s behavior. I’m just saying it happens.

@brody

My horse owners don’t decide what their horses get fed or how much. I do. Part of my service provision. Luckily it works well for all of us.

I think OP is on self-care board, but what brody states is very common in competitive show barns in our area. The condition of the horse is a reflection on the trainer and their program. If you board, ride and show with a competitive trainer they will often manage the entire program; but that is what everyone signed up for; HO and trainer alike.

Hopeless the signature you are thinking of belongs to findeight

[Incesubtern]

Thank goodness, I am not the only one having this barn frustration.

[Amy3996]

Boarding is frustrating. I moved my horse from a full care competition barn to a full care, privately-owned, small boarding barn when I moved to attend college. At the competition barn, I had no say over what my horse was being fed with the exception of medication or supplements. Our entire barn got Tribute, and the trainer decided which specific grain and amount was appropriate for each horse. Hay was given free choice, 24/7. When I moved to the new barn, I had to provide my own grain (and decide what kind and how much to feed). That was a big transition. I didn’t realize until I took over my horse’s feeding and other care after leaving the competition barn, how much I still needed to learn to care for him properly.

I chose to stick with Tribute, but I am a stickler for making sure that my horse is being fed to the bag instructions, with the correct amounts of his supplements. The barn management here is more of a “take a stab in the dark at how much a scoop holds, chuck it into a bucket and feed it.” That drove me bananas for quite a while before I figured out a solution. I bought a set of tupperware at the dollar store, and made up two days worth of grain meals while I’m out at the barn. It’s only 5 minutes away from my college, so I’m out there almost every day. It works for me, and the barn manager is happy because all she has to do is pop the lid off the tupperware and dump it in his feed tub. They still have the detailed instructions on the feed chart in case I ever can’t make up the feed in advance, but I’m pretty diligent about it.

Hay also turned out to be an issue. Coming from a facility that fed hay free choice, I was a little shocked to find that the barn up here thinks 3 flakes per day from a small 45-50lb square bale is sufficient for the full-size horses in their care.The horses would come in at 5pm and be done with their hay by 7. Then they’d be stuck in their stalls for 12+ hours with nothing to eat - a recipe for ulcers. I weighed 3 flakes on a couple of different occasions, and it came out to about 10-15lbs - significantly less than the 25lb minimum that my 1300lb WB should have been getting based on the 2% of bodyweight rule of thumb. I approached the barn owner about it and she said that if I wanted my horse to get double the hay, she’d have to increase my monthly board by $200 per month. That was a little too steep for me, given that hay prices here range from $4-6/50lb bale. I asked if I could supply my own additional hay - she allowed me to store it in their hay loft, since they have the extra space up there. I brought in my own hay, and now he gets fed the appropriate amount every day.

Long rant aside, you’re not alone. It can be really aggravating when you feel like you’re on a completely different page than the barn staff where you board. As someone who also puts a lot of thought into what my horse is being fed and monitors it carefully, I feel your pain.

Good luck!