What’s funny (weird funny, not haha funny) is this barn asks for references, but doesn’t check them - I asked the three I put down. Even with that, TWO people warned them about this gal before she moved in and yet they still let her. Hard to feel sorry for them.
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I’ve seen a lot of barns that cut corners in that regards. Calling references, getting deposits, double-checking that the incoming horse is likely to mesh with this barn’s culture, sooo many barns slack on fail safes that they put in place.
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Don’t just call their references, call the local (to them, if they are moving) vets and see if the person is or was a client. Even if they say “was” and won’t say why, I follow the same rules as HR would have to and ask “would you take them on as a client again if asked?” 
Usually you can get some info that way.
Don’t forget if a references is the previous barn, that person might lie to get rid of them. I had a possible boarder put down her current place, she just wanted different amenities, and when I called the BO was all “she is just the sweetest horse, very good, I can keep her in just a single wire fence and she will stay there.” It didn’t work out and the BO called me after to say that I missed a bullet and the fence to keep that horse in hasn’t been invented yet and it goes through everything, even something hot enough to burn weeds. She was just desperate to get it out of her place that she felt fine lying to another BO.
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That is sad.
I can see saying nothing as the barn owner that wants them out. But to be dishonest like that. Grumble.
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Now they know the other barn owner is an opportunistic liar, keep that in mind for all future dealings.
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That’s dreadful. I can almost see her conveniently omitting the fencing issue, but to comment on it and say that the mare was FINE with a single wire fence – then admit to that being categorically untrue after the fact is so very deceitful.
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Yeahhhhh… she already had a reputation for being a bubble off center, but I wrote her off completely after that.
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I have seen it all. From super nice, modest income family doing their best with their first horse, and one day … they just stopped showing up. The BO, M, liked the little mare and we all just pitched in a little thinking the family would come back. Mare dropped dead in the pasture so M got the privilege of having her hauled to the dump 
A nice guy, Dave, was leasing two horses from his boss and boarding them with M. Dave gets behind on bills and M is literally raking the hall to feed those 2 in the dead of winter. M calls Dave’s mom and says if these 2 aren’t off my property by Saturday you will find them tied to your mailbox. Dave moved them.
Ooof was Dave a minor??
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I had some late payers. People with money. Annoying as hell to feel like you are paying for your boarders horses to live while they live cushy lives. Of course you’re always the B when you ask for the money.
I only have one boarder now and she’s the best 
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My potential clients get a walking tour of the property, and then we sit down for a gossip. They leave thinking I talk a lot, (which I do 
) however it’s a really good interview. My boarders also know I will chop off a horses tail if they don’t pay their board- they all laugh and say “ noooo you wouldn’t !! And I’ve never had to do it. Or threaten. They all pay. One is habitually late, but eventually catches up and I do give her some slack. Sometimes someone will ask what will happen if board is not paid, and I just tell I’ll send the horse to the auction. In my small barn the horses are mostly pets and get great care, they all love luxurious tails and couldn’t even think of their babies not living the beautiful life they do. Would never Send them to the auction but the threat is enough to get paid:hugs:
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The first horse we took in was dumped on us. A palomino stallion by a girl who couldn’t ride. She would just hop on him and make him buck and rear and she thought that was so cool.
We didn’t realise she wasn’t coming as they are supposed to feed their own horses twice a day and he had eaten everything except a marshmallow weed so from a distance his yard looked green. Mum was wandering past to give some weeds to the cows next door and he grabbed the weeds and wouldn’t let them go.
We started feeding him. We could not contact her.
The first thing we did was lunge him. He was soooooo slow and taking no notice. I eventually told mum to hit him with the lunge whip and he put his head down and started eating grass.
We gelded him and I rode him for a while and competed a one day event and showjumping on him. We sold him eventually.
The ones who aren’t going to pay are happy to run up a big bill. The next girl had 3 horses and was the daughter of a very good rider. Mum made her leave a very expensive dressage saddle and lunging gear and stuff, that she would get back when she paid the bill off. She would pay for a while then stop and mum would send bills and stuff them she would pay again. When it got down to the last $50.00, Mum wondered why she was bothering to send the bill and didn’t bother. She never paid and I probably still have that saddle.
The next one complained when we sent her a bill for feeding her horse as we were not supposed to be. Then came out and complained at how skinny he was. She ended up giving him to us. We started looking after him and he became younger and younger. He didn’t trot as he was a red coat horse and just went from walk to canter. His jump was funny and somehow his back feet left the ground first.
I taught him to trot and to jump by using bounces and he became Mum’s horse she rode at Pony Club and competitions because he was so quiet.
At one place where I leased a horse from a boarder, the boarding contract was posted on a corkboard, including the late fee charges (which kicked in after the first of the month, when board was due). The barn also took PayPal (which I thought was very smart, given that so many barns still only accept paper checks, which can be annoying to deliver, and gives deadbeats the excuse of “not being able to get over with the check”). I realize that isn’t foolproof if someone’s a chronic nonpayer, but that seemed like a good way of doing things. Even so, there were still a quite few nutty boarders!
I would not board at a place that threatened to cut off my horse’s tail for nonpayment!
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No just a chucklehead who didn’t want his momma to know he was worthless.
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That is hilarious. And a great way for a potential client and a potential barn owner to screen each other for compatibility, which I think is important so you aren’t complaining about a personality conflict on the internet two months later. 
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I just sold my farm, but in the five years I had boarders, I had one person just not pay, and they disappeared and abandoned their horse with me. I had two boarders who I occasionally had to send reminders and charge late fees.
IME, many barn owners that end up with a lot of non-paying boarders, are getting them partly because they’re not following through on their contract’s defined late fees (if they have them) and giving notice. Eight months behind on board? That’s absurd. I would have literally never let it get that far.
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I think I got scared straight early on, when my board check bounced, and the very, um, tight-ship BO insisted that I pay in cash for the next 3 months. I think board plus required lessons was around $980 at the time.
Having a reputation as someone who pays bills on time has gotten me into a couple of nice barns with very picky BOs.
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I got my very nice Irish horse through a barn lien process for a boarder who had to have been a year behind on board on two horses. The BM doing the selling never mentioned what she owed specifically, but I got the impression it was a LOT. Coupled with the fact that the horse I was looking at was a 2 yo who had not been registered, had not had his feet done probably that year (this was September, lucky he lived in a rocky field and had been chipping them off), and was not halter broken? I know they also had the other horse, the dam of the gelding I was getting, up at the barn for sale for more because she was rideable and had dressage training up to 1st level I think, and was a TB. I did get a BoS (I So-n-so agree to allow X barn to sell my colt born X date and known as “Stupid Name” to recoup board and fees) and the breeding certificate because she handed that over, but he was for sale for $1k and they took $600 for him because who else wanted him? I know she owed more than $1k tho because the BM offered the mare as well and said they had already served the HO with lien paperwork, and she “graciously” gave them what was needed to sell the colt thinking it would cover all her costs. The BM was just shaking her head said “not even close.”
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A friend of mine got a happy camper all around type through a stable lien. It went similar to your experience.
The BO though had only let the previous owner get behind 3 months at the time of the sale.
Let’s say your board is a modest $500 a month, because it’s a nice round figure. That’s $6000 a year. For two horses that’s $12,000. One reason not to let boarders run up bills is because very few people who are having trouble making ends meet are ever going to have the lump sum to catch up thousands of dollars in back payment.
Its also why everyone points out the it’s just as expensive to keep a crap horse as a pricier one.
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