Please clean up after yourselves.

[billiebob]

I love my barn and most of my fellow boarders, I really do. But it makes me twitchy to come into an empty barn and see piles of hair/manure/food wrappers everywhere. Or plates of actual food. Or my new favorite, seemingly empty tubes of wormer tubes left on the floor. I currently have a rather unsteady puppy laying next to me – thankfully I live about a mile from the emergency vet and he’s going to be okay after 36 hours of IV fluids and some activated charcoal.

I guess my question is would you say something to a fellow boarder about this? My BO is wonderful and she does get after people for leaving messes. I just don’t knew if it’s my place. I was a BM for years and this is my first time being a boarder. I will absolutely say something if someone is doing something dangerous (and hoooo boy am I going to say something about empty wormer tubes!), but what about things that are just plain annoying?

[Bluey]

We solved some of that problem by providing trash containers at every corner and nook.
Could not miss one at arms reach practically underfoot every place.
Also put signs every place and kept getting after anyone that had trash around and looked like it was not going to dispose of it properly.

After everyone was trained and retrained, we started eliminating those more in the way and people, now using them better, kept walking over a little further and further and still putting their trash in them.
By the time we had only the right trash containers left again, everyone was picking after themselves.

Glad that your pup is going to be ok.

[shiloh]

One barn I was at, the majority of the barn were these entitled teens and they - and their trainers (who should have known better!) - left garbage everywhere. One girl left her nasty bloody, drainage stained bandages from her horse in the middle of the wash rack. ew. When we asked them to please clean up after themselves, they decided to throw their trash into our grain bins. They were horrible, glad I am not there anymore.

I moved to another barn and one day I was cleaning up the wash rack after I had used it. It was shedding season, I had just pulled my horse’s mane so there were clumps of hair everywhere. So I’m cleaning away and I see the barn owner standing there just staring at me. Finally, she says “You - you clean up after yourself.” She was astonished because everyone had and did always leave a mess for her to clean up.

I guess the most appropriate sign is “Your mother doesn’t work here.”

[RedHorses]

I used to board at a barn that had a “pick up your horse’s poop in the arena” rule. Many people couldn’t be bothered, and as the last rider of the night I used to go round before I rode and scoop anywhere from 2 to 6 piles, regularly. It used to put me in a crappy mood for riding.

I reminded one other boarder (we were just the two of us in the arena) to pick up her horse’s poop and when she started picking up my horse’s poop I said that’s not necessary, just pick up yours. She whined that she couldn’t find it, so I calmly said, walk forward and look down (she just hadn’t walked far enough). She complained to the BO about being asked to pick up her horse’s poop!!! This from a twenty-something year old. :rolleyes:

The one I don’t understand is people who use a manure fork to pick up poop in the barn aisle, and a shovel to pick up poop in the sand arena…

I think it’s a barn culture thing. If the barn is always a mess people can’t be bothered to be tidy when no one else is. But if it is tidy there is a peer pressure to clean up, especially if the BO/BM “reminds” offenders. Some BOs/BMs don’t want to be the bad guy. :no:

[Angela_Freda]

The BO/BM needs to have a standard that they enforce unilaterally.
No gimme’s, no breaks, no double standards.

Always. Applied to all. No exceptions, and without giving anyone, even their friends, a pass.
That might mean they have to be IN the barn, IN the aisles [not sitting at their desk/in the tackroom/viewing room] watching what people do, and being vocal when they leave a mess/garbage.

I always just LOVED when I got reminded- the person who worked there and cleaned up after everyone, and myself- ALWAYS… while at the other end of the aisle the owner of the $$$ show horse who paid through the nose to board/train and ALWAYS left a mess was never, ever addressed.
There should never, ever be more than one set of rules or levels of enforcement thereof.

[Casey09]

I wouldn’t bring any dog - puppy in training or not - to the barn unless I could devote all of my attention to the dog. I don’t trust others to watch out for my dog, and I don’t want my dog to be a nuisance to anyone else. Dogs can and do get Ivermectrin overdoses from eating manure from a recently dewormed horse. I am so glad your puppy is going to be okay. I know this isn’t what you want to hear but running around a horse barn unsupervised while you ride or groom will never, ever be safe for your dog any more than it would be safe for a 3 year old. Stop taking the puppy to the barn, or crate the puppy while you focus on the horse. If the puppy needs exercise, sign up for a dog-focused activity like agility, rally, dock diving, etc.

[Gestalt]

That type of rule needs to come from the top. Muck buckets by grooming stalls, trash can in each aisle, and no dogs allowed at the barn. And then the bo or bm needs to make sure it’s enforced.

[clanter]

I would move my horse as barn that would allow trash just pitched about surely would not be interested in details or really care much about my horse’s well being

Barns that are disordered most often that disorder transfers into care of their stock , just unacceptable to me.

[Nezzy]

The rule at our barn is to clean up after ourselves. I would go to BO and ask if this is a rule or not, and see if BO can send a group text or something if it is, to remind those who need reminding.

[billiebob]

@Casey09

I wouldn’t bring any dog - puppy in training or not - to the barn unless I could devote all of my attention to the dog. I don’t trust others to watch out for my dog, and I don’t want my dog to be a nuisance to anyone else. Dogs can and do get Ivermectrin overdoses from eating manure from a recently dewormed horse. I am so glad your puppy is going to be okay. I know this isn’t what you want to hear but running around a horse barn unsupervised while you ride or groom will never, ever be safe for your dog any more than it would be safe for a 3 year old. Stop taking the puppy to the barn, or crate the puppy while you focus on the horse. If the puppy needs exercise, sign up for a dog-focused activity like agility, rally, dock diving, etc.

Actually it happened while he was on a leash…a six foot leash that I was holding. I stopped to read the message board and the tube had been left in the middle of one of the locker aisles. He is never left loose unsupervised, and if he is loose it’s only under my supervision, not anyone else’s. He is crated while I am dealing with my horse and doing chores. I am fully aware that he is my responsibility and I am so mad at myself for him getting a hold of something toxic. Trust me, I’ll be beating myself up for a long, long time.

The BO is great about getting after people for leaving messes, but she can’t be there 24/7. Really, most of the people who come out regularly are pretty good. I guess I’m just venting because now that it’s getting warmer, it’s getting busier. And I don’t know if it’s my place to say things like “are you going to clean up the remnants of your children’s lunch?” I have offered to let someone use the broom and shovel after I’m done cleaning up my mess.

[Foxtrot_s]

Yes, of course you can make suggestions - and keep offering your broom and shovel. I’ve done this at the Park where I ride by offering my trailer fork - and felt darned good about it, too. I feel protective of the privilege of having this facility available to us for free.

You can’t change them all - once a group had gone riding when I arrived and left a huge pile of lovely fluffy shavings and poop in the parking lot. This from the biggest, fanciest, shiniest outfit there with knee deep shavings inside. I shovelled the stuff back in and went for my ride. When I got back, the shavings were back in the parking lot and the perpetrators had left to go to their (presumably) immaculate fancy stables.

[mountainhorse]

@Casey09

I wouldn’t bring any dog - puppy in training or not - to the barn… I don’t trust others to watch out for my dog… Dogs can and do get Ivermectrin overdoses from eating manure from a recently dewormed horse. I am so glad your puppy is going to be okay…Stop taking the puppy to the barn…If the puppy needs exercise, sign up for a dog-focused activity like agility, rally, dock diving, etc.

This. I know you are beating yourself up about it, so I am not trying to rub anything in…I just want to add, you cannot change others, you can only change your reaction. Let this be one of those times. Yes, I would bring up the trash and cleaning up policies with the BO, AND at the end of the day, it’s not your barn. It’s hers (or his). You CAN only protect yourself, your horse, and your dog. Leave the dog at home. It doesn’t matter if he was on a leash or not…
Again, glad your sweet pup is going to be OK.

[BeeHoney]

Getting people to clean up after themselves is a constant thorn in any BO’s side. The other day I saw someone feed their horse peppermints and then just drop the plastic wrappers into the grass!! Aside from shameless littering, my pet peeve is when people put trash, such as nails from the farrier, coffee cups, or treat wrappers in manure bins instead of into one of several available trash cans.

Personally, I think it takes a village to keep a barn nice. I appreciate it when clients notice and remind each other (nicely) to clean up after themselves. A handful of good clients that set an example of cleaning up scrupulously after themselves (usually while chatting pleasantly with others) can really help create that atmosphere of cleanliness that spreads to regular boarders (the kind that have good intentions but are not habitually neat).

I also have discovered that a few “bad apples” usually are responsible for 90% of the mess, and that those people sometimes don’t want to change their ways. I don’t know if they are just supernaturally forgetful/messy or if they secretly genuinely believe that their board should cover maid service. In those cases, an extra fee applied to their bill is an excellent stimulant.

It’s important for a BO to remember that a messy barn punishes everyone.

[Casey09]

@billiebob

Actually it happened while he was on a leash…a six foot leash that I was holding. I stopped to read the message board and the tube had been left in the middle of one of the locker aisles. He is never left loose unsupervised, and if he is loose it’s only under my supervision, not anyone else’s. He is crated while I am dealing with my horse and doing chores. I am fully aware that he is my responsibility and I am so mad at myself for him getting a hold of something toxic. Trust me, I’ll be beating myself up for a long, long time.

The BO is great about getting after people for leaving messes, but she can’t be there 24/7. Really, most of the people who come out regularly are pretty good. I guess I’m just venting because now that it’s getting warmer, it’s getting busier. And I don’t know if it’s my place to say things like “are you going to clean up the remnants of your children’s lunch?” I have offered to let someone use the broom and shovel after I’m done cleaning up my mess.

Sorry for assuming!
Boarding can be about compromise. I posted what I posted because while I am a huge dog person, I’m not a fan of dogs at the barn. When I go to the barn, I am usually on some type of a schedule and I find that dogs everywhere slows me down. I also find them stressful as a nervous rider. The barn I board at has dogs everywhere, all off leash. The barn owner isn’t bothered and allows people to bring their dogs. I board there anyway because I love the barn, the people, and the way the horses are cared for. In a perfect world, I would board at a place that takes excellent care of the horses and has a firm no dogs and no kids rule ;). That doesn’t exist, so I prioritized the type of horse care that I want.
As a fellow boarder, I wouldn’t tell someone to clean up a mess as I see that as a management function. I would of course clean up after myself as usual. You can definitely voice your concern that warm weather had brought out some additional traffic and state that things get messy when all of those people are not leaving things as they found them. Ultimately, it’s up to the barn owner to make and enforce the rules. If it’s going to drive you nuts, then after you mention it once go look at other barns in your area. If this barn is the best option for you, then mention it and then move on. Don’t beat yourself up as puppies can get into things and we have all had incidents! However, now you know that if you bring him, you’ll need to be very careful.

[candyappy]

I can only imagine what their homes look like…

As a past barn employee at several boarding barns I must say we never had an issue like this. If there was hair, manure or anything left after someone had the horse out we just picked it up and BO would speak to the offender in question at the next opportunity.

Scary about your puppy and the risk also to a small child as well, so BO should address this issue at your barn.

[Heinz_57]

Some people are messy by nature…good that the BO tries to stay on top of it but if it were me, honestly, I’d just make sure BO knows it’s not you leaving messes and let her deal with it. You don’t want to be that high maintenance person that is constantly complaining about what other boarders are doing wrong, and trying to assert authority where you have none.

Just yesterday, I hauled out to the nearby boarding barn where I pay to use the arena, and I forgot to put my pitchfork back in the trailer. So, when my horse unloaded and pushed a small bit of manure out the door with him, I picked it up BY HAND. Because I don’t want to be a nuisance and wear out my welcome.

[Miss_Motivation]

If anyone has a sure-fire way to get successful, educated adults who drive clean cars and presumably don’t clog their own toilets at home by flushing hand towels down them, to pick up their trash and horse’s manure/hair/hoof contents at the barn, please share!

:winkgrin:

[clanter]

@Miss Motivation

If anyone has a sure-fire way to get successful, educated adults who drive clean cars and presumably don’t clog their own toilets at home by flushing hand towels down them, to pick up their trash and horse’s manure/hair/hoof contents at the barn, please share!

:winkgrin:

sure. when their horse leaves a dumped load in the way just pick it for them an put it in the clean car with a note, you forgot this

[Beck]

Offering this solely for the humour value:

I was reprimanded by a BO for cleaning up after myself. She said it made the rest of the barn look bad and if I was going to clean up I should do the whole aisle and not just my own mess.

‘Barn culture’ indeed.

[Draftmare]

I can’t imagine not picking up after myself. At the old barn I would routinely sweep the whole aisle including all the debris from other horses that weren’t my own. The BM would chastise me for “doing his job” but I didn’t really mind. Something about sweeping was kind of therapeutic. At the new barn I only sweep about half the aisle as the barn is loooooong and it would take me a while to sweep the whole thing. On the occasion that I forget something in the aisle I feel absolutely terrible and as soon as I realize I forgot something I will text the BO to apologize.