I am so sorry that you and your mare suffered this experience. I absolutely agree with the call to warn others, but recognize the fear that you have.
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From her “morbidly obese” shape (pic taken just before shipping to this place), to her condition in March (a pic sent by BO right after moving them into another field). BO was pleased with that March look, w/ a rising backbone, sunken flanks, ribs…all visible under a winter coat. Within 5 months over a winter.
To clarify, I’m certainly not fearful of these people. I’m disgusted. Disgusted and angry. These Brit fox hunters might be all that’s admirable within their community, but they NO DOUBT let their hubris inflate their limited ability in caring for this horse. They failed her terribly. There is no excuse for not giving a veterinary Rx’d med. None. So I would say that if the rapid decline, that these photos show, bothers a person looking for retirement boarding, avoid the place. You’ll find it quite pretty, a red bank barn nestled in hills. I just can’t imagine we’re the first to have experienced their ridiculous wrath and feel quite sure we won’t be their last. This is my opinion and has been our experience, I hope no other old horse goes through this.
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I’m simply tired of having had to deal with this & not in the mood for more of their crap. But you’re absolutely correct, if I’m going to take up everyone’s time reciting this saga, I should at least show the pics (in another reply). And here is another photo of our three taken a week after their arrival. You’ll note they are in good flesh at this time, husband & I self-cared them for years. The younger 2 fared better than the Fjord. The BOs were to supply hay & balancer. I supplied Nutrena ProForce XF, stabilized flax, and in Feb we adjusted the Fjord to Buckey Fibrenergy to adjust for the lack of grass & her inability to chew hay. BO finally reported back that Fjord “does not like her new feed & wastes it if given more than half scoop” after I’d instructed BO to increase that feed. To avoid making BO feel idiotic, I allowed her to use the mare’s dislike of balancer (not a problem prior or currently) or even the Himalayan salt ball in her large feed tub. BO couldn’t get her to eat this new feed, but w/in 30 seconds I had her rapidly devouring as much as I allowed. I also asked again about her Prescend. None of what BO was saying added up & we drove home, 2.5 hours away, me largely in tears. Not because this silly woman had screamed at me, but for the little mare we have known as family for most of her 27 years. I do appreciate everyone’s input here, boarding is definitely not for sissies.
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That is a rapid loss of condition.
I get it. The horse world is small and you can find yourself smack in the middle of something you really don’t want to.
I think/hope you’ve given enough info to the folks in that area with the description of the barn and owners for people considering going there to be warned.
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Do you mind sharing with me privately where? Your story is unfortunately very similar to one I’m dealing with right now.
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Thank you for understanding <3
I’m so sorry you and your horses have gone through this. I’m glad you found a better spot for them and were able to get them moved.
I’ve had horses at home for years, and boarded out. And… even when boarding at great places, feeding can be tricky. Some farms are up front that they really don’t/won’t do anything complicated with supplements unless the boarder supplies smart packs or pre-portioned containers. Some farms are sponsored and you are really limited to whatever brands they are feeding, and only a few options of different types of feed. I know other places are more accommodating… but sometimes that can involve an owner supplying the feed, and then the feed seems to mysteriously disappear a little too quickly (likely because it’s being used for someone else’s horse as well) or… conversely… it disappears too slowly (because they aren’t following the boarders preferred feeding plan).
Anyway… I don’t say this to blame you at all. Just share to say that I totally understand that helpless feeling when it comes to boarding a horse with any sort of special feeding needs, and then stressing because the barn seems to not be following through on it and you feel like you’ve failed to advocate for an equine you really love. It’s a horrible feeling.
I know of a few great retirement board places near me… but most are pretty basic in terms of care. They involve round bales all winter, access to shelters all the time, maybe some food provided in the field, and a once daily check. And some horses do great in that set up. But others? Nope. Not if they have special needs.
I also wonder about the long term economic viability of some of the retirement board situations I know of, given the rising prices of hay, land, feed, basic labor, etc. Some of the recent stories I have heard about people believing in this idea of a “metabolic reset” over winter sounds a little like a convenient excuse to keep the hay bill down and keep a boarding operation profitable. And that’s not good…
I don’t know. But I’m really sorry you and your sweet Fjord went through this experience and I hope the new place is a much better fit for you all. Hang in there.
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@Haymaker I really hope you end up outing the perpetrator here or somewhere. That is why the Goochland case you referenced is right now in court, because one owner was brave enough to announce to the world the neglect her horse and others suffered at the hands of Byrd Rareshide, who was subsequently indicted on thirteen counts of animal neglect.
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I know I have looked at this for my little farm and ruled it out. Non-senior horses only make boarding viable because of the potential for other income (training, lessons, sales). Senior horses require so much more feed and care (to do it well) that there is just no way I could make the numbers work. I know personally the senior horses on my property also stressed me out as a caring barn owner because I was constantly worried about them going off feed, getting more blind, being painful or going down and not being able to get up. I don’t know how people are able to switch that off other than to become hardened to it.
When I see people advertising retirement board for $350 a month that includes all feed/hay/farrier and basic vet care I personally do not buy it. Maybe it works for retirement of an easy keeping 6 year old with OCD but not for an actual senior horse. I don’t care what part of the country you are in, that is not enough for the worst case senior horse, and that’s what you have to budget for to provide adequate care. I’m not saying that’s what the OP paid, it’s just what I saw advertised in my area.
I do have to wonder if that hardening to the reality of dealing with senior horses eventually becomes neglect in some people. It becomes more “normalized” in their eyes to see pain/weight loss etc because they see fewer and fewer healthy horses, and then you add in the cost factor, and then someone with a kooky theory about metabolic resets…and you have perfect conditions for neglect to pop up. Not excusing it in ANY way shape or form, just curious because it seems like it is often well-meaning people and surprisingly educated people (like veterinarians) that go down this path.
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Totally understand a BO feeding plan & not disrupting it. Among one of the reasons for choosing this place…after going over the details (including medication needs) they were enthusiastically agreeable. ha. The economics of it certainly made VA more affordable than our area of MD. Cost of living/property differences & such. I’m sure you’ve also seen people thinking they’ll make a good living off of boarding (much like a fair number of “rescues”), while not truly understanding the expense. Or worse, knowing how they’ll cut corners/scam. But we have noticed a big spike in the retirement board bandwagon, and some we know to be quite outstanding/reputable. However w/ three horses it’s not possible for us so we took our chances afar. I do know that regardless of the expenses, it takes zero dollars to pop a pill into the animal. ooooof, live & learn.
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I’ve given enough info to help someone who might be looking ID these people. But to compare them to Rareshide would not be an accurate assessment. Though I do think they might share that “seasonal fasting” mentality. However awful & outdated a practice. Aside from really looking over a place & having thorough dialog prior, my advice to anyone putting a horse into retirement would be to constantly monitor your horse. Retirement facilities are often not as open to visits like a riding barn, but you should be allowed scheduled visits (at least twice a month) and certainly not be harassed during those times. And it goes w/out saying, you’ll want ADULT dialog to be an option. In large, this BO did not meet our expectations.
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The warning of your experience and the recommendation to trust but verify should be sufficient.
No names needed, the name and location changes, and the greater alert is no matter where, on what farm in what state, to confirm your animals are being cared for.
So sorry for how poorly your horses were cared for.
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Absolutely! We did supply all feed (they were to supply balancer/hay), plus bins, buckets, fence feeders, meds, etc. I even gave them half doz new & lightly used fly masks for their other horses, and a nice fly sheet (ours don’t use). We are (mostly?) nice people & being used to self-care, we get it. Thinking “If you want something done right, do it yourself” was coined by a true horseman. Or a bank robber.
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I get that - that’s one of the reasons I finally agreed with buying a barn (my DH was trying to talk me into it and I avoided it for SO long). Boarding is hard under the best of circumstances, but it’s still harder when you’re at a distance or have a special needs horse (not that yours was particularly special needs, they really should have been able to deal with your requirements).
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I disagree about not exposing a specific, personal experience with a boarding facility. I have had experience with the same situation and living several states away my horses lives depended on someone voicing their experience with the barn owner. Horses that were competing were well cared for - the stock that did not were not so lucky. I am thankful that someone spoke up.
This is a small industry and animals lives depend on each and every one of us speaking up to expose those that will neglect a horse.
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We too thought about buying, in our area you can’t go wrong creating a nice little private horse property…the demand is insanely high so to resell after horses are gone seems a win. You certainly can’t find anything turn-key (w/ decent/safe fencing) for much under a mil. I’m retired & my husband is rounding that corner & this area is not affordable for us. Yet we are stuck in DC area due commute.
A lot of really good points have been brought up here regarding (horse) retirement & I’d like to add another. “Alterration” touched on it with the increased needs of an aging horse & the expense of properly caring for such. While this might not be a popular opinion, we are & have been prepared to euthanize should we feel our aging horses, or even the youngest (9), can no longer be comfortably managed by the facility they’re in. It’s a practical reality, and the kind thing to do. It infuriates me to see those ads trying to pawn off a crippled or older horse to the first pasture that will accept it. These horses rarely see stability in their twilight future. So along with finding that great retirement facility, be prepared to do the stand-up thing when the time arrives and make sure your BO agrees w/ your position in that regard.
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First - I agree with you having just looked at properties in your region due to a possible move for DH’s work. Prices are not cheap!
Senior euthanasia… That was the other heartbreaking thing about inheriting (I use the word, it isn’t quite right but we bought a boarding facility that came with boarders) senior horses that didn’t belong to me. The owners all seemed to be waiting for someone else to either okay it or to tell them it was time for the horses to pass on.
The vets, who are wonderful, seemed reluctant to help the owners come to that conclusion so it fell to me. Within 3 years I had to facilitate the passing of 3 horses who had, IMO, passed their “needing to go” clock about 5-10 years prior.
I know it is so hard for us to let go, but to see a blind, wobbly, painfully arthritic senior horse who can no longer chew hay and runs into fences and care for him every day when you cannot ensure that he won’t die a very painful and terrifying death because his owners can’t make the call - that was really hard. I felt like a huge jerk trying to gently help the owners understand that it was time and letting him go in the sun on a good day was a gift.
So - I’d just add - don’t wait for someone else to tell you it is time. If you’re wondering, you’re probably right.
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Generally speaking …
I think OP has a conundrum that is worth thinking ahead about, for all of us. What if you want to give an alert about a boarding/pasture situation where the care is substandard to very substandard to outright abusively neglectful? Or an abusive trainer, etc.
Currently, the fallout for the good deed can be immense and long-lasting. And frankly, to have an impact and actually divert horses from the facility, the words of warning have to be credible, significant enough to get attention, and long-lasting. The problem won’t correct itself overnight. Staying power is necessary.
There isn’t a horse-services review site on the web, a central place to capture feedback, by name. Anonymously or not. The old Rate My Horse Pro site seems to be long gone. Likely because of legal retaliation – I think that’s what I heard, but third-hand, so that may not be factual.
Current times, publishing a warning has to be done with acceptance of dealing with the long-term consequences to the person doing the outing. From having one’s reputation trashed online, to retaliatory legal action.
I’ve noticed that the people who can spread these warnings with effect are mostly those who are secure enough in life, financially and reputationally, that the inevitable attacks won’t matter. Their income won’t be at risk. They have the financial resources to fight back if someone targets them for legal action – possibly for quite a long time (very expensive for both sides). They won’t be bothered by the trashing of their character. Their online repuation, good or bad, is not a risk to their chosen way of life. And frankly, they have a LOT of time available to deal with the mess, indefinitely.
Not very many people are in those circumstances. It’s kind of a thing that people with more typical financial resources are in less of a position to challenge problems, especially legal ones. I guess life has always been like that. But social media has made it even more so, imo.
We have one legendary thread on COTH, started in 2016 and still active today, alerting to a very problematic trainer – one who continues to run a fair-sized operation. It was begun by someone who was in a position to deal with the consequences, and has done so (although no longer active on COTH). The thread continues under its own momentum. Because the problems with said trainer continue, even now, over 6 years later. [link below]
Other threads specifically outing a problem facility or trainer by name seem to primarily belong to a past when social media backlash was a given, but legal action was not likely. (Other than sex offenders, those are occasionally being outed on COTH.)
I think that the greatly increased probability of a retaliatory legal action, and the current inevitability that the identity of the complaining party will be outed, have greatly reduced the outing of bad actors on the internet. Just imo.
Below link, as an example, the thread that never dies, because (so far) the problems never die, either … even now, the same bad judgments and difficult behavior go on and on and on (see the last few months of the thread).
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A pancake has two sides (irrespective of OP, who I believe). As a past BM that vetted hundreds of boarders – if you were the type to air your problems on social media, I would tell you the barn is full. Running a boarding barn is hard enough with perfect boarders, never mind high maintenance crazy ones.
In an industry this small, do you want to burn bridges when you don’t have a home to move your horse to? You don’t want to be at the mercy of a stranger and have that stranger say “nah, I saw you torch Suzie on SM, I’m good” when you have nowhere else to go. Maybe that isn’t the reality of your world yet, but it in my pocket of the world – barns are closing left and right and there are more horses than available stalls.
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Everyone has their reasons for speaking up or not. I have been an owner of a big (60 stalls) training operation. I also have had my horses in the hands of others. I now only have my own retirees at home and a few of my horses out on lease with people I keep up with on a regular basis.
We are the only voice horses have. The person that did this was well known and had done it before. No one spoke up. My horses were removed but the one in the pic had to suffer to this point.
I will always speak up.
(I can’t get the picture to attach)
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