I mean, just as an example - if I show up to the barn and no one is there, I’ll put my two out to roll while I pick stalls quick. In that timeframe, if someone shows up, I don’t need to be asked - I get my horses out immediately so the arena is available for use again.
9 Likes
At a horse camp there’s a large outdoor arena for use by the campers. There’s no footing just grass or dirt. I had my young horse with me and headed over to the arena to do some in hand work and found two campers had their horses turned out in it using it as a pasture. The horse owners weren’t even on site, they just turned them out and left, thus making it unusable for anyone else. Management refused to do anything about it.
1 Like
We have an indoor and a shareboarder turned her old horse loose and apparently walked off to do something. I wanted to work my youngster before riding and had my in-hand whip with me. The old guy sauntered over, I stood in front of my horse and once he felt a whiff pass by his nose he never came back. Got my work done and left.
3 Likes
Depending on the horse I’m riding and the horse that’s loose, I’m willing to ride with a loose horse in the arena. But, the loose horse has to be one I’m sure I can move if needed, and one that will not pester me. Those horses are few and far between.
4 Likes
So the Daily Dumb today is ME. Last evening I snacked on leftover jumbo shrimp cocktail from New Year’s Eve. Seemed okay.
2 am I wake up and bolted to the bathroom. Horrible intestinal cramps and nausea. Don’t know which end to give the benefit of the porcelain God. 2 hours of misery and I crawl back to bed. Feeling weak but not terminal. Get up at 6, head to the barn. Do chores and get ready for my early lesson. Knowing I’m shaky and dehydrated. Trainer shows up and we chat. I tell him what happened and he says at anytime if you want to quit just let me know.
So we spend the first 20 minutes on dressage. Then progress to fences. It’s early early morning and the single fence on the rail under the oak is casting shadows a stride out with the rising sun beaming into our eyes. Picked up the canter and a cats hair before takeoff Saint of a horse says Nope takes a hard right almost eats the standard and ducks out with a vengeance. Abrupt stop and fierce jig sets me forward and basically hugging his neck. Horsey who usually stops dead if you remove your feet from the stirrups decides it’s the homestretch of the Kentucky Derby and gallops along the rail. I’m slowly listing off towards the rail. No space to safely pull the ripcord and bail. Trainer is yelling sit up sit up sit up and magically I hauled my self up turned the corner and circled him from a gallop to a canter. Then a stop.
Heart pounding
Hands shaking.
Not because I’m afraid to fall off or because I can’t ride an evasion but because I was staring at a solid wooden fence at speed with no where to go.
Took a minute. And schooled him over a different fence and he was fine.
Last moments of the lesson I asked to just flat and worked on shoulder in, turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches.
Lesson for the day. Don’t attempt to ride when you are sleep deprived, nauseous, and not yourself. Could have been a real poop show.
17 Likes
Never eat seafood that’s over a day or two old, especially shellfish. My husband has had food poisoning a few times from eating less than fresh shrimp.
11 Likes
Never again!
1 Like
At Liberty boarder’s crazy mare went through one of the arena gates today. Snapped it in half. BO is quite unhappy. And this is why I do not want her or her horses around me and mine…
What it’s supposed to look like, and what it looks like…
6 Likes
Note that there were metal L pieces on the top of the top two boards that the horse sheared off, as well…
Damn. I hope the horse is OK.
3 Likes
She’s scuffed up and seems pretty rattled, understandably. This mare is very reactive to start so I am not surprised.
Thank heavens no one, animal or human, was in the aisle…
4 Likes
This was caused by the horse who runs around freely why you ride? 
2 Likes
The one she has tried turning out while I am still riding. Yep.
I can’t get passed the fact that anyone would turn their horse out with someone riding and that the whole barn wouldn’t shame them for being so ridiculous
15 Likes
Agreed. I really gave her the what-for the last time it happened. I had had enough. You’re welcome to join me with your horse on a line or if you’re riding. For crying out loud, this is not that hard.
There’s no escaping this woman, either. She is at the barn at all hours. Morning, noon, and night.
2 Likes
Sounds like the BO needs to tell her it’s time to go somewhere else.
13 Likes
People like that need to build their own place, where they only inconvenience and annoy themselves.
4 Likes
The BO has told her that she has 30 days to get the crazy mare to a new barn. Not both the horses, just the one. That mare is very dangerous, has broken countless ties and is almost impossible to get out of her stall. Another horse that I believe had an unfair beginning somewhere, but is now so reactive that she’s a hazard to all.
So At Liberty can stay with her quiet gelding, if she so chooses. The mare has gotta go.
10 Likes
@endlessclimb I’m glad something big enough happened without anyone getting seriously hurt. Now BO can put their foot down for a very concrete reason. It’s a good thing you weren’t at the receiving end of the bolting mare.
3 Likes
I’ve never seen aisle crossties in South Africa (I’m sure there must be barns with them, but I personally haven’t encountered them). It took me ages on this board to figure out why there were sometimes crosstie complaints 
1 Like
