The mud is so. defeating

[S1969]

@AmyGrace

Thanks! I don’t want to bother but there have been mounds of poop, especially by her hay feeder. I don’t want lots of germs to spread,
My one friend who used to board here thinks this is an issue because of smaller paddocks and she even encouraged me to get a fecal egg count.

I understand; I’m just thinking that if they are dragging, it’s not any different than leaving it in the paddock anyway. It looks better to pick it, but if they drag it around they are potentially spreading eggs all the time.

As for getting a FEC - of course you should. It’s not even about poor management, it’s just the best way to determine how you should be deworming. I don’t pick my pastures, but my horses have 7 acres, so their FEC counts have always been very low. As a result, my targeted deworming protocol is pretty minimal. But if they lived in more densely populated paddocks, I might do something different.

Manure is a part of life for most horses. It’s not necessarily bad; it just is. They will avoid eating from manure areas if they can, but in most boarding situations, the solutions are limited. 20 minutes per horse adds up pretty quickly if you have 30 horses in a barn. That’s half a day or more, when you factor in dumping…

[enjoytheride]

@AmyGrace

My mare is in private turnout because of arthritis so hers isn’t as bad, but I plan on mentioning it to the barn owner yet again today. We pay more for private turnout and it irritates me to see mounds of poop accumulating while the owners are sitting in their house.

So… how much do you pay per month? Cause if a boarder knocked on my door and asked why I was sitting on my couch they’d have their horse tied to the mailbox (not really but just about).

I pick my mud proof lot and arenas daily, but not when it’s -40. If you want pastures picked daily then I’d expect to be paying A LOT because that’s a lot more labor than you think it is.

As for germs? Your horse would rather drink from the puddle he just pooped in than the stock tank I just scrubbed and bleached.

[AmyGrace]

Wow… wasn’t expecting this type of response, you could at least be respectful when replying.

First of all, I never knocked on anyone’s door, I would never do that. I simply mentioned my concerns to the barn owner like other boarders have regarding other issues.

I take excellent care of my mare, and actually no, I wasn’t expecting her pasture to be picked out daily, just simply for someone to address the huge mounds and piles of manure in her field.
It’s not healthy for any animal, a horse or any animal to live in fields with tons of feces.

You could at least be respectful when replying.

[enjoytheride]

Barn owners are allowed to sit on their couch, complaining that they are indicates to me that you expect things you are not going to get and do not understand what is involved in managing a barn or the fact that barn owners aren’t slaves expected to be on their feet 24 hours a day.

Was daily/weekly paddock picking mentioned in your contract? Does your board price reflect the need for this type of labor?

[S1969]

@AmyGrace

I take excellent care of my mare, and actually no, I wasn’t expecting her pasture to be picked out daily, just simply for someone to address the huge mounds and piles of manure in her field.
It’s not healthy for any animal, a horse or any animal to live in fields with tons of feces.

Well no it’s not ideal but it’s not inherently “unhealthy.” Even if dragged or picked there is still a risk of exposure to parasites. But it’s a real problem faced by every boarding barn in the world. What is the cost/benefit to paddock size and cleaning paddocks and pastures. To be honest, in my area of the Northeast I think you’d be hard pressed to find any typical boarding barns that pick paddocks daily. Especially in the mud. It’s just not cost feasible for boarders. It would add hundreds of dollars to the monthly board bill.

How much would you pay extra per month for this? $100? $200? Because it would probably be that much to hire staff to do this every day for every horse. Unless the barn is very small, this is the equivalent to hiring another person. IF they could even find someone who would do it (unlikely.)

[SharonA1]

Jeez! Let a girl vent. It’s COTH.

AmyGrace, for what it’s worth, I hear ya. If the poop isn’t picked in a small paddock, it just turns into mud slop. In my area, it is not reasonable to expect a barn to pick the poop in a paddock in the winter or to drag fields in the winter (this would be a bad idea in my area anyway; would just turn everything into mud and destroy the grass), but yes, it’s gross. Frankly, I would see if you can move your horse to somewhere with inherently drier paddocks. Things are hard enough on boarding barns in the winter in colder wetter parts of the country, so, unless you’re paying more than $1800 a month, I don’t think we can expect most larger-barn boarding situations to be able to manage the mud, given costs and staffing shortages.

But when we all win the lottery, I expect we will be able to throw money at the mud and then things will be all better!

EDITED TO ADD: But, if your BO/BM is otherwise good, she might deserve to be sitting on the couch in her house. I have learned (had to learn) that good BO/BM/barn staff work ethic doesn’t look the same as my pre-defined, predictable, indoor work, work ethic. But if she isn’t great, again, easier to move barns than change the culture where you are…

[lenapesadie]

Boarding is a tough business all the way around for everyone. I’ve bought extra hay and grain for my horse at both stables he was boarded at. If you are otherwise happy with your current boarding barn, I might say that picking your own paddock weekly is the best choice. If it’s any consolation, at least paddock picking is costing only time?

[AmyGrace]

Thank you!

[AmyGrace]

Thank you! Good points!

[enjoytheride]

@SharonA1

Jeez! Let a girl vent. It’s COTH.

AmyGrace, for what it’s worth, I hear ya. If the poop isn’t picked in a small paddock, it just turns into mud slop. In my area, it is not reasonable to expect a barn to pick the poop in a paddock in the winter or to drag fields in the winter (this would be a bad idea in my area anyway; would just turn everything into mud and destroy the grass), but yes, it’s gross. Frankly, I would see if you can move your horse to somewhere with inherently drier paddocks. Things are hard enough on boarding barns in the winter in colder wetter parts of the country, so, unless you’re paying more than $1800 a month, I don’t think we can expect most larger-barn boarding situations to be able to manage the mud, given costs and staffing shortages.

But when we all win the lottery, I expect we will be able to throw money at the mud and then things will be all better!

I have no issues with venting. My issue was with the issue with the barn owner who had the audacity to SIT IN THEIR HOUSE.

[S1969]

@SharonA1

Jeez! Let a girl vent. It’s COTH.

We get it - this whole post is a vent! The mud is…well, the initial post said the most descriptive word – defeating.

I have to say that the idea of picking manure out of mud (and somehow pushing a wheelbarrow through it?) sounds almost like the worst job that anyone could dream up. Picking up manure is never a fun job, but somehow digging it out of ankle-deep muck? No way.

[awaywego]

Picking manure in the mud sucks. Literally! I do it at the high traffic areas so it doesn’t add to the mess. I have boarded plenty and can’t think of anywhere that I have boarded that manure was picked as much as I would at home. But I recognize that this is a “me thing” and when you’re boarding, I think when it’s a “me thing” (something that doesn’t bother the BO, regardless of if what you, the boarder, think is right), you just have to do it yourself. This could mean that you scrub your horse’s water bucket more frequently - again, it may seem obvious to you that it is the right thing to do! It’s hard to find a barn where the BO’s standards of what is acceptable will perfectly align with yours.

Personally, I am thrilled with the forecast for dry and freezing temps this week. Finally!!!

[SharonA1]

@enjoytheride

I have no issues with venting. My issue was with the issue with the barn owner who had the audacity to SIT IN THEIR HOUSE.

Yes, you are entirely right! I will go back and edit my post to acknowledge that!

I confess to once having had some of the same sentiments, in the early years, sometimes legitimately and sometimes out of my own ignorance of the work of a barn, and/or comparing it to my own work environment where performance/work ethic are judged differently. Eventually, though, I learned that if I want my horse cared for differently, I have to either do it myself or find a barn that is already doing what I want it to do.

And for a good BO/BM, I would personally escort her to her couch and pour her the wine and operate the TV remote and pull closed the curtains for her.

[sivaj1]

@awaywego

But I recognize that this is a “me thing” and when you’re boarding, I think when it’s a “me thing” (something that doesn’t bother the BO, regardless of if what you, the boarder, think is right), I think you just have to do it yourself. This could mean that you scrub your horse’s water bucket more frequently - again, it may seem obvious to you that it is the right thing to do! It’s hard to find a barn where the BO’s standards of what is acceptable will perfectly align with yours.

I just started boarding horses less than a year ago and I STRUGGLE with this. On one hand, my standards for care are sky-freaking-high. When I was a boarder, I did a lot of “me thing” things and I did them without complaint because I know that’s just…how I am LOL. Now that I’m on the other side of the coin I can 10000000% see why many facilities (especially small private ones, like mine) just simply don’t have the time/resources/wherewithal to do the “little things” like picking poop out of a paddock. Trust me, I would love to do it if I could. And if I have extra time somehow, I do. But unless I jack up board to either pay someone to do it or allow myself to stop working full-time and instead devote 100% of my time to the farm, it’s not a reality.

I am now intensely grateful for the boarders who understand this and just go about doing their “me things” without complaint. I feel guilty (they’re paying ME to care for their horse and they’re scrubbing their horse’s bucket???! ) but at the end of the day, all of the horses are SO well taken care of, and they’ve voiced that to me, which I appreciate.

Anyway, I guess this kind of turned into a vent LOL. But now that I’m on the side of running a facility and seeing how truly difficult it is and how much there is to balance and account for and struggle with, I’m getting better at letting the “small stuff” go. If you’re paying me $600/mo, your horse might have to deal with some defeating mud and if boarders aren’t OK with that, there are plenty of other places.

[sivaj1]

@S1969

I have to say that the idea of picking manure out of mud (and somehow pushing a wheelbarrow through it?) sounds almost like the worst job that anyone could dream up. Picking up manure is never a fun job, but somehow digging it out of ankle-deep muck? No way.

Funny story: my partner is not a horse person at all. Until we met, he’d never been around horses or a farm. He’s also the type to dive into anything and research something to death to solve a problem. When our sacrifice pasture started getting horrifically sloppy he decreed: “well I read that it’s the manure that makes it so mucky so we just have to take the poop out every day.”

I stared at him, then at the paddock where you can’t distinguish mud from poop unless you’re actively catching the $hit as it falls out of their ass, then back at him and said “…ok, go for it.”

Suddenly the new solution became “well let’s build some dry lots for next year instead…”

[AmyGrace]

I’m not sure why you’re intent on attacking me, I think you’ve taken my words out of context.

As others have mentioned, I was venting, and my apologies but I was also frustrated to see my mare in a field with piles of manure.

To respond to your reply, you’re misquoting me.
I never once used the word audacity. You did.
I also didn’t type the sentence regarding sitting in one’s house in all caps. So in other words- you are taking my words out of context.

How would you feel if I did that to you?

To further elaborate on my point regarding why I mentioned the owners sitting in their house, it was because I have often found myself doing a lot of things that I feel that I am paying for. It’s a concern among other boarders and point well taken- if I paid more, perhaps I wouldn’t have to worry about some things as much.

I honestly feel like my comments were blown way out of proportion.

[sivaj1]

@AmyGrace

To further elaborate on my point regarding why I mentioned the owners sitting in their house, it was because I have often found myself doing a lot of things that I feel that I am paying for.

As a new and overly-nervous-about-doing-the-right-thing facility owner, I’m really curious about what things you & other boarders end up doing, if you don’t mind sharing. Are there things laid out in your contract that are the responsibility of the owner and they aren’t fulfilling?

[Alterration]

@AmyGrace

To respond to your reply, you’re misquoting me.
I never once used the word audacity. You did.
I also didn’t type the sentence regarding sitting in one’s house in all caps. So in other words- you are taking my words out of context.

How would you feel if I did that to you?

To further elaborate on my point regarding why I mentioned the owners sitting in their house, it was because I have often found myself doing a lot of things that I feel that I am paying for. It’s a concern among other boarders and point well taken- if I paid more, perhaps I wouldn’t have to worry about some things as much.

I honestly feel like my comments were blown way out of proportion.

Welcome to COTH, are you new here? We do this. It’s totally a thing.

Anyhow, as a barn owner, I initially bristled too, so recognize if you would that barn owners right now are on the edge. You think you’re fed up with mud? We are SO fed up with mud.

I almost got taken out by a horse the other day whose owner doesn’t do enough training and lets the horse walk all over her. She spun at the gate and tried to bolt back through the gate (and through me) while the mud attempted to suck my boots off as I tried desperately to get out of the way of this feral creature who had a moment because the chihuahua next door had the nerve to bark.

Had the woman dared to criticize me over some mud over the few moments I actually get to sit in the house I might have lost my ever loving sh*t and she might have had to find a new boarding arrangement that afternoon.

So while I understand that you probably didn’t mean it the way it came across, so many of us are on the edge this time of year, I can completely understand how it was taken. Board prices haven’t kept up with inflation and especially now - every time I go to the feed store it has increased another $1-2 per bag I swear, and hay is up over 30% over last year.

People want spectacular care at rock bottom prices for the overfed, underworked, pookie that they spent their budget on. And they don’t seem to understand the amount of work that already goes on because typically they are not out there at 5am or 10pm, which is when a lot of barn owners, managers, and workers are doing their thing. We try to stay out of your way during riding hours, because otherwise that’s another frustrating part of your life, and was mine before I bought a barn.

Anyway - I too am sick of mud and cold. I’d love to work on the mud with my tractor, however, it’s dead right now for some unknown reason, and I have to get it hauled off to fix. Lights turn on but it doesn’t turn over. Doesn’t even try. May just be a battery but I am not mechanically inclined.

The afternoon feeder keeps leaving gates open after the horses come in, which means they are solidly frozen to the ground in the morning. It was 13 degrees this morning with a major wind chill and ice on the ground, so no one went out, which means that all the stalls are going to be gross again today despite extra cleaning, which also means extra bedding. Gah.

I couldn’t get the morning feeder to stop putting extra hay piles where horses hadn’t been eating before (which creates more mud), nor filling the feeders entirely full, so I finally fired her. So now I’m doing it all, which is…fine…but annoying since I also work a full time job.

Winter is soul sucking in a barn. It’s miserable. I’m tired of it. grinch

[AmyGrace]

Hi, thank you so much, I really appreciate this.
I had to go back and review the boarding contract because I hadn’t looked at it for so long. It seems like a pretty basic, generic boarding contract where I agree to pay board, deworm my horse, see a farrier and keep her healthy, not a lot else.

I actually really do like the owner of the property and she is a very kind lady, but some of my concerns have been a few things:

Fencing: the fencing around the pasture where my mare is kept was made of an extremely thin wire, that was easy for her to get out of. I did apologize when she got out of it, but the fencing seems flimsy and easy to bend/ break. I do give the barn owners credit for fixing the fencing pretty much immediately, although it looks like a bit of patchwork with post and rail. It is still a big improvement over what it was before.

Water troughs often become a solid block of ice in the winter, there are no water heaters available. I do wish that the barn owners would be more diligent about breaking up chunks of ice in water troughs because a few times I have gone out and my mare couldn’t drink water which lead to dehydration.

My recent concern regarding the muddiness and excess manure of the paddock was resolved when the field was dragged, really pleased about that.

For the most part, I really do like this barn, how we have the ability to choose our own farrier and vet, how it is a friendly environment to everyone ranging from kids and families to adults. Everyone is friendly and kind, and very nice to each other, and not a lot of pretentiousness.
People can choose to ride English, Western, or do pretty much what they choose as long as they’re responsible - Liberty, Companionship, teaching kids to ride, some people jump on their own.

It’s a very low key and laid back environment although sometimes because it’s laid back, things like running low on hay in hay feeders happens or perhaps having to remind the owners to please do a task multiple times.

Either way, my sincere apologies that my comment was taken out of context.

For the most part, I am happy with this barn and I tend to be pretty laid back but I also get frustrated if I feel that my mare could be getting better care and I have to repeatedly remind someone to do something. On the other hand, I would much rather this low key, laid back environment any day compared to being in a barn which was more stuffy and uncomfortable.

Care of the horses is the most important thing and I know that the barn owner cares about my horse because she cares about all the horses.

Many thanks.

[AmyGrace]

Point taken. Thanks for your perspective.

It was never my intention to offend or anger anyone.

I was just hoping to have an honest and open conversation.