Yeah, I know. Probably have for a while. This summer I just couldn’t deal with the thought of a new barn with my husband’s illness so i put it im the back of my mind until today.
I have a message into my friend who is very close to my other barn. My horse was there a few years ago so hopefully she is able to take him again.
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Tracks are fine for an established herd. My track is quite narrow so I limit it to 2 horses so no one gets trapped in between the boss mares. If I had a wider track, I could put more horses out on it. The bonus of the track system is that I can move everyone into the middle pasture and have the benefit of double fencing. Trees can take down your perimeter fence.
Thankfully most of my neighbors have an enclosed pasture so if the fence comes down, I have the benefit of their fencing and at worst the cattle and horses will be in together in the same pasture.
Horses can take down gates quite easily. Gates can also fall off the hinges if a horse leans on them. I had one horse put her head through the top of the gate, lift it off the hinges and push it open. Now all my gates either have hot wire or boards across the top so no one can put their head in the gate.
I would talk to the owner and ask if he is willing to run another fence and gate on that property to prevent horses from getting out and let him know you are considering leaving.
Some horses don’t challenge the fencing. My friend has a preserve behind her house and her gate sits on a rock and is not chained or anything. There’s no way I could do that with my horses. Someone would scratch their rump or neck on that gate and push it open.
Good fencing keeps animals in. But all it takes is a tree to come down or a horse to crash through the fence by mistake for animals to get out.
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Tracks are fine for an established herd that does not have a horse that randomly is a jerk.
I have an established herd. 14 years of establishment. Track would not work with my horses.
It is less about established and more about the individual horses.
Just like some people have no problem with open stalls that all the horses can come and go from all day.
BTW, I am not anti-track at all. I just think of this exact situation when people talk about them, because I live with a horse it would not work for.
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I doubt owner is going to put up a perimeter fence, thats a huge expense. My board is cheap and although we get along well, I don’t feel comfortable asking him to go through that expense.
Just hope my horse is safe and in one piece until I can figure things out for him.
Dollar is the best.
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I’d leave. The universe gave you a sign. Trust your gut.
Lovely pic of you both!
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When I started reading this heartbreaking story, I immediately thought of your husband. You certainly don’t need more things to worry about. I hope your friend has room.
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If that barn covered in holes is inside the pasture and the boards are mounted on the outside of fence posts I’d be so nervous that your next phone call would be a degloved leg or that a horse pushed out the fence boards. Strangles would have been a one and done move for me but I get everyone has a different tolerance for risk.
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I couldn’t move during an active strangles case. No one wants that in their barn. So i had to wait that one out anyhow.
And no, the above picture with me and Dollar is the cow barn. No horses use that “shelter”. There’s obviously not much to it.
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You both are adorable. I’m so sorry to hear about the horses getting out and hit on the road. I cannot imagine that trauma. I’ve known of at least a dozen stories and even literally where I boarded in the past. Ugh. Finding a good boarding place with lots of turnout is hard and getting harder. It sounds like your owner cares and tries.
My husband gave me grief for the $20k I spent to fence in our whole place but I have not regretted one moment doing it.
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Your gate is installed incorrectly if the horse can do this…
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Reached out to both boarders who lost their horses. They seem to be doing better than I would be under the circumstances. At least via text message. Probably both still in shock as BO is yet.
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I’m so sorry this happened 
A couple of things from the paddock pictures - as endlessclimb said, the gate was likely not installed properly. Secondly, that area where a sort of chute is created beside the barn - that is an accident waiting to happen again. If the BO does nothing else, that little funnel should be removed by continuing the horizontal fence along to the barn at the other end and having the gate installed there.
Anywhere you have a funnel sort of zone you have a danger zone and an area that’s more likely to get broken leading to loose livestock.
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Looking now at the picture of you and your horse and my eye immediately picked up on the empty light bulb socket and the surrounding wiring and general dirtiness around it. If that circuit is live I’d add fire risk as another concern, along with electrical shock. An electrical inspection and correction of National Electrical Code violations would be high on my list of demands if I stayed there.
(I use the word “demand” loosely. I don’t think that your BO would respond well. He likely thinks everthing is cool.)
I speak as someone who boarded at a barn with dangerous electrical wiring. This is that barn shortly after we moved on. You are looking into my horses former stalls.
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Wow.
I honestly would just rather leave as it would give me more peace of mind. I have another acquaintance to check with as well as another barn i checked out over the summer as a possible option.
It would be great if my other BO (where my riding horse is at) would take him but that’s a whole 'nother thread.
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A friend of mine lost a horse a few years ago at a boarding barn. A lesson person (not horse owner) failed to properly secure the gate when turning out the horse they rode that day and my friend’s beloved horse got out and was struck by a vehicle. He was euthanized as a result of his horrific injuries. The barn is well thought of and well run for the most part. I boarded there for a while when I was waiting for a spot somewhere else to open up and the care was good. Bad things happen, horses always seem to find a way to test your readiness. I am glad your horse is okay. I probably wouldn’t move over this unless it was a real recurring theme/issue, but I understand your concerns.
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100% I saw that narrow area by the barn and thought “disaster!”. If the gate or fence didn’t get knocked down you’d end up with one horse injured by the other. Trapped = very bad.
And piss poor fencing 
. It’s one thing to have a horse so talented it can jump a 4.5ft farm fence and another to have fencing so decrepit that a pony could blow on it and it goes down.
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That’s what I thought. I’ve seen people hang them with both J hooks pointing up. Uh-oh that’s easily lifted off!
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I’m so sorry about all of this happening. It seems likely horse 1 trapped horse 2 in that narrow space and the gate came down. I don’t want to seem like I’m piling on, fresh eyes on those fence boards have me thinking at the very very least, he should run hot wire all around on the inside of the posts. And eliminate trappy areas.
I am hopeful you can move that gorgeous guy somewhere safer.
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We hang them with both up and tie the top one down so the gate can’t be lifted by horses or cattle, but we can in a pinch without needing to take the henges apart.
Also, one up one down will let the gate fall off if hit hard enough to bend, both up will take a bigger force to take gate down.
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