Unsafe horse owners

[OverandOnward]

All fair points.

One thought to toss in to the mix … IMO … there is a big difference between 10-15 minutes of grazing with the horse owner nearby and aware of where the horse is, and turning one loose for an extended period with no supervision.

The second scenario I also would not tolerate. And I would consider an owner who set up that scenario as one who really did not care about their horse’s welfare, due to all the things mentioned that can go wrong. Escape onto roads, ransacking a feed room, etc. Not to mention the interference with other horses and owners. And the potential property damage. It’s like turning your living room over to a large mischievous puppy for a few hours.

[Tucker5]

Unfortunately, you’re stuck due to the barn owner’s indifference.

I grew up at a barn where the rules had to be amended several times until it said a person had to be holding the lead when outside and grazing. It still drives me nuts to see people letting horses loose to graze in common areas. At one place, boarders turned 7 horses loose at one time; I hated that. One loose mare came up to my tied gelding and became rather mareish; I finished grooming/tacking up in his stall. Another loose horse bolted, causing a tied mare to pull back and break her halter; she then tried to jump over the hood of a car, wrecking it.

To me, turning horses loose screams laziness and selfishness. Stand there and hold the stupid rope. And have you ever tried to grab a lead on the ground when your horse decides to trot off? Yeah, that ain’t happening. Just hold the lead. Play on your phone. Read a book. Groom your horse. Practice some groundwork. Train your horse to lead well and not jerk your arm off for grass. Plenty to do while holding that lead.

[MsM]

I boarded at a place where there were “loose” horses. There was a perimeter fence, so they were contained, but could wander the property including the barn, yard, driveway and parking area. I had to bring a whip to get my horse from his paddock to keep from being bothered by the gang. Even on the nicest days, I would close the barn doors or risk one or more trotting in and starting something. Also annoying that they would decide to thunder down the side of the indoor while I was riding if they didnt quietly wander back to suddenly appear at the open back door. They were also a reason why virtually nobody used the outside ring that they could also access.

[tabula_rashah]

Can you just close your stall door so the other horse can’t come in while you are grooming? We have someone at my barn who does something similar. It’s selfcare and the BO is not a horse person at all. I just keep my horse safe and let them do what they will. Not my circus, not my monkeys, not my vet bill

[Texarkana]

I used to let my horses graze loose. Then one day for no reason whatsoever, my horse bolted. Ran on to the highway, but thankfully stopped on the shoulder. There was no reason for the change in behavior; happily eating one minute, got a wild hair to trot off the next minute, then lost her ever-loving mind once she got going.

So anyway, I’m no longer in the camp of “it’s no big deal if they graze loose,” unless the property is fully enclosed and gated.

Loose in a busy barn aisle while other horse owners are present and trying to handle their horses is a hard no for me. That’s just asking for an accident.

[trubandloki]

@tabula_rashah

Can you just close your stall door so the other horse can’t come in while you are grooming? We have someone at my barn who does something similar. It’s selfcare and the BO is not a horse person at all. I just keep my horse safe and let them do what they will. Not my circus, not my monkeys, not my vet bill

How do you safely get out of your stall and to wherever you are riding?

[tabula_rashah]

I walk out the door and head out to the trails. My horses know that if they are attached to me, they behave. Just like walking your horse through a field of other horses

[trubandloki]

Oh, I am not talking about your horse being the problem.

It seems like a loose horse that is wiling to come walk into a stall where someone is grooming their horse is also willing to walk up to and be confrontational to a horse that is being lead by its rider.

That seems like a dangerous situation.

[tabula_rashah]

I’m not saying it’s the best of situations but, for me, it’s something I’ll gladly bite my tongue over in order to get to board where I do for the price they charge. But to your question- how do you handle a horse in a field that crowds you while you’re walking with your horse? I’d handle that loose horse in the barn the same way - back it off with your body language/ whip/ lead rope

[candyappy]

@laddiebuck

And yes both horses have wandered into barn, into stalls. One started to come into my stall while grooming my horse who was tied on lead rope.

I wouldn’t care for that either, especially if your horse and hers are not well acquainted. I would bring it up to the BO.

[SharonA1]

@AnastasiaBeaverhousen

Just don’t go out to the barn when you know they are going to be there.

I get that this is a tempting answer, but, it just leads to resentment and being passive-aggressive is never good.

@fledermaus

Can’t you just tie the loose horse up somewhere safe if the owner isn’t around? If they ask, you can just say, “he was getting into my and my horse’s space and I decided it was unsafe.”

I would be in the above camp, and if the other owner objected, I would smile sweetly and say, “I don’t want either of us to be unhappy. Let’s go talk to the BM/BO right now. together, and ask her to tell us how to handle this.” And if the BM/BO didn’t take the side of safety, but the barn was otherwise a good fit, I would be carrying a longe whip and would gently but firmly shoo the other horse away anytime it came near. I expect it would get the message fairly soon and not come near me anymore.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

How so?
Avoiding conflict and possibly hazardous situations is a good thing.

2. Putting your hands on someone else’s horse or attempting to discipline it especially with a whip will not go over well .

The BO should be handling this. If BO can’t or won’t then the OP should consider moving somewhere else.

But again , it’s what the OP is willing to tolerate.

[S1969]

@RhythmNCruise

This is a peeve of mine, and I don’t blame you for not liking it, OP. A loose horse is a loose horse, and if the horse is where it can reach other horses that are being handled, tied, groomed, tacked up, ridden, led, etc. it is just an accident waiting to happen.

Agreed. I’m kind of surprised that everyone on this thread isn’t saying the same thing. COTH tends to be the “safety first” and “good horsemanship” place.

I suspect it’s because people want their horses to graze, and so long as they don’t cause problems, they would allow it. But a loose horse is a loose horse.

It’s all fun and games until it’s not. If a horse is wandering back into the barn - that should be a complaint to the BO and a caution to the horse owner (by the BO).

[Scribbler]

@S1969

@RhythmNCruise

This is a peeve of mine, and I don’t blame you for not liking it, OP. A loose horse is a loose horse, and if the horse is where it can reach other horses that are being handled, tied, groomed, tacked up, ridden, led, etc. it is just an accident waiting to happen.

Agreed. I’m kind of surprised that everyone on this thread isn’t saying the same thing. COTH tends to be the “safety first” and “good horsemanship” place.

I suspect it’s because people want their horses to graze, and so long as they don’t cause problems, they would allow it. But a loose horse is a loose horse.

It’s all fun and games until it’s not. If a horse is wandering back into the barn - that should be a complaint to the BO and a caution to the horse owner (by the BO).

It’s also possible to have a stall guard across the barn door to keep loose horses out.

[SusanO]

I still think loose horses are a no-go. Even if they are kept out of the barn. Wait till these loose horses gnaw the paint off somebody’s car. Don’t laugh - my horses did that to three of MY PARENTS’ cars. Or get excited, take off and run over somebody. There are pasture fences for a reason.

[endlessclimb]

It’s a no for me. I know people who have done it. I can’t even settle my nerves if I’m right there but don’t have a hold of the rope. If Fluffy takes off, my reflexes aren’t good enough to get the rope and try and stop that momentum.

Having to stand around while they graze is annoying, sure. Too bad. Similar to cold hosing - I’d rather be somewhere else, but here I am, staring at my watch.

[S1969]

@SusanO

I still think loose horses are a no-go. Even if they are kept out of the barn. Wait till these loose horses gnaw the paint off somebody’s car. Don’t laugh - my horses did that to three of MY PARENTS’ cars. Or get excited, take off and run over somebody. There are pasture fences for a reason.

My tractor died in my pasture once and it is all chewed up. For some reason scraping their teeth on the paint was fun. They did it to my trailer once as well.

I don’t think there is any way to make it ‘safe’ for horses to be loose unless they are in a pasture. They are 1000 lb prey animals with brains the size of a lemon. I feel bad for people who don’t have better ways to allow grazing in a boarding situation, but loose horses are dangers to others horses, property, people, and (most likely) themselves.

[fledermaus]

I once watched (I was too far away to intervene) a herd of horse take apart a Gator my friend had parked in their 150 acre pasture for a couple hours. They ripped the cushions off and tossed them merrily in the air. And my very own horse ran her teeth over the hood of my car before I could stop her.

[OverandOnward]

[ahem]

Just to make a tiny pebble toss into dispelling the myth that ‘horses’ brains are the size of a walnut’ … that’s not true. They are closer to the size of a grapefruit. They are roughly the size of an adult human brain (although located and shaped somewhat differently than a human brain due to the different shape of the heads of humans and horses).

It is the “thinking brain” of the horse, the pre-frontal cortex, that is smaller than a human’s. Not sure it is small as a walnut or a lemon. But it’s much smaller.

This is assumed to mean that horses have less thinking brain to think with. Their behavior is more instinctively driven than humans.

But it is hard to find any web information that will definitively state the size of a horse’s thinking brain. The truth is that we really don’t know. The scientific research has not yet been done.

I can go with a lemon or a walnut for the portion of a horse’s brain that is the thinking brain. Good enough until we know more.

It’s easy to find articles on horse thinking power. However, most of them have a lot of wordy filler and very little actual scientific information. For the simple fact that people are curious about this, but there isn’t a lot of existing current science to report on it.

How Much Does The Horse’s Brain Size Actually Matter?

How Big is a Horse's Brain? - The Horses Guide

[S1969]

@OverandOnward

This is assumed to mean that horses have less thinking brain to think with. Their behavior is more instinctively driven than humans.

Under saddle, with a rider, horses are capable of amazing and complicated processes. But we’ve all witnessed examples of the smaller thinking/instinctive brain, which is why we know loose horses are dangerous.

I put a winter coat on my dog once, and my TB mare had a complete meltdown. Literally, she was inconsolably freaked out. Luckily she was in her paddock, adjacent to my backyard. Where she saw the same dog every day for years. But not with a coat.

Horses in a boarding barn see a lot of things, but who knows what new thing or unusual sound will cause a problem.