Why do people take a job working in the barn and then complain about cleaning the stalls?..REALLY?
today i actually got asked if “I can leave the horses OUT so the stalls stay clean”…REALLY???..did it ever occur to you that “cleaning stalls” is what you got hired for…consider the mare that never stops peeing JOB SECURITY.
Why do people take a job working in the barn and expect me to be in the barn with them the ENTIRE time??..Helllloooo if i have to stay in the barn WITH you then i dont NEED you…i can do the job myself in HALF the time. The reason I hire someone for this job is to free up my time to do something else. Please do not EVERYTIME i walk thru the barn, STOP working, lean on the pitchfork and proceed to discuss your entire life story with me…and THEN tell me HOW LONG ITS TAKING to get the work done…SO “the pay is NOT worth the time”…REALLY??
Why do people take a job working in the barn, they know the hours(three), they know the days (three), they know the pay AND they know that they will get one free lesson every week…HELLLOOO these lessons are NOT ever to be confused with your cellphone rollover minutes. If you cannot make time during the week to take a FREE lesson…thats your own fault, not mine. Im here, im flexible. USE THEM OR LOSE THEM. Dont complain about the pay. Dont complain about the hours, dont complain about the days…every day .
THIS is NOT camp! Dont bring your kid,Dont bring your stoned boyfriend (or your stoned self) Dont expect me to be your hay provider, or provide your medicine, wraps, tack, equipment, books,food, nonstop bottled water, dunkin donuts etc…bring what u need, its ONLY 3 hours…REALLY?
There is an actual STARTING TIME…believe it or not…its not when you FEEL like pulling in…i dont care about your lazy kid who misses the bus EVERYDAY. When it rains…YOU STILL HAVE TO COME TO WORK…is this a joke when u ask me this? YES the horses still get fed when it rains, they still get stalls cleaned and fresh water…Please dont complain about getting wet when u come to work with nothing waterproof to wear…DUH
WHY do people actually take a job working at the barn and THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW MUCH GAS COSTS TO GET HERE???..REALLY???
this is MY rant session btw…however any barn owners feel free to jump in…Im talking about GOOD barn owners, professionals. I take good care of my help. I always thank them everyday. I treat them exactly the same way I want to be treated. Ive had my fair share of being treated very poorly by past employers, I know what it feels like & its not fun. I also make it a point to personally tell them when the barn looks really good,or they did a great job that day. its nice to be appreciated.
But for the Love of GOD…this is NOT an EXECUTIVE position.You know the job(I even write a “barn chorses” list, so you CANT forgetwhat ONLY TAKES 2 hours to do but I give you 3 hours to do it in…WHY DO U INSIST IT TAKES 5??? I know the job. When you finish feeding, START THE STALLS…do NOT sit down for an hour and WAIT for them to finish eating!
ahhhhh…ok, I can breathe a little better now. THANK YOU, for giving me a spot to finally let off some steam 
Yes.
The person you need to hire is an Hispanic male with a family to feed.
They tend to have the work ethic you seek. :winkgrin:
Or me.
Or me.
Or me. I just filled in today at our barn and worked my booty off solid from 6:30am to 4:30pm. I think I sat down once to eat my lunch - 10 minutes total.
Or me ( and it is actually my current job … well I’m actually the stable manager)
P.
This is true, but, I don’t see anything wrong with leaving horses outside to keep stalls cleaner? I also like to gab as I work??? I’m wondering if you are being a tiny bit hard nosed…
I’m wondering if you are being a tiny bit hard nosed…
You’re kidding… right?
I have been neither a barn owner nor a hired barn worker, but I TOTALLY understand your frustration! Pardon me for :lol:
[QUOTE=Ladylexie;7768661]
This is true, but, I don’t see anything wrong with leaving horses outside to keep stalls cleaner? I also like to gab as I work??? I’m wondering if you are being a tiny bit hard nosed…[/QUOTE]
I think an analogy would be if you stayed at a hotel and the room service maids asked you to sleep on top of the coverlet or on the sofa so that they would not need to make the bed. It’s one thing if you choose to sleep on top of the covers, but another thing entirely to pay for a hotel room and be told not to touch the sheets.
As for gabbing, I like to gab too. But if you read her rant, the worker is not gabbing as she works, she is stopping to talk, and dragging out the work.
OP’s hired hand sounds like a nightmare.
Hire an immigrant. We tend to work hard because we have things to do and American dreams to accomplish. 
Paula
Okay, I would wonder if leaving the horses out was an option, but that is because I have bad joints so I’d be awful at cleaning stalls fast, which is why I wouldn’t go for a physical labor job in the first place! Because I would not be able to reliably do it to standard. (I mean, pitch in now and then if my joints were feeling good, sure. But take responsibility for getting an entire stable done multiple days a week? Nope, not happening with my current body.)
I have to ask - do any of these barn workers also make grossed out noises when cleaning stalls? I admit to being entertained when someone is made to pick up after their dog in public and whines about it because, well, grow up already. Sometimes animals are icky. So are we!
I admit I’m wondering how this idjit bluffed her way unto getting hired in the first place?
OP: I’m going to guess she was a client/student that you only knew from teaching & she must have talked a pretty good game to get hired for work you’d never seen her do (here I assume). Did she have any references from past barn jobs?
If your checklist of poor performance is anywhere near reality & I were the boss, she’d be gone, like yesterday.
For just 3h it sounds like she is at least 4h of frustration for you.
Not.Worth.It.
I’ve given up hiring help…more trouble than they are worth. Will be mucking stalls til I retire or die I guess.
[QUOTE=luvmyottb;7768631]
Or me. I just filled in today at our barn and worked my booty off solid from 6:30am to 4:30pm. I think I sat down once to eat my lunch - 10 minutes total.[/QUOTE]
Do that day in and day out for a few weeks and see how you feel, lol.
I understand the OP’s frustration. It does seem like many people hired as barn help think the job will entail petting the horses and giving them cookies.
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7768467]
The person you need to hire is an Hispanic male with a family to feed.
They tend to have the work ethic you seek. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Hispanics are just like everyone else. There are some that bitch about the work, the drive time, pay, and a bunch of other things. One guy I worked with was complaining about how much work we had to do, knowing he applied at a sales prep farm, so he ended up leaving a couple of hours after starting.
You’re going to find a lot of people who will never be happy with anything, but eventually you do find people who will bust their ass for you no matter what.
Hang in there OP, that person will eventually come.
I think it helps to set down rules to begin with and be VERY clear about what is expected and to pay by the job not by the hour. I don’t put up with complaining but I always say thanks and try to be really pleasant.
I don’t rule out young people because I have had some good ones. The teenager I have working for me has been doing so for 3 years. I will be sorry when she leaves next summer for the Navy!
I am searching for some help right now. Not mucking, I have someone to do that but grooming and other stuff. It is a bit of a headache to get back to people who didn’t read the ad clearly or who think driving 40 minutes to get to a part-time job is really gonna work.
I spent a few years doing barn work to pay for lessons. Let me just say that I am happy to write that check to my BO and appreciate all their hard work having myself been there and done that.
Paula
[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;7768854]
For just 3h it sounds like she is at least 4h of frustration for you.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes people say such clever things. 2DogsFarm, if I ever am in a spot where I need this expression I will quote you all day long…
Made me laugh.
