If you are at a “show barn” and they have a vet that they use for most stuff, not all. You as the owner do not like that vet for lameness or complicated medical issues. Should you as the knowledgeable & experienced horse owner have the right to choose the vet you want to use?
or
Does your trainer tell you what vet you have to use?
that depends entirely on what the contract says when you got on board with your trainer.
me, i use whoever i want, when i want. perks of having a horse at home and not being in a program. :yes:
Unless he sates in writing that X vet cant come to Y place it shouldn’t matter. Your horse your say unless you have a contract.
Nope, would be a total deal breaker for me. My horse, my decision on which vet to use. I can see the idea of a main farm vet for stuff like vaccines, coggins, etc. Any trainer who thinks that his/her vet is the only one is a pretty craptastic horseman IMHO.
Depends on the barn, and what their rules are. I’ve been very upfront when going to a new program that my vet comes with me and I’ve never had a problem. That said, my vet is very well respected in my discipline, and my area.
Never signed anything…no contract nothing…
I can understand if you don’t want my vet at the barn when another one is there. I get it but if I trailer her to another location, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Trainer doesn’t even know my vet. Never had this problem any where else I have been. Not sure why it is an issue?
Love the care at this barn and the training! Don’t want to move but if I can’t use my vet it may not work out… Not sure where I would go:( Wish I could have her at home!
I have been at a barn where I was told BEFORE moving in and no mention of vets in the contract that a very reputable lameness vet could come in and continue to treat the injury we were in the midst of healing and then childishly tortured for doing so even though horse continued to respond quite well to that vets care and I used barn vet for all routine vaccines and a few minor injuries…I wound up moving because the attitude was so immature and spiteful. Bottom line is you probably technically have the right to use whoever you feel is best for your horse, but the “barn” may do their best to make you regret it so if you have any hint you will get any grief about the decisions you make for your horse then start looking for a new barn. Sure it may be a “show barn” and you may want all that plus the bag of their brand of chips, but you can not compete a lame/sick horse. Sounds like you are in the barn I left, my sympathies.
Some trainers care. I would not board with one that did. At my current barn, we all use who want to even though the barn owner works for a vet (nice vet- but I had already had mine for a long time when I moved there and he has done good by me). At one of my prior barns, there was a barn vet that everyone used. I used him at first but did not have a good experience with him so I (and another boarder) found another one and started using him. Barn did not care.
I can see not being happy about it if the trainer knew the vet and did not like them because they have to deal with the aftermath and the care recommended by a subpar vet, but if they don’t know them, I think it is a pure control issue which is, frankly, an issue in some barns/programs. Works for some people, but not for me.
I have been at barns where I had to use the trainer’s vet of choice. In every case, we clients paid the trip fee – it was never split up or charged against the trainer’s or BO’s horses. And in some cases, the vet was giving the trainer discounts or freebies for the trainer’s or BO’s horses, in exchange for forcing the clients to use the vet.
My current barn isn’t a show barn per se, but it is full care for performance horses, and my horse is in full training. I use the regular barn vet for vax, and sometimes for teeth. I use my sports medicine vet for soundness/performance related issues. I make every attempt to make sure the trainer is available to talk to my vet while he is there, so they can have a meeting of the minds on things. It has worked out very well so far.
Why not strike a compromise? You could always say “How about if I continue with Dr. X but I’ll seek your opinion as well, and if you’re not satisfied with Dobbin’s progress I can always get a 2nd opinion from Dr. Y.”
I could understand it if you were leaving the barn to make the arrangements or something – I do prefer boarders to use my vet if they are the kind of boarder who leaves me to make arrangements and hold the horse and everything. It’s just easier than juggling multiple vets and I do prefer my vet’s work and the kind of “hands off” owner that does that rarely has a real reason for preferring another one. Plus, it is inconvenient for staff to have to sit around specifically for your horse’s appointment, it messes up the day’s schedule. but if you are doing all the bringing in and holding and arranging I would have no issue with you using whatever vet you want, unless I had a specific bad history with that vet and knew s/he was incompetent. In 25 years of horses I have a huge list of…1 vet I feel that way about. Of course, I have some I like better than others but 1 I don’t want on the farm, and word on the street is that he’s left the country following a series of serious mistakes. That’s more to protect horses than to be a managing BO!
So yes, I would be very upset to be told I couldn’t use my own vet in your situation! it is certainly not my policy as a BO (except for the non-involved owners, like I said).
Also, I do not think it is OK for the trip fee to only be charged to the clients if the vet sees the trainer’s/BO’s horses too. It needs to be split by horse or by owner. That’s unethical and I would never ask a vet to do that. I certainly pay my share and coordinate vet visits with boarders so we can split trip fees.
I’ve found that if a barn owner (or trainer) is pushing boarders to use one particular vet, dentist or farrier it’s been because the BO or trainer is getting discounted or free services for their own horses from that practitioner.
If there’s nothing covering that in your boarding contract, you SHOULD be able to use anyone you want.
I would be very interested in the reasons why they are using a particular vet. However, this would probably be a deal breaker for me (same with the farrier). I’ve seen some cozy vet/trainer relationships that werent on the up and up…
I am lucky the vets I use have great reps and are allowed at most local barns.
Wow. What a concept.
I can’t even imagine being ‘forced’ to use a specific vet.
We are lucky and have a wonderful vet we use for all the routine stuff. She is also really great at lameness as well. But let’s face it, no vet can handle every issue that comes across their path.
If I had an issue she couldn’t get on top of, I would most certainly get another vet out or go to the University. My trainer/BO would be totally involved as she wants all the horses issues to be solved the best way possible.
As an example, the trainer/BO had a horse with a complicated issue our regular vet did not have the equipment to treat. The trainer/BO ended up trailering the horse to another vet on the east side of the state. Our regular vet went along with her for the day and watched everything the other vet did. A very productive day for all.
I think this is the way it always should be. You can see why we love our regular vet so much!
I would never board/train anywhere that didn’t allow me to use my own vet/farrier.
My horse(s), my responsibility, my decision.
I always made sure I was at the barn for any vet/farrier visits, so it was not an inconvenience for the BM.
I know of some barns that get discounts/free care for their own horses if they “force” all boarders to use the barn vet. Ain’t happenin’ in my world!
It is very convenient for a farm to use a particular vet clinic for routine care, rather than coping with multiple schedules, Same goes for farrier work.
However, I know well that all vets and farriers are not created equal, and not being allowed to use the individual I preferred for a particular situation, would be an “outta here” for me. BUT, I would take the responsibility for being there to hold my horse, etc.
Our boarders can use whatever vet (or farrier) they want, as long as they make the arrangements and are here for the appt. it’s easier with routine work to just have one vet do all the work, since trying to coordinate for 50 horses and everyone’s schedules, is difficult. We have a signup on our board for vet and farrier work, they can either sign their horse up, split the call charge and I will make the appt and deal with the horses myself, or they can call another vet and make the arrangements themselves. Simple solution.
If there’s no contract saying you must use X vet while boarded at this particular barn or working with this particular trainer, your trainer can’t enforce anything, and cannot make you use another vet, nor can they make you leave the property to get your horse seen by the vet you want. Period.
Your trainer is a trainer, not a vet. You hired them for training services.
Stand your ground, OP. “Sorry, Trainer Jane, but I have a great history with my vet, I respect them, and they know my horse. I am sure Dr. Joe is great, but I will not be transitioning to using them as my primary vet.” Be prepared for your trainer to negatively respond. If they threaten to end your contract with them/say you would have to leave, then you can tell them that unless they present you with a contract you signed stating you agreed to these terms, they can do no such thing. Chances are, if you end up leaving, it will be because things got ugly and you choose to, not because they forced you to.
This is largely why I have never, and will never, enter into “full training” with anyone. My horse, my pocketbook, my call. End of story.
When I bought my first mare, I was told that there was a vet and a farrier at the barn that I should use. And I did, for some years. I was a novice owner and I badly needed to learn a lot of things.
Some years later I decided to change farriers. I discovered that there was not a single advantage for me to use their farrier: Same cost, sometimes I had to wait to have my mare shod (he only comes one day per week at the barn, but at that time it could be Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Friday, or the week after. I never knew when (or if) he would come, so after some angry words with the barn owner I changed farriers. Nothing to regret up to date. But I must admit, if I had not been allowed to change, I would have had to move
There are 4 vets coming to our small “retirement” barn… one is the barn vet and the BO will make arrangements for visits and will hold the horses. When my lovely vet left the practice, I switched to another one. Five of us use the same vet there and we coordinate visits to split the cost and hold each other’s horses.
We all use and love the “barn farrier” but others are allowed to come, although this does not last long because it is generally for one horse or two!
