Am I overreacting... someone fed my horse and I don't know what.

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Shadowdancing

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Currently trying to calm down as upset... I visited my horse on part livery this morning. I see her every day and feed her. The staff do not, and have never fed her and are aware to leave her bucket in her box where I take, clean and refill usually on an evening.

Today I found a strange bucket in her box. A big one! It's empty but has got a few traces of feed in it.

I don't know why she has it or where it's come from. I'm now beside myself that she's had something random fed to her and it could have made her ill.

I feel like this is straight to yard manager and a what the hell sort of meeting requirement at the moment. Would you feel the same?
 
I don think its a 'what the hell' sort of meeting. Id simply ring the yard manager and ask who fed the horse, why and what did they feed
 
Im with the two above dont quite understand why the need for confrontation theres most likely a very simple answer and most likely somebody made a mistake ,it happens.
 
Surely you need to show the feed bowl to yard staff and ask them.
I would have done that first before asking us lot on an Internet forum.
 
Shadowdancing said:
Currently trying to calm down as upset... I visited my horse on part livery this morning. I see her every day and feed her. The staff do not, and have never fed her and are aware to leave her bucket in her box where I take, clean and refill usually on an evening.

Today I found a strange bucket in her box. A big one! It's empty but has got a few traces of feed in it.

I don't know why she has it or where it's come from. I'm now beside myself that she's had something random fed to her and it could have made her ill.

I feel like this is straight to yard manager and a what the hell sort of meeting requirement at the moment. Would you feel the same?
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Whooa take a chill pill. I would say this is a bit of an overreaction on your part tbh - mistakes happen. Are you buckets labeled? Is the one in your stable named? I have 'Bails' written on mine in tippex as my feed buckets are rubber skips, and I also have red tape on the handles so no one can possibly go wrong.

Unless your horse has a proven allergy or cannot have something because its life threatening (example Bailey can't have trimediazine as an active ingredient in this can bring on a fatal arrhythmia in a horse with 2nd degree heart block) its hardly going to hurt her is it??

I'd be more put out if I was the owner of the bucket in your horses stable, particularly if I'd added a lot of expensive supplements to it!
 
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Not seen any staff and I needed to vent somewhere. They weren't on yard yet when I was and now I'm at work and can't use my phone. I'm sorry it's upset everyone so much that I had to get something off my chest. My horse has colicked before so I actually cried finding this and am very worried.
 
Just ask why there's a strange bowl in your horses stable without turning it into an unecessary drama .
It's certainly not a what the hell type meeting heavens people are so rude now a days.
It's probably a mistake ,ever made one OP ?
Get off the Internet and ask what happened .
 
Shadowdancing said:
Not seen any staff and I needed to vent somewhere. They weren't on yard yet when I was and now I'm at work and can't use my phone. I'm sorry it's upset everyone so much that I had to get something off my chest. My horse has colicked before so I actually cried finding this and am very worried.
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Get a grip it's not crying matter .
 
Yes, I'd say you're over-reacting. I'm sure she'll be fine, mistakes happen. Unless you feel someone has intentionally tried to feed her something to make her ill, with prior motive.
 
Sorry OP I'm another that agrees you're overreacting somewhat. In your shoes I'd have called/text YO/YM to say you'd found a strange bucket in her stable and ask what happened. No need to go in all guns blazing.
 
No, I wouldn't feel the same as she would have been fed horse feed which won't have her come to any immediate harm. Although not ideal, unless your horse is crippled with lami and has been fed something very sugary then there will have been little chance for harm.

As you feed her everyday it is likely that this is a one off - you haven't noticed a bucket before. You just need to ask and have them assure you it won't happen again.

I'm not sure that one feed of anything would induce colic unless it was half a barrel of something unsoaked.
 
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Friend just called me. She's down in the field and seems quiet. I'm going to see her. Staff are on yard so I can find out what she's been fed. I can't believe this is happening.
 
Just as an aside, to calm you down a bit OP, my horse has digestive issues (colitis) so I manage her diet carefully.

However, one day YO was bringing some horses in (not supposed to bring mine in!) and in the dark mistook her for her neighbour who is also a bay, around the same size.

My mare was put in his stable whereby got his entire feed (including some nice sugary molichaff and hayledge that are her two main triggers for her colitis) and she was absolutely fine, she was in there for a good hour or so. I didn't kick off, I laughed it off, mistakes and accidents happen.
 
Yes you are over-reacting but I can understand your fears if shes prone to colic. Colic is very scary and when my horse has had it I've been a mess even though I'm a pretty together person normally.

But it's likely she's accidentally been fed and if so it will just be horse feed so unlikely to have any ill effect. I think it is just as well you've had time to calm down as otherwise you might have seemed a bit over the top to the YO.

So calmly speak to your YO about what's happened and I'm sure it will all be fine.
 
Shadowdancing said:
Friend just called me. She's down in the field and seems quiet. I'm going to see her. Staff are on yard so I can find out what she's been fed. I can't believe this is happening.
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Stop winding yourself up .
You head will explode if you have to deal with a real emergency .
 
If it's only on her box it might not have even been fed to her, maybe they've left a bucket there from another horse and not even fed it to yours. Chill out, or you'll come very unstuck in a real emergency
 
Shadowdancing said:
Friend just called me. She's down in the field and seems quiet. I'm going to see her. Staff are on yard so I can find out what she's been fed. I can't believe this is happening.
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Cant believe what is happening OP?! Nothing bad has happened. Id totally understand if your horse was now showing signs of colic but yoru friend says she's absolutely fine? You're sounding extremely melodramatic as its really not a huge thing. Just call the yard owner or ask your friend who is there now to ask the staff what your horse was fed? Pretty simple! Your horse might not have even been fed anything, next doors horse might have hurled its bucket over into her stable (one of mine used to chuck his bucket about!). I'd be more worried how you cope with a proper emergency...
 
applecart14 said:
I'd be more put out if I was the owner of the bucket in your horses stable, particularly if I'd added a lot of expensive supplements to it!
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Quite.

YABU (I've long wanted to use that Mumsnet phrase ;) ). Mix ups happen. I doubt there's anything more to it than that. ETA - my old boy used to chuck his bucket around when he'd finished with it too :).
 
I read this as down in the field meaning 'not standing up' and quiet. So a little more cause for concern.
Yes - I also think OP is over-reacting unless there is some sort of allergy etc OP hasn't told us about.
 
Shadowdancing said at 9.38 they were going to see their horse as it was down in the field, so you probably won't get a response.

However he/she is still logged on to this site!!
 
Shadowdancing said:
Friend just called me. She's down in the field and seems quiet. I'm going to see her. Staff are on yard so I can find out what she's been fed. I can't believe this is happening.
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Which she probably does everyday, but because of the issue with the bucket, everything/one is on hyperalert so normal behavior is seen as a bad thing because it's not normally noticed.

You need to find out, in a calm manner, who the bucket belongs to. Mistakes happen, and there is likely to have been a mix-up somewhere.

Aside from anything else, god forbid something does happen and you need peoples help they are less likely to offer help if you've accused them all of poisoning your horse (which is how your post has unfortunately come across)
 
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