Evil_Cookie
Well-Known Member
Hello
I hope your all having a nice weekend....
Just to be warned this is half a happy post half a query/rant/not-sure post...
Anyway, good news or bad news first... hmmm...
On the plus side though I haven't ridden all week I rode today and thought I'd try multi tasking and take Clementine on a hack, leading her from Ruby. Just round the block. She was a little angel... they are quite well matched, though Ruby is a faster walker, but still... Even met a car... my Mom was walking with me anyway... for those sticky situations... as we haven't ridden and led on the road before. But didn't even need her help, they just glided into a layby to let the car past... still got to figure out who precisely is in control though, as it gets a bit confusing at times, but can't wait till I can go on some longer hacks with the both of them, will be great.
Anyway thats the pointless happy bit...
Now I wonder whether I can ask your advice... I stable the two mares at a livery yard, well they live out so not exactly 'stabled' but anyway. When we bought Orion (the foal) and his mom clementine they went into Ruby's field, with Ruby. I complained about the fencing then. Two fences are perfectly fine, wide electric tape and posts, but one fence, a dodgy hedge that borders the road, which had ankle height (broken) barbed wire and chicken netting... and a few large treeless gaps... that has a bank down onto a country road. And the other boundary which borders the Orchard, a modern orchard (tight rows of trees) with lovely soft springy grass. Is made up of a hegde of sometype of tree? Anyway both fences had kept Ruby in as she isn't the type to test boundaries but I was worried about Orion. Nothing was done. He didn't escape luckily, and is now weaned. Funnily enough now he has been weaned they have put up a very nice horse wire netting fence on the road fenceline... So only one problem fence remaining... when they trimmed the hedge/tree line.... quite a few trees thinned or fell over so a very gappy hedge has become gappier still... I had to get an odd bit of tape to stop the girls getting out a big hole down at the bottom of the field. I asked if they could sort out the fence. hoping that something would be done... but all they did was run one piece of tape through the hedge, just attatched to the branches.... Now there is no grass at all in our field, they are eating it as fast as it is trying to grow, and the orchard grass is looking very tempting.
I had a message when I got back from work yesterday saying the two had escaped into the orchard and couldn't be caught. Luckily by the time we got there they were back in there field... but for how long? I walked the hedgeline and clementine gladly tried to show me where they had got through... the large hole at the bottom of the field. The tape I had tied across it has pulled slack pulling down one more of the trees with it and the hole is huge.
Question is who is responsible for the fencing? Or any liability if they escaped and injured themselves. Or got colic from eating the rich grass? I can't afford vets fees at the moment especially on something preventable. Clementine had a colic scare last year when she came inside for a week due to Orion. I'm worried that if they get out again, either or both of them will get hurt or get colic? Am I just worrying to much? Would the YO be liable to pay vets fees if they did break out, as I've complained countless times about the fencing? I don't know what to do now, I patched up that hole in the fence and left a message. But they could easily break through it again. I don't want to start an argument, and have been polite about it, the YO's are lovely people.
But what can I do?
sorry for a long long post... I could have written more
Thankyou for your help guys
EC
Just to be warned this is half a happy post half a query/rant/not-sure post...
Anyway, good news or bad news first... hmmm...
On the plus side though I haven't ridden all week I rode today and thought I'd try multi tasking and take Clementine on a hack, leading her from Ruby. Just round the block. She was a little angel... they are quite well matched, though Ruby is a faster walker, but still... Even met a car... my Mom was walking with me anyway... for those sticky situations... as we haven't ridden and led on the road before. But didn't even need her help, they just glided into a layby to let the car past... still got to figure out who precisely is in control though, as it gets a bit confusing at times, but can't wait till I can go on some longer hacks with the both of them, will be great.
Anyway thats the pointless happy bit...
Now I wonder whether I can ask your advice... I stable the two mares at a livery yard, well they live out so not exactly 'stabled' but anyway. When we bought Orion (the foal) and his mom clementine they went into Ruby's field, with Ruby. I complained about the fencing then. Two fences are perfectly fine, wide electric tape and posts, but one fence, a dodgy hedge that borders the road, which had ankle height (broken) barbed wire and chicken netting... and a few large treeless gaps... that has a bank down onto a country road. And the other boundary which borders the Orchard, a modern orchard (tight rows of trees) with lovely soft springy grass. Is made up of a hegde of sometype of tree? Anyway both fences had kept Ruby in as she isn't the type to test boundaries but I was worried about Orion. Nothing was done. He didn't escape luckily, and is now weaned. Funnily enough now he has been weaned they have put up a very nice horse wire netting fence on the road fenceline... So only one problem fence remaining... when they trimmed the hedge/tree line.... quite a few trees thinned or fell over so a very gappy hedge has become gappier still... I had to get an odd bit of tape to stop the girls getting out a big hole down at the bottom of the field. I asked if they could sort out the fence. hoping that something would be done... but all they did was run one piece of tape through the hedge, just attatched to the branches.... Now there is no grass at all in our field, they are eating it as fast as it is trying to grow, and the orchard grass is looking very tempting.
I had a message when I got back from work yesterday saying the two had escaped into the orchard and couldn't be caught. Luckily by the time we got there they were back in there field... but for how long? I walked the hedgeline and clementine gladly tried to show me where they had got through... the large hole at the bottom of the field. The tape I had tied across it has pulled slack pulling down one more of the trees with it and the hole is huge.
Question is who is responsible for the fencing? Or any liability if they escaped and injured themselves. Or got colic from eating the rich grass? I can't afford vets fees at the moment especially on something preventable. Clementine had a colic scare last year when she came inside for a week due to Orion. I'm worried that if they get out again, either or both of them will get hurt or get colic? Am I just worrying to much? Would the YO be liable to pay vets fees if they did break out, as I've complained countless times about the fencing? I don't know what to do now, I patched up that hole in the fence and left a message. But they could easily break through it again. I don't want to start an argument, and have been polite about it, the YO's are lovely people.
But what can I do?
sorry for a long long post... I could have written more
Thankyou for your help guys
EC