Guys i really really need your help

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Hey guys well this might be long
Basically i work part time at a assisted DIY yard (they write in the diary which horses need turning out, mucking out and bringing in etc)
Well there are two horses that i really cant take anymore. One i've already told the owner i wont do anymore as it keeps rearing (even in a chifney) and striking out at me.
The second i cant avoid as its always in as full every day i work. Hes about 16.3/17hh and is muscley large gelding. Hes also lead in a chifney. He doesnt rear (yet) but just takes off whenever i lead it and gallops flat out around me and then stands with his head up ears pricked muscles tensed and snorting, and when i ask him to walk again he will gallop off again.
I just cannot do this anymore im SO scared of it, im not good handling horses on the ground anyway due to having a couple of really bad accidents.
I just dont know what to do
Please guys i really need your help. I can't avoid doing this horse as owner works full time and like i said the horse is in the diary on full every single day.
HELP

 

[Weezy]

The only option open to you is that you look for new employment

Unfortunately if you are not up to the job in hand because of being less than 100% confident (and the horses are prob picking up the fact that you are not confident handling them) then you do need to be honest to the horse owners and yourself before an accident happens

 

[Super_Kat]

Tell your boss that you won't touch it. They can't make you do anything with it if it is unsafe.

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

I would pin up the latest storys of sueing YO after acciedents... They riddle papers and mags!

 

[Clodagh]

And at the very least wear full protective gear when doing him, might make you feel safer.

 

[Happy Horse]

I have to agree with Weezy. If you have lost your nerve then perhaps working on a yard is not the best job and unfortunately there will be big bolshy horses on most yards. They are too good at picking up on the mood of the person handling them and if you are nervous they will keep taking advantage.

 

[xspiralx]

I agree with Weezy - unfortunately if you're doing yard work you have to be confident and competent with handling horses.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

i've been thinking the same for a while. Thing is riding i can ride anything and not be scared at all you know im 110% confident on top of a horse but on the ground im just so nervous.
Hopefully my riding jobs will kick off and i'll be able to afford to leave
I think you're right though, but how do i tell them so near to xmas as well?? Should i write a note and if i do should i write it to the person in charge or to all of the diys or both?
Also if its my own horse then he can act as much as a prat as he wants and im not scared but with other peoples horses, its just getting too much.

 

[Happy Horse]

I left a yard for the very same reason - I was not prepared to be killed by someone elses horse. One of the liveries reared on the road with me and that was it - I was not prepared to take the risk for the money I was on. With regards to leaving, you only have to give the notice on your contract. If you don't have a contract you can leave when you like but if you want to give them time to replace you, you can tell them you will stay but you will not do those horses while they find your replacement.

 

[jemima]

Dificult situation - I'm sorry for you. The person you need to contact is the YO - or whoever originally ofered you the job. You can either write to them or ask to have a talk with them. Bear in mind that even if you write them a note you ARE going to have to face them sooner or later. So it might be best for you to write down what you want to say and take that with when you go to talk to them face to face. In my opinion you should not talk to the DIY's until you have sorted out a solution with the YO.

Hope this helps.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Thanks for the support guys

has made me feel a lot better. I think im just gonna hav to bite the bullet and just leave, im not prepared to get injured by another persons horse and therefore not be able to work anyway! Im just not willing to take the risks anymore.

 

[lorenababbit]

Kayleigh al the above are right and if i were you i would do what i do when the chips are down and go work in tesco over christmas. warm dry well paid and no nutters trying to flattened you well not many! Give yourself a bit of time to think and the owner to put some manners on the horses.

 

[JanetGeorge]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree with Weezy - unfortunately if you're doing yard work you have to be confident and competent with handling horses.

[/ QUOTE ]

As a yard owner, I'd agree - but only to a point! I employ 1 full time staff member who is a very competent and confident adult male. He can and does handle anything on the yard. If he was scared of it - I would be too!! I have several part-timers and week-end helpers and they handle (and ride) ONLY the horses that I think they're safe with AND that they are happy to deal with.

It is MY responsibility to ensure that my staff are as safe as it's possible to be working with horses. If a horse is a problem, then I have to FIX the problem - either by disciplining the horse, handling it myself, or getting it off the yard!

Kayleigh needs to speak to the YO and ask if it's possible that someone else can do those two horses as she is not happy dealing with them - and if she's not confident to handle them, it's downright dangerous for her to continue.

It MAY not be practical for YO to work around the situation if there are no other staff and YO is not on the yard him/her self - but I'd hate to think one of my staff would feel forced to leave because they were scared of a particular horse (and I have a lot of BIG horses including 2 stallions and a number of colts - there are some that CAN be a handful and we roster duties accordingly.)

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Thanks for that, i feel silly though coz the other 2girls are fine with all the horses

feel like a complete wimp and a loser.

 

[JanetGeorge]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for that, i feel silly though coz the other 2girls are fine with all the horses

feel like a complete wimp and a loser.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well don't! Maybe the other two aren't smart enough to recognise a difficult horse!

But if there are two others who can do them, any reasonable YO would be ok with that. Reliability and a sense of responsibility are much more important, IMHO, than the ability to handle anything on 4 legs - or two!

 

[Iestyn]

I would agree with Weezy - when you work with horses you have to accept that there are strong willed horses that will try it on and you will need to have the confidence to deal with them. Any yard you will go to will have these though - is working with horses your main income? Sorry don't know how old you are - or is it just pocket money?

 

[RunToEarth]

I agree with Weezy, if you dont feel confident around them you must leave, otherwise if something did happen it would ruin eny confidence you have left.

 

[Dotilas]

Don't feel bad about yourself because of a couple of horses. Like JanetGeorge said, talk to the YO about your concerns. If the horses are dangerous, then it should be your YO's concern aswel. It is her duty as an employer after all!

I don't think you should leave without trying to resolve the problems. Maybe have a quiet chat with the horse owners, and ask them how do they handle it?

Maybe the other two girls are looking up to you? Maybe they see what the horses do to you and think 'I want to be like her. she's really confident handling horses.' Think about it.

You're not the only one who has problems with horses you know!

PM me if you want to chat anytime

 

[Theresa_F]

I would ask if someone else could handle these horses. The last thing you want is to lose your confidence or be injured.

One of my mares could be a handful on occasion, and only two people were able to deal with her. I made it clear that the younger staff were not to handle her as if she went up, she could be very scary.

I also made it a point of doing a lot of work with her myself until she had manners and could be handled by all but nervous/very novice people.

I have often assisted getting in some horses which could be lively but there were one or two which were bloody dangerous - as far as I was concerned the owners could deal with them themselves - or get the things trained to respect people - I wasn't risking my limbs.

 

[Pidge]

You are not a wimp, you are dealing with well over half a ton of horse flesh. If you don't feel confident doing these horses then don't do it, it is NOT worth putting yourself at risk for the sake of a job. Either talk to the YO about these particular horses and get someone else to do them or find another job. Put yourself first for a change and yes there is a big difference between dealing with your horse and dealing with someone elses. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, but please remember not to put yourself in a dangerous situation. xxxx

 

[siennamum]

If these horses need handling in a chifney then you aren't the only one with a problem handling them. I am extremely cautious on the ground around ll horses and those two sound like no fun. No advice which differs from that already given, but don't beat yourself up, sounds like a sensible reaction to a hazardous situation to me.

 

[icklechlo]

kay, talk to them, because if the other girls can do them then im sure they can schedule it around the fact you dont want to, its not good to start becoming afraid of horses on the ground, everyone on here has given very sound advice, tlk to the YO and see what the outcome is, there is no point just leaving and then regretting it because you didnt talk to the YO about your problems. xx

 

[GTs]

I would not worry about it - I have stopped riding horses when our partnership was going nowhere. Could a better ride be more successful? Sure! Doesn't make me bad per say, but it was just a situation where I decided it was best for both of us - even if it meant I had to eat humble pie. I would make those decisions again tomorrow if faced with them.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

aww guys thank you so much for your help, im going to keep going with the job for another week and reassess, horse was a prat again today but i managed to handle it (though got a rope burn

)

 

[eohippus]

Firstly, well done for being honest and adult about the situation, some people would not.
You are obviously liking the job and you will come across 'problems' like this in every yard that you work on..
talk to your YO or manager in regards to the safety issues, discuss the problems openly and suggest that someone more experienced or used to these horses show you the best way to handle them, this will also be a vital lesson for the future.
It maybe that the horses misbehave with you only, it could be that others have not noticed how unruley they have gotton because they do not handle them themselves often enough, or in the same situation, I assume that if the owners have th horses on full livery on a DIY yard they are only expereincing the horses ina ridden situation and not in a handling one.
If you talk about your concerns you will respected for your honesty and your horsemanship and you may learn somehting valuable for the future.
by leaving you will not.
hope htis helps
Dawn