Have I lost the plot or is the unacceptable?!?!

[thebear123]

Starting to think I'm going mental here, going over and over something in my mind, but no, I'm still sure it's unacceptable...

I'm not someone who ever gets involved in anyone else's horse. Ever. Most people don't even know who I am on our rather large and quite high turnover yard. Today however, I had to speak out.

11:30 am, horse still in stable, hadn't been mucked out, hay all trodden and pissed on, not eating it (obviously) and water very low with poo in it.

I cleaned out the bucket, gave more water and hay and it drank immediately and started munching. I was so enraged with the treatment of this horse that I wrote a rather snotty note on the board. I wasn't sure who the owner was (I am now!!) but I just wanted to let them know that it was unacceptable and that I had given it more hay and almost more importantly water.

So, up this evening, cue angry mum, daughter and friend. Basically the mum comes up in the morning, apparently does its water and hay (no way had it been done this morning) leaves it standing in its own excrement all day until daughter comes up after school.

We have turnout, so no idea why its not out.

Is this acceptable???? Am I over reacting?!?!

They obviously had a go calling me nasty and blah blah blah. But no, I'm sorry, the horse doesn't have a voice. I do!!!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I'm with you on this one.

 

[Greylegs]

Totally not acceptable. I would have done the same, but think you need to get YO involved if the horse is being neglected like this. It's on their premises so they have a duty of care. It sure writing a "snotty" note was the best idea. Maybe just a statement of fact .... Something like "noticed <x> didn't have any water/hay so topped up for you. Hope that's ok".

 

[AmyMay]

What is the yard owners view?

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I am very much a live and let live sort of person but I do feel you are right to say something in this case. But be prepared to suffer the back lash and name calling from now to eternity, it is all part of saying it as you see it and being unpopular

 

[MotherOfChickens]

not acceptable but isn't there a YO/YM or is it purely DIY?

 

[Bede]

Me too.

Mum does water and hay in the morning-then what? Horse stands in until daughter is out of school?
I wouldn't keep mine like that.

 

[Rollin]

Me too. Remember no good turn goes unpunished!!

I have my own yard now but when my horses were at livery and I had a VERY demanding job with long hours, I got up at 5.30am to do them.

 

[YorksG]

What did the YO/YM say when you told them, this morning when you told them about the problem?

 

[thebear123]

Unfortunately YO has a very hands off approach. I actually told them today and the response was 'oh dear'.

I agree that my note was probably not very friendly. I wasn't feeling very friendly after watching pony drink about half its new water. But hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Rude to suggest a stable management course to the very non horsey mum??!!

 

[twiggy2]

Mum does water and hay in the morning-then what? Horse stands in until daughter is out of school?
I wouldn't keep mine like that.

It is not how I would care for any animal in my care BUT IF it had fresh water and hay in the morning then the horse probably does not care that the stable is not perfectly clean-personally I would never keep in for 12 hrs per day unless there was no other option medically but other people do and it is non of my business-if it is not having fresh water or hay then the horses basic needs for a healthy gut are not being met and it is a welfare issue-the fact that they do not choose to turn out is yes frustrating but not really anyone elses business

 

[AmyMay]

YO has a duty of care, which he is failing.

Tell him to get his backside in to gear and run his yard properly. No wonder there's a high client turnover.

 

[Nutsaboutnags]

Tricky one..... You did absolutely the right thing for the horse, i agree you'll probably be in for some grief. I would have done the same as would majority of people I know....
Hope it all calms down and maybe YO can step in?

 

[thebear123]

I would agree, if it had fresh water and hay and was standing in a dirty stable, wouldn't bat an eyelid on this yard...however it's water was full of poo and no hay apart from the stuff it had used as a toilet. Mum professed that she came up at 10:30, I gave fresh water and hay at 11:30...go figure!!

Absolutely no hope in YO getting involved. I guess I've said my piece now, I'll lay low and watch from the side lines like I normally do!!

 

[twiggy2]

I would agree, if it had fresh water and hay and was standing in a dirty stable, wouldn't bat an eyelid on this yard...however it's water was full of poo and no hay apart from the stuff it had used as a toilet. Mum professed that she came up at 10:30, I gave fresh water and hay at 11:30...go figure!!

Absolutely no hope in YO getting involved. I guess I've said my piece now, I'll lay low and watch from the side lines like I normally do!!

People who offer services where I keep my mare don't turn up till 11.30-I don't use them a group of us help each other out instead, that drives me nuts cos they YO to tell me I had to use them to do my horse and I was not allowed to do anyone elses-we ignored them and carried on that was 4 yrs ago. we all stay cos turn out is good , available every day regardless of weather and I mean every day-most important thing to me and the only place you can get that with a manege, lighting, big stables etc

 

[skint1]

I would agree, if it had fresh water and hay and was standing in a dirty stable, wouldn't bat an eyelid on this yard...however it's water was full of poo and no hay apart from the stuff it had used as a toilet. Mum professed that she came up at 10:30, I gave fresh water and hay at 11:30...go figure!!

Absolutely no hope in YO getting involved. I guess I've said my piece now, I'll lay low and watch from the side lines like I normally do!!

I'm afraid that's your only course for action. We have someone like that on our yard, they're more full of cr*p than their horses stables are. They say they come up at 430am and their horses stand in til early/mid afternoon til their "next" visit with the state of the stables indicate its likely the only visit, it's a chinny chin chin moment for sure and it really isn't very nice to see and it gives DIYers a bad name but if the YO/YM doesn't have rules around this kind of thing I am afraid all you can do is grin and bear it.

 

[ihatework]

The mothers reaction was probably defensive due to embarrassment of being caught out.

I'd have done the same as you. But then I have a thick skin and would just ignore any backlash. Horse always comes first in my book. Unfortunately you can't educate pork

 

[Tobiano]

Well done OP. Like you say, the horse cannot speak for itself and well done you for doing it for him. Sorry you got grief for it though. People can be unspeakable.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

If I have to leave mine in they will not be looked at till I am back from work. They will be mucked out in the morning and will be hayed and watered but obviously will have poo'd during the day. What's the issue with that, they are animals? Do you all skip out every hour all night in case they lay in it??

 

[thebear123]

You've mis-read my post. It had no water or hay. The mum professes to come up in the morning. Well, unless in an hour the pony had drunk pretty much all of its water, shat in it, pulled all its hay out and peed all over it (a mean feat in an hour I think you'd agree!) then she hadn't come up.

A few other liveries have said that they don't come up until after school. So they come up once a day. Not good enough in my book.

 

[thebear123]

Plus....even if the mum does come up in the morning, she doesn't muck out, a very different story to coming up, mucking out and leaving your horse in.

 

[Highlands]

Hate animals left in with no hay or water

 

[Equi]

Depends how often this happens. I mean, at the end of a bale of shavings my stables can look pretty grotty, and my old TB who would have a neglect case stable in one night would also **** in his water as soon as you put it down, but knock half of it out so looks like its old water. If it was just that one time you saw this, i would think you went a little ott. If however it is every single day it is unacceptable.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

You did the right thing - unfortunately there seems to be at least one like that on every yard. The demoralising thing is unless the YO does something it is likely to continue. I've got myself into hot water in the past by tackling poor treatment (underfeeding) even when I was as diplomatic as possible. It did make a difference in the end though after a verbally abusive ear-bashing which was really unpleasant so it was worth it for the horses sake.

 

[ester]

I've known plenty in and only mucked out once a day, mine is v. tidy so would probably be ok but I wouldn't do it. BUT they have had hay put in in the morning (no water would be changed probably though).

Hopefully now you have pointed it out they might be embarassed into doing better.

 

[thebear123]

Thanks guys.

I'm just so not in to 'yard politics' being a professional person who just likes to enjoy their horse, I never get involved so I'm sort of doubting myself.

But I think I was right to say something, albeit the note was rather reactive.

If I see the mum, I will apologise for the reactive tone of the message but I will explain why.

 

[Spring Feather]

I'd just have done what I felt needed doing and left it. I wouldn't have been leaving any notes on any noticeboards. If I was that interested in following it up then I would have found out who owned the horse and had a quick talk with them to let them know how the stable was and what I'd done.

 

[skint1]

Yeah, I think it's easy for things to be misconstrued on a notice board so maybe avoid that for future, but I can still appreciate your frustration, hopefully things will improve

 

[Patchworkpony]

Typical of the new selfish breed of horse owners I'm afraid. We were at a show the other week and there was a lovely coloured cob tied to the trailer by its double bridle while trying to eat a hay net. The poor animal was nearly choking with all the half chewed hay wrapped round the two bits. Needless to say OH and I removed the hay from its mouth. Where was the owner? Ordering chips of course!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have known my horse's water bucket to have muck in it by the time I've taken her tea in after bringing her in about 1/2 an hour before. It doesn't take long for that to happen. I have also had her show me a pile of muck in her hay, shortly after bringing her in. This imo, does not mean that no-one had been near the horse and, honestly, standing in a less than spotless bed does not mean that a horse is neglected.
I would probably have offered the horse clean water and some hay, as you did.
Your mistake was writing a 'snotty' message on the whiteboard for all to see, either a short note on paper explaining what you had done and why, or an even shorter note on the board, with 'I hope that's ok' would have been better. It really is YO's place to deal with these things.