How do you feel re. people handling your horse w/out permission/need?

[Puppy]

Inspired by Rosiie's post, I admit, but basically it got me thinking as per the title.

I *really* don't like people trying to handle my horses without permission or necessity. If there is an emergency, then yes, sure, needs must, but I hate meddlers.

Re. my current horses:

My older mare doesn't like strangers, (to the extent of usually refusing to go near them

) so there's little opportunity for this

but I do remember a time a few years ago that the YO asked a friend of ours to come and trim the hedges in the field. Said friend then phoned me up moaning that (having taken down the temporary electric fence to do the hedge trimming), he couldn't catch her again to put her back in the proper paddock........ No sh*t Sherlock

Thankfully the restricted grazing at the time was down to field maintenance, NOT dietary requirements, so it was possible (thank goodness, as I was heading for lectures when I got the call

) to leave her till feed time a few hours later to retrieve her....

But I would have preferred that they'd let me know they were planning on invading her "personal space", and I let them know that

. Thankfully, since then, they both let me know about these things now.

Be, on the other hand, is usually fine about being caught, BUT given the accident I had with her, and how full of herself she is atm, (or just can be at times), I would NOT like anyone attempting to catch and handle her under certain circumstances.

I have also owned a horse who could NOT be brought in without one of his field companions........ the livery yard I was at did so....... and he bolted into a telegraph pole, knocking himself to the floor.....

I was so upset that despite the fact I'd spelled it out, they did something so hurtful and potentially detrimental to him

The above points aside, regardless of the individual horses, I admit, I just don't like other people handling my horses without me being there.

(I know

control freak

) but I have been cross at livery yards when other people (without specific or general permission) have thought it fit to rug/hay my horses

(incl. normal hay, to a COPD sufferer

)

That said, at the same time I had 3 quirky horses, I had 3 ponies, who were very chilled to handle, and I wouldn't have felt as sensitive about them being handled, but I would really prefer others to notify me.

How do you feel about yours?

 

[tasel]

Mine is on part livery, so other people do handle her. However, these are people who I trust to do the right things.

I myself have only moved horses out of the way or so... which means only moved them by a few steps (to get through, for example).

If it was some random person I have never met, I would not like them to touch my horse at all.

 

[Brandysnap]

Hi Puppy,

So glad it's not just a paranoia of mine! There were 2 great DIY yards i've been on, where it was an unwritten rule that we looked out for each others' horses.

I remember with great gratitude my first yard, when whoever had most time in the morning would actually muck out for everyone else who hadn't had time! And whoever was first down in the evening would bring them all in, so no-one was left screaming in the field.

Also, on second yard, things were similar - a friend brought my cold horse in, when the summer weather suddenly changed, + i was still at work, then the time she didn't look sound, so another friend put her in, or the time, etc, etc. I also remember bringing these same friends' horses in every night, when they were working late and i wasn't.

No express permission was ever given, but the intent was always good.

On the other hand, i once paid a client of mine, who was working for AI at time, good money to check my horses while i was on holiday. She didn't. Nearly lost my best horse, + got £2000 vet bill as a result. She had not only my permission, but my money. (Haven't employed her since!)

Guess it's like everything else, it's down to people either being decent people with good intentions, who know what they're doing, or those who aren't + don't. BS x

 

[xspiralx]

Although I no longer own a horse, it is something I am a bit funny about.

I have no problem anyone handling my horse with permission - and permission includes a tacit allowance for a friend or someone I trust on the yard to bring horse in/turn out/change rug if the situation called for it, although obviously I wouldn't expect that to be a regular occurrence or done on a whim.

However I would be furious if a stranger or somebody with no right or reason to do so was to start messing about with a horse of mine. Firstly because they could harm themselves or the horse. Secondly because at the end of the day, a horse is your property, not a public pet, and nobody has a right to start meddling with something you own without a damn good reason.

 

[Mosh]

I don't like other people to handle my boy, other than about 4 people (YO, YO's husband, Boyfriend and best friend) He is generally good to handle but can be spooky and in blind panic will run into you.
You also have to lead him in a certain way, very relaxed with your hand no where near his headcollar because he hates to be held near his head, if you lead him on the end of your leadrope you have a lot more control than holding him near his head.
One of his field mates owners likes to feed all the horses "treats" so for example; apples, carrots, fruitcake (don't ask!) but shes under strict instructions not to feed mine because carrots hav a tendency to send him bonkers and have been advised not to fed them anymore!

and if he is fed anything frequently out of your hand he begins to nip and become bolshy which i don't really want when hes 16.2 and i'm barely 5 foot 4!

On the yard however, we do look out for other people horses and if there is one left out, I will bring him/her in after I've got permission from the YO or texted/rang his owner etc.

 

[spookypony]

Hmm...I would trust most of the people on my yard to handle the spooky pony just fine, because they know him, but I find I'm rather possessive of his affection...or shall I rephrase, lust for carrots?

Sometimes it's necessary; for instance, to shift them between adjacent fields, or if there is an emergency of some sort.

Because he's unusually spooky, I'd rather know the people who might be handling him. I certainly wouldn't want anyone else actually sitting on him, although again, that's perhaps largely jealousy!

That being said, I don't really mind the kids at the riding school giving him pats and the occasional polo when I'm there.

 

[Tnavas]

Only had a problem once with a horse not allowed hay - teenagers on yard not accepting that some horses musn't have hay - YO gave them a serious telling off - same as I did.

Other than that I've never really had a problem. Currently I graze my horses in different places, I know that if I don't get to one of the places everyday that someone will have noticed if they need attention. They ring me if covers have come undone and I go out and rescue them.

 

[jesterfaerie]

One of my friends on the yard has handled mine without 'permission' and this I am absolutly fine with this as I trust both her and my horse. However I see no need (unless in an emergency) why anyone else would move or handle my horse, my mobile number is on my door for a reason!
I would be rather unhappy if this was the case.
My friend's horse rubbed quite a lot of fur off his face from the fencing, she reported it to the YO and treated it accordingly, a few people on the yard asked her if there was a serious problem (ie disease) with him and she said no it was a rub. The next day it was very obvious someone had gone in and handled her horse as the door, headcollar and something else she said were not how she had left them. She wasn't very happy about this and tbh I do not blame her.

 

[Kenzo]

Thankfully I never have to worry about that because nobody would want to

Having said that, the farrier (bless him) is happy to catch him, and shoe him for me while I'm at work which I'm quite happy about and come to think of it the vet is coming again today while I'm at work with a nurse (his little helper) to catch him and give him his other jab.

I think it does him good to handled by various people but only when its important and there people you can trust, otherwise no I wouldn't want someone sticking there noise in and doing things with him in my absance without my permission.....that would make my blood boil but thankfully there is nobody like that on our yard anyway.

 

[Ranyhyn]

My horse does not like strangers, he is very aggressive and he will happilly bite ME if I overstep the mark with him.

My YO is the only person I encourage to handle him,because I trust her completely. If anyone else CHOOSES to handle him,on their head be it.

 

[LindaW]

There are only 3 of us on my yard, and we are all happy with each other handling our horses. Outsiders, no, absolutely not.

 

[mtj]

how about someone going into your stable, plonking their saddle on your horse's back. Then when you turn up, telling that your horse needs a wider saddle.

their saddle skills were rather shown up by Mark Fisher who decided that my horse did infact need a slightly narrower fit. horse agrees with him

 

[helly86]

I HATE IT! My boy can't tollerate ponies in his field- out on hacks, tied up next to on the yard, standing next to on a lorry or at a show he's totally fine but in the field he wants them out to the point when he'll force them through fences...i had made it VERY clear that nothing is to go in to his field without me and other animals owner knowing AND both parties being there. picture my anger when i arrive at yard to find 13.2 pony in field with mine-neither me nor the ponies owner knew. I was furious and so were ponies owners. YO hasn't put him with anything since and now even sends me a text to let me know she's put my friends horse in with him each day- even tho they've lived together for years. point made i think.

 

[bhpride]

Tia was moved around and brought in without permission by her previous owners son at her old yard, I got angry after being very patient I must say and didn't leave on friendly terms...very glad to be off that yard now.

 

[MontyandZoom]

I am really funny about it. I have a lady who I do a feeding rota with and we look after each other's (5 between us) when the other one is on holiday. With her, she can do whatever she likes to my ponies!! I wouldn't let her look after them if I didn't trust her so she has pretty much free rein on her nights or if she knows I'm not going to be down until late and Monty needs his rug on etc

I had someone call me yesterday to ask to move him to a different field, again I don't mind if people ask BEFORE they do it. However, occassionally people move the horses or something and then leave a note. Pisses me right off!! I always answer my mobile at work if it's someone at the yard in case of emergencies so there is no need to do anything to my horses without permission.

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

We are in DIY yard and there is an unwritten agreement that you can bring in horses/ feed those who appear to have been forgotten AFTER you have tried to call the owner, even if you don't get through. But there are 2 people who are too novice to handle my biy and have been warned off, fortunatly they are terrified of him so they are unlikely to try!

But I would have a fit if I found out a complete stranger had touched my boy! Unless it was to save him from a bush fire or some major emergency.

If they tried to/did ride him...well you would hear my opinion in the UK =)
Most people at the yard would agree.

But having said that there is a new lady who has just 'graduated' from a riding school and bought her 1st horse a lovely chap, but who is quite fit. She thinks she knows everything and won't accept/listen to and suggestions or advice (from anyone).
Any way the other week she hadn't ridded for nearly 5 days and the horse was getting more and more full of him self ie hooning round the field, throwing his weight around and 18hh instead of 15.3 on the end of the lead rope.
In the interest of preventing her getting dumped we lunged him for 20min (with all his boots and stuff). I know this sounds like terrible meddling, but talking to some of the other people up at the yard it turned out 4 of us had had the same opinion/idea and he had been lunged 4 times in 3 days.
When she next rode, fortunatly in a lesson, the instructor actually asked her to get off and let her ride him for a bit to settle him down (i.e. let him buck with her rather than the novice owner). So as guilty as I feel I still think I acted in the owners/ horses best interest.

 

[Rana]

I hate it, unless it's something planned (ie I can't get there and YO is looking after her). Rana is very spooky and needs to be handled quietly. She doesn't need to be treated with kid gloves or anything, you just need to be careful about waving hands around or shouting.

We had a nasty incident a few years ago. There was some field maintenance planned, using an outside contractor. They were supposed to call me the day before and I had made arrangements to move horses to a different field. Except they didn't call, they just turned up and let themselves in - Rana took exception to strange men and a lorry in her field and chased them out. She's not normally aggressive so I don't know what they did to wind her up. They did admit they were in the wrong though, and no harm done (no injuries to horse or people thank god!). It did upset me though - I asked them to call for a reason and they didn't

Something like Rosiie's incident though...well, I would have hit the roof. Emergencies or planned are fine, but a "practical joke" is just not on

 

[FAYEFUDGE]

I hate it - but then I'm a control freak!!!!!

 

[Daffodil]

There are only four liveries on a yard of mainly stud horses.
We switch fields sometimes without much warning, and all liveries are quite happy for any of us (and the YO) to move our horses, get them in for farriers, vets etc. if necessary.
But we all know each other extremely well and trust each other.

Someone else turning up and handling mine (or any of the others) when it is not necessary to do so is another matter entirely and I would be very annoyed.

As for practical jokes - a form of humour I've NEVER understood or gone in for, utterly unforgiveable with horses.

 

[sandr]

Nope, they are my horses, i pay the bills and no one else can touch without my permission. Yes in an emergency, fine, and i wouldn't hesitate handling someone else horse without permission in an emergency, but other than that no.

 

[Annagain]

I trust everybody on my yard and wouldn't have a problem with them dealing with Archie if they needed to - he has a nose protector on in the summer and gets out of it all the time. Everybod puts it back on him if they find it in the field, likewise there's one horse who always manages to undo his surcingles and we all do them up as we go past. We also bring them in if they're on their own and the first person up in the winter puts one of them out as he goes nuts as soon as he sees another one go out. We're all adults and we know that we all have the horses' best interests at heart so we all pitch in with everybody's horses. We also stick on the blackboard if we're not around so that people who are without a ride (we have some sharers, and joint owners or if a horse is lame) can take out horses out if they're available, protocol is a text to say you're doing it but permission is always there. It's a pretty small yard though (9 horses, 12 owners/sharers) and we all know each other and get on really well so I suppose that makes a difference!

 

[moodymare1987]

I am a control freak, And I do not like anyone messing with my horse.
My stable door was in need of repair, but it had been left weeks. Anyway this particular day I was up quite late. And once I had gone home they decided to take it upon themselves and fix the door,
Now why couldnt they have done it while I was there. He is a big horse being 17.2 and yard owner is tiny, And he is headshy and a bit skitty at times.

It makes me mad. I would have liked to know if they was doing it I would have stayed.
I just like to handle him myself, most people on the yard I am on are too stupid to handle a big horse or any horse for that matter, and whilst he is good doesnt take much for things to go wrong.

I have 2 people on my yard that I do trust, but I still worry as I am so used to doing it all myself.

 

[Theresa_F]

My two are very easy to handle and do. I have no problem if the YO asks someone else to bring them in if he is not around. All the liveries are great and I have no problem if they handle them or if one of their friends wants to groom them.

However, if someone just came to the yard with one of the liveries and started riding or generally messing around with them, I would be very annoyed.

I let two sharers of horses on my yard ride my two whilst on holiday as I wanted to have them carefully hacked out. They were given strict instructions about what they could and could not do and I took them out first to make sure they were ok with them. My two are very easy to ride horses and good hacks.

I was very p*ssed off when they said their friend rode Chancer and fell off at a canter in the school - if she could not stay on in canter, what was her riding ability

He is an easy little horse to ride, but is doing very very well at showing, hence I said they could go out for gentle hacks. Ok I had not said do not allow their novice mates to get on him as I thought it was obvious that I had only granted permission to them to hack out.

Poor Chancer, they also told me that as usual he stood shaking in fright that his rider had come off - no more rides for them unless I am there to supervise and I will make it clear that if anyone else other than them, even sits on them, they will be never allowed near them again. On the whole they are good girls, but like some young teens (no offence intended) they don't think about consequences, hence I will give them one chance.

 

[Booboos]

I have my horses at home so less potential for disaster, although once the company emptying the sewage tank turned up a day early and even though they had been told that they needed to speak to us before they did anything, opened the field gate, drove the tanker right in and left the gate open behind them with two horses in the field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luckily I looked out of the window and saw all this before the horses took off, but I was quite pissed off!

At livery yards I was always surprised at how little people listened. I used to have a horse who was very nice to handle but could bolt with no warning when being turned out/brought in, so I had told them all this very clearly and asked that he never be brought in/turned out at the same time as another horse. What did they do? Groom took him in one hand, another horse in the other, tried to do the gate, he took off and trampled her. Of course I felt really bad for her and luckily she was not seriously hurt but I HAD TOLD THEM!!

 

[spotty_pony]

My three are all on Part Livery so they are quite often brought in by other members of staff. Although, I still prefer to do it myself whenever possible!

Little things annoy me such as people doing the rugs up too tight/too loose, giving my pony haylage when he is supposed to have hay and even how people lead my horses. My old boy has had his shoes off and prefers to walk in from the field on the grass because it is softer for his feet and I worry that he will stumble when they are bringing him in.

I don't think you are a control freak at all Puppy,

. I think anyone who loves their horses would be possessive and controlling over how they want their horses to be looked after.

 

[LouBerry]

I don't like and never have liked others handling my mare unless they have permission or know what they're doing. Luckily i'm no longer on a livery yard and the other lady never moves her apart from field to field. The walk down the road to change fields is done by me and me alone. Not because i think i'm experienced or monty roberts but because a) i know my mare and b) if something goes wrong i only have myself to blame. She has the face and temper of an angel 90% of the time but can turn spooky at the drop of hat if the moods on her. I know her quirks and her little pointers as to when she's about to kick off.
To be fair i suppose the same applies for my gelding even though he's got the sweetest nature.
I'm probably a control freak but i know how unpredictable they can be so prefer people to handle them that have common sense or experience incase some surprise episode happens.

 

[LankyDoodle]

I don't like it.

Actually, last night I had a dream that we'd gone to stay with our friends in Cornwall (who we bought Lanky from) and when he came off the trailer she started having a go about how rubbish he was looking and how badly I was dealing with him, so she took his lead rope from me and took him to his stable. I barked that he was my horse now. So I think that is symbolic of how I would be with anyone handling my horse. Gosh, I didn't even like it when my last YO handled them when I paid her to get them in or put them out, as she had such an air of superiority about her and did things differently to how I wanted them doing. During the snow storms we had, my husband and I still managed to get to the yard in our 4x4s, yet the YO, without consulting us, decided to change their rugs (that we'd put on them that day!) - I wanted them in those rugs and that is why I put them in those rugs! She used to feed conditioning cubes to my horses, which was unnecessary, but she believed it was the only way to keep weight on them throughout winter (a fat assed cob and a warmblood who does well on a fibre diet!).

That's why I am on my own at a rented place! But don't get me started on people walking down the lane past our field (fine, it's a public highway), calling the horses to the gate and feeding them all manner of crap. I electric fenced round the gate so the horses could not get to the passers by, but then once a bloke with two children lifted one of the kids over the gate! WTF? I was walking upto the field at the time, and saw this happen. The child only wanted to stroke them, but it's not a free for all. George is not that keen on children, it's my field and they are my horses and I don't want all and sundry jumping in there to feed them/stroke them. I don't like it! Maybe I will electrify the gate.

 

[Taffyhorse]

My boy is on livery and I have no problem with the yard peeps handling him, everyone is very nice, knowledgable and will generally use their judgement well regarding rugs on/off etc - I normally write it down on the board the night before but the forecast can change quite rapidly so my 'take rug off' may no longer be appropriate when its peeing down with a force 10 gale the next day.

I wouldn't have a problem with most of the other liveries performing basic tasks either but I would be extremely cross if someone just 'decided' to ride him or a complete stranger went into his field for any reason. Luckily unless he knows people he can be dodgy to catch so strangers don't get much of a look in!

 

[Piccy]

I only trust a few people to handle my horses, My two friend's from the yard, not the others, my YO, My Sharer and My Husband no one else, others have and have felt the fury that provokes (SP) so unless it is an emergency only the people above should touch them.
Pervious experiences have made me very protective of them!!

 

[Lill]

Other people aren't really likely to handle Blue (other than B) as there are only a handful of us on the yard.

He is so easy to handle though that B's 6yo niece can lead him about and even my instructors little girl who i think is nearly 3yo has lead him about!

Which was sweet

So no doesn't bother me too much because i know he is very easy.

Baby Merlin on the other hand is only just 2yo and would only really want B or myself to handle him for now, in a couple of years i suspect he will be just as good as Blue but for now he's still a bit babyish

ETA I would not be happy if anyone took it upon themselves to get on and ride him though which has happened to me before!