how possesive are you over your horses

Ibblebibble

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does it bother you if someone else feeds your horse, turns them out if they get to the yard before you, mucks out your stables if they get to the yard and they're not done?
i know my friend who keeps her pony with my horses is just trying to be helpful but I keep finding my inner voice saying ' my horses I'll do them my way in my time' i think i may be a little possesive:eek:

i know i'm struggling mood wise at the moment and can over react but how would this make you feel? big mare was a bit stressy tonight because they were ploughing the field behind the yard, last night they were muckspreading so OH went up and checked on her as he was over that way, mentioned it to friend tonight and she said awww i'm out tonight I'll probably drive by and check on her! made me feel a little bit like 'erm really?!' she didnt know what weaving was or why she does it until i explained so how exactly would se be able to guage how stressed my girl is!! and then thought god what a biatch i am:eek:

so would you be feeling 'hey back off ' or would you just put your feet up and leave her to it?
 

Baileybones

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Welcome to the club of irrationality! :)
My first thought is 'yay you mucked out!' - my second thought is 'No!!!! It won't be like I'd do it!'

I am a freak and its widely accepted.
 

Spring Feather

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What harm is she doing by going and checking on your horse? As to mucking out etc. if you want to do the stables then surely you just say you'd prefer to do yours? It sounds like she is kind and considerate that's all.

ETA - and no I am not in the least possessive over my horses. That doesn't mean I leave just anyone in charge of 50 of them though!
 

GlitterPup

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Good question! In short, yes, I am. There are only 2 people I trust with mine and I get really protective if anybody else goes near her. :)
 

HashRouge

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I think she sounds lovely, you're lucky to have a friend like that!
If you want to do your own mucking out, just say! But as for other stuff - it's lovely that someone cares so much about your horse!
 

Hoof_Prints

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I just don't like the way everyone else does things :D I don't know why, but everyone else with horses seems to be lazy about doing up rugs?! or maybe I just have OCD with them, but I do the neck velcros up neatly, clips turned inwards so they don't catch on anything and break, or buckles done up properly and tucked in the loops. Belly and leg straps can't be twisted either! People have rugged my horses and left a leg strap undone, a front strap undone and the neck velcros crossed and on an angle :eek: :eek: I know they are just trying to be helpful but it drives me mad :p Other people also don't do up gates properly, leave stuff all over the yard and tack up oddly eg. put buckle on but don't put it through the loops.

It's not just me.. is it? :eek:

Oh and mucking out.. I hate it when other people muck out my horses. I take all the wet straw and poo out and leave a nice clean bed, what is it with people and turning the whole lot over, mixing in the wet and clean, and spreading poo everywhere before attempted to remove it? Not too fussed on feeding, I have the feed written out on the board, although when I see my friend feeding my already over excitable barefoot-diet horse jam doughnuts I turn a bit evil ;)
 

Ibblebibble

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thats the thing SF i know there is no harm, but i can't help it!! the thoughts pop into my head and i have to have a little inside head chat to tell myself not to be such a twonk ;) I do appreciate she's trying to help, but i have a system that i muck out to, i have 3 to do and semi deep litter so i only do a full muckout on 1 stable a day, the other 2 are just skipped out, done on a rota basis it works fine for me as i know who needs the full muck out on what day. with turning out, it's the time i check for bumps and lumps and stuff so if someone else turns out i still have to go check them, hmmmmm i think i'm more than a little odd aren't I??!
 

Spring Feather

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No you're not odd with regards to mucking out. We all have our own systems of doing it. You just have to say to her, thanks but I'd prefer to muck my own out. With a smile :smile3: As to everything else, it's no big deal what she does. Kind people are few and far between and if you read anything into the amount of whinging that goes on in this forum, I'd celebrate the fact you have a considerate person sharing a yard with you, rather than having to put up with all the trouble-makers that so many other posters on this forum appear to.
 

p87

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Yep! With mucking out only I am allowed to do my beds because they are wood pellet beds and I'm really OCD about them being done properly so as not to waste them. It pays off though, 2 horses have gone through half a pallet in one year. Have been teaching the boyfriend how to muck out and I'm literally breathing down his neck about it haha

I do appreciate any help I get, as a lot of the time I am ill and don't always have the energy to do much, but I can't help but get annoyed at things like the wrong rug being put on... like the leaky one that had been hidden away to be re-waterproofed BECAUSE IT'S LEAKY and then going up to a soaking pony, or getting a lightweight and heavyweight mixed up... grr..

But mainly I keep people away because I don't allow mollycoddling, treat feeding unless it's for rewarding good behaviour - which only I will be doing anyway - or flapping around them. My arab started getting really grumpy and nippy with me a few months ago, then I worked out my friend was constantly feeding him treats. I put a stop to it and he is only now stopping trying to rifle through pockets and throwing a strop when there's nothing there. He doesn't like people flapping about him either... he likes quiet people, who don't make sudden movements or loud noises or rush around him like the world is ending... it's not unheard of for him to throw a back leg out when he is agitated, so I just won't have it.

The shetland pony is three years old, and far to easy to mollycoddle and 'baby' and feed lots of treats in a bid to 'make her like me'. I take her out walks with the dog to keep her fit, and when people see this they want to do it too because "OMG that's the CUTEST THING EVER she's like a big giant baby dog CAN I HAVE A SHOT!!?!??!" erm... nope.

Horses are too easily spoiled IMO and it can be very difficult to get them out of those bad habits, so I try and avoid it at all costs. My horses, my way of doing things. That way if something does go wrong, chances are I have no one to blame but myself and will hopefully learn from my mistake!
 

Ladyinred

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I hate hate hate anyone doing my horses. Hence why they are so close to home and we get there really early. Also do the semi deep litter and alternate days mucking out, drives me nuttier than a nutty thing if someone 'helps'! Don't even really like daughter doing them but OH is fine lol.

Plus my girls are 100% set in their routine with us and never any trouble, but both are a little OCD about their routine and anyone changing it might run into problems.
 

babymare

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I hold my hands up that i was very possesive about baby but with her past and sight i feel i had every reason to be. i hated people fetching her in and feeding(esp ewhen given wrong feeds!!!). I was very "fussy" who handled her. my horse my choice. :)
 

NativePonyLover

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No, not really. My Mum loves being at the yard & often helps with chores whilst I'm riding or her & Dad will do him if I can't.

They might not do things quite how I would (my Mum has never mastered the art of banks in a stable :D) but as long as it's safe & not likely to affect P I'm not overly bothered.

Riding, would be a different kettle of fish as he's been quite challenging but on the ground, he's fine & I'm not fussy if someone else mucks out or turns out. In fact, he's routinely handled by others as my YM brings in in the winter for me & if I go away he'll goes onto full (well, part livery essentially).

I'm sounding like the odd one on this thread though - I do have standards, honest!
 
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Ibblebibble

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:D as long as there are other odd bods out there too i don't feel so bad:p
I am grateful for her being there, i enjoy her company and we have a proper good giggle at times, i just can't help my little quirks:eek: mind you as i rent the yard is she was a real pain she'd be buried in the muckheap by now :D
 

Megibo

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does it bother you if someone else feeds your horse, turns them out if they get to the yard before you, mucks out your stables if they get to the yard and they're not done?

I am extremely possessive over my horses but in that case, if someone had fed, turned out and mucked out before I got there all for free I would be absolutely delighted that all I had to do was bring in and ride ;)
 

SatansLittleHelper

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Certain things irritate me but not much. I'm stressy about HOW my boy is handled rather than WHO does it...that said I would much prefer to do him myself. Luckily I'm not on a yard, just my friend and I on a few acres of rented land down the road from either of our houses :)
 

becca1305

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Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I do wonder if perhaps I'd be more 'possessive' if I only had one though, with 4 I'm just grateful for the help! A friend checking any of my horses for me would be greatly appreciated if I'd be concerned about them earlier. It would only bother me if this behaviour was continual and they treated my horse as if it was their own.
 

Mariposa

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I used to be super possessive of the ponies, but given that I work hours from home and the yard, and my (truly wonderful) groom and (very long suffering) mum are with them every day, I've had to learn to let go. Both are very understanding and keep me updated with everything, but it's the little things I miss when I'm in London - like doing evening stables late at night ( which is ridiculous I know, but I love that final check on them all!)
 

Toffee44

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A friend and I share turnout and bring ins to save fuel but always text each other when we have done it amd horse ok etc.

Sometimes we muck out for each other if we have free time it's a nice setup I'm very lucky. Mucking out bugs me coz she's a perfectionist hahaha and although I am fussy with my bed she makes it look fab haha
 
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I guess you could say I am possessive. Since moving onto DIY Livery I could never go back to Part/Full Livery. One of the reasons for changing to DIY in the first place is because I was forever fed up and moaning about how rugs were done up, how his stable was mucked out and even how his feet were picked out! Call me obsessive but I'm not happy unless my horses are done my way! ;)
 

Regandal

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I'm just thrilled that someone is kind enough to do it. I'm very lucky to be on a small yard, and we all do things the same way and to roughly the same standard. We all know each others horses inside out as well.
 

babymare

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There is a difference though between a trusted friend helping out and random people you dont really know or who you would not trust caring for a rabbit deciding its cold fetching your horse in (without my knowledge)and then feeding wrong feed. think chubby sec d given a under conditioned veterans feed. I had to put signs up inend and actually started to make me ill worrying:( my lass was a total sweetheart but stress issues so routine was important .
 

Ibblebibble

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There is a difference though between a trusted friend helping out and random people you dont really know or who you would not trust caring for a rabbit deciding its cold fetching your horse in (without my knowledge)and then feeding wrong feed. think chubby sec d given a under conditioned veterans feed. I had to put signs up inend and actually started to make me ill worrying:( my lass was a total sweetheart but stress issues so routine was important .

very true, while my friend is lovely she is not horsey, it's her lazy daughters pony and she ends up doing all the work but doesn't have much knowledge, i trust her to do her best but she doesn't have the knowledge as back up.
 

babymare

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One girl told me and i quote"i love making baby stand when i put her tea in to watch her dance" so she loved watching my mare weave as she wouldnt let her eat her tea!!!! I nearly floored that girl. My poor wee lass just wanted her feed
 
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