How would you deal with this situation?

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LadyRascasse

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I am so wound up by this i don't know how best to deal with it.

This morning I got down the yard to find my horse had water over his head, it was clear from the angle and where it was that someone had throw it over him. Now he isn't a nasty horse and would never bit or kick a person, but he will go for horses going past his stable (which everyone is well aware of) this is due to him being claustrophobic (vet agrees with this diagnoses). I don't know why they threw water at him but they got it in his ear and he was clearly distressed this morning (didn't want headcollar on, were he would normally throw his head in it to get out) He has been very poorly most of the winter and now on the road to recovery which everyone on the yard is well aware of. I am 99.9% sure of the who it was but obviously i can't prove anything because i wasn't there.

Would you be annoyed? or am i over reacting? and how would you handle the situation?
 
Find suspect.

Walk up to suspect.

Throw large bucket of cold water onto suspects head.

Ok, not entirely grown up but I would be sooooo tempted!!!

Report to YO asap.
 
Not over reacting at all, I would be absolutely furious if he was mine. How DARE someone do that to your horse?? Especially if the other owners are aware your horse is recovering..and claustrophobic...OK they may get a bit peed off with your horse having a peck at theirs, but there's no need to go to those lengths, It doesn't solve anything except to make your horse headshy.
 
I'd be upset and annoyed at this too. My first thoughts would be to approach the YM and ask them to have words with other liveries and to say that it is unacceptable to throw water over your horse. If they know he reacts like that with other horses going past then all that they need to do is to give him a wide berth, it isn't really their place to discipline your horse.

The other option is to approach the suspect and ask them outright if they have thrown water over your horse, if they admit to it then you can explain that you aren't happy and tell them not to do it again; if they deny it then there's not much you can say, but make it clear that you want to find out who it is and that you aren't happy about it.

If they realise that you are 'on their case' so to speak, they may just think twice before doing it in future.
 
i'd be going ballistic and doing what the other op suggested with the bucket of water to the culprit! thank god he wasn't injured, he could have smacked his head off the door with shock or anything. jesus people are odd, i would never in a million years dream of doing that to someones horse.
 
Whoever did this is a nasty sadistic person - tbh if this was me and i couldnt find the culprit and get them thrown off the yard i would move asap - poor poor horse - why are people so horrid :(
 
That's awful. Report to YO. You can't really do much more than that. Even if you have suspicions of who it is, don't go throwing accusations. It'll make your yard a horrible place to be around and whoever it was may do it again out of spite. Poor pony!
 
I would be f'ing livid excuse the language! I would NEVER do that to someones horse! I would just keep out the way if it was a horse that was grouchy in it's stable.
What is the matter with some people?! That stable is your horses 'safe' place how DARE they abuse him when he is in his safe place, what a way to make a horse head shy and nervous :( :(.
I would walk right up to them when they are with their friends and say 'Did you throw water over my horse? In what way do you think that is acceptable behaviour.. Would you like me to throw water over your horse? If you have a problem with my horse you should speak to me first and we will come to a solution like grown ups, unless of course you're not a grown up?'. I would stay very calm and speak in a quiet, polite voice so they feel like idiots.
Your poor horse, that really is out of order IMO. We used to have to lead our horses past stallion paddocks at our old yard, the young stallions would often gallop over and launch with teeth bared over the fence and we had the owners permission to carry water pistols to squirt them if they tried to attack us.. Totally different though as 1. We had owners permission!! 2. The stallions needed to know it was wrong as it was potentially dangerous. 3. They were in a massive field so plenty of space to stay away or run away.
They weren't some dear old harmless gelding being a bit grumpy in his stable, that they could just avoid by not taking their horses under his nose.
Some people, honestly :(
 
Initially I think I would feel annoyed like you do but I'd have to do an experiment before I went shouting my mouth off :o. I'd want to lead a horse past my horses stable to see if he stopped lunging at other horses...
 
I would be fuming this could well have caused your horse to injure itself and is a pretty irresponsible thing to do.

I would speak to yard owner and i would ask person i thought had done it if i wasnt happy with how it was dealt with i would move or put a camera up outside my horse stable for its safety then there would be no argument over what was happening.

Thank god i have my own place or i would be in prison listening to some of the things that people do on yards it is so bizzare other people think they can behave in this way.

Just try and keep your head i am saying this but would of course have throttled the person myself.:o
 
I would do the speech to the person that you know 'someone' has done it and rant about how ur not happy and going to speak to the yo. That way you get ur point across without the tension on the yard etc, it can be awful to have arguments on livery yards which can end up with people being thrown off, often not the person at fault!

Could u fix a top gate type thing to your door for other liveries to shut just for the time they are leading past? Just an idea to prevent further issues?
 
i would be very annoyed! they have no place to do that to your horse especailly as others on the yard know that he is clastrophobic (excuse spelling!) and does try to have a nip at others, but to be fair most horses do like to any ways. hope you resolve it soon :D
 
Horses24-7 said:
Could u fix a top gate type thing to your door for other liveries to shut just for the time they are leading past? Just an idea to prevent further issues?
Click to expand...

With all due respect i don't see why i should as there is no reason to walk horses past my stable and even if they want to walk that way there is plenty of room to give him a wide berth. And I just feel this would make his claustrophobia worse. I have remained calm down the yard but i did put a polite notice on our board (it read - to whom ever threw water over ***, please refrain as he is clean enough. If you have a problem please come a speak to me, do not take it out on my horse. thank you) I will speak to the YO in the morning if i see them as its more a farm type arrange me. i have asked a few people and no body saw anything but 2 people have said who they think it is and there think the same as me (without me telling them who i think it is) I am just so gutted that someone would do this knowing how ill my boy has been and of his stable issues!
 
I think you have done the right thing with the note as you aren't outright accusing someone and speaking to YO is right too.

I don't blame you for being upset, that would really upset me too! Your poor boy, it's basically bullying and taking it out on a defenceless animal who has feelings too. It makes me cross. If someone did that to my horse I'd want to wring there necks but you are doing the right thing by remaining calm and not sinking to their level. I hope the person who did it is feeling throughly ashamed.
 
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