I am not your babysitter! I would like to come to the yard and do my horses in peace!

snopuma

snopuma

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So we have a new livery on the yard and they include one pony, a mum and dad and 6 kids, when they came to look round the yard before moving, the yard owner was told don't worry it will only be me and my daughter coming up to do the pony, but every day its the whole family, they are nice enough, and at first kept themselves to themselves, but now they are gaining confidence and running about screaming or repeatedly asking what your horse is called- I am going mad with that one, 'can't you remember, I have told you six times this week!' after I popped to the loo I found one of the smallest waving a plastic sword around my mares face, I told him not to go near her unless I was there, and to explain not to touch her when she is pulling a face (ears flat back and looks to kill) kids seem not to understand when a horse is so peeved they might bite your head clean off, but parents seem happy to let them run around without being watched, I keep being late back at the weekends just waiting for the school to be free as I just don't want to school my horse with kids hanging off the gate and howling the place down 'cos they want a turn on the pony. I know they will settle down and I am sure the novelty will wear thin, but they are really annoying, oh and to top it all dad doesn't work and they are all on benefits apparently he has a bad back and can't work, which is odd as he is always wearing a child on his shoulders whilst carrying a saddle or running around emptying everyones wheelbarrows, which reminds me I broke a nail the other day I must stop work and claim! ARGH *rant* over, sorry!
 
Totally see where you are coming from. I used to keep my boy at a riding school and it was always full of kids. Wasn't a problem for ages but when I finished uni and started a stressful job I just couldn't take it anymore and moved to a much quieter yard. There are a couple of kids but the patents are great so its not a problem. We have one of the benefits people too and it really irritates me as well! I work damn hard to keep my horse so why can't everyone!
 
Tell your YO you're thinking of moving because of this family (they sound like an absolute nightmare), even if you aren't it should spur your YO into having a "quiet word" with them about yard ettiquette.
Oh, and report the benefit cheat, asap :D
 
Blitzen said:
Tell your YO you're thinking of moving because of this family (they sound like an absolute nightmare), even if you aren't it should spur your YO into having a "quiet word" with them about yard ettiquette.
Oh, and report the benefit cheat, asap :D
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Defo both of these ideas but I would tell the mum that your mare has in the past bitten someone really badly - make up a huge story about loads of blood and lost fingers and hopefully mum will get the message.
 
I would def report the benefit cheat. Take a pic if you can of him with a full barrow :-) I would be careful about bigging up your mare's temptation to bite hands off - that could backfire.
 
I know how you feel!

"Is Ned your favourite?"
"Red's your favourite colour isn't it?" (No, actually it's lime green, but Ned doesn't suit that)
"He trots funny! Why does he do that?"
"Is Ned yours?"
"Where's his noseband?"

I get asked these almost daily.
Mostly, the kids on the yard are good, but I do get VERY tired of the constant questions when I'm trying to listen to my music and muck out, or trying to ride my horse!
I also get very very fed up of them asking (not me) to ride the big horses, when most of them have their own ponies. All of them want to ride the ex racers, but that is NOT happening. I think they're jealous of the girl who rides Ned, purely because he's bigger and "nutty". Well, she does walk and trot rides on him and he's a little angel for her and I trust her. I don't trust the others!
 
I am with you, it would frustrate the hell out of me. As a rule parents only see things from one side. Clearly, you have to have a chat with the parents/YO and try and find some boundaries. This is a conversation you are going to have to think very clearly about and deal with firmly and tactfully, and once boundaries are agreed you will need to reinforce them regularly. And it may be that one of you is on the wrong yard so I would also be investigating alternatives.

However, I would say that if your mare gets used to kids running around and screaming then it can be a great way of desensitising her to the wider things that happen in the world - not a reason for putting up with it but a small silver lining!
 
I think you have a few options here!

1. You need the parents on side if at all possible. Be friendly, chat, make a brew, whatever. Once you have a bit of rapport talk to them about how dangerous a stableyard is for children, and ways the family can minimise that risk. Also talk about how your horses need to be respected and not mithered.

2. Wear earphones. If children try to mither you, just say (shout), 'sorry, I can't hear you, music!' point at earphones and walk off. Smile but don't speak for rest of day.

3. Be a right scary person who must be avoided by the children at all costs. Shout 'go away she doesn't want you near her' when they mither your mare. Say/shout/grump 'go away' and similar stuff when they mither you.

4.try to educate the kids and get them on side. 'what does that face mean, can you remember? And what do we do when that happens? Come with me and we will do a haynet together, but then you need to go back to your own pony.'

5. Speak to YO about the nuisance. It is a simple thing that if they arrived saying that all the kids would not be there at the same time, they shouldn't be!
 
This is my worst nightmare. If a family like this moved onto my yard I would HAVE to leave. I don't think it old even bear it if they quietened things down. I would be out looking for a new yard.

At my last place the next small yard on the same land was taken on by a family who sound very similar to the one you are describing. They filled the place up with ponies, goats, chickens, cats and all you could hear we're kids screaming or playing football in the paddocks. Then the mother was either shouting and swearing or failing that three times a year she would drag one of the ponies out, tack it up and hammer it around the school for an hour and then sit the 2 year old on top and rag it up and down the lane. Ponies were either very,very obese or ridiculously skinny - I saw them in both conditions within a year.

OP, I feel your pain and I would hate it if this happened to me :mad:
 
As the parent of a child regulalrly on the yard... I entirely agree with you!

Children around horses must learn what is and is not acceptable behaviour around what is essentially 500Kgs+ of unpredictability.

Speak to your YO. Don't address it with the parents. They won't undertstand. If they did then this wouldn't be happening anyway and they are likely to take it as an attack of thier kids which makes any parent - right or wrong - very defensive.

If you ignore the kids they will stop pestering you. Kids only do it because they actually get a repsonse. (You can bet thier parents ignore them - only way to survive with 6!) Ignore them, or tell them politely that you don't want to talk to them. Be calm but firm. Don't talk to them one day and not the next. They'll get the message.

Personally I wouldn't make a thing of your mare biting becuase if, god forbid, she did you could end up being sued becuase you "knew she was dangerous". If it does happen it needs to be entirely unpredicable, completely out of the blue etc etc. That said you do need to make it clear to the kids, calmly, quietly and consistently, that they must not approach your mare. Not for any reason. They just must not.

And yes - report the benefit cheat. Photos on a mobile phone might be useful.
 
I don't understand parents who are like this. I have taken my daughter to the yard with me since she was a tiny baby. I've always made sure she behaves, is polite, doesn't annoy people etc. She's 6 now and the last time we were at livery for a short time, everyone commented on how well she behaved etc. I'd be mortified if I thought she was causing anyone a problem.

I'd just have a quiet word with the mum and tell them you're worried a child could get hurt and explain that horses are unpredictable and you don't want to come off her due to one of her children. If that gets you nowhere, I'd go to the yard manager. Good luck.
 
I would move - and tell YO why. Life is too short to be unhappy at a yard. We had some similar liveries - I shouted at the kids for chucking stones and gave dad what for,several of us threatened to leave, they went after that, think they were told to leave, if they hadn't a few of us were going to go!
 
NOA - Nation of ********s!

I feel your pain too OP. I would take on the role of scary/grumpy person and tell the children firmly not to go near your horse
 
Just tell the YM about the child waving the sword in your horses face. Dont get saying your looking at moving - some folk would take that as an "or else" and I am afraid whom ever gives me an or else will get told to do it - sorry I am a stroppy sod !

People like this soon move on so do your best to grin and bear it for the short term but do ask you ym to have a word about the sword incident.

Do not get used as the person that fires the bullets for the whole of the yard - let a few others speak to the ym too.
 
M&S ChristNatch said:
3. Be a right scary person who must be avoided by the children at all costs. Shout 'go away she doesn't want you near her' when they mither your mare. Say/shout/grump 'go away' and similar stuff when they mither you.
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Develop the death stare :cool:

I cannot stand horsey children. We have a hoarde of spoilt kids who come up during the holidays and spend hours in the school putting jumps up, hooning round over them and then leaving them up :mad: Which wouldn't be so bad if they weren't tiny and badly laid out for a course, so I need to move them and put them up if I want to jump anyway :mad: And schooling is a flippin' assault course... If you're schooling they come round every five minutes to ask "will you be done soon?" (irritating response: "I'll be done when I'm finished"). If they're not jumping, they're running about in the school or "freeschooling" (chasing the poor animals over fences till they're knackered) or generally making a racket and behaving like brats. Fortunately, they will be back at school tomorrow ;)
 
I don't think you should move - what happens if another family comes to the next yard - would you move again and again and again??

I'd just have a word with YM and ask her to have a chat with them.

I do feel for you. We used to have a family a bit like this on a previous yard except they only had 2 children, but the mother would scream blue murder at them all the time. The older one had a friend on the yard and they could be wicked and so very annoying, following you everywhere asking 101 questions, although their favourite was 'why?'

Whats that? What are you doing? Why? But why? Why? But why?

Ahhhh
 
This is also my very, very, very worst nightmare - the yard and being with my horse is my sanctuary, which I is why I am at the yard I'm at. I really feel for you.

I would be concerned about retaliation tbh. My first action would be to have a very frank word with the YO - health and safety, that you are not responsible WHEN your mare bites, that you are very unhappy, etc. My second action, if that fails, is to move.

Reporting this guy may sound nice, but surely he could suss out who did it ? Urgh, what a nightmare.
 
Oooh yes!! The death stare often works a treat!!

The younger one in above family used to steal my wheelbarrow whilst i was mucking out to 'empty it' - which they sometimes did - in a puddle near the muckheap - in the hay barn etc - or they just ******ed off with it!

After a while i started the death stare when they touched the handles - she didnt come near after that :-D
 
my kids aren't horsey as such but do have to come to the yard with me most days but they know that they have to behave, if they are being silly i tell them straight that doing what they do could have scared a horse and injured the rider/handler (normally use myself as an example) and say that we would have to spend the night in hospital and i'd be very angry! they get the message from that.

i also make it clear to any livery that if my kids are doing anything that could be classed as dangerous then tell them off, i'm not going to shout if it's a safety thing.

the other thing i do is take either their ds/tablet/my laptop/dvd player for the car up the yard and then they can sit inside and be quiet.

one livery has asked my 2 older kids to write a story about why horses are the way they are which kept them occuppied for ages! when they did it they got a bar of chocolate!
 
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