Just come home in tears :(

Chestnutmare

Chestnutmare

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I've just come home from the groom job in tears cos I went up there as usual to do them and they have been in all weekend stood in their own poo and wee the beds when I left on Friday were deep fresh took me ages to do them all....and today...nothing left of them and absolutely filthy my stomach dropped and turned all at the same time they did not have any water left in their buckets....they have at least 2 big buckets....they dont drink that much ya know in a night and nor do the beds get even close to the state of them this morning....
I have taken pictures of them all and the state of the horses too....have c*** all over them poor sods...
My heart is broken seeing this....some people do not deserve to have horses at all....I yearn for one I don't have a deep pocket but by god they are VERY well looked after...

What do I do now??

Please can someone please help me here?....strangely I was warned about a person of this name some time ago....but it all makes sense now :( :( I am fuming too!!!
The farm owner asked if I got paid OK....guessing that the person doesn't pay usually then....I just keep crying cos the fact that theses horses are left in this state and conditions....not even a rat would live in....
 
Hugs

You have two options

1.Keep your job and continue looking after the horses.

2. Make sure you have got pictures of the water sitiuation, call RSPCA/WHW. but if they don't do anything you won't know whether the horses are being cared for
 
My back is certainly not strong enough to keep mucking out honkigly heavy bedding (i have a weak back from prolapsed disc) I do what I can...but the person that owns them just doesn't care - certainly doesn't seem it anyway... :(

I have the pictures of the water situation of all of them....1st thing i did - well after I fed them poor babies..
I can't understand how anyone can just leave them in such a state.

Luckily the other big horse will be going to full livery in the week the other big one went at weekend...just 2 ponies left at this place...both unhandled :(
 
huge hugs I don't really know what to suggest because I know you would worry about them even more if you quit the job. Could you do them on weekends too? would person pay you?

sorry I don't know all the circumstances of who owns horses, whose yard it is, how often you get paid to do them so don't know what else to say
 
no they are not bad at all....tubby if anything...feet are all good too they are happy enough
Maybe it's different people look after animals differently..........I treat all mine as they should be....always have clean fresh water available clean deep beds and nice hay/haylage.....
 
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Sounds like these horses are at livery - but you muck them out for the owner?

Clearly you need to draw the condition of the horses to the attention of the Livery Yard Owner - as he obviously carries some responsibility for them.

You then need to speak with the owner to find out what the problem was over the weekend.

And then you need to start looking for a new job.
 
amymay said:
Sounds like these horses are at livery - but you muck them out for the owner?

Clearly you need to draw the condition of the horses to the attention of the Livery Yard Owner - as he obviously carries some responsibility for them.

You then need to speak with the owner to find out what the problem was over the weekend.

And then you need to start looking for a new job.
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they are not at livery....just on a farm that has some stables on....not a horsey place at all!!

I do them in mornings mon to fri and bring in in afternoon's...or there is another person that can bring them in in pm's...
I saw the owner over weekend up there too......was just a flying visit really to get my pay...they were dirty then...sat afternoon
owner has other horses at other yard....on livery
 
The yard owner or farmer who owns the stables needs to take the owner to task! If someone on my yard (I dont have one but if I did!!), I would tell them to shape up or ship out!

I would feel like I was neglecting the horses if I said & did nothing.
 
I'm afraid I've heard of this before. People pay for a groom weekdays only and then do nothing over the weekend expecting the groom to sort it all out on Monday.

Is there any chance you can find another job and leave them to it?
 
I am looking for another job yes, but my heart always leads when it comes to animals I am such a huge softie I feel as though the mick is being taken...
the place is a pigsty yet everyday I do them I always ensure the place is kept neat and tidy....etc etc...
suppose it's just the way I work??
 
I think you need to speak to the owner, maybe something happened over the weekend that she did not have time ot muck out.
I am not making excuses here i think it is a disgrace, but it you have sorted out the mess today and you do not talk to her you maybe making a rod for your own back as in she will start doing the same every weekend and you will be going in and facing the same every monday.
 
I understand how upset you are, I'd be the same, but the owner has taken steps to ensure they are looked after during the week, which is a positive. Do you know what arrangements are made for the weekend ? Did something happen to prevent the horses recieving care this weekend or is this what happens every Sat and Sun ?
Have a word with the owner and ask if there was a problem and was she aware that the horses were without water and the stables were pretty dire on Monday. By having a chat, she may either explain what went wrong or be shamed into taking action.
If this fails, then speak to the owner of the yard who has a responsibility to ensure the animals on his premises are not neglected. Horrible situation to be in, but its good to know someone like you is there for them.
 
I have just had a good chat to owner....told her straight she seemed agast to the situation...I will be turning them all out for the night and completely turn their beds out.....and the other big horse will be moved almost immediately too......
Ponies I think are going on grass livery for a bit elsewhere...for time being just to get them from where they are currently.

I have asked the other person to give me a hand later with ponies as they are not great...little monkeys that like to tank off and the place is not safe...open fields to roads...so not good to let them get away really.

I will then spend most of tomorrow on the beds and barn area that they are in.. :(
 
I have just had a good chat to owner....told her straight she seemed agast to the situation
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What aghast as in she wasn't aware they hadn't been seen too all weekend? Or shocked that you would confront her????
 
no she had been up at the weekend...she just told me on the phone...but I think was a bit amazed that I said the place was awful and was appalled by the condition this morning...
 
Personally, I would ask them if they want you to do do weekends too and pay you for it. I would make it very clear to them that the state of the stables is unacceptable and that if they do not want you to do the weekends you will have to increase your Monday fees due to the state of the stables on a monday!

Don't get upset in front of them! I would be firm and perhaps a bit of anger thrown in for good measure!

Also, make sure you get the money off them on a week by week basis and never let them "build up a tab" with you!

Poor horses!
 
we had someone who didnt bother going up to do her horse, for days on end, the yard manager noticed straight away and was turning her out, mucking out, feeding etc etc, in the end the girl was asked to either start caring for her horse or leave, she didnt do either, so in the end it came to blows (not fisty cuffs) but the police were called and she had to leave,
but what has become of that poor horse now ??? stood in its own muck and no food/water somewhere maybe, ??

maybe you should just deep litter them, and then get someone (the owner) to help you when it is time to totally clean the stable out,

the rspca wont get involved unless they have to, and the no water - that is one thing that 'normally' makes them get involved, a horse can be standing in months of muck, but no water is a defo no-no

hope it all works out for you,
 
Remember that the RSPCA have changed their rules so they can step in before an animal starts to suffer. They are very overstretched because of this, but they are working very hard to catch up and will at least contact the owner straight away to let her know she is being monitored.
You could keep working and not admit it was you who reported anything.

It must be so hard not wanting to deal with this, but not being able to walk away from the horses. I took on a horse that was being negleted, look after it for two months, dealing with some nasty wounds, then two months later owner had it put down, didnt even try and find it a home.
 
I actually went back and did them myself...crippled my back but hey ho...can't leave animals not whilst they are in my care anyway...it's not in me to be like that.
Have been speaking to owner all afternoon about this so....hopefully all is resolved...

Their is though an older broodmare up there that I think belongs to a farm house along the drive but the poor thing isn't getting the attention either....no water, gets hay and that's it...it's been in an area that is just thick thick mud and a sprinkling of straw on concrete for it to lay down...pah yeah right...minging!!
oh and guess what - no water in the butt either...oh what a surprise what is it with people not giving or making sure animals have water at all times?....just don't get it????
 
Merlywerly said:
Their is though an older broodmare up there that I think belongs to a farm house along the drive but the poor thing isn't getting the attention either....no water, gets hay and that's it...it's been in an area that is just thick thick mud and a sprinkling of straw on concrete for it to lay down...pah yeah right...minging!!
oh and guess what - no water in the butt either...oh what a surprise what is it with people not giving or making sure animals have water at all times?....just don't get it????
Click to expand...

Well in that case it's time to bring in the authorities. My first call would be to the WHW.
 
Years ago I was at a private yard, owner had her riding horse stabled at night. She mucked out twice a year (I kid you not). Her theory was that the poo dried & became soft absorbant bedding??! The rubbish people come out with. She used to go away for several days, leaving it in with a couple of buckets of water & a large pile of hay, both gone by end of first day (yes I did check it twice a day without her knowledge, it had hay & water). When it's stable did get cleared out (by her kids), a single bale of shavings was put down to cover the whole floor.

I was in a catch 22, one of very few yards with totally flat turnout which my aged mare with arthritis needed, so had few options to move. When I could go to somewhere else suitable I did. What really got to me was she bred dobermans for profit (had 5 bitches). One lovely one got so intimidated in house it used to wet, so it was sent to the yard as a gaurd dog (****** were an issue), living in the open barn on a chain with a kennel. Whenever I was down I had permission to let it off & play, which I did, such a sweet girl. She got her in pup, & I came down to find poor girl giving birth still on her chain, they hadn't taken her to the house! They sold the pups, & someone who came to view them actually asked to buy mum, so at least she went to a proper home, was so pleased for her.

Some people just have a different view on animals & their care. This woman had a screw loose & was evil. She shouldn't have been allowed animals or kids (which she didn't treat much better). Maybe your owners genuinely didn't think not mucking out for days on end was a problem? Not condoning what they did, definately not my standard of care.
 
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Being as your heart seems in the right place concerning the horses welfare,why not ,firstly, deep litter with shavings;that will save your back as it would mean just skipping out.Then suggest you do ,say,Sunday,leaving out Monday, unless you can manage six days a week. That way they will never be left more than a day not mucked out.
Calling out any welfare organisation won`t do any good whatsoever as they are in good nick,but their little angel can improve things a lot this way.Just once a week the wet bit at the bottom of the bed needs to come out,and then the older stuff replaces that and add on two or three bales of shavings.It works really well,and saves your back too.
 
If the horse have had no hay or fresh water over the weekend then that's shocking. However I do know plenty of people who don't muck out every day, some who deep litter all week and just muck out at weekends - OK horses do get a sprinkle of clean straw every night but to be honest if a horse has a good deep bed not getting mucked out for 2 days isn't going to kill them so I wouldn't lose any sleep over them lying in s*** - I'm sure they don't care that much.
 
The fact that both the horses did not have water is a Welfare issue. The animal welfare legislation was changed recently and action can be taken against owners.
I would suggest contacting World Horse Welfare or The British Horse Society if you have any further concerns.
 
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