Leaving pony in stable - how long?

[claireannejames]

Hi, my friend plans to leave her pony in the stable tonight (leaving her at 5.30pm) with haynet water and clean bed, then not go back until she gets there from school tomorrow afternoon at 4pm. Pony is normally out all the time as it's summer, but she wants to keep her in because she has a riding lesson on her at 4pm and won't have time to go up to the field and catch and tack up. Pony will have a feed put in for her by a chap who visits at 7am but apart from that no one will visit to give haynet, muck out, freshen bucket of water (although there's an automatic drinker as well) take her out of box or do anything else until 4pm, so she'll be stood in her dirty box with no hay until then. Do you think I'm over reacting to think this is neglectful? Or is it ok once in a while to have a horse rest in it's box on a deepish straw bed for a night and most of the following day, so long as there's a drinker. Thanks.

 

[Twinkley Lights]

I personally wouldn't do this as it's too long to be confined and if the horse is used to 24/7 turnout there is a risk of colic, filled legs etc with the sudden change in management. I think your friend needs to wake up her ideas so she is responsible enough to own a pony in the first place. If that pony exists

 

[MrsNorris]

Cant the chap who feeds the pony just give it a nice big haynet as well?

Not mucking out is fine, as long as its done sometime that day, but to be without hay is just asking for trouble!

And if your friend intends to ride the pony on an empty stomach, the accumalated stomach acid will slosh around and cause pain and maybe even initiate splash ulcers.

Please tell your friend to think again.

 

[Janah]

Far too long! 8am latest.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Its not going to kill the pony, however its bl00dy bad practice

OK, there are always stories - mostly in winter if someone gets snowed in.

However - if the woman is planning to work the animal after standing it in 24 hrs, with only 1 haynet & then a feed 14 hours after, then nothing for another 8 hours - she needs a damned good kick up the backside, the lazy moo!

 

[claireannejames]

Thanks for your replies. I've had loads of issues with this girl as although she's only 12 she WILL NOT be told by adults what to do, and is often downright rude. She is loaning the pony, and also sharing the loan with me and my daughter, she doesn't know very much about horsecare and her mum knows nothing and isn't involved. I get told by her mum to leave her daughter alone and let her get on with it - even though I'm co sharer and jointly responsible. When I have on occasion gone back to the owner to intervene.... I got a load of grief for it from the girl and her mum. I plan to go up there in the morning and see if I can turn pony out and pay for someone to catch it in at 3pm for her. I'm fed up with this share but I can't see a way out for the time being, and the girl's mum is also my younger kids' childminder. Not a great situation all round

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

If the child is too lazy to go up a field to catch the pony, then is she even going to muck out 24hrs worth that the pony has left behind in the stable?

Sorry but a 12yr old that will 'not' be told by adults? A 12yr old who dictates what happens to pony?

I'd get out of the share asap, or get her out of it if she is not willing to ensure the pony is treated with care and respect. Shutting pony in that long to save her catching it, shows she has no respect for the animal at all.......

 

[claireannejames]

Oh no, she leaves the mucking out to us. I'll test it shall I... she will turn the horse out after her lesson tomorrow and go straight home, leaving the stable of muck, then my daughter will next go down on Thursday afternoon and I bet any money she will be faced with a stable full of poo to shift We are both so fed up of it but can't see a way out of the share until we've had it the full year (next Easter) as that was the original agreement. Unless the mum agrees to us pulling out, which she won't. Don't want to leave pony's owner in the lurch either. Hindsight is a wonderful thing..... never share with mouthy 12 year olds (or with adults who aren't horsey or even remotely interested)

 

[claireannejames]

the major up-side.... is that the pony is utterly gorgeous and I love her to bits (and so does my daughter). Ah well early start for me tomorrow, stables before my full time job but such is life.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

As I see it, you have a perfectly good reason for terminating your side of the share - if the other sharer (a minor) is dictating what should happen with pony - and also not giving the pony a decent life.

Any owner of a pony who hears that their animal has been shut in for 24 hrs just for a childs convenience as said child is too lazy to walk up a field to catch it the next day, (also leaving said pony standing in a mucky stable for 24 hrs & for someone else to clean up behind her) would boot the child out or at least give them a lot of guidance & oversee what child does for the next few weeks.

I'd give a months notice....... or request that owner of pony visits to check on what the other sharer (child) is doing!

Please, do speak to the pony's owner in a reasonable way, perhaps they do not know what is going on. (and do NOT muck out the stable - tie up outside! Leave the little baggage to do it... )

 

[claireannejames]

fuming now. Her mum texted me to say her kid 'will turn out after riding'. I replied that 5.30pm -4pm next day is too long for her to be in. She replied 'we know, we've made arrangements to take her for a walk'. Meaning her husband (also not horsey). I bet those arrangements don't involve a visit by 8am and full haynet. I replied, 'don't worry I'll turn out in the morning and pay stable helper to catch in at 2pm'. She replies, no, leave it please, it's sorted. Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh. If I lose my rag with her, I lose my childminder, and they are impossible to find around here. What on earth can I do. I will get the people at the stable to report back to me what time they turn up for this 'walk' and then if they don't show and the horse is stuck in until 4pm I guess I will have to let the owner know :-( I swear I'm never sharing again...

 

[claireannejames]

....take it for a walk.... it's not a flaming dog grrrrr....

 

[weebarney]

well as long as they walk it and give it a haynet that would suffice. No way would I be mucking out after she decided to keep it in. Make sure these parents know it needs hay for during the day if its left in.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Surely the best thing would be for OP to put a big haynet in in the morning and leave the pony in for the child's lesson. If pony is rather too fresh, child will not leave pony in for so long again.
If this were my pony I would want to know how it is being treated by the loaners.

 

[claireannejames]

Well, I just gave notice I wished to end the share. Last straw - discovering today that the child rode it yesterday in a new bridle - a crank cavesson noseband with a flash, over a kimblewick! (my daughter and I ride her in a snaffle). When I suggested the mum check this with the owner as it was new kit, the mum said, I don't see why we need to. I then informed the mum this was a very severe bit in combo with the flash, and that the flash should not be used with the kimblewick I got told to butt out and leave them alone, they did not want my advice 'leave us alone, we'll get our advice from people at the yard'. So I gave notice. I will inform the owner, as they seem to think they are keeping her for the summer without me.....

 

[Queenbee]

Sorry to hear this, although I think you did absolutely the right thing.

 

[NativePonyLover]

It definitely sounds like you did the best thing ending the share agreement. I would inform the owner now, so they know what has happened - rather than them hearing it from a third party, the third party's version of events.

I hope you find another lovely horse/pony to share soon.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Well, I just gave notice I wished to end the share. Last straw - discovering today that the child rode it yesterday in a new bridle - a crank cavesson noseband with a flash, over a kimblewick! (my daughter and I ride her in a snaffle). When I suggested the mum check this with the owner as it was new kit, the mum said, I don't see why we need to. I then informed the mum this was a very severe bit in combo with the flash, and that the flash should not be used with the kimblewick I got told to butt out and leave them alone, they did not want my advice 'leave us alone, we'll get our advice from people at the yard'. So I gave notice. I will inform the owner, as they seem to think they are keeping her for the summer without me.....

Did you give notice to the owner or to the other sharers? Is your agreement with the owner or with your sharers?
I'm afraid that I don't understand your viewpoint. I would have spoken to the owner about all this and only if the owner was quite happy with the, obviously novice, 12 yr old being allowed to make all the decisions about the pony's care would I have given notice to the owner. I wouldn't have bothered to discuss it at all with the other sharers. If that was my pony, I would want a knowledgeable adult to be in charge of the pony's day-to-day care.

 

[Adopter]

Has to say I agree with Pearl singer, if it was my pony I would want a responsible adult in a position of overseeing all decisions. Poor pony do let the owner know what is going on, hope this can be sorted in a he best interests of the pony.

 

[claireannejames]

Yes well exactly, I thought I was the responsible adult in charge, and the owner only loaned the pony to us as a group because I was involved as an experienced horsey adult. The mother knows nothing and is not interested in being involved, she doesn't want to know, but as soon as I started to tell her daughter what she should do she immediately started to tell me that she wasn't going to do what I said ' I no what Im doing ' (her spelling) and if I went to the mum she told me to leave her daughter alone and stop 'having a go' at her. We only got the pony in Easter and I did not want to back out so early and have been trying to be diplomatic, and keep the horse's care up to scratch, but I've had enough of being treated like ***** by a 12 year old, and told my advice is not wanted by the mum. The mum was being civilised to me this morning when I dropped younger daughter off to her to be childminded (she has other qualified childcare staff there btw!), I asked if she was planning to talk to the owner and she very reluctantly agreed she would 'let her know' I was pulling out (she said she didn't see why she needed to tell her!). But I have already discussed at length with the owner what's been going on and she absolutely doesn't want them to continue to have the pony if I'm not involved. I'm hoping once the month is up the owner will arrange to remove the pony from them and re-loan it to my daughter and I to keep at a different yard, so that they don't even need to know.... fingers crossed.

 

[Adopter]

We will all cross our fingers as well that it can be sorted and you can have the pony elsewhere.
Awful that a 12year old can get away with such manners and attitude.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi, my friend plans to leave her pony in the stable tonight (leaving her at 5.30pm) with haynet water and clean bed, then not go back until she gets there from school tomorrow afternoon at 4pm. Pony is normally out all the time as it's summer, but she wants to keep her in because she has a riding lesson on her at 4pm and won't have time to go up to the field and catch and tack up. Pony will have a feed put in for her by a chap who visits at 7am but apart from that no one will visit to give haynet, muck out, freshen bucket of water (although there's an automatic drinker as well) take her out of box or do anything else until 4pm, so she'll be stood in her dirty box with no hay until then. Do you think I'm over reacting to think this is neglectful? Or is it ok once in a while to have a horse rest in it's box on a deepish straw bed for a night and most of the following day, so long as there's a drinker. Thanks.

Spoilt brat needs a size 10

I personally would not do it unless pony was bad to catch, can she not get someone else to catch him in 1/2 hr before the lesson??? She can offer a £1 for doing this service. Its a bit unfair on the pony to wait this long, I am sure she must have time to catch the pony in too unless the fields are miles away or re schedule the lesson to 1/4 or half an 1/2 later.

Kids like this ought to be told how to respect adults and get up there straight from school and catch her own pony in for her lesson. Sheesh mine do it and they are part livery, if I have not caught them in when they come they get him in.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes well exactly, I thought I was the responsible adult in charge, and the owner only loaned the pony to us as a group because I was involved as an experienced horsey adult. The mother knows nothing and is not interested in being involved, she doesn't want to know, but as soon as I started to tell her daughter what she should do she immediately started to tell me that she wasn't going to do what I said ' I no what Im doing ' (her spelling) and if I went to the mum she told me to leave her daughter alone and stop 'having a go' at her. We only got the pony in Easter and I did not want to back out so early and have been trying to be diplomatic, and keep the horse's care up to scratch, but I've had enough of being treated like ***** by a 12 year old, and told my advice is not wanted by the mum. The mum was being civilised to me this morning when I dropped younger daughter off to her to be childminded (she has other qualified childcare staff there btw!), I asked if she was planning to talk to the owner and she very reluctantly agreed she would 'let her know' I was pulling out (she said she didn't see why she needed to tell her!). But I have already discussed at length with the owner what's been going on and she absolutely doesn't want them to continue to have the pony if I'm not involved. I'm hoping once the month is up the owner will arrange to remove the pony from them and re-loan it to my daughter and I to keep at a different yard, so that they don't even need to know.... fingers crossed.

That is so good to know that you have spoken to the pony's owner
Wishing you all the best & hope the owner can sort it all out for you x

Oh - meant to ask - did the little madam muck out the box in the end - or did you do it?

 

[busdrivertom]

Not sure how to post a new post but there is a stallion pony locked in a stable since December 2018 - got a new owner who started to care, but now doesn't seem to go. I go to see the pony everyday and his stable is full of manure - must be weeks since he was cleaned out. there is a large bale of hay for him at the side of the stable, but if they dont go to him, he doesn't get it and water isn't there all the time. I sometimes take him water.
RSPCA dont seem bothered.

 

[cauda equina]

Get in touch with World Horse Welfare or the BHS
Good luck!

 

[AmyMay]

Is this on a livery yard?

 

[holeymoley]

Don't understand folk that do this. I only work 3 days per week and pony is on box rest. He gets a breakfast, haynet at breakfast and then he get a lunchtime haynet too. Even then the days I work I feel bad that he's in a messy stable, thankfully my friend sometimes skips him out in the morning.

I'd try find out a bit more as to why he's constantly kept in? It does sound like he's not being correctly looked after though.