Looking after horses for others - expectations?

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soloequestrian

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I have day to day care of two horses other than my own. The care offered is 'full grass livery' i.e. they are out 24/7, come in once for a feed and check over, looked over at least one other time. One of the horses has EMS which I wasn't aware of when he arrived. He has needed to be in a tiny paddock on his own for the summer, fed small amounts of soaked hay. This has made more work for me that I was really offering. I could obviously ask his owner to take him elsewhere but I like her and I know she doesn't have many other options. The horse escaped his paddock recently and had a night on grass with the others. After that his owner asked if I could check his pulses every day, as standard. This is what I would like your opinion on because it is making me a bit uncomfortable and I'm not sure why. I pick his feet out daily anyway so it's not that much extra work but it's not something I've ever really done before - if I take a pulse I would choose the jaw area, not the fetlock, so I've little experience of finding a leg pulse. I'm also not sure what would constitute a bounding pulse - I've never had to deal with laminitis (had TBs before). I'm also not sure what we could do differently if the pulse was up - he is already being intensively managed. So what do you think? Should I just say no, I'm not going to do that or is that unreasonable in the circumstance when the owner is worried and not able to visit very often? Thanks!
 
Absolutely not. If you "miss" a bounding pulse and the horse founders it is not fair that you might get stuck with blame. I can do it for my own but I would absolutely not be taking responsibility for anyone else's, nor would I ever ask that of a yard owner. I might expect them to let me know if the horse was like, noticeably lame, but that's about it.

You don't have to put it in the context of blame, I'm sure if the person is nice they wouldn't think they would blame you, but it doesn't mean they wouldn't if the worst happened. You can just say that you're not experienced in taking foot pulses and would be devastated if you missed something.
 
I think if I was already picking feet daily then checking a pulse would be no extra work but what do you then do with that information? If pony is in a fatty paddock on soaked hay, what more can you do? If the owner is not happy they can always move. I would make it clear that you would take a daily pulse but that it was their responsibility as the owner to make decisions on the findings and that what you are currently providing as as much as you can do.
 
HaffiesRock said:
I think if I was already picking feet daily then checking a pulse would be no extra work but what do you then do with that information? If pony is in a fatty paddock on soaked hay, what more can you do? If the owner is not happy they can always move. I would make it clear that you would take a daily pulse but that it was their responsibility as the owner to make decisions on the findings and that what you are currently providing as as much as you can do.
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Actually, this is a really good post.

You could easily take the pulse and then just text her the result. What she does then is up to them.
 
I own an EMS horse and, if he'd escaped his field to a better one, yes, on a full livery (grass or otherwise) I would expect pulses to be checked as a matter of basic horse care for an EMS horse.

It isn't the pulse per se she is likely to want. It is to make sure there isn't excessive pulse activity on the leg; if you can't find it then that is excellent news!

That said, I would not expect a full grass livery to include soaked hay! I pay well over £100 a week for that kind of livery for Rigs when I go on holiday. It includes a suitable paddock, soaked hay, feet picked, water scrubbed/refilled every day, check over and oil rubbed in behind his knees. It is with someone who is competent to make any decisions when I am absent, including PTS if I am abroad and unavailable. She understands that Rigs would not be having a colic operation or in-patient treatment, but he can have his leg stitched up if he sticks it in an unfortunate place. She would do any first aid, including using his inhaler if he started being asthmatic again. She knows that if his crest enlarges, he is to be ridden or lunged, as it would be just prior to an emergency, same with bounding pulses. She would do this carefully as she knows that if Rigs has a second lami attack, with rotation, I will expect him to be PTS straight away.

In your position, I would re-evaluate what she is paying. I would then ask her to show you exactly what she wants re treatment. I would expect a full livery to include treatments.

BTW, the cost for mine on holiday is the same for grass as stable. Both types need the same amount of care. I'm not sure that poo picking a paddock takes any less time than mucking out!
 
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My take on this, as someone who has full care of 2 youngsters on grass livery, with owners who don’t see them that often - is you do have to be prepared to manage them in a reasonable way for their health. As you are responsible day to day for their care then a pulse check on a lami prone horse is reasonable imo, so I think the onus should be on you to learn what is needed.

But on the flip side, someone leaving their horse in your sole care, has to expect to pay for that care and experience.

If you don’t already have it, make sure you are adequately insured. I have a small holders policy that, in addition to various damage cover, public liability etc, also covers the 2 liveries and any vet bills incurred due to my potential negligence.
 
I would be very wary of taking on the extra responsibility, no matter how nice she is or a friend. One of my donkeys is prone to lammi if not kept very carefully, and also a cob I used to have barely have a pulse when laminitis kicks in. I could almost guarantee someone who was not familiar with their rather weak and muffled supposedly raised pulse would miss the early warning signs.
 
Crikey. I think you're being far too nice and livery is a CF to use a good Mumsnet expression.
That is not vanilla grass livery. You need to increase fees for extra time, separate paddock, soaking hay. Not your fault horse is EMS.
If they want pulses checked they can do it themselves.
 
Did you discuss what grass livery entailed with the owner, before she moved them on? If she was happy with 24/7 turnout and a basic daily check, then that is really what she should be getting. Anything above this would entail additional labour and cost implications, not to mention responsibility. And now you have to provide separate turnout arrangements for one, and special dietary requirements. Can the owner provide a grazing muzzle and get this one back in the herd?
 
I would tell owner that feeling for pulses isn’t something you feel confident doing but would offer to check hooves for warmth and keep a careful eye on the horse after grass flushes and field escapes .. if you see any worrying behaviour then you can phone her right away so that she can then assume responsibility …
At the end of the day any horse can escape from a field every now and again and eat what it’s not supposed to … one might get colic , one might get lami, most of them would probably be just a bit porky and pleased with themselves for a day …
 
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