Other people feeding my horses! What would you do?

S

sazzle44

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 April 2010
Messages
461
Visit site
Hi all - just a warning, this may turn into a bit of a rant, but bare with me :o
Basically, I'm on a fairly big livery yard - about 25 horses of all different types but the majority are pleasure horses/pets. Of all the horses on the yard, my boy is fittest and busiest. He's ridden 5 to 6 times a week - hacking, schooling and competing. Well, ever since I came to the yard I've been told I over-work! and underfeed my horse and am horrible to expect him to jump so big (1m10) and do dressage. He's clearly starved on a fairly big feed of pasture mix, alfa-a, balancer and ad-lib haylage (as in, I couldn't stuff more down his throat if I tried!!;))
So I found out today that they've been feeding him!!! They've been giving him a load of dry hay, even though I try as best I can to keep his dust allergy under-control. He doesn't really eat it much, but as I pay someone to muck him out in the mornings while I'm at college I hadn't noticed. Not only this but they've been giving him extra hard feed!!! When I went to feed this morning I realised his bucket was about twice as heavy and full of pony nuts (which I don't feed) and some speedi-beet (which I don't feed)
I was absolutely fuming as when I was asked I was told they do it every day, just not weekends when I'm around in case he eats too much and I give him colic with all that work he gets early in the morning.....3 hours after he's fed.... :confused:
I was also informed that they have been feeding the retired ID x TB that I have on a strict diet as he's quite over-weight and this causes him to stiffen up due to his arthritis (amongst other things) They feed him because he's obviously got problems with his stomach caused by not eating for hours on end. He gets a smallish soaked hay net at 4pm, another at 10pm when I do an evening check, and is on a nice clean straw bed if he's truly starved!! so never goes more than a couple of hours without eating.
Anyway, didn't say anything as I was going out jumping and needed to load up quick and go, but am I right to be annoyed? or am I just going to be causing a storm in a tea cup? I really don't want to fall out with anyone, but at the end of the day I would have said all of their horses are over-weight and are going to have an awful lot more problems from this than my little guy, yet I'm not there taking their horses feeds/hay away! Someone tell me I'm right to be p*ssed off and give me a sensible way of putting my arguement across without upsetting anyone? If you managed to get this far...lol Nice glass of rosé and some bananas and custard for anyone who bothers to reply :) :p
 
Last edited:
Right to be annoyed? I'd be INCANDESCENT!!!

The problem is that the majority of horses are now FAT, so anyone like you and me with an athlete where, heaven forbid, you can feel his ribs and sometimes even SEE them (shock, horror!!) must be a wicked witch.

You'll never stop them feeding him behind your back, I'm afraid you'll need to leave that yard.

ps I feed anything up to 2 kilos and ride as soon as the bucket is clean. There has been some research that this is perfectly safe and I have never had any issues because of it.
 
Yes I can't see you being in the wrong there at all!
Even if they thought there was an issue with your routine then they should at least talk to you about it, express their issues and discuss it, not just go and do what they like about it.
Maybe you could offer for them to pay your vet to come and tell them that you are doing the wrong thing (or something a little more tactful but along the same lines, eg print off info from reputable internet sources or bring a nutrition / arthritis management book that supports your techniques for them to look at!)

Good luck with that though - big yards are fun for that tho eh! :S

(PS my glass is emptied and being gestured toward ur rose bottle! :D)
 
.... o and i'm afraid i can't criticise on the obesity :( the grass is getting the better of our workload the last few weeks so time to be mean soon i think!
 
ohh don't worry, I'm afraid I've let the old boy go a little over the winter (too soft with the rugs and not enough time to work him!)
But it seems I'm a) the only person who can see that having an over weight horse causes him more problems b) am the only person doing anything about it and I feel most shockingly c) the only person who actually can see that my horse is over weight in the first place!
I'm glad you agree, I've been told off before for interfering when I suggested someone try a different piece of tack or type of feed when I first joined the yard (thinking it was the norm as at our old yard everyone gave/ asked each others advice) so completely stay out of things now :rolleyes:
I think I may take that suggestion of asking the vets to tell them, perhaps when they have their jabs and invite them to join me for my usual chat with my vet about their general condition! :cool:
and yes, your welcome to the rosé, it's going down rather too well this evening! :p
 
I would be absolutely fuming!! I would tell the yard Manager to get it sorted PDQ. I can't believe they would have the nerve, they know it is wrong obviously beause they don't do it when you are due to be there. Who told you they do it, was it the person who mucks out or whoever is responsible?
 
chestnuttymare said:
I would be absolutely fuming!! I would tell the yard Manager to get it sorted PDQ. I can't believe they would have the nerve, they know it is wrong obviously beause they don't do it when you are due to be there. Who told you they do it, was it the person who mucks out or whoever is responsible?
Click to expand...

This is what annoys me most actually, the fact they tried to hide it...or at least it looks that way depsite what they say. I was actually told by a friend at the yard who isn't hugely horsey, just has a share horse, who had heard them discussing it but didnt think it was an issue.
I've actually just got off the phone to a friend who got slowly squeezed off the yard from this kind of antics who tells me they did the same to their pony who had COPD and very weak respiratory system in his old age and caused her a massive vets bill to sort it...and they still didn't tell her untill they were caught.... :( now I'm even more worried...
 
I just want to know where these people come from who interfere with other people's feed? And I also want to know where these happy hackers come from who judge everyone else so much? Where I come from, all the happy hackers are very nice and completely understand everyone else's competition routines because most of them previously were competition riders! Since when is 5-6 times a week overwork? It just annoys me so much when stupid interfering people give pleasure riders a bad name.

Apologies, rant over. If you can't already tell, I am currently a happy hacker who used to compete a lot so I get really annoyed when people stereotype me because of people like this.

If you can discuss this with your yard calmly, do so. If you can't, do it anyway because this is completely unacceptable. Make sure it stops and if not, move.
 
I'd be absolutely livid.
I think that as long as you stay at that yard they are going to carry on going behind your back and interfering with your horses.
They are obviously idiots if 1 they cant tell a fit horse over a fat one, and 2 they risk your horses health like that.
Its making me mad thinking about it !
Kx
 
No, you are NOT overreacting, quite the opposite!! I would be hopping mad - how very dare they! have any of them got kids? Take a load of highly e-number loaded sweets, drinks, chocolate etc to the yard and give them to their kids, and when they object ask where is the difference to what they are doing!
 
I to had a problem with someone feeding my horse at a previous yard. I knew he was over weight and was/am religious about controlling his diet, hard feed weighed out, hay weighed and soaked for 12 hours etc. The lady next to me felt sorry for him when she came up to do hers and would put hayledge over his door. I only found out when I had to pop back to the yard one morning and went into to find hayledge on the floor...Busted! I went to the YM about it, very annoyed because I was working so hard to control his waistline and she was making things worse.
 
Apercrumbie said:
I just want to know where these people come from who interfere with other people's feed? And I also want to know where these happy hackers come from who judge everyone else so much? Where I come from, all the happy hackers are very nice and completely understand everyone else's competition routines because most of them previously were competition riders! Since when is 5-6 times a week overwork? It just annoys me so much when stupid interfering people give pleasure riders a bad name.

Apologies, rant over. If you can't already tell, I am currently a happy hacker who used to compete a lot so I get really annoyed when people stereotype me because of people like this.

If you can discuss this with your yard calmly, do so. If you can't, do it anyway because this is completely unacceptable. Make sure it stops and if not, move.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't mean ALL happy hackers are like this! I know plenty that are lovely and actually take a real interest in others who are still competing :) it's just the majority of my yard are more unsatisfied hackers :(
Well I've had a word with the yard owner (who is pretty disinterested in the yard) who has put a notice up telling people if they haven't been asked, not to feed anyone elses horses. He's also said if it happens again and I know who it is to let him know and he'll have a word. Have to say, I was pleasantly suprised with his reaction as he usually couldn't care less about these things :o Hopefully they'll back off now, if not I'll have to start looking at other yards :( thanks for all the advice xxx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top