so_confused
Member
I am a regular user but posting under another name for anonymity.
I have been at my yard for 18 months and own a young horse who is due to be beginning backing next week. I have owned said horse since they were a weanling. I have never had a problem with manners, groundwork etc and granted, my horse has a very easy going temperament.
Since the beginning of this year, I have been fed back little stories by yard staff but nothing has been mentioned to me in person. I have always been strict with my horse as far as manners are concerned and any issues we've had (all minor) have never become a bigger problem. It came to a head earlier this year when I found out that a chifney was being used on my unbacked youngster.
I hit the roof. Absolutely no one had bothered to contact me to say whether there was an issue, or what my horse had done to warrant the use of a chifney. My YO put the blame on me saying that I needed to do more with him. I work 60-80 weeks and have my horse on part livery - due to my hours I cannot get up to the yard every day, it is impossible. I spoke to YO and said that if my horse was misbehaving I wanted to be told a)so I knew and was aware of what action they were taking and b) so I could correct any behaviour myself when there. By misbehaving I had it clarified that he was being skittery, and not rearing etc.
I was assured the chifney would be used if he needed, "putting back into his box." Fast forward to today. I have heard nothing since the incident, and although I ask for regular updates, I am told my horse is fine. I have made a point of telling all the staff to make sure they tell him off if he is naughty with them, and not to let him push them around. My friends and I are yet to encounter a problem with him in leading him to and from the field. If he tries anything on, he gets told off and then walks along quietly.
Today, friend went to turn them out (despite being on part) as she wanted to see what it was horses were alleged to have been doing. She gets there and they already have my horse in a chifney. She asks why and she is told, "that is just the way it is." No headcollar is under chifney. She puts headcollar on mine and hers and leads them to the field. Mine behaves in a way he never has before - head up in the air and fussing his mouth although he didn;t have a bit in. Long story short, she got them to the field just fine but rang me to share her concerns.
She has said that his mouth appears bruised from the chifney and he is frightened of what can only be described as "anticipated pain" and so has stuck his head in the air. When he realised there was no bit, he has calmed down. However, this is a horse I have introduced a bit to properly, who throughout groundwork has never been shy of the bit and now he is verging on being headshy. She spoke to a couple of the girls and they said on one occasion he got his tongue over the chifney - as I understand it, this should not happen if properly fitted. She has said that instead of people putting him back in his box and telling him off if he misbehaves, they are just resorting to putting a chifney on him, which is not helping the problem at all. She is also concerned that the handlers are not competent in using it - these same handlers have also been described by the YM as being a bit wet when handling horses generally.
I am so angry. I have worked for the best part of 3.5 years to make him as grounded as possible and make sure no part of introducing tack is an issue and now I have this to contend with, which I can't spend every day correcting because of work. It has angered me because they blame him an awful lot for things and yet have no reply when I ask why other people on the yard and I can handle him just fine but other people can't.
I will be speaking to YO as I am very unhappy, but what else do I do? I now have a young horse who is unhappy in his mouth, has experience of a chifney being used incorrectly and bruised him and is becoming headshy. There wasn't even an "inbetween" of perhaps putting his bridle on him to lead if there was a problem, it was just a case of "let's shove a chifney in."
Sorry the ranting, just so frustrated. I wish I could still be on DIY and do it all myself.
I have been at my yard for 18 months and own a young horse who is due to be beginning backing next week. I have owned said horse since they were a weanling. I have never had a problem with manners, groundwork etc and granted, my horse has a very easy going temperament.
Since the beginning of this year, I have been fed back little stories by yard staff but nothing has been mentioned to me in person. I have always been strict with my horse as far as manners are concerned and any issues we've had (all minor) have never become a bigger problem. It came to a head earlier this year when I found out that a chifney was being used on my unbacked youngster.
I hit the roof. Absolutely no one had bothered to contact me to say whether there was an issue, or what my horse had done to warrant the use of a chifney. My YO put the blame on me saying that I needed to do more with him. I work 60-80 weeks and have my horse on part livery - due to my hours I cannot get up to the yard every day, it is impossible. I spoke to YO and said that if my horse was misbehaving I wanted to be told a)so I knew and was aware of what action they were taking and b) so I could correct any behaviour myself when there. By misbehaving I had it clarified that he was being skittery, and not rearing etc.
I was assured the chifney would be used if he needed, "putting back into his box." Fast forward to today. I have heard nothing since the incident, and although I ask for regular updates, I am told my horse is fine. I have made a point of telling all the staff to make sure they tell him off if he is naughty with them, and not to let him push them around. My friends and I are yet to encounter a problem with him in leading him to and from the field. If he tries anything on, he gets told off and then walks along quietly.
Today, friend went to turn them out (despite being on part) as she wanted to see what it was horses were alleged to have been doing. She gets there and they already have my horse in a chifney. She asks why and she is told, "that is just the way it is." No headcollar is under chifney. She puts headcollar on mine and hers and leads them to the field. Mine behaves in a way he never has before - head up in the air and fussing his mouth although he didn;t have a bit in. Long story short, she got them to the field just fine but rang me to share her concerns.
She has said that his mouth appears bruised from the chifney and he is frightened of what can only be described as "anticipated pain" and so has stuck his head in the air. When he realised there was no bit, he has calmed down. However, this is a horse I have introduced a bit to properly, who throughout groundwork has never been shy of the bit and now he is verging on being headshy. She spoke to a couple of the girls and they said on one occasion he got his tongue over the chifney - as I understand it, this should not happen if properly fitted. She has said that instead of people putting him back in his box and telling him off if he misbehaves, they are just resorting to putting a chifney on him, which is not helping the problem at all. She is also concerned that the handlers are not competent in using it - these same handlers have also been described by the YM as being a bit wet when handling horses generally.
I am so angry. I have worked for the best part of 3.5 years to make him as grounded as possible and make sure no part of introducing tack is an issue and now I have this to contend with, which I can't spend every day correcting because of work. It has angered me because they blame him an awful lot for things and yet have no reply when I ask why other people on the yard and I can handle him just fine but other people can't.
I will be speaking to YO as I am very unhappy, but what else do I do? I now have a young horse who is unhappy in his mouth, has experience of a chifney being used incorrectly and bruised him and is becoming headshy. There wasn't even an "inbetween" of perhaps putting his bridle on him to lead if there was a problem, it was just a case of "let's shove a chifney in."
Sorry the ranting, just so frustrated. I wish I could still be on DIY and do it all myself.
