Shocking fellow livery behaviour tonight

[my bfg]

I've posted before about a fellow livery thinking it was funny to allow her dog to jump up at my mares fly fringe. I told her it was unacceptable behavior and asked her to keep her dog away from my mare, she started shouting at me then stopped talking to me.

This weekend I poo picked my field and left, she then poo picked the opposite field with her dog and I went down to find my mares fly fringe in tatters, strings strown over adjacent fields and fresh dog poo in my field.

Saw her this morning and said if it was her dog that did it then it was only fair she put some money towards a new fringe, she kicked off and left the yard.
Was down there tonight on my own and her and her bf arrived, bf made a bee line for me (shes well known for getting him involved) shouting and swearing at me saying I was bullying her, he scared the hell out of me so I rang the YO who came straight down, he managed to calm him down. The bf was shouting that I was trying to get her kicked off the yard and that I was a cr*p rider etc.
YO agreed he was out of order and bf agreed he wouldn't speak to me again if I "stayed out their way"
I love the yard, its really close and I don't want to leave, but tonight really scared me, if the YO hadn't been at home I think the police would have been my next call.
Its a ridiculous situation to be in, but I don't know what to do, would you see if things calmed down now the YO was involved or would you find somewhere else asap??

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You really should not have approached the woman about her dog yourself. It is far better to involve a 3rd party (YO) in these situations. Now you need to make sure that YO fully understands that this dog is jumping up at your horse and that it is unacceptable. TBH unless YO bans the dog from the yard, I think I would move

 

[Nativelover]

I would not accept this bullying. I'd be having a convo with the YO pronto!!!
How dare they shout at you, how dare a man be aggressive towards you!!
You are paying for a service, for a SAFE place to be.
The dog should not be off the lead, ideally not on the yard at all!!!
I feel for you, some people are just awful! This type of behaviour needs challenging and stopping before it gets worse. Part of the problem in society is this type of behaviour being allowed to happen.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

What she says and why don't you ask the YO to ban the dog? Go though the YO for everything in future.

If you feel threatened again, you can call the non emergency number, but equally, if the other livery feels that you approaching her was threatening, the police are stuck in who is at fault.

 

[Goldenstar]

I also think you speak to the Yoer as soon as possible .
Tell them that the dogs behaviour is not acceptable and they need to deal with the other livery .
The YOer needs to step up and deal with it.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

The YO needs to sort this out, pronto. Unacceptable behavior full stop.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

As a YO myself, I feel that there needs to be a yard policy as regards dogs; also there needs to be a policy as regards other visitors to the yard.

I wouldn't think it right that anyone on the yard would feel uncomfortable or indeed threatened by anyone else on that yard, in any way.

Think OP that the YO in this situation needs to be made fully aware of the situation; I can remember you posting about this a while ago now and the situation has obviously not improved.

My boy was on a place once where dogs came into the field one night and chased some other ponies that were in another section of the field; although they didn't (to my knowledge) chase my boy, he was very disturbed the morning after it had happened, and I am thinking that your horse will be very disturbed by dogs hassling her in the way that they have been.

IF the YO does not take your concerns seriously, and take firm action, I feel unfortunately that you will have no other option but to move yards TBH, for the sake of your horse if nothing else.

It would be helpful if both you and the other party, plus YO, could perhaps sit down over a coffee in the tackroom and talk these issues through.........

 

[Equi]

Dogs should be banned from the yard. They are putting others in danger.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Dogs should never be allowed in the fields where horses are grazing, not only can it be dangerous for the horses it's not safe for dogs either, I would speak to the yo and say it should not be allowed to happen on a livery yard, in all the years and all the yards I have been on dogs have never been allowed to run loose in the horses fields, I have my horses at home and I don't even let my own dog in the fields very often if they are out and they know my dog.

 

[Maesfen]

Dogs should never be allowed in the fields where horses are grazing, not only can it be dangerous for the horses it's not safe for dogs either, I would speak to the yo and say it should not be allowed to happen on a livery yard, in all the years and all the yards I have been on dogs have never been allowed to run loose in the horses fields, I have my horses at home and I don't even let my own dog in the fields very often if they are out and they know my dog.

Absolutely this.

I trust my dogs to never chase the horses but I don't trust my horses to never chase dogs so I keep them apart for safety reasons. I can't believe that YO's allow any other dogs apart from their own onto a livery yard at all TBH, not sure their insurance would cover them if anything had happened.

For all of those that say their dog wouldn't get any exercise if you didn't take it to the yard with you then tough, find time to exercise it somewhere else or don't have it; I've always refused to have outside dogs on my yard whenever I've had liveries for safety reasons and people have recognized the reason for the rule.

 

[Goldenstar]

My horses and dogs live in harmony .
But they are my horses and my dogs and that's different .
The YOer needs to get a grip and make some rules .
As someone who hunts I am am supremely relaxed about horses and dogs being round each other both the grooms bring dogs to work my parents have dogs my friends have dogs sometimes there are more than ten going about .
Of course you have to train puppies about what the rules are .
However on a livery yard you need rules .
I don't think you need a no dog rule my friends yard does not but the needs to a strict no dogs in fields rule when other peoples horses are around .
The threads on here make me despair about the quality of some YOers who appear to neither know or care what's going on on their yards .
It's not my experience based on fifty years experience that horses and dogs have any issues coexisting just like dogs and cats they coexist just fine in a disciplined environment where dogs know the rules .

 

[DD]

What a mess, honestly OP you need to speak to the YO today. Rules are needed. If the YO wont take appropriate action re the other livery and her dog and Bf then I'sd vote with my feet and move. You need to feel safe. The place sounds a nightmare to me I wouldnt put up with it.

 

[Clodagh]

I think the dog has to be banned, or you have to move. If you feel in any way intimidated by her or her OH then call the police. Your poor horse is the one suffering here.

 

[CBAnglo]

If I had one livery shouting and swearing at another then that livery would be asked to leave. End of.

Feel very sorry for you what an awful situation.

You need to tell the YO the entire story; if he does nothing then as much as the yard is convenient I would be leaving. Life is too short and you work too hard to be subjected to that element of society during your downtime.

 

[SO1]

Tricky situation as if YO has decided that dogs are allowed on the yard then not much you can do.

Maybe suggest to the YO that you are concerned that the dog and horse are "playing" and either the dog or one of the horses might get hurt, especially if the dog starts playing with the other horses on the yard. Do any of the other liveries have the same problems with either the dog or the aggressive BF.

Is it possible you could move fields so that your field is not next to the other livery's field so the dog will be less likely to get into your horse's field? Does the dog only jump up when your horse has the fly fringe on, if so could you use a fly mask instead? If you love the yard and your horse is settled then I would do what you can to try and settle the situation.

If you love the yard and your horse is settled there then I would try and work things out.

 

[Honey08]

Dogs at yards under control wouldn't bother me (although I find I get jobs done much quicker when my dogs aren't there and then have time to play properly with them). A livery that has a dog that jumps up at fly fringes is dangerous, a livery that doesn't replace things her dog damages and who "sets" an angry boyfriend on someone would be an altogether different issue and I would not want to stable with them. I'd tell YO I didn't feel safe on the yard and would go elsewhere.

 

[Fransurrey]

Agree that you need to go to YO and give them the full story with an ultimatum. If she was on my yard she would have already been given marching orders for threatening behaviour.

 

[Echo Bravo]

Agree with the above posts or record her next time on your phone and if she/he threatens you again go to the police.

 

[only_me]

Could you ask the YO to put sheep wire along the bottom half of fencing of the field? That way the dog couldn't get into the field. Might be worth asking!

Otherwise I think her dog should either be banned from yard or made to stay shut inside the stable while there.

 

[Micropony]

Agree with other people, you need to talk to the YO so they can sort this out. At the yard where I keep my horse there are three dogs who live there, and know how to behave around horses, and liveries are allowed to bring dogs to the yard with them as long as they pick up poo and keep the dog on a lead, shut in their stable etc. I have never been aware of any dog causing a problem, and I don't understand why most yards that allow dogs wouldn't have a similar rule, just basic common sense, surely?

As for the threatening behaviour, just not on, totally outrageous! Wouldn't blame you at all if you didn't want to be on the same yard as someone who behaves like that.