Smoking on yards

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Greylegs

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I am an avid non-smoker and real hate it as habit generally. At my current yard there are lots of prominent signs telling people not to smoke on the premises. Even a couple of people who work there full time, go off the premises for a smoke breaks and never smoke on the yard. (YO would go nuts if she caught them, if they dared to try ...).

So why do people smoke on yards? Last weekend we had one of the monthly dressage comps at the yard and there were people (visiting competitors) smoking in the parking area and around the arena while people were competing. I asked two girls who were just lighting up, to observe the signs and not do so, and they stalked off looking very put out. At another yard where I was for a while over the winter, there was a girl who often smoked while she was mucking out, filling hay nets etc. With hay, straw, shavings and the like all over the place, why would anyone think it's Ok to smoke around a yard/stables/hay barn?

Anyone at a yard where it's considered OK to smoke around the horses?
 
Good god no, completely agree with you on this.

A few years back I caught the daughter of a fellow livery lighting a cigarette whilst sat on my hay bales that were outside of my stable. I quite rightly told her in no uncertain terms what I thought, the abuse I got from her was unbelievable.
 
I have two separate sets of friends who have lost horses due to fires.
I was on a yard and didn't realise a horrible little man who was on there was sneaking behind my wooden stable to smoke.
A bucket of water over him as he took a drag soon stopped that.
An apology along the lines of "sorry are you wet i smelt smoke and panicked" 😄
He couldn't say anything as the yard owner would have given him notice for smoking.
I don't understand why anyone would do it and I smoked for 20 years not once at a yard.
 
Having lost everything in a fire started by someone's 13 year old son smoking round the back of the haylage stack on the yard, my answer would be an emphatic NO!

It was only a matter of timing that the whole yard didn't go up. YO and a couple of liveries were just going for a hack, when one of the grooms on the polo yard at the bottom of the property saw the smoke and called them back just as it took hold.

4 of us lost everything in our 2 containers, two 7.5 ton lorries had the backs burned off, and over 60 bales of haylage went up. All the horses were safe.

All I had left was my horse, his turnout rug and his grooming kit - £5K's worth of tack, rugs and equipment up in smoke.

Everyone knew what the cause was, but the little blighter wouldn't confess, just stood there smirking - he and his mother were subsequently banned from ever setting foot on the yard.
 
I think the higher the through the levels you go (re competitions) the more smokers you find - must be the stress! I agree with no smoking rule on the yard itself but can't see how it can be enforced in car parks etc at competitions
 
On my yard smoking is allowed in the car park. I did throw a bucket of water over someone who 'forgot' they were holding a cigarette and walked towards one of the stables. They never did it again - at least while I was looking.
 
Magnetic Sparrow said:
On my yard smoking is allowed in the car park. I did throw a bucket of water over someone who 'forgot' they were holding a cigarette and walked towards one of the stables. They never did it again - at least while I was looking.
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^^^^ Hee hee, love this!!!

I remember going to see a horse at a locally well-known yard. The Proprietor met me, fag in hand, and showed me to see the horse in question, still fag in hand dripping ash everywhere. The horse was standing on STRAW........ I couldn't believe how anyone could be so stupid :( FFS, words failed me.

Possibly this lady was so addicted to the damn weed that she genuinely did not notice or realise how dangerous this was. It was truly unbelievable. I'd never ever put any horse of mine on that yard for this reason alone.

Agree with a previous poster that the higher up the echelons you go, the more people seem to smoke!! This yard and person is known locally hereabouts and she has, to be fair, an excellent reputation, she is a superb horsewoman who treats her horses well, and the horses she sells and/or produces are excellent. But I just couldn't believe the fag-ash issue! Perhaps she is just blind to her own situation...... I dunno.
 
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Anyone wanting to smoke (Not that any of my friends smoke) any where near my yard are banished to the fields. There are clear notices around the yard saying NO SMOKING.

I have spent too look looking after people who were dying of lung cancer to have anyone smoke around me.
 
I am a smoker and during a couple of my trailer towing sessions well away from the horses etc I was asked not to do so and complied immediately

On each occasion I was informed where the smoking are was - usually in the car parking area

I saw the no smoking signs near the stables and horses so never smoked near those which made sense as I was not going to chance setting fire to the stables !!

Electronic fags are great when in no smoking areas LOL
 
If people go out the way (car park etc) to smoke that's one thing, but having worked on yards I have told staff/ visitors off for sitting on straw bales smoking, smoking next to a diesel storage tank (!) and my personal bug bear... trying to encourage one of the horses to take a drag... if you want to see me angry...
 
I know lots of people who do smoke around horses, I'm a non smoker and it terrifies me cigs and horses do not mix at all. Two summers ago was driving home from work when a chap on dressage horse flicked a lit cigarette into hedge. Never stopped the car quicker, dived out pouring bottle of water over it.
 
I own a timberyard, I employ a lifelong friend (and smoker) . He simply doesnt understand why I am absolutely rabid about his putting his cigarettes out. He chucked a butt out of the workshop once , a few minutes later I asked him if he was going to put the fire out ? What fire? The one you just started ! (yes it had set light to some wood!) . Yet he still thinks I am picking on him about his smoking . Smokers have no consideration for others ,they are addicts. Same as drug addicts. I will never ever employ another smoker.
 
I smoke, but never near a horse, on a horse or near hay / bedding or stables. It only takes a few mins to walk into the car park / onto the gravel or to go to my car. Numerous friends smoke while riding but I couldn't do that.
 
It's just insane that anyone thinks it is OK to smoke either on a yard or on or near a horse, it's just far too dangerous. At a livery near me the proprietor smokes and I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw her do it - especially as she was so flagrantly ignoring her own no smoking signs.
 
yeah smoker here.

I have my own yard, but wont smoke near the bedding or the hay. e-cigs are the best but ive lost a few out hacking :/
 
minesadouble said:
I think the higher the through the levels you go (re competitions) the more smokers you find - must be the stress! I agree with no smoking rule on the yard itself but can't see how it can be enforced in car parks etc at competitions
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A friend of mine went to the yard of a well known top show jumper and he was smoking while on the horse. Two of his grooms were smoking as they clipped his stallion
 
Mike007 said:
I own a timberyard, I employ a lifelong friend (and smoker) . He simply doesnt understand why I am absolutely rabid about his putting his cigarettes out. He chucked a butt out of the workshop once , a few minutes later I asked him if he was going to put the fire out ? What fire? The one you just started ! (yes it had set light to some wood!) . Yet he still thinks I am picking on him about his smoking . Smokers have no consideration for others ,they are addicts. Same as drug addicts. I will never ever employ another smoker.
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I can't believe how holier than thou some people are about smoking!
I am not a smoker but I'm pretty sure that not employing someone because they smoke is very narrow minded and prejudice.
 
My yard is a no smoking yard. A couple of liveries smoke but they have to stand outside in the carpark to do so.

At a previous yard the YO was a heavy smoker. One evening I came up to see her peering over her stable door - she calmly told me she's dropped her lighted ciggi over the stable door and now she couldn't find it... WTF??? I left my horses out that night - I just wouldn't of slept.

Rode out with said YO a couple of times but I had to stop - she smoked non-stop while riding - at walk, trot and canter a fag would still be in her mouth. The fumes really irritated my asthma (I was always behind her because her youngster wouldn't go behind) so I stopped riding with her lol!!
 
I'm not a fan of smoking on horses, I think it looks grotty but as far as I can see it isn't particularly dangerous.

Smoking near flammable things and in stables is obviously stupid.

Around the side of an arena/car park etc I can't see a problem with.
 
^^^^^ Totally agree.

I'm not being holier than thou either, I just totally disagree with smoking near or on a horse, stables, tack rooms, hay stores, etc.
 
Most yards I have been on have only allowed smoking in the car park, have been fortunate that fellow liveries have stuck to the rules, as a non smoker I appreciate this
 
I went to see a horse with a friend once. The seller opened a pack of fags, put one in his mouth and lit it, then snapped the filter off another and fed it to the horse! We left the horse there, friend was worried how it would react when it was giving up :D
 
swampdonkey said:
I'm pretty sure that not employing someone because they smoke is very narrow minded and prejudice.
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Well, if it's good enough for the World Health Organisation...


At my old yard smoking was allowed in the (hardcored) car park and a few other areas - obviously nowhere near hay/bedding!
 
I smoke, I prob smoke too many :(
However, haven't ever smoked whilst riding, have ethics on my (own) yard - smoke in car parking area only, or when up fields - butts always popped in pocket after if up field or in the ashtray I keep for myself.
If another potential smoker arrives on my yard as a visitor - I don't smoke at all whilst they are there. The only problem I ever had was with an under age teenager on the yard - I kicked them out on the 1st occasion of rule breaking.

Mind you, am pretty well trained anyway as have smoked outside for past 12 years at home, also have close family member in fire rescue service.

TFF, hardened criminal....... its not nice, but its MY bad habit :redface3:
 
Re: feeding the tobacco to the horse- I was told about 30 years ago, by an old horseman, that he used tobacco to worm the horses.
 
Mike007 said:
I own a timberyard, I employ a lifelong friend (and smoker) . He simply doesnt understand why I am absolutely rabid about his putting his cigarettes out. He chucked a butt out of the workshop once , a few minutes later I asked him if he was going to put the fire out ? What fire? The one you just started ! (yes it had set light to some wood!) . Yet he still thinks I am picking on him about his smoking . Smokers have no consideration for others ,they are addicts. Same as drug addicts. I will never ever employ another smoker.
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Bit of a sweeping statement there & how on earth does smoking compare to drug addicts using mind altering drugs......get real.
 
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