Stable/Barn Rules

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damnemjay

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Hello, I was just wondering what some of your stable or barn rules are?
I have a pony and people (family members, neighbours) keep coming and giving him too much feed and messing around with his water buckets and etc. I'm getting sick of it, as they're giving him the hay we have stored for the winter. They also give him A LOT of treats, whether it's apples, carrots, or pears. The pears and apples are very sweet and he gets too crazy/hyper when he has them. I'm making a sign for the barn as rules for everyone to follow, I was just wondering what some helpful rules would be for this situation!
 
Our yard is very strict about this - no feeding anyone else's horse. Although one woman is a feeder and kept on giving my horse treats, until he got over enthusiastic nuzzling her pockets and chomped her right on the boob. No more treats from her.
 
I've got a sign up on my horse's door. It's a bit bigger & ruder right now because someone has been treating her - she's nuzzling at pockets and I don't feed from pockets. She's nippy at the best of times so someone will get hurt if this doesn't stop.
 
My parents are the same. It's very annoying my mum always wants to give the horse carrots even when he has done nothing to deserve them. I put them in his feed if he has worked hard and behaved well but otherwise no he gets nothing.

My dad is a nightmare at the yard he just goes around giving them all treats even when I tell him to stop it. He over feeds with treats but if he offers to fill up a haynet I get a half empty one back. He then gets annoyed if I go and fill it up properly. Sorry but how is half a full haynet going to feed a large horse through a whole night? Doesn't matter how often I tell him he ignores me. It's great he wants to help but he just creates more issues lol.
 
Agree with others - please don't feed pony' sign. They are only trying to be nice but it could be a medical reason for all people know. Also how have they even got access to your feed/hay to give it? All my stuff is locked up even family members would need to get the key off me to get in there.
My pony is usually too grumpy to accept treats from strange people and often spits them out lol but I am happy for people to offer, but she's never had laminitus etc intolerance to stuff, so I don't have those concerns
 
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I am on a small private yard, but we have a footpath that runs through it and also caravan storage. We sometimes get caravan people or passers-by coming in to see the horses, which is annoying but not the end of the world. However, I found someone feeding my friends horses a loaf of bread and a load of apples over the fence, so I went and explained that, as nicely as I could, that the horses might have health issues and they shouldn't feed them. They were very apologetic and I honestly don't think they realised.

Last week I went into our barn and found someone had been feeding our horses sandwiches as there was bread, ham and bits of lettuce outside all the stables (horses had clearly tried and spat them out).
I have one with PSSM and potentially EMS and another with digestion problems and a grass allergy, so I am very strict with their diets. I've put signs up politely stating that they could be made seriously ill and not to feed them anything.
 
I think they just want to be helpful, but really there's no need. He's always got fresh hay, water, breakfast and dinner. They just think that they can help by throwing him some more hay or over feeding him a bunch of apples
 
The feed is just in a shed, and since I don't own the property I can't lock it or take control of it. It bothers me a lot, I wish I could control access to it, but unfortunately I can't.
 
rachk89 said:
My parents are the same. It's very annoying my mum always wants to give the horse carrots even when he has done nothing to deserve them. I put them in his feed if he has worked hard and behaved well but otherwise no he gets nothing.

My dad is a nightmare at the yard he just goes around giving them all treats even when I tell him to stop it. He over feeds with treats but if he offers to fill up a haynet I get a half empty one back. He then gets annoyed if I go and fill it up properly. Sorry but how is half a full haynet going to feed a large horse through a whole night? Doesn't matter how often I tell him he ignores me. It's great he wants to help but he just creates more issues lol.
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Yes I understand about the parents over feeding with treats lol. My mom is nervous around horses so she always brings an apple or carrot out and gives it to him to distract him while she passes by. It bothers me because he's young and I'm trying to get him used to people and to be polite to them but her doing that doesn't help!
 
damnemjay said:
Yes I understand about the parents over feeding with treats lol. My mom is nervous around horses so she always brings an apple or carrot out and gives it to him to distract him while she passes by. It bothers me because he's young and I'm trying to get him used to people and to be polite to them but her doing that doesn't help!
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Oh dear! Your Mum doing this will have the complete opposite effect to the one she wants! Time to put on the brave pants and give them a little talking to. I'm sure they think they're being kind and helpful, but they must understand that it's you who's in charge.
 
I would be LIVID.

Now I don't mind mine getting treats at all, she has no dietary restrictions and she doesn't get nippy so I don't mind at all.

However, if I did, I would be taking each person to one side basically saying that the pony is yours, and you are trying to look after him effectively, however if people keep giving him treats, feed, hay etc they could be causing huge problems that you may not know about until it is too late.

Highlight and stress that the pony is YOURS, as well as the hay and the feed, it should not be touched without your express permission as apart from anything else it is your money that purchased those things.

I would then also stress that it does not mean people can feed your pony with their own treats or hay. The pony should not be fed by anyone other than you, full stop.

I'd then buy a lockable metal feed bin, put all hard feed and treats in there and put a sign on the pony's door and the gate to his field stating "please do not feed me without my owners express permission".

If it then continues, go mental. I would!

ETA: I would also put these up on a sign.

1) Do not use other people's hay or feed without their express permission.

2) Do not feed anyone else's horse hay/treats without their permission.

3) Items belonging to other people should not be moved, used or interfered with without their permission.
 
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Are you on a livery yard OP? In which case there should be a list of rules and regs for the yard in a prominent place already, to prevent such occurrences with your horse as you are experiencing.

If there are NOT any such rules displayed, then there bleddi well should be!!

You can't have every Tom Dick and Harry feeding your horse like this, not only does it make ponies very nippy but there is also the very real danger that someone will feed them something that will do them harm.
 
Flicker said:
Our yard is very strict about this - no feeding anyone else's horse. Although one woman is a feeder and kept on giving my horse treats, until he got over enthusiastic nuzzling her pockets and chomped her right on the boob. No more treats from her.
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Sorry, that made me laugh! Best giggle I've had all day - serves her right stupid woman.
 
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