What is the fair thing to do please? Please vote!

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martinka

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I have my 2 year old filly on grass livery where she has been without any harm for last 7 months and we were all happy. We had a woman who moved her 7 horses to our fields 2 months ago. She used to have her own yard and seemed to be a really nice person at first. I have told her specificaly as she brought 2 stallions that supposed to have been gelded prior to her coming but that did not happen, that the mother of my filly who is currently on breeding loan to my friend was injured and crippled for life as 2 y. old by a gelding that kept mounting her and I was anxious that she manages her stallions after they gelded carefully. The YO assured me that if there was at any point a problem, the problem horse would have to be either separated or leave. The stallions were kept along with 2 other geldings separately from the herd in a smaller field. Soon the grass in the smaller field run out and I was happy for the 2 geldings to join the mares as I was assured they were ok. The ex-stallions were still in the smaller field. Needles to say my filly was in season that week and few days after the geldings were put out, I found her with bite marks and scratches and massive swolen back leg. My gut instinct was telling me she was mounted on, but when I asked the woman if she noticed anything unusual or has she been runnning around more than usual, she said no. When the vet came, he asked the same Q. the woman was there and she again said no. The vet said the injury occured from some kind of stress on her leg and the vet bill came to over £100.
More to the point, my filly had to go to the small grazed off field to recover from her injury while the woman's ex-stallions went out with the herd.
few days later as I was leaving the yard early in the morning after giving my filly her antibiotics etc and I saw the woman's gelding mounting her own mare. And it was not the ex-stallion, but one of the original geldings. A big heavy skewbald. I phoned the YO immediately and she promised me she would deal with it as obviously it was a problem.
Last Fri I spoke to the YO in person and asked for my filly to join the herd again as her leg is ok now, but the skewbald would need to come out. She said it was absolutely ok and I should contact the woman and arrange for the swap around.
But the woman's response was a bit of a shocker, because she said she was happy to have her mares and geldings together and virtually she is not bothered if they are jumped on. And that I should speak to the YO.
suddenly the following day I was told that it is my filly that is going to be excluded from the herd and not the skewbald!!!
My filly has done absolutely nothing wrong yet she is being punished, being stuck in a field that with fairness was extended on Sat, but is grazed off, full of weeds and ragwort. Hardly a healthy environment for a growing horse.
Everybody I spoke to agrees with me that it is unfair for my filly being deprived of being in a big field with lots of grass and that she is excluded from the herd rather than the gelding.
Plus the other day I also saw one of her ex-stallions trying to climb on one of her mares as well.
I am so so so upset as I feel I am treated unfairly only because she has more horses than me.
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Putting aside the who's right and who's wrong dilemma. You are presumably paying to have your horse in a safe and secure environment and by the sounds of it you are not receiving this. This other lady is no doubt a paying livery too and I suspect given that she has a number of horses there your YO is trying to keep her happy too (I'm not defending the action BTW). You have a couple of options as far as I'm concerned, talk things through between the three of you and come to an acceptable compromise or you leave and find somewhere more suitable for your filly. Either way there is nothing to stop you going and pulling up the ragwort that is currently in the small paddock you have!
 
You have not seen the amount of ragwort that is in the field. I have been pulling it for 2 hours after work on sat and I would say I pulled out 1% of the lot.
Secondly, why should I look for another place when I was there before the woman and my filly is not the one with the problem??
Why should I be pushed out?? I had 2 stallions in the past and have always considered everybody else and took a responsibility of having a horse that was more difficult to manage.
Why is it that there are some people who just ruin it for everybody else?
 
You have not seen the amount of ragwort that is in the field. I have been pulling it for 2 hours after work on sat and I would say I pulled out 1% of the lot.
Secondly, why should I look for another place when I was there before the woman and my filly is not the one with the problem??
Why should I be pushed out?? I had 2 stallions in the past and have always considered everybody else and took a responsibility of having a horse that was more difficult to manage.
Why is it that there are some people who just ruin it for everybody else?
 
Martine would you rather your mare was injured....no, exactly.

You now have your own paddock, its safe and away from the attentions of this herd of rapists.

get in there and get the ragwort and the weeds pulled and make the best of it.

I am on a super yard where the owners bend over backwards for the horses and owners and we are all pulling ragwort too.....because we care about our horses environment. Its a pain but you just have to get on and do it.

Over the years I must have spent hundreds of hours dealing with this terrible plant, its just part of being a horse owner or having land.

Your YO is trying to do the best for EVERYONE - I think you have got a good deal out of this actually, maybe if you ask NICELY people will give you a hand to sort the paddock out??
 
Could you ask to have a section of the big field fenced off for your filly (or alternatively, the naughty boys!)?

Sounds like a tricky situation.... I would speak to the YO and explain how upset you are.... he/she will probably be more understanding and willing to negotiate and help if you are upfront.

Your YO might think they are being helpful by offering you your own paddock... they wont know that you are unhappy about it unless you tell them!
 
Thank you for the input. I have spoken to her, in fact I have written my feelings down as well. I have suggested that the mares and 2 geldings that are no problem remain in the big field and the 2 raunchy ones will stay separated in next field. but that does not look like it is going to happen. It is a shame, because my friends who have 5 mares between them will not now move to the yard as they do not want to put their mares through the aggro. Don't take me wrong, I feel sorry for the 2 geldings, because they doing it thanks to their natural instincts and otherwise are nice to be around, but any other equestrian establishment always takes out the problem horses, not the other way around.
 
I'm never really too sure why threads have to be posted in more than one forum on here....but hey ho!

I answered "no". I think you have a good deal in that your filly is safe away from any dangers or injuries. You have your own paddock and are presumably not paying extra to have individual turnout? Sounds fine to me.

PS. The "fair" thing is also not condemning without proof - if no-one saw the gelding mount your filly, then how do you know that it was definitely this which contributed to your filly's injury?
 
On my yard we are all lucky enough to have our own paddocks (only 3 on the yard tho!) and it seems to save alot of hassle and potential injuries. she can still see the others and must feel safe as shes calm. they all get on fine and groom over the fence etc. and obviously its alot easier to get them out the field when they are on their own.

I think you just need to clean up the field. and if its only her in it you may find with a bit of sunshine, you will have too much grass!!
 
Personally i would probably move yard, i think its best mares and geldings are kept separately in general (not always needed, we used to have a mixed herd with no such problems) unfortunately it doesnt sound like you have many options available to you at that yard
I also think it is the landowners responsibility to get rid of that death trap ragwort, as it doesn't sound like just the odd plant that one could consider pulling up oneself
This is unless of course you can have a serious conversation and sort out the problem with the YO, good luck
 
Thank you very much for your input. Posted this on New Lounge as well as it seems more people read that section and the votes speak for themselves.
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To summarise it all. As soon as i got back from work, i have loaded my dogs and went to the field, arrived at 6.30 and did not go home till gone 10 when it was too dark to see. all that time i was pulling the ragwort. yet another day. And it does not seem to make much difference. I had to watch my filly and one other that is in the field with her calling out for the others and galloping around madly as they wanted to join the herd where they were happy prior to the geldings being turned out. It was really sad because all the other mares came back to my bit of field nuzzling them over the fence. I just cried and cried pulling the ragwort.
My entire point is that the YO promised that it would be the offensive geldings that would come out, not my filly OR that she will separate the geldings and mares. I am not a malicious person, people who know me know that I am easy going and happy to help out anybody and share.
In past I had 2 mares and 2 stallions and it was more time consuming and demanding to have 2 stallions, but I would never jeopardize anybody's health or safety.
I expect the same from ANY DECENT PERSON and i don't think that is wrong at all.
Furthemore, this woman that caused so much upset has never even said SORRY. She knew prior to my filly's injury that the gelding was jumping on her, becasue she said to the YO that my filly was in the game and up for it!!!! Then, she laid to me and the vet when we both asked if she noticed anything unusual, different.
Now if that is not offensive, what is???
In the past I have been looking after horses that their owners abondoned, helped out many other people and animals without even being asked and always considered other liveries. Is it wrong to expect the same from others?
Needles to say, I am now looking again desperately for another establishment where people are nice and do not lie.
And lastly, 2 of my other friends will not be moving to the current yard, so the YO just lost future 5 liveries that have been at the place before and wanted to come back. If the mares and geldings were separated or at least the two offensive ones, there would be more people coming in. It is a shame and I am very sad, the YO's are lovely people and I was very happy there, I don't understand why they promised one thing and did another, but I guess such is life. Not always fair.
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At the end of the day, hun, your YO is running a business and this woman has a lot of horses which equal a substantial income to the yard - she is maybe looking at it all in monetary terms. I know she had lost liveries because of her actions but she probably doesnt know that.

It does sound like you have been a bit pushed out and the new womans needs have been put above yours which is pretty sad and I agree she certainly doesnt appear to feel any responsibility for her horses actions if she is making comments like your mare is 'up for a game'. That would really annoy me but at least yours is safe now.

I am astonished that your place has such a ragwort problem - it seeds so vociferously that it needs to be cleared as soon as it appears otherwise the problem just gets bigger and bigger. My YO isnt too bothered about it but I always dig it up even in the boundaries so it doesnt spread. If I lived nearer to you I would come and give you a hand.
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Option 3 - MOVE!

No way would I leave my mares on a yard where te YO thinks ragwort is safe in ANY stage.

Nor if my mares were suffering injury - even if it couldn't be proven - because of the geldings mounting them - again I'd be looking elsewhere.

Can't the YO split the large field mares on one side and geldings on the other like many do?
 
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I had to watch my filly and one other that is in the field with her

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I thought you implied previously that she was in the field on her own?
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Thank you for that. Does help.
To Tia's Q. The mare that is in with my filly was deserted by her owner last winter, I have been looking after her all this time and she has a bond with my filly, hence she was put in with her. Otherwise my filly would have gone through wires, el. tape etc just to get to the others.
Needless to say, my friend came to help me with the ragwort yesterday. When she saw it, she just turned aroudn and said, I don't believe this, you will never finish this lot off. Just get our of here. if that is the attitude, you don't want to be here.
Which is right. I am looking around this weekend, going much further out than I would normally do. I want what is best for my horse naturally, hopefully I will find somewhere where people care and manage their fields properly.
It makes me mad and sad that the equestrian world is so money driven, to the point that horses are exposed to serious risks and their owners get put through unnecessary stress.
 
to be honest i would just move your mare to somewhere more sutiable where they care more about the horses welfare as opposed to the money they are making.
Or alternatively make the best of this new paddock you have. Try and spend 1-2hr a night pulling it out and eventually you will have a nice safe paddock for your filly. I know its a nightmare and it seems like it will take for ever but just stick at it. But i think you need assurance from yard owner that she wont move any other of the naughty horses into your padock in thr future if there grass runs out ect otherwise your hard work will have gone to waist.
 
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