What would you say / do?

J

Jericho

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I keep my horses at home and my 'livery' (young girl) has just left my horse tied up in the yard for 2.5 hrs! She was up at 4.30pm doing her pony and my boy must have been getting under her feet so she put his headcollar on and tied him up (which she has done before on numerous occasions on my say so).

I think she went home at about 5pm and I went out at 7.45pm to feed my two and poor old boy gives me a very heart felt whicker of welcome standing there totally fed up in the pitch black. I am livid. Thank god I was late feeding them as some days she finishes after me. He could have been standing there all night!!!
 
I'd go completley mental
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Gentle approach. I am quite sure if she has her own horse she would never dream of intentionally hurting a horse. Young girls can be absent minded. I can vouch for that and I believe if you tell her she would never have intentionally done it. Getting mad will achieve nothing apart from make her beat herself up about it, I would just be glad your horse is ok. But everybody makes mistakes
Deep breath, glass of wine.
 
I would tell her that it was completely unacceptable and she is never to touch your horse again!

Maybe you could start a 'warning' system and put her on first warning...just so she knows exactly how serious it was.
 
I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose, and as said above everybody makes mistakes.
If you don't want her tying him up again then say so but don't go mad at her
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Can you make a pen in the corner for her to take her horse in when she's there so he doesn't have to be tied up?
 
Yes, this is a good idea. I'd be annoyed to but mistakes happen. I had a 'close shave' when looking after my friends horse once, fed her horse, fed mine, turned mine out and went home
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thankfully remembered about poor horse on route and did a quick 180!!
Explain what happened and that you are not happy but i'm sure it was a genuine mistake x
 
I'd be bl**dy fuming!

So have a rant here, glass of vino or whatever takes your fancy, then tomorrow tell her calmly, but firmly that you were not impressed and she is to ensure it never happens again.

Mistakes do happen, but I can quite understand why you are angry.
 
a teenager on our old yard did exactly the same thing,her horse was tied outside the stable and she went off home! YO was still there so put him away. these incidences are probably more common than you think. ask the kid tomorrow if she forgot something last night then tell her and ask her to in future double check that she hasn't left him tied up or to let you know when she is about to leave so you can check.
 
She maybe had so much on her mind she didnt intentionally forget. I worked in a racing yard and put our horses on the walker tacked up to warm up while we mucked out. I had a horse about 15hh, put him on and mucked out. When we all went to the walker mine had gone under the rubber flap and into the horse behind reins around front legs and two EXPENSIVE horses walking together, could of kicked the life out of each other. My employer thought i had been absent minded and as the spaces were so big thought id put him in with the other until the marks on his back proved otherwise! All she done was get me a new martingale and said accidents happen no harm done. I felt terrible really beat myself up even though it was horses fault. Just raise it casually im sure she will feel just as bad if done unintentially.
 
Thanks everyone - a glass of wine, a mini rant about it to my husband and then a deep breath and I calmed down. I know it was a mistake and she wouldnt have done it intentionally but it is just another little episode which is making me lose confidence in her (leaving tack room unlocked, baling twine mixed in hay, leccy fencing switched off and so on!) It just means that I will be double checking everything now and the point of having her as a livery was that she helped me!!!!

Oh well, thansk everyone for letting me bend your virtual ears and calming me down! I'll have a word with her tonight about it and other things and remind her of the responsibility.

I just cant get out of mind the image of him standing there all night with no feed, water, shelter etc if I hadnt have gone out....
 
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