Would you ever...*Rant

MissSBird

MissSBird

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Never posted a rant before, but this has got me pretty angry.

Would you ever consider feeding someone elses horses when they havn't asked you to, there is nothing made up, you do not know what the horses get and you don't know what is in the bins?

Cause that is what someone at the yard has done to me today
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Got up to the stables to find there was a note on the board saying 'Horses fed and watered 4pm X and Y'

I presumed this meant that X and Y had given everyone haylege. Then my sister noticed that both of mine had empty feed buckets laying in there stable. I was then rather confused as I took all the buckets out this morning.

Went through to the feed area and noticed my scoop in a different place than it was.Now very concerned so I phoned Y and asked what they'd given her. 'Oh, just half a scoop each of the pony nuts'.

I don't feed pony nuts. What they'd given my two was half a scoop of the tb's conditioning cubes. They'd just waltzed in and made up feeds for MY horses and given them it without phoning me to ask and without any knowledge of what the horses get!

I can't believe this. So now the fell has had half a scoop of something she's never had before! What if she colics!?

And thats all they've given, there was no chaff in it to slow down eating. What if MY horses had choked?!

Even worse; I have unsoaked suger beet in a bin which also looks like pony nuts! What if they'd picked that one!? Their thoughtless act could have KILLED my horses! (They left the scoop in the conditioning cubes bin so I know they havn't, thankfully).

I cannot believe anyone would be so stupid! SO ANGRY!!!!

So, I've now spoken to YO's OH who's going to check on the fell frequently, though at the moment she's not showing any signs of colic thankfully.

YO (who deals with problems) had guests over tonight so I will speak to her on Sunday when I next see her.

Still trying to decide if I'm going to speak to them personally or not.

For a moment I wondered if I was over-reacting, but I don't think I am...

I just can't believe they would do something so stupid. One of them has had horses longer than me too...
 
I do not think you are overeacting at all. I would feel the same as you.

What happened was irresponsible.

I really hope your horses are ok.
 
What an idiot, unfortunately the exact same thing has happened to me in the past, and like you I was furious!

Hope the horses are ok.
 
It is one thing for someone to chuck in a handful of chaff or hay if all others were being fed and yours were upset at not being fed, but yes I would not be happy if someone had fed hard feed to mine without knowing what they have.
 
I hope your horses are ok, i used to keep my horse at a dressage yard where the owner (a dressage judge) had 2 huge TB. She used to feed my 14.2 huge amounts of hay in his other haynet when he'd already been given hay. Haynets so big you couldn't lift them and in the mornings there would be more hay than bedding in his stable and he has a decent bed. This made me pretty angry as we were paying for it.

It must be a horrible feeling finding someone has endangered your horses by doing this, hopefully they'll learn not to do it again!
 
We make all our morning feeds up at night and leave them in a pile - if anything is on drugs we put the packets in the right bowls and they get added before they get given.
The yard gets fed the sam way every morning.

That is until a numpty livery ends up feeding the yard the wrong way round - worse still she had no reason to even be feeding and even worse still my horse was on antibiotics and bute at that time.
When we finally worked out what bowl was in what stable we realised that the drugs had been given to the YO STALLION!

We were all livid so i completely understand your point!

(i made the livery go and get me another sachet of antibiotics from the vet to make up fro the one my horse hadnt had)
 
FGS, that's appalling. I'd be fuming. How dare someone give hard feed without being instructed to??? Just goes to show what limited knowledge X and Y must have not to known the risk of feeding horses what they are not be used to having.

Like someone else said, it's one thing to top up an empty water bucket (and I might actually be grateful if someone did that for my horses), but I'd even be a bit cross at someone chucking in some extra hay without my implicite consent (unless it was an obvious emergency.)

I've just moved to a new yard and last night I went up late to bring mine in. All the other horses in my barn were in and settled for the night, and as I said hello to one of them I noticed his single water bucket was complete empty. It was about 7.45pm at the time. I must confess I didn't dare fill it up, and went home feeling bad about it. But I am new to the yard and aware that some people can be really possessive of their horses and don't want anyone to interefer with them whatsoever. Think I probably should have snuck in and topped its water up, but then again I am also aware that if anything happened whilst I was in its stable it could become very awkward.

You must speak to the YO tomorrow and explain this mustn't happen again. Hopefully your Fell will be okay, but that's not the point is it!

In answer to your initial question - NO! YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT OVER-REACTING!!!!
 
I would be so annoyed!!! A lady at a yard i was at did this. She always thought she knew best. A pony there was on a diet as he was overweight and suffered from laminitus and the owners couldnt undestand why he wasnt losing weight. When they turned up at a different time they found this woman feeding their pony on a youngstock mix that belonged to the YM! When they spoke to the women they were told that they were being cruel to the pony. She did it on several occasions to me but YM managed to sort it out.
 
Definately not over reacting, I'd be fuming, and would have no hesitaion in speaking directly to the culprits. It's not only ignorant, but as you so rightly say so very dangerous, what were they thinking of?, how incredibly stupid.
 
Ugh, it's just occured to me what they gave to the fell was actually more than a pony of her size should get of the condition cubes per day!
 
They thought they were doing you a favour. I think you are over reacting a bit, your horse isn't going to die because it had half a scoop of nuts without any chaff.
 
I don't think you're over reacting at all. I would be livid if someonde did that to my horse however,
on monday there was an emergency on my yard and i had to look after a friends horse while he went to hospital after his partner had an accident.
I knew roughly what the horse had and how much he had of what and anything I wasn't sure of I left out. He's a horse that needs to be fed too.
I spoke to the owner and they were greatful I'd sorted him out and at least given him something to eat.
I would never never never do it unless someone asked me too though!
Its just bloody dangerous.
 
I think you have every right to be angry BUT think about how you are going to deal with it. These people thought they were helping you and one day you might need that help. I would thank them for the thought then quietly explain that giving a horse the wrong feed could couse a lot of problems.
 
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They thought they were doing you a favour. I think you are over reacting a bit, your horse isn't going to die because it had half a scoop of nuts without any chaff.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to agree with DieselDog. Yes, you're right to be annoyed and a bit of a chat with the person who fed them is in order so it doesn't happen again, but try to put it into perspective first. Its extrememely unlikely your horses will come to any harm because of 1 feed.
 
I think you may be overacting a little... they were only trying to help and i suppose if they thought the condition cubes were normal pony cubes then they probably assumed that they werent too wrong in the feeding.

to those who said that they wouldnt re-fill the water bucket - that is amazing!! a horse should always have water and to leave a horse without water is worse than feeding imo. its only a bucket of water!!
the welfare of the horse should be put first over the reaction of the owners.

i still think it was wrong of X &Y to feed without knowing; i only feed other horses if i know exactly what they get.
 
I agree with o_m! She was trying to do you a favour! If she got it wrong... have a quiet word with her!
Neither of your horses HAVE died. Speak to her quietly away from the other liverys and notify her of the mistake, and most of all EDUCATE her. She might not know it was wrong, I'm sure she didn't want your horses to die, if she did she is one dim-wit I'm sure a 5 year old could come up with a quicker way....

x
 
Sorry, I have to disagree with the people who say it's no big deal and they were just trying to help. The horse is not their property so they should leave it alone unless an arrangement or request has been made. Full stop! It is a matter of respect I feel. Just my point of view though!
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I agree with Spyda, who is to say they will stop at that, maybe next time they may think a few potatoes or bread, or something equally idiotic is ok to give to other peoples horses. I would be fuming if someone decided off their own back to feed my horses whatever they liked, when they had not even been asked EVER to do my horses. However, I would be equally irked if I had heard someone had known my horse had no water and left them without all night, sorry.

I may be naive and probably am, but don't you all get together on a yard and talk about rules etc regularly, especially if new people come along? ie who can be fed who can't - and as for giving ready made feeds to the wrong horse by mistake, wouldn't it be easy to just put the horses name on each bucket so it can't happen?
 
Your horse is VERY unlikely to come to any harm as the result of being fed some conditioning cubes. I also think it would be very unlikely that they would feed unsoaked sugarbeet or potatoe peelings, they are horse people after all so lets get that in perspective.

However, I totally get your point about someone feeding your horse without being asked, I would be livid, did they think they were doing you a favour? I would wait until I had calmed down and then had a word with them, I would make it very clear that under no circumstances are they to make up feeds for my horses and if ever I do need my horses fed I would make my own arrangements thankyou.
 
Yes I think you are over reacting!

They, as you said have owned horses longer than you, so are very unlikely to feed un soaked suger beet.
They were just trying to do you a favor, but yes you prob should have a word and say how you would rather no one fed your horses if you are really that upset by it.
Your pony is very unlikey to colic after half a scoop of cond. cubes so i really think its unnessecery (sp) to make a big deal out of it to x and y or they will think you are being unreasonable imo.
 
I'd be annoyed - I recently discovered that my horse has been getting 'breakfast' given to him by someone who I know makes HUGE feeds - no wonder he's not bee losing any weight, as I was feeding him after I'd ridden in the morning as well! I only found out because I turned up to ride in the morning (as usual) and was told I couldn't as he had just been fed!!!
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I now make up a small feed for him and leave it so she can give him that, as she refused to leave him without breakfast, saying that he would 'have the stables down' if she didn't feed him
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- funny how he never used to be fed with the other horses at the old yard and his stable stayed intact..... *rolls eyes*

I'd just have a chat with them and tell them you will sort your own feeds out - as others have said, a few pony nuts as a one off are unlikely to cause any major problems. It's more of an annoyance really. Also, if you had turned up to exercise and not realised they had just been fed there might have been a problem.
 
I think maybe a slight over reaction. They were just trying to help.

It was silly of them, but i'd probably say "Thanks, but no thanks."
 
QR- tbh i do think you are over reacting , as others have said they probably thought they were doing you a favour. Half a scoop of nuts has never collicked any horse i know.

I'd have a quiet word and tell them thanks for helping out but you'd rather just feed them yourself. I very much doubt they are about to feed unsoaked suger beet otherwise their own horses would be pretty ill by now!
 
I don't think you are over-reacting. I do see people's point about them trying to help, however my experiences of other liveries has made me a bit sensitive. People are always interfering with my boy and it REALLY p*sses me off!

Tbh I think that, whether or not there was a real likelihood of your horses coming to harm from the nuts, it is a matter of principal and respect. Unless people have a real welfare concern they should mind their own business and leave others' horses alone.

Rant over!!!!!
 
QR

Sorry but I too think you are over reacting a bit...

Yes I would be angry if someone fed mine, especially as they are all on different supplements!

But that is also why I have a board with all the horses feed and supplements listed in the feed room.. this way if anything happened to me and I wasn't able to deal with them someone else would be able to feed them in my absence.. Its somthing that I see as essential as if I had an accident I know people would appreciate knowing they are doing the right thing!!

I do agree with those who said the person obviously thought they were helping, and you should have a quiet word and tell them what they have done and explain what might have happened. there is no need to go mad at them, just calmly explain .... if they did it again I would then go balistic!!
 
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