Mad at barn that has my horse in training

[RM1908]

Need help
Am I over reacting... What should I do
I dropped my horse off yesterday at a training barn about 5 min away from my house ( one of the main reasons I chose this place was because it was close so I could check on progress)

Well I showed up unannounced not even 24 hours later and my horse is in the barn by himself (all the others are turned out ) and he is panicked sweating, snorting and wide eyed... his stall is filthy and his auto water is bone dry and doesn't appear to be working at all
The time is 10:30 ( the rest of the horses were turned out at 8:30)
I find 2 girls cleaning paddocks and that's it no one else is around
when I get the trainer on the phone I am told that the other trainer didn't tell the girls what to do with this new horse so they just left him in the stall
Now he is highly sensitive and easily frightened (hence the training)
I was told that sometimes the autowater float does get stuck and water doesn't come out
Am I being unreasonable to expect that if you know the waterer is screwy that you damn well put a bucket of water in for the horse as back up
I was afraid that he would be scared of it and asked for a bucket to be put in the first place
And to have 20 other horses taken out of the barn and leave him in by himself really pissed me off
Should I take him home or calm down and just check on him every day
I feel like I should be able to trust that he will get cared for properly, without having to inspect
Opinions please
thanks

[danceronice]

While the bit about leaving him in wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me (if they don't know where to put him, better that than guessing and sticking him in with someone that doesn't get along with him) I would be VERY concerned about the water. Uh..if they know it doesn't sometimes work, yes, put in a bucket, plus, maybe, FIX IT? I think horses need to be able to learn to deal with something like being alone in the barn, but they can't exactly deal without having water.

But you should go and inspect anyway. Even if you didn't have any concerns about care.

[RM1908]

As part of the contract each horse is to have their own paddock
and he had been in the stall for 24 hours (he is never stalled at home, he has an in and out) so that is what had me pretty mad ... but your right not a deal breaker

[Seven-up]

Hmmm, sounds like a simple request for a bucket that they didn't follow thru on. If it were me, I'd be making another surprise visit, and depending on what I found then, I might be bringing horsey back home.

Hopefully wires just got crossed this time, and they'll fix things. But I'd keep popping in unannounced just to make sure.

[foxrider]

Hello all! I'm new to the forum and introduced myself on the trailriding thread several days ago. This topic caught my eye as I recently had a similar discussion with a friend who was unhappy after moving her horse to a new facility.
RM, so sorry you're in this situation, I feel badly for your horse's experience. My personal opinion is that when a horse is brought into a new barn
( especially a professional trainer's ) he should be given some extra time and careful attention so the trainer/BO/barn help have a chance to figure out his needs... especially the stressful days when first moved in. Maybe the help didn't know where to put him, but it's the totally the trainer or barn manager's responsibility to clue everyone in; if he or she is too busy ( not a good excuse, btw ) at least leave a stall card with instructions.
I may be influenced by all of the BNT horror stories lately, but my horses wouldn't be left in a situation like this. One surprise visit like that would be enough for me.:no:

[goeslikestink]

As part of the contract each horse is to have their own paddock
and he had been in the stall for 24 hours (he is never stalled at home, he has an in and out) so that is what had me pretty mad ... but your right not a deal breaker

could be that yhey are teaching your horse to stand indoors as you say hes in and out and never been in a stable which in come horses with lack of trianing isnt always the best thing lets put it in simple terms if you want to go to a show then the hrose has to go into a trailer or lorry, so stands alone, maybe, or if vets farriers are needed the horse has to learn to stand and be quiet be it in a stable or out in the yard, or even at a show you might want to stay over night so the horse has to learn to be stabled

plus when new horses come in they should be quarantined fo a while which includes worming them etc

lots of reasons as for the horse waterer -- can happen with auto feeder but bucket of water should be available
and it depends on how they run the yard lots of reason and not just one

it could be your horse as you say panics as hes not very good on his , and needs to be tuaght that sometimes you have to be on your own for various reasons

[avezan]

I don't think you are overreacting. I would be very upset about this. You *asked* for a water bucket (and I'm assuming they said yes to the request?) and they didn't do it. What did you ask them to do as far as training? Will they do it? You are doing the right thing by dropping in unannounced. Keep doing this a few times a day for a few days and then make a decision. If things aren't going as you like, then bring him back home and try to find another situation. Since the barn is so close, is there any chance the trainer can come to your place to do the training sessions? Good luck.

ps. You need to change the title in your thread. I read it a few times trying to figure out if you found the horse choking in his stall. If that were the case, I would definitely get him out of there. But I think you meant, "checked". Click edit at the bottom of the post and then "go advanced" and you can edit your title.

[Zu Zu]

Too much passing the blame already -- you are paying for professional services - care and training- your trainer is the main communicator - He failed..The next trainer failed. The girls failed. * This first day speaks volumes - you have not seen any indication that they want to take care of or have the necessary organization to train your horse. I would be out today! and not pay a red cent! You should not have to check on the horse on a daily basis to see if he has WATER!!!!!~ As Oprah always says -- "Believe the person when they show what they are like the first time don't make them show you again" - something like that. WHY WORRY ??? Find another trainer!!

[Stacie]

Bring him home. Their management practices are in chaos. You risk colic or him becoming sick from the stress. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. But they are taking no precautions to keep it from happening.

[Equibrit]

Their lack of concern for your horse is what you should worry about. Go get him.

[JSwan]

Hmmmmm...... New horse in for training and folks are not overly concerned about making sure he settles in quietly, not providing water.....

I'd pick the horse up and take him home.

Accidents and injuries can happen in the BEST facilities, but I'd hope the facility would have an established routine for easing new horses into the program. That's pretty basic.

If your gut is telling you this is not the right place for your horse - listen to your gut. There are times when we're being overprotective worry warts - and times when our gut is telling us to take the horse home.

Good luck.

[Pookah]

I would bring him home. 1-Unacceptable that the trainer failed to leave instructions--not fair to the girls in the barn or the horse. 2-Beyond unacceptable that the horse was left without water. Horse in the barn by himself I would have a problem with, but probably not a deal-breaker--I agree with the earlier poster, better than turning him out in the wrong place. Personally I might have picked a horse that wouldn't mind and left him in as well for company, but it's an understandable situation. In addition to the rest of it, why didn't the girls call you or the trainer for instructions and to notify you that the horse was upset? I would have zero confidence in this place to give my horse acceptable care--you're lucky that you got there and the horse wasn't colicking. I hate to sound so neurotic, but there are plenty of trainers that will give your horse solid training and good care.

[CosMonster]

If you like the trainer otherwise (from your research before bringing the horse in) I'd sit down and have a serious talk with them before deciding what to do. Talk about what happened, why it is unacceptable to you, and that you absolutely want your horse to have a bucket. I think leaving him in is not that bad...like others have said it is better that they did that then stick him out somewhere he shouldn't be. The water would only concern me because you specifically asked for a bucket it sounds like, so that should have been there (I've dealt with auto floats that stick, but while the horse may have been without water for a little while it was never more than an hour between people checking them, except at night when the horses were out with stock tanks anyway). The fact is, wires do sometimes get crossed at busy training barns, even with very good managers. The trainer should be apologetic and willing to work out a plan with you to make sure this never happens again, even if it is something like giving the barn help your number so they can call if they have questions, or posting instructions for him on his stall door.

If you had any doubts about the barn previously and are just there because it is so close, I would definitely leave. Sometimes mistakes happen, but sometimes trainers don't care so much or barns have a reputation for doing this, and you don't want to be in that situation.

[Huntertwo]

I'd be picking him up ASAP. They knew the auto waterer's were faulty, yet no one checked on it that morning?

No one left the girls instructions?

Sounds like a half assed operation to me.

[Tamara in TN]

Should I take him home or calm down and just check on him every day
I feel like I should be able to trust that he will get cared for properly, without having to inspect
Opinions please
thanks

you are already too mad to overlook it....you will believe now that you have to go every day and the staff will hate that....bring him home...

regards

[twofatponies]

I would not pack up and leave based solely on that one day. Though it would make me wary, and I would drop in unexpectedly every day for a week.

The fact is a horse in a new place may pace, fret, sweat, call, poop all over his stall, etc. If they'd turned him out he might have run in circles and got himself in a sweat too, just from seeing all the new scenery and horses.

Me, I might have left one other horse nearby the first time, with an unfamiliar horse in a new place, but in general if a horse wants to throw a tantrum in his stall (or in the paddock), I let him work it out on his own. At other barns I boarded at in the past, everyone rushed to bring all the horses in if they started running around or got upset, so it's a different approach!

Waterer - sloppy. I would just spot check for a few days to make sure that's been fixed.

You have watched the trainer work on other horses right? So you know what his/her approach and technique is?

[MistyBlue]

Agreed, not worth the worry or the convenience of how close it is. Bring him home, find a new place.

[Houdini1220]

I have boarded at both larger barns as well as backyard barns, and I will agree with the poster who wrote that the first day speaks volumes. I understand that people get busy, etc. but if a new horse was coming to my barn I would be damn well sure that I was there to meet the horse, check on the horse, make sure everything with being handled properly. If I had other people taking care of my horses, I would make damn well sure that they knew what was to be done with the new horse and whould want to be there to make sure they were ok handling the horse.


It is lack of personal care and attention.

It is my personal opinion, that when you are paying someone else to care for your horse, you should not have to remind them to "care"

[asanders]

you are already too mad to overlook it....you will believe now that you have to go every day and the staff will hate that....bring him home...

regards

Maybe so.

OP don't take this the wrong way because obviously things didn't go smoothly at the farm end of things, and certainly we like to be able to expect that they will, as sometimes you can't personally be on hand to supervise, however...

Some of this could have been avoided by you.

I'll assume that you checked barn and trainer out thoroughly before the move. What was the discussion about stalling him since he was used to run-in?

More importantly, if I'd have been dropping him off, I'd have made sure there was a bucket in the stall before I left, that all his feeding and turn-out instructions were posted (and that this information was likely to get to the morning help), and that I knew where and when he was to be turned out.

None of this is your job, but if you had made the time, you wouldn't have had such problem in the am, or if you had, you'd know for sure it was time to move since it would be obvious that instructions are not followed in this barn, no second guessing.

Again OP, not really trying to get on you, but if you are going to be this mad at the barn, I bet you are already a little mad at yourself, so this is in the category of words to the wise for others.

If you can, I'd take a deep breath, let yourself and the barn off the hook (first strike), and try to start fresh giving them a chance (obviously you thought they were good enough 2 days ago)

[birdsong]

Hope you make the decision to pick him up. No horse should be without water..no excuses. IMO a new horse should be given extra attention...not less. That was your first red flag....do you really need more?

[Dune]

I'd be ticked off too, but then again, this is (sadly) what I've come to expect at most barns. I would never trust someone completely and just leave a horse somewhere without checking on them. :no: I think you already kinda knew this, because you picked a barn so close to your house. ;) I always tell them my horse is a hay dunker so they need to hang a bucket or fill a muck bucket with water near to where the horse is fed....covers a lot of bases. :cool: Let's just hope their training techniques are better than the horsecare you've seen so far.

[RM1908]

This is the first time I have boarded my horse... for 20 years I have had them on my property under my care, I was really nervous about sending him out and I made that well known to the trainer in our many conversations leading up to me sending him there
I have 2 friends that take lessons at this barn and have been very happy
I have heard nothing but good about the training techniques and manners of both trainers
I went over everything with the trainer all of my expectations and my horses needs
I was told that the horses have their own paddock and are turned out from 8:30 am to 8PM, three feedings a day
Contracts were signed stating that care taken of my horse would be exceptional
The trainer that did show up was very apologetic and he is really very nice
I have been assured that this mistake won't happen again ... but my faith in the place is on thin ice
I am going to see him now and talk to the trainers, if I see anything I don't like I will bring him home right away
Thanks for the quick responses and helpful advice

[Bluey]

Very shabby to have a new horse in, stressing like that, no water, etc. and no one the wiser.
At least the "girls cleaning the paddocs" should have seen he was being left alone and throwing a fit and notified someone to come check about it.

I think that stable is a dud myself and would not expect any better management on the riding part.

Some people are just bad managers and you don't want your horse in such a place.:eek:

Edited, after reading your last post, to say that maybe you can give them a second chance, but they sure did slip right off on general, common sense care.
I hope they come thru are are more careful from now on.

[chai]

I hope you will move your horse out of that stable. I had a similar experience with one of our horses. We moved her to a new barn so my daughter could ride with her best friend. When we arrived to check on our mare the next morning, we found her turned out in a tiny, ramshackle pen..not even a paddock...with missing rails, nails sticking out, a cut on her leg and a wall-mount metal hay rack on the ground in the pen with her. It's a miracle she didn't step out over the broken or missing rails and run off down the road. Missing and broken rails were frozen in the snow so we knew that our mare had not knocked down the rails.

We hurried home, hooked up the trailer and moved her within the hour. The barn owners would not refund any of my board money, so it was a very expensive 18 hours. But my feeling is that if people don't care enough to settle your horse safely into a new barn when you are paying $600 a month for board, the care is only going to go downhill from there.

I don't think they should have turned your horse out if they didn't know anything about him, but they should have left another horse in the barn to keep him company, filled a bucket for him if the waterer didn't work and called the trainer for direction. I would also be concerned about any type of 'trainer' who didn't check on a new client in the barn in person to make sure the horse was settled in safely.

For your own peace of mind, and your horse's safety, I hope you will be able to find a better arrangement. Good luck.

[jaimebaker]

I'm really confused by the title of this thread. Did the horse choke or not? Reading that he was panicking, snorty and sweaty tells me he was choking. Or was he just out of water??? Either one would have me probably getting him out of there. But then again, I AM overreactive:lol:

[Daventry]

Hmmmmm...... New horse in for training and folks are not overly concerned about making sure he settles in quietly, not providing water.....



Agreed! When we get a brand new horse in, the first 24-48 hours can be crucial in getting them to settle in properly....and when they already knew about the auto waterer problem too! Like others have said, MAYBE you just happened to catch the barn on their one bad day of disorganization. But, that one day could mean a colic, or worse. Why take that chance? JSwan has given some good advice on going with your gut! :yes:

[Daventry]

I'm really confused by the title of this thread. Did the horse choke or not? Reading that he was panicking, snorty and sweaty tells me he was choking. Or was he just out of water??? Either one would have me probably getting him out of there. But then again, I AM overreactive:lol:

lol :) No...she is upset (choked) with the barn that has her horse in for training.

[Bluey]

lol :) No...she is upset (choked) with the barn that has her horse in for training.

I too first assumed this was about a horse that choked, a serious problem to have.:eek:

[Jaegermonster]

If he were mine he would already be home. The leaving in part would not be a deal breaker, but would definitely be discussed. Better he should be in than beat up or whatever. So that's ok.
The no water and filthy stall would be a deal breaker though. There is no excuse for that.
And those girls can't pick up a phone to call someone who might know about the new horse?

and ditto what Chai said. The trainer should have checked on the new horse, esp since it belongs to a client

[merrygoround]

Her friends took lessons there and were very happy.

Taking lessons at a barn, and boarding a horse at a barn are poles apart.

The OP is a concerned owner, with her standards of horse care. I commend her for her alertness, in checking on her horse. Far too many owners have no idea as to the actual standard of care to which their horse is being subjected.

All that said, this particular book does not seem to match its cover. I'd be outta there.

[Androcles]

Too much passing the blame already -- you are paying for professional services - care and training- your trainer is the main communicator - He failed..The next trainer failed. The girls failed. * This first day speaks volumes - you have not seen any indication that they want to take care of or have the necessary organization to train your horse. I would be out today! and not pay a red cent! You should not have to check on the horse on a daily basis to see if he has WATER!!!!!~

Well said.
To me the worst part is how stressed looking he was when you came to see him. That has the potential to affect him in the future if the memory stays with him. I would take him home right away so he knows it's not something that lasts and you remove him from the situation immediately - might help him cope the next time. I thought the horse was choking too, not sure this is better :( .

[AnotherRound]

I would have brought him right back home. Too much blame passing for my taste, and way too much neglect. And not ever 24 hours into the event. I'd just stick in the trailer and say as I drove out, woops, my mistake! sorry to have inconvenienced you. See ya.

[RM1908]

Sorry to anyone who thought my horse was choking
I guess I should have said frustrated not choked
*Update*
Went to see my guy first thing this morning and he was happy as a clam... almost seemed to wonder why I was bothering him
He was turned out, Flymask on with lots of water and food
I checked his stall and it was spotless and the waterer seems to have been fixed
he also had a bucket of water
My gut tells me this was an isolated incident/mistake (one that the trainer was very embarrassed of )
My head tells me it shouldn't have happened in the first place and I will be keeping a very close eye on things everyday

[jaimebaker]

lol :) No...she is upset (choked) with the barn that has her horse in for training.

I have never in my life heard 'choked' used as a term for 'upset'.:confused: Glad the horse didn't choke though:yes:

[pixie]

Glad to hear that their customer service is notches above their management! IMO there are NO perfect barns just like there are No perfect horses! Unless their boarding rate is (not including training) more than 1200 per month they cannot afford to hire a full time barn manager that does nothing else except make sure all the horses have every need met at the drop of a hat and every board that gets broken is fixed instantly, etc, etc.....and they can hire someone to do it on that person's "day off".
A Trainer is not a full time manager nor is a barn owner that has other comitments. Kids mucking the stalls are just that, they are not paid to make decisions so they don't think like that....they muck and possibly do other chores that require no thought. No disrespect to muckers I mucked from the time I was 12 to the time I was 27.
Maybe your horse came in on a day that the Trainers were at a horse show or another key player had the day off, or they just got in new help. Things can surely be overlooked when a barn is understaffed, and underpaid. Corners are cut by keeping prices to their customers at a minimum just so they can stay in business. What the average boarder doesn't understand is all the time you spend catering to your horse's every need and want is manpower. Manpower costs alot of money and mosts barns are just staying afloat.
Also, there was a recent thread on keeping water in front of horses 24/7. There were alot of interesting opinions as with ANYTHING pertaining to horses! Fact is there are many different levels of care you can give a horse and they WILL survive. Horses do not (unless they are dunkers) sip water. Most walk over to the water source 2 or 3 times per day and drink their fill. If there is no water they will not die in the next 6 hours waiting for it! I am also pretty sure they can go about 12 hours without any ill-effects! My pony traveled to Ky last year from Ma (about 22 hours without drinking water....her choice). She looked sunken in when she arrived but after drinking a half a bucket of water she looked fine in half an hour.

My point is that care will be relevant to the price you are paying most likely. You probably should lower your expectations on your horse being perfectly pampered unless you are at the Ritz! The problem was addressed and fixed.....quickly.....not a bad thing!

Sounded like your pampered horsie needed an attitude adjustment anyway and got a rude awakening when his every need was not met and he had to deal with life on his own in horsie jail for a day.......not a bad thing......funny how now he looks content and probably happier than you have seen him in a while!

[avezan]

I have never in my life heard 'choked' used as a term for 'upset'.:confused: Glad the horse didn't choke though:yes:

Me either! I thought it was a typo.

[twofatponies]

Me either! I thought it was a typo.

At first I thought someone had choked, too. But then I figured she meant "checked at barn..."??

[Coreene]

So, again, the saying is "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

[cloudyandcallie]

At first I thought someone had choked, too. But then I figured she meant "checked at barn..."??

We all have got to keep up better with the slang terms of the day.:lol:

Meanwhile, OP needs to drop by the barn in the morning one day, and then turn around and go back later in the day, the same day, and make sure that all is well and that the amenities (hay, etc) have not been removed after she left the first time.

[RM1908]

Glad to hear that their customer service is notches above their management! IMO there are NO perfect barns just like there are No perfect horses! Unless their boarding rate is (not including training) more than 1200 per month they cannot afford to hire a full time barn manager that does nothing else except make sure all the horses have every need met at the drop of a hat and every board that gets broken is fixed instantly, etc, etc.....and they can hire someone to do it on that person's "day off".
A Trainer is not a full time manager nor is a barn owner that has other comitments. Kids mucking the stalls are just that, they are not paid to make decisions so they don't think like that....they muck and possibly do other chores that require no thought. No disrespect to muckers I mucked from the time I was 12 to the time I was 27.
Maybe your horse came in on a day that the Trainers were at a horse show or another key player had the day off, or they just got in new help. Things can surely be overlooked when a barn is understaffed, and underpaid. Corners are cut by keeping prices to their customers at a minimum just so they can stay in business. What the average boarder doesn't understand is all the time you spend catering to your horse's every need and want is manpower. Manpower costs alot of money and mosts barns are just staying afloat.
Also, there was a recent thread on keeping water in front of horses 24/7. There were alot of interesting opinions as with ANYTHING pertaining to horses! Fact is there are many different levels of care you can give a horse and they WILL survive. Horses do not (unless they are dunkers) sip water. Most walk over to the water source 2 or 3 times per day and drink their fill. If there is no water they will not die in the next 6 hours waiting for it! I am also pretty sure they can go about 12 hours without any ill-effects! My pony traveled to Ky last year from Ma (about 22 hours without drinking water....her choice). She looked sunken in when she arrived but after drinking a half a bucket of water she looked fine in half an hour.

My point is that care will be relevant to the price you are paying most likely. You probably should lower your expectations on your horse being perfectly pampered unless you are at the Ritz! The problem was addressed and fixed.....quickly.....not a bad thing!

Sounded like your pampered horsie needed an attitude adjustment anyway and got a rude awakening when his every need was not met and he had to deal with life on his own in horsie jail for a day.......not a bad thing......funny how now he looks content and probably happier than you have seen him in a while!

I am paying $1000+
and the horse in question is well taken care of ...not a pampered brat in the least .... his fears and issues are due to abuse he suffered prior to me buying him
I wouldn't say wanting my horse to have access to water is a high expectation

[Laurierace]

I'm really confused by the title of this thread. Did the horse choke or not? Reading that he was panicking, snorty and sweaty tells me he was choking. Or was he just out of water??? Either one would have me probably getting him out of there. But then again, I AM overreactive:lol:

That was my question as well. Its obvious from the follow up posts that choke isn't what she was talking about, instead she was talking about her choice of barns but still a weird title.

[RM1908]

I figured out how to change the thread title
so no one will think that my horse is choking .... although the title did get the thread a lot of responses ; )
Which I am very grateful for.... thanks all

[Woodland]

Need help
Am I over reacting... What should I do
I dropped my horse off yesterday at a training barn about 5 min away from my house ( one of the main reasons I chose this place was because it was close so I could check on progress)

Well I showed up unannounced not even 24 hours later and my horse is in the barn by himself (all the others are turned out ) and he is panicked sweating, snorting and wide eyed... his stall is filthy and his auto water is bone dry and doesn't appear to be working at all
The time is 10:30 ( the rest of the horses were turned out at 8:30)
I find 2 girls cleaning paddocks and that's it no one else is around
when I get the trainer on the phone I am told that the other trainer didn't tell the girls what to do with this new horse so they just left him in the stall
Now he is highly sensitive and easily frightened (hence the training)
I was told that sometimes the autowater float does get stuck and water doesn't come out
Am I being unreasonable to expect that if you know the waterer is screwy that you damn well put a bucket of water in for the horse as back up
I was afraid that he would be scared of it and asked for a bucket to be put in the first place
And to have 20 other horses taken out of the barn and leave him in by himself really pissed me off
Should I take him home or calm down and just check on him every day
I feel like I should be able to trust that he will get cared for properly, without having to inspect
Opinions please
thanks

Well here is my opinion for what ever it is worth;

The horse sounds like he needs to learn to "self soothe" himself. Meaning he needs to know he can be in the barn without other horses present and that he is OK. Self soothing makes a horse ready for training. Of he was calling for buddies or attention here he would have been left in as well - possibly tied until he gets over it - hence your trouble with him being "highly sensitive and easily frightened" - Boy howdy doe he need lessons in SELF SOOTHING!!!

He probably trashed the stall clamoring for attention because he can not self soothe!

Water - well his waterer need looking at. A bucket may be called for as well.

None of what you described is a "deal breaker" for me.

You are describing an animal DESPERATE for training and parameters! i am just a horse trainer that deals with this sort of horse all the time - give the trainer time!

[RM1908]

My post should have said that he is highly sensitive and easily frightened by very specific actions.... I now see that it makes him sound like a spoiled flighty head case .... which is very far from the truth
He is a 9 year old quarter horse warmblood cross about 1600 lbs
he is a gentle giant that was abused prior to me buying him. not herd bound in any way
Ground manners are impeccable, he stands like a perfect gentleman for hours of grooming bathing etc
he loaded into the trailer after not being hauled in 3 years like a dream
when he was put in the stall when I first arrived at the barn he was fine, he does not call, paw, scream or pace
When I found him severely stressed the next day I know that it was due to the lack of water ( once I filled the bucket he drank it down super fast and started to calm down)
The weather has been extremely hot and muggy lately
I was mad that he was still in stall because he was being punished (when he had been well behaved ) there was no reason for it
I have no problem or objection to keeping the bratty, snarky horse in the stall until they behave accordingly .... this is just not the case with this gelding
In the 3 years I have had him I have never seen him work himself up into a sweat over anxiety or stress
I should mention that his training is just to get him green broke, my expectations are to be able to mount him without issue and walk, trot .... that's it
I am not asking for a reining champ or advanced level dressage horse here

[Androcles]

My post should have said that he is highly sensitive and easily frightened by very specific actions.... I now see that it makes him sound like a spoiled flighty head case .... which is very far from the truth
He is a 9 year old quarter horse warmblood cross about 1600 lbs
he is a gentle giant that was abused prior to me buying him. not herd bound in any way


Your horse's issues are not the issue here! Good grief, even if he is a flighty head case, who cares??? The treatment he got there in the beginning is not a 'training method' and will not solve anything, if anything it could possibly create more behavior issues and lack of trust.

I have no problem or objection to keeping the bratty, snarky horse in the stall until they behave accordingly .... this is just not the case with this gelding
Horses are not children having temper tantrums needing timeouts. Locking them up in a stall does nothing to 'teach' them anything other than the humans that 'care' for them are willing to put their lives at risk (in their 'opinion'). This would be analogous to dangling a crying baby out the window by the ankle, until it stopped crying and learned its lesson.

Enough anthropomorphization already.

[Equilibrium]

Need help
Am I over reacting... What should I do
I dropped my horse off yesterday at a training barn about 5 min away from my house ( one of the main reasons I chose this place was because it was close so I could check on progress)

Well I showed up unannounced not even 24 hours later and my horse is in the barn by himself (all the others are turned out ) and he is panicked sweating, snorting and wide eyed... his stall is filthy and his auto water is bone dry and doesn't appear to be working at all
The time is 10:30 ( the rest of the horses were turned out at 8:30)
I find 2 girls cleaning paddocks and that's it no one else is around
when I get the trainer on the phone I am told that the other trainer didn't tell the girls what to do with this new horse so they just left him in the stall
Now he is highly sensitive and easily frightened (hence the training)
I was told that sometimes the autowater float does get stuck and water doesn't come out
Am I being unreasonable to expect that if you know the waterer is screwy that you damn well put a bucket of water in for the horse as back up
I was afraid that he would be scared of it and asked for a bucket to be put in the first place
And to have 20 other horses taken out of the barn and leave him in by himself really pissed me off
Should I take him home or calm down and just check on him every day
I feel like I should be able to trust that he will get cared for properly, without having to inspect
Opinions please
thanks

Well I'm sorry, it would be a deal breaker for me if my horse was left on his own. Trainer should at some point told the girls in a 24 hour time period what to do with the horse.

Since we get many youngsters in for breaking and R&R I just don't think there's an excuse for leaving one on his own. I don't even leave stall rest horses on their own. Whoever stays in during the day with said horse goes out at night when the others come in.

And well the water situation, no excuses there. Wonky ballcock is not an excuse!

And yes, you should be entitled to your horse being well cared for without an inspection!

After reading some more posts, I'm guessing all mine are spoiled brats because I think it's unfair to have one horse standing in on it's own while the others go out. And using it as a form of punishment teaches them what exactly? I have a couple of horses that will stand in on their own no problems what so ever, but some end of like this posters horse and I don't see the point. FWIW, I switch company around and some horses have to leave their happy herds and come in at night with other barn horses. So they aren't herdbound. I just go by the theory that horses are social animals and stick to this simple rule.

Terri

Terri

[Sithly]

Locking them up in a stall does nothing to 'teach' them anything other than the humans that 'care' for them are willing to put their lives at risk (in their 'opinion').
Enough anthropomorphization already.

:lol: Pot, meet kettle.

[RM1908]

LOL

[Androcles]

:lol: Pot, meet kettle.

Sorry the irony went over your head, there.


Oh and let's not forget the requisite emoticon :rolleyes: for the reading impaired.

[BoysNightOut]

I'd move him, asap.

Especially for $1000+ board. That's just insane. Barn help shouldn't need to be told to make sure the horse has water. Barn help shouldn't need to be told to hose off/walk a sweaty, nervous horse. Barn help shouldn't need to be told maybe it's a good idea to keep in another horse to help keep a new horse calm. At the very least, I would have called the trainer and informed them of the faulty waterer, as well as a possible horse to keep in for a temporary companion.

I've worked in several barns, and that's all just common sense to me.

I recently moved my horse to a brand new barn. I went and checked on him the next day, and I found a happy horse in a clean stall with a big pile of hay and 2 clean & filled water buckets.

Maybe it's just me, but if I found Vinnie the way you found your horse, I'd be moving him asap.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[blue&blond]

[QUOTE=Bluey;4099713]Very shabby to have a new horse in, stressing like that, no water, etc. and no one the wiser.
At least the "girls cleaning the paddocs" should have seen he was being left alone and throwing a fit and notified someone to come check about it.

Thank you, that was my exact thought.

I can (sort of) see how lack of communication may have caused your horse to just be left in but......someone should have called the trainer especially if they saw your horse freaking out.

[Sithly]

Sorry the irony went over your head, there.


Oh and let's not forget the requisite emoticon :rolleyes: for the reading impaired.

Oh, was that intentional? I'd be relieved to think your previous few posts were one big poorly-executed joke. (Someone's anthropomorphizing on the Internet? On a horse bulletin board? Shocking!)

To me the worst part is how stressed looking he was when you came to see him. That has the potential to affect him in the future if the memory stays with him. I would take him home right away so he knows it's not something that lasts and you remove him from the situation immediately - might help him cope the next time. I thought the horse was choking too, not sure this is better.

Yeah, it will take the poor horse years to work that out with his therapist.

:lol:

[Androcles]

You expect me to believe that was intentional after your previous post? Then again, maybe it was all one big poorly-executed joke.



Yeah, it will take the poor horse years to work that out with his therapist.

:lol:

Do yourself a favor and look up the meaning of the word irony while you still have a chance of not lookoing completely clueless.

[Sithly]

Do yourself a favor and look up the meaning of the word irony while you still have a chance of not lookoing completely clueless.

Aw, lighten up, sunshine. Not everyone takes you as seriously as you do.

Was it the laughy-face that threw you off?

[enjoytheride]

I would worry more about the water and ask for an explanation of that and not worry about him being left in.

It is possible that because he just came in they do not have a paddock for him and do not want the barn help handling him because as you said he is very nervous. If he's going to run someone over I'd rather have the trainer there then barn help who might not be used to a horse like that. It's possible the trainer wants him to get used to a varied routine and coming in and going out with or without his buddies. I have gotten new horses into the barn I work out and have not handled them until someone else shows up because they look dangerous or I do not know if they have had their shots or need to be in for some other reason.

So I'd ask why he didn't have water and when he will be turned out and if everything makes sense then I would leave him but check up on him in a few days.

[Daventry]

I have never in my life heard 'choked' used as a term for 'upset'.:confused: Glad the horse didn't choke though:yes:

It's used all the time up in Canada. Normally when you're really shocked about something.

[sharonslattery]

I would consider this a leason learned that this time did not cause harm. Happened to me also a long time ago and now I ask all the questions. like what will happen the first week, the horse should be in quarantine, so where will it be stalled etc.

Also I hate to say this, but some trainers when they get a horse owned by a woman (or one that may be really spoiled) will tie a horse up and leave them so they figure out they are a horse. (I am NOT for this) but I know it happens, i've spoken to many trainers who never let an owner show up the first week. I've leaned to write my expectations down and give them to the trainer, have them read them and either agree or discuss those that they are not willing to do. This includes stall, training methods (one time a trainer used a wire tie down on my horse that cut his nose badly) I make sure those things will not happen again. I also check out the trainer and facility with other people who had horses trained there. What experiences did they have.

When YOU put the horse in the stall did YOU check it. Did you look at the stall to see how safe it was? I'm not blaming you but these people don't feel the same way about your horse as you do.

[busterwells]

Get your horse out now. There is something to be said for your "gut feeling" about the care your horse is getting.

I had a similar experience and decided to "hang out" for a while since the barn owners had had experience for 20 years. But I had a bad feeling after a week. I then let the trainer work with my wonderful trail horse to learn some western pleasure showing. It ended up being a nightmare.

2 weeks later I had a very unhappy bucking mess of a horse that used to be my my very "trusting" trail horse.

Her loving attitude changed and I could not even get on her to ride without her trying to throw me off, which she had never even tried to buck or rear before.

It took a chriopractor and alot of patience to work through her issues after this. She is still not the same horse before I took her to this stable

In hindsight, I wished I would have trusted my gut feeling and moved her right away back to my previous stable.

[Watermark Farm]

My friend put her horse in training and encountered a similar situation but kept her horse there on the pretense of "he's got to get used to being left alone in a stall." Fool. She wound up bringing her horse home from training with severe ulcers that necessitated a year off....something to think about for you. It would concern me that your horse was going nutty and nobody in the barn was empowered to do anything about it. That kind of stress is very damaging. A good barn sees a horse going nuts and moves quickly to make it more comfortable!

Go bring your horse home....now!

[fivehorses]

I agree with all the others, bring him home.

Why, because I have had mostly horrible experiences with sending my horses off to training.

Last barn, I took lessons, knew the people and how the animals were treated.
No problems and HOW horses should be treated.
My previous experiences were horse beating to a horse being brought into a barn with strangles and everything in between. If shit could happen, it did to me.
Barn before the last told me I had 'bad boys"...she was an accomplished dressage trainer, agreed I could be part of the training and be there, and then first day told me not to show up for a week, as my horses needed a lesson! Guess what, they were home that night.

I have a lot of horses, and never does one stay in and all others out unless I know its a horse who could care less if he is the only one in the barn. No water, thats a big mistake.
secondly, if people were around and your horse was freaking and the staff ignored him, well, then thats another huge problem.

You want a pleasant experience, I have had enough horrible ones. As I said, it is a pleasure when your horse is being trained correctly, as well as getting cared for properly.

It might take some time and work on your part, but pick a place because of the quality, not price or convenience. Your horse could be permanently damaged or worse if left in a situation where care is on holiday.

good luck.
Also, I think we always think we are overreacting and the trainer will probably try and make you think you are. Also, goeslikestink...I don't think the first day is the day to 'teach' a horse in a strange place to 'learn' to put up with it.

[Flash44]

Clueless barn help should not be left unsupervised. I'm sure the trainer is a fine trainer, but maybe the girls who were tending to the barn that day need a refresher course in horsemanship. It's not rocket science to conclude that when you leave the new horse in the barn alone and he goes nuts, maybe should should bring a buddy back in to keep him company! And check to make sure he has fresh water and a flake of hay.

One of the most important questions to ask when boarding is WHO is usually supervising the barn. Is that person capable of handling problems, or better yet, preventing problems?