[Mosey_2003]

Call me a curmudgeon, but I am livid! Came home from work yesterday to feed the horse before running errands. Grabbed a scoop of feed, went out, dumped into bucket. Heard a splash - wha? Upon inspection, horse's feed bucket is full of water. That's weird, thinks I. Horse is terribly confused and nearly drowns himself trying to get to his food Dumped it outside, grabbed another scoop, threw hay. Walk out of the barn and here is the new renter (we have two houses on the farm and rent one out) with his two young girls, looking awfully pleased with himself.

"Did you see I watered your horse for you? I haven't seen you around so I figured you weren't taking care of him, so I thought I'd give him water while I was out petting him."



-Perhaps you haven't seen me at *my own barn* because I get up before dawn and get home after dark. I didn't realize you renting a residence here made you the Official Farm Babysitter, but thanks for thinking I'm neglecting my animals.-

Are you kidding me?! This man had to have unhooked the electric, crawled over the gate, crawled back out, gotten a bucket, crawled back in, and put water in my horse's feed bucket. And was PROUD of himself!

When I informed him that he just cost me a scoop of feed because that's NOT his water bucket and that would he please not mess with my horse? He simply responded, "Oh, well, I just noticed while I was petting him. Did you know he's not very friendly? Awfully big, too, isn't he?"

Gee, was that not maybe a hint? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

If something would have happened and my horse trampled this idiot we could've lost the whole dang farm... I had to leave before I said something uncharitable...

The nerve!!!

[Sansena]

Time to update your lease agreement with a clause that states "stables, animals and paddocks are strictly off limits."

These types don't seem to get it unless it's in writing.

[Bacardi1]

Agree with above. You need to add a codicilamendment/whatever-it's-called to your lease agreement immediately stating what's off limits - & have him sign it.

[runNjump86]

I third the above statements...

I applaud you for not chewing this guy's butt off.

[wendy]

These types don't seem to get it unless it's in writing.

they don't respond to writing.
What you need is some strategically placed extra electrified fine gauge wire (less visible) turned up as high as it goes.

[JanM]

If you do what Wendy says could you please get a video of him doing the dance of joy at discovering electricity? I'd buy a copy.

I would have ripped that idiot a new one. Especially since when one of the kids gets hurt he'll sue you into poverty. Renters like that definitely aren't worth the money or liability. Bet he wasn't just going to pet the pony, but try to take the kids for a pony ride too.

[Mosey_2003]

I know! I thought it was weird I found one of my brushes out in the stall too... Petting the pony my butt... He's lucky my boy didn't bite him! He has a sense of humor like that...

[LauraKY]

OP, that's just plain scary. I would have chewed his butt off...and I think he deserved it! Doesn't sound like he understood that the barn was off limits either. Hinting doesn't help when they're just plain stupid...and you can't fix stupid.

I remind my neighbors at least once a year that horses are OFF limits unless I'm with them. No petting, no feeding, no touching. Electric helps.

[netg]

I know! I thought it was weird I found one of my brushes out in the stall too... Petting the pony my butt... He's lucky my boy didn't bite him! He has a sense of humor like that...

Mine would have been helpful that way, too. Gotta love them...

[Somermist]

Time to update your lease agreement with a clause that states "stables, animals and paddocks are strictly off limits."

These types don't seem to get it unless it's in writing.

I agree, but don't be surprised if even that does not work. We have the same thing, our property has two houses on it. I finally gave up, my mom is living in there now and she loves it. I had two renters from hell before her and was so glad when she decided she was ready to move here.

[FatCatFarm]

The whole liability issue would freak me out. I think I'd have them sign a waiver acknowledging that the horses/barn/pasture/areas are private and off limits to renters and trespassing onto/into those areas are at their own risk.

Both my parents and my brother did the whole renting thing. I guess they made money but the aggravation just would never make it worth it to me. They both had to rehab the rental properties EVERY time a renter moved out.

[Mosey_2003]

I just feel so...violated. Who DOES that?! I don't even pet dogs at other people's houses without permission, let alone have 'pony play day' and then scold the owner's care and horse's manners...

[FatCatFarm]

The world is full of strange people with no manners or sense. And some of them are scary stupid.

[katarine]

We leased our cabin to a fellow whose parents we had business dealings with. We had a written lease, complete with clauses about you are leasing THIS (a cabin and room to park two cars, pretty much) ,NOT THAT (my horses, my house, my pond, etc). We walked and talked through it. Didn't stop him from throwing parties, his friends going to the barn to feed the horses, pull them chunks of hay and feeding them, etc. No concept of private property, just didn't get the notion that mine was not his.

[EponaRoan]

I just feel so...violated. Who DOES that?! I don't even pet dogs at other people's houses without permission, let alone have 'pony play day' and then scold the owner's care and horse's manners...

I'd be evicting his butt, but I'm kind of a bitch that way.

[JoZ]

I posted here in early summer about the person who dumped my donkeys' hay soup water bucket (which got cleaned every night, and which they happily drank from, dunked hay and all). Then got the hoses mixed up and turned ON a hose that then flooded an entire aisle of dirt-floored stalls.

No apology. No offer to clean up. And when finally confronted (and nowhere near as nastily as I would have liked) she abandoned the horse she was leasing to buy. Just stopped showing up without telling anyone. I guess I hurt her feelers.

Over the years we've seen it all, from hay thieves (oh I thought the barn supplied hay!) to random wanderers usually with toddlers, to the guy who walked in while I was working with an unhandled PMU foal and hopped over the fence in with us! He said he could have her tamed in 10 minutes. I said he had 10 seconds before I called the cops.

People are nucking futs IMHO, and horses bring out the worst in them. I'd want your tenant GONE, if not now then after the next transgression, however small. Spy cams are your friend.

[kookicat]

That is scary! Some people are just nuts. I vote kick his behind out ASAP.

[Nezzy]

OMG, that is all you said? I would have been giving him the riot act. Frickin moron.

[coloredhorse]

I am mightily impressed that you didn't grab the idiot by the scruff and drown him in the now-water-filled feed bucket. I'm sure I would have ripped him a new one with all the obscenity-ridden flair my Navy brat upbringing could muster.

Seriously, people are stupid, and too many are utterly lacking in any understanding of the concepts of "thine" and "mine." Second, third and fourth the recommendation to amend the lease to specify that the animals, stables and paddocks are off-limits for any reason.

[Bogie]

Last summer while I was at the barn a woman I didn't know came into the paddock with the horses. She had a small child in her arms and a toddler by her side. She pulled out a bag of carrots and started feeding the four horses.

It turned out she was a friend of the BO's daughter and she said she'd been told it would fine to feed the horses.

Since I knew I couldn't blow my stack at her, I instead said something along the lines of. OMG! I'm so glad you didn't get hurt. I once saw someone get knocked down by one of the ponies who got a little aggressive around food.

You could see it all adding up for her and she thanked me and left. I've never seen her in the pasture again .