07/12/2024
We follow these unwritten rules at our barn. I truly feel this is why so many are closing doors.
Let your horse be a horse
“I can’t find any good places to board where they put horses first-“
This is a huge problem. In just about every consult I have where we are seeking a solution for a behavior problem, i ask about husbandry and we almost always find a major problem there. Not to blame the owner- often it is near impossible to find a good place to board where horses get the kind of care they need
To me, it’s non negotiable that horses live outside, in herds, with forage. Yes they’ll be dirty, be in the elements, and interact with horses. This is what they were perfectly designed for -
But I’d like to offer you some perspective from someone who has cared for other people’s horses for fifteen years in some capacity -
For the entire time I’ve been caring for horses where I’m in charge and able to make these choices for their needs and putting them first, I have-
-had clients pull their horses out of training when the first superficial scratch happens (I have had people cuss me out as they load their horse in tears with one very small scratch on their coats from socializing )
-fielded texts from worry stricken owners at ten pm, midnight, 3 am, 5 am, you get the idea… panicking over a light rain, a minor drop in temps, a little heat, some bugs etc. You never get to be “off duty” because at any hour someone’s concern over their horses minor discomfort means your great discomfort
-play musical pastures trying to placate every owner so they can all have the ideal pasture set up (for their desires, not the horses) and just about p**s off everyone in the barn
-had clients livid I didn’t put the horses in stalls for every minor weather event
-had plenty of drama between owners over who’s horse they don’t like for “bullying” their horse in the pasture when it’s usually simply herd dynamics at work
You get the idea. I’m sure every boarding barn owner can back me up on this
I’ve had excellent clients so this is in no way generalizing ALL of them. The excellent ones took me forever to find and I will seriously miss them, but - But the ones I’ve had that were a headache were a SERIOUS headache, the kind that can make you miserable living in your own home.
When I worked at other barns and we had all horses in stalls or in private, tiny paddocks I had barely a husbandry related complaint (plenty about behavior though). Everyone was happy to have their horses “tucked in safely.”
So my point is - doing it right for the horse is not profitable, a huge pain in the rear and a ton of stress (hope you love texts at 3 am), and a giant liability.
I don’t agree with keeping horses separate or confined but I totally get it from a business perspective
So what’s the solution?
We live in a worry stricken, obsessive, results driven, and very litigious society. We’re losing land quickly , losing touch with animal sense, and good places are just harder to come by every day. Everyone is pressed from all angles and there’s no clear villain or hero here -
I think everybody could get a little chiller, personally. But maybe we’re looking at a total societal overhaul. Again, one of those things I don’t see a simple solution for.
