Boarding feeding problems-Please help!!!!!! - Health & Supplements - Health & Supplements - Horse Community, Horse Pictures, Horse Forum and Information

Posted : 4/28/2011 5:26:22 AM

I'll try to make a long story short. I live in a pretty rural area, especially for horse boarding. I board my horse at a umm....large property. It has a pole barn, a few pastures, 3 corrals for boarder. Not a high quality horse facility, not an equestrian center by any means. The boarded horses are 4-8 a herd. Right now my horse is in a herd of 4. The property owner is pretty young, not a lot of business sense.

When I first put my horse there everything seemed ok, the horses were out on pasture and nice and healthy. As winter came and the horses came off pasture I began to notice there was never any hay for the horses. I considered the factor that my timing was just wrong. Yet, as my concern grew I began to go to the stables at different times of the day. The owner told me they were being fed twice a day and NEVER went more than 12 hours without hay.

I went early in the morning, afternoon, everning, and there was never any hay. Heavy winter set in and the horses began to be fed round bails. They would last 3-5 days, depending on the number of horses. So they would have constant forage...until the bail was gone. Then it would be 1-2 days later that they would get another round bale. Mind you that there was no feed in between the round bales.

I approched the owner about the lack of consistant feeding (more direct than I had approched before). I approched it as diplimatically as I could. I was not being accusing, I was trying to open a line of communication. My concerns were responded with a wall of defensivness, no real answers. Then a nasty "general" email to myself and all the boarder about how much the stables do for the boarder and we "the boarder" are not allowed to talk to each other about the barn or other concerns about the barn. I was floored and dumbfounded!

Then yesterday the horses were given a round bale. I could see as I pulled in the driveway it was rotten and moldy. Apon greater inspection today, it was wet, hot, moldy and the smell was.....beyond anything I have smelt before. It was soooo rancid it could be smelt in the wide open space.

The owner told us it was brome mats. I have never heard of that, has anyone else? I know if brome mats are a real thing, this was not...the mold was all over the hay and good god the smell!

There is other occurances that I am not discussing, it would take too long. My questions are....

1) I need some advise on how to deal with this stable. How do I go about voicing my concerns with a young, inexperienced stable owner who is a brick wall of defense?

2) Has anyone ever heard of Brome Mats?

3) Any other helpful hints are most appreciated.

I really need some helpful advise on how to progress with this situation. Please respond, any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

christineb

Posted : 4/28/2011 8:03:26 AM

moldy hay can cause serious problems, and so can irregular feeding.
did you sign a contract?
if i were you i would move my horse if at all possible.

it would also definitely worry me that they don't want boarders to talk to each other about the barn.

face

Posted : 4/28/2011 9:21:11 AM

As a last ditch area you could approach the other boarders about your concerns and then ALL of you request a meeting the owner/operator. Come armed with some facts about the hay she has been giving them and the inconsistent feeding. In winter,tell her the importance of hay in keeping a horse warm.

Have a copy of the contract if you have one. Of course, whatever is in may not help you. Before meeting you need to have a new place lined up and be prepared to move horses fast!

There is strength in numbers.

littlebit

Posted : 4/28/2011 1:59:13 PM

I would find another place ASAP! Moldy hay =colic=vet bill=possible loss of horse! Given the mind set of the owner, it seems like she is just in it for the money, and doesn't care about the welfare of the horses or the contentment of their owners. When you look for a new place, find one whose owner/manager is horse knowledgeable. It is worth the extra money you will pay to know that your horse is safe, happy and well taken care of when you can't be there.

I board horses and while I don't have any fancy facilities, the horses are treated like royality. I encourage my boarders to come to me if they have a question and I will work with them until they are satisified. Having owners who talk to and help each other makes for a happy stable.

danastark

Posted : 4/28/2011 2:04:56 PM

As others have said, I would move my horse ASAP! Horse feed must be clean, dry, smell good and must be on a consistent schedule.

The fact that she is demanding boarders don't talk amongst themselves is a red flag and she has no right to demand that anyways........

I wouldn't even bother to argue with her. I'd remove my horse and report her to animal control for feeding bad hay and maybe the Better Business Bureau.......

Goodluck but get your horse out of there before he really suffers.

samsara

Posted : 4/28/2011 6:48:23 PM

The best way to deal with a stable like this is with your feet. Get out of there. Stop paying for moldy hay and poor care. You're a customer here, don't ever forget that. I also live in a very rural area with surprisingly few boarding stables. When I was looking for a place to keep Reidar I put out a free want ad on the local radio station... within a couple days I'd gotten 2 calls.
One guy wasn't going to be any good... The 2nd call I got was my current BO. She's great. She's not a boarding stable or anything like that she's just a lady who had some extra hay and needed some more cash. She treats Reidar and I like part of their family. They've got what I was looking for for Reidar (pasture board with a round pen) and I know he gets wonderful care.

You might want to try something like that if it's possible in your area. It seems like in smaller communities word of mouth is a very powerful tool as well.

littlebit

Posted : 4/29/2011 2:51:52 PM

You are right Samsara. Word of mouth is a powerful advertising for the good as well as the bad. Word will get out that this woman is running a bad stable and she will not be able to get any boarders then she will be out of business.

lyneo

Posted : 4/30/2011 3:51:19 AM

Hay doesn't smell (except like grass). I recommend you go buy some hay and feed the four horses until you can find another place to board your horse. You can talk to the owners of the other three horses to see if they will compensate you for the hay their horses WILL eat. Even if they won't, buying hay is thousands of dollars cheaper than colic surgery (and is hundreds of dollars less than euthanasia and removal). I looked up brome and there is nothing that says it smells (although I'm sure it does if it's gone bad, just like any other hay). It sounds very much like it's a cattle feed. I bolded the words below:

"Although opinions of the feeding value of the hay differ, it is safe to say that it can scarcely be compared to medium quality Timothy. In a dry climate it is generally advisable to sow it alone for hay and without a nurse crop. Ten or twelve pounds of seed to the acre have been found sufficient at the Indian Head experimental farm. More seed will give a better crop the first year but less afterwards, as the roots thicken up and produce a dense sod. It should be cut before flowering as it becomes hard and less palatable after that and loses much of its nutritive value. Under favourable conditions, two crops of hay can be secured during the season, the second, however, being rather light and consisting chiefly of leaves. The hay is relished by all kinds of stock. It may be fed for milk as well as for beef production. On account of its laxative&nbsp ';p'

roperties it is less suitable for working horses."