If you board, what are the rules about visitors?
Last year I purchased two mares. In October, I moved them to different stables. I learned the stables had originally been owned by the previous owner of my mares. Small world.
When I told "Jeb" (former owner), that the horses are at his old stables, he was almost in tears. He had sold me his last two horses since he was unable to take care of them. He is 84 years old, getting senile and can barely walk. He still drives and that is scary. He later lost my phone number.
A couple of weeks ago, I heard at the stables that Jeb had dropped in looking for me and petting the horses. A friend of the current owner was the only person at the stables and approached him. When Jeb said he was looking for me and mentioned he used to own the place, the "friend" said I wasn’t there, and since he didn’t own the place now, he needed to leave. The friend then proceeded to tell someone at the stables how he acted. That was how it got back to me.
There are no rules about visitors at the stables and I know care has to be taken about people wandering in and out. However, this was an old man, missing his horses, wanting reassurance they were being taken care of. 5 minutes of acting respectful isn’t asking too much.
This got me to wondering what the rules on visitors are at other stables.
I did talk to the owner and his wife. While she wants to put the gates back up and keep people out, he doesn’t get his knickers in a twist over it. If a old man wants to pet the horses and the horses’ owner ok his visits, he is welcome any time he wants. That is his view. So Jeb now has an open invitation.
I’m not saying that Jeb should have dropped in without me. However there are better ways of handling it.
A simple "May I help you?" and "She isn’t here. Would you like to leave a messege?" would have been enough.
The owner was concerned that his friend treated someone like that. I was there a couple of days ago when someone stopped in wanting to know about boarding. I gave her a flyer and the owner’s number. Simple courtesies aren’t too hard.
This is a place that everyone comes and goes at will. The owners have jobs away from the stables but most of the time there is a boarder or owner there. Jeb dropped in during the afternoon while the owner was at the feed store and his friend was working on a piece of equipment. He reached over the fence and petted one of my mares while the friend was walking toward him. He then introduced himself and got attitude in return.
The stable owner said I could speak to the friend in person. He was the one to act like that, he could take his medicine. He did too, and the friend did not come back for a couple of weeks. I guess they made up since he was back this weekend.
I did get his cell phone and plugged in my number for him so he didn’t have to keep up with it. He has since come when I was there and watched to trainer on one of the mares (she is doing 30 day training).
I am planning a picnic for all the boarders in a couple of weeks when the weather is better and will be bringing him to the barn for it.
It looks like he will not be getting around for much longer. His senility is progressing very fast now. There is a marked difference in the last 6 months.
15 Comments on “If you board, what are the rules about visitors?”
The fact that this guy was rude and disrespectful toward a senior citizen just makes me so P!$$ed off you can’t even imagine!
He could have walked around with him, been polite and said he’d leave a note for you with his phone number, etc.
He did NOT have to treat one of our most dear resources like garbage. That was so uncalled for and the person that did that needs to think "this could be my father or mother in this situation"
Despicable!
As for the current owner, yes, a gate to be put up and locked at night.
During the day, opened gate if someone is always there. If it’s sporadic of when people come and go, they can just lock the gate behind them when they leave. Combo lock
Our barn was always open (private breeding barn). People could come and go as they pleased. The barn owner was right there (we leased a 30 stall barn) and if something seemed out of place he’d drive down. I don’t know how many times he’d see my boys and come down. I drove a rental once and he came down. I had a buyer show up before me and he came down to the barn and got her info.
We were never worried about people coming into the barn.
I had my Equine Law sign up and also posted some others that said "keep stall doors closed at all times", "No feeding treats, on special diet", "Do not touch, in head training" etc…
It kept many at just a pet through the bars reach.
The tack room was locked (and not worth breaking into since there were only 3 saddles).
We didn’t see a reason to be worried.
For public barns:
I’ve seen it where they’d allow only one visitor per person (minus the parents).
Some had it so that they could bring 2 friends.
Others had it so that the visitors had to sign in with ph # and time and the person they were looking for.
So it all depends on how paranoid everyone is.
There are no hard and fast rules for stable visitors, each stable owner will make his own rules. I am glad you friend gets to come back
Good job!
The only "written rule" we have at our barn is that releases have to be signed before the visitor steps foot near the horses. There are unwritten rules about reasonable hours (no showing up at midnight to treat your horse) and courtesies. I would ask the owners directly- "What is the policy on visitors?" "What if someone drops by unbeknownst to me?" Have something put in writing and signed if you think there will be future problems.
Good luck. If it doesn’t pan out, there are always other farms to board at (and make sure the owners realize this too).
EDIT- sorta skipped the ending I guess. Glad you straightened it out.
EDIT 2- Just got home from class and have been thinking this over. I think the friends response was harsh and rude, but I think that I would rather someone at least check with me (simply a phone call would do saying ‘Do you know Jeb?" "Is it ok that he touches your horses?") if there were a stranger wandering the farm, doing anything with any of the horses.
I have seen trailer park children harass, intentionally spook, feed, touch and even hop on a horse or two in the past without so much as a knock on the farm door (not to worry, they were promptly ‘escorted’ off the property by the barn owner and his dogs
), so yes, I think I would want my barn owner to be protective of my animals, and would like a quick heads up if just anyone said they had my permission do do xyz with my babies and I wasn’t there. I have known people who have no reason to be around to say "Oh I rode this horse once with the owners permission, so that must mean I can ride it whenever."
I wouldn’t also never allow anyone to visit or handle my animals without me there (I know that you were unaware, but thought I’d say it anyway).
I think that if this had happened at my farm, the owners would ask the man why he was there, who he was looking for and to come into the barn to wait for my permission. I think that the few farm hands and other boarders would do the same.
I think that the present owners were correct in their actions. They are protecting the property and the horses they board there. Just because the man is old does not mean that he is trustworthy. There are too many crazy people in the world. I am sure if you would have let the owners know in advance that he would be stopping by and could stop by at any time, then there would have been no issue. I personally do not like to hear that someone was playing with my horse or teasing her or giving her treats without my knowledge or permission. I don’t want anyone near my horse when I am not around, young or old. The stable was acting responsibly and this is a good thing. Just communicate with them about your feelings. If they allow anyone at all (meaning someone they don’t know) to visit your horses, they also put every other horse at risk because they don’t know who this person is.
There are different rules for every stables.
At my barn my boarders must sign a release form stating that if they ride the horses they are at fault for any injuries and you cannot sue.
Now visitors we get them all the time, people who just want to stop in and show their kids the place and let them pet kittens and horses and dogs. We do not have a problem with that. Now if they become suspicious then corrective action will be taken to assure they have an understanding but we are not rude or crude towards people.
I think you did a good thing and the wife is just being nervous and snooty. At least the husband is on board with you and the previous owner. I think if things start to go missing or the horses in the barn start acting differently then that would be when I would tighten the security on the property.
Most of the barns in my area have "visiting hours". IE no one is permitted in the barn before 8:00 AM and no one in past 9:00 PM. It is a huge liability risk to have an open door policy for most barn owners. If someone just visiting happened to trip, get kicked, bitten, etc. they could sue. The new Equine Liability Law has been put into effect in most states, but it is not all inclusive. Most barn owners I know have the attitude of "better safe than sorry."
I See where your coming from I’ve had this done to myself a couple of times when visiting my cousin’s horses, you see she says I’m welcome to the yard any time I want & can ride the horses, she’d had a brief word with the stable owner who agreed with this, so yes I could go up, but I was shocked when I had been accused of ‘trying’ to steal my cousin’s mare when I was planning on hacking her out over some of the tracks at the back of the yard, by the owners daughter, of course this was a miss understanding as my cousin explained to the stable owner’s daughter who apologized to me.
I know this is slightly different to your self but I’d see no problem in someone visiting the yard to see some of his old horses, I mean what could and 84 year old man do that had to sell them becuase he couldn’t care for them, I’m sure there is no solid rules for boarding stables & every owner makes his/her own rules, depending on how they feel about the subject, if he comes down with your self a few times people will see him with you & assume, when he’s on his own that your allowing him to see your horses, I wouldn’t see any harm in that, I used to do it as a child at my local boarding stables we’d go on a stroke all the horses, the owners didn’t mind, I even got to ride a few that I got to know quite well =]
I am surprised at these answers…
I do not allow ANYONE that is not WITH a boarder or rider. or has not made an appointment to enter my property.
This is not a drop in facility.
I constantly have other folks horses and children around and the last thing I need is a few strangers wandering around trying to pet the horses. Then they start trying to feed the horses whatever they can find …from chocolate to the flowers from my garden. Sheesh!!
Or their kids start running and screaming (just playing tag…) – just as I put my foot in the stirrup of the as yet unbacked filly – or they bring a DOG that they let run loose because this is a farm and they thought it would be okay…
Common courtesy should have been used – BUT if that "lovely senior" had fallen or been bit or kicked or OMG worse…NO ONE would have known he was even there!
Sorry – owners friend needs a THANK YOU.
Old guy should have asked first – for his own safety.
well were i board at theres no rule on visitors so our friends can come and go as they please if we are with them of course
I think the person who was rude to Jeb was out of line. And unfortunately, that is how "horse people" get the reputation of being snobs. I totally agree with you…the man was doing no harm in petting the horses. If it was daylight hours and he wasn’t even taking the horses out of their stalls then why make a fuss over it? If the barn is public, and you have given your permission for Jeb to visit with YOUR horses, then no one should hassle the man when he does.
As for the barn I board my two at, it is very private. The place is owned by a man who lives on property…he doesn’t have his own horses, though. The way the barn is set up, is back on a long driveway…we have to pass his MILs house first, then his house before getting to the barn. The barn is eight stalls but only four horses, two of which are mine. One of the other boarders only comes out to pay stallrent. The other boarder is a busy vet who comes out around her schedule and on weekends…in fact I have never met her. No one visits my horses unless they go with me. If someone were to, the owners would probably go up to the barn and ask who they were and how they could be helped. If they said they knew me, the owner wouldn’t be rude unless the person was damaging the property or harming the horses. I like that my horses are so safe…there is absolutly no way they could ever be stolen or harmed.
Wow, I can’t believe they did that.
The only rule at my barn is that if you bring a friend, and they go riding, they have to sign a liability form first. But only if they’re going to be riding… there are no rules about visitors that don’t ride.
I have my own place now, but I boarded horses for decades prior, and have probably boarded and trained at more different stables than most have.
To be honest, I always felt that there were not enough rules regarding visitors at any of the barns….whether they were training barns or boarding barns. I agree that the way Jeb was treated was rude and uncalled for. Even with rules, courtesy should prevail.
But with the exception of one place I boarded at, anyone was allowed to wander in. Boarders could bring unlimited guests, and at some children were allowed to run around unsupervised, as were visitors dogs in many cases. Some visitors and boarders would bring their dogs and turn them loose to enjoy the country…..not always enjoyable for the other boarders, though.
The one place I boarded was guarded by the manager who carried a shotgun and seemed paranoid. One day he and his wife just flew the coup………….I guess he had good reason for his paranoia.
Anyway, when I got my place, I decided that if I were to board horses, I would enforce some rules that I felt were lacking in the places I’d boarded. I would’nt want just anyone wandering around the barn…..partly for liability reasons. I would have a sign posted and direct non-boarders to come to my door, or call for an appointment (providing a number to call) and make it clear that the barn was off limits without my accompaniment. But I wouldn’t restrict visitors that came with the boarders.
Your friend’s experience was unfortunate, but it could lead to a better way of handling this in the future. Maybe if some signs were posted such as what I would do, it would serve everyone’s interests.
I think an open door policy is best for the people who belong on the property and their guests, but in these times and with liability issues as they are, it’s just good sense to restrict access by just anyone who might show up.
I’m glad you worked it out and Jeb can visit now…..I’ll bet he’ll become a regular, and it’ll give him a new lease on life. Get him a comfy lawn chair to sit in while he enjoys all of the activity.
All’s well that ends well.
Wow… that was very disrespectful and out of line. He wasn’t doing any harm and he even stated he used to own the place and the horses. It’s not like he was taking the horses out or in the paddock with them. I’m glad you set things straight.
The only written rule at our barn is that anyone who’s going to handle a horse has to sign a contract.
They let old owners and family visit boarder’s horses any time they want to, as long as they’re not there ridiculously early/late and the boarder lets them know they’re going to be down there.
If that happened at our barn they might politely ask him to leave until they get confirmation from the current owner, but they wouldn’t be rude about it.
Where I board, if someone wants to come out to the barn, they need to be with someone who boards there. The owners are protecting themselves from lawsuits by not allowing visitors without someone there. People on the property that go in to play with the horses (people uninvited) can get hurt, even if there are "no trespassing" sign and can sue. Even if the person has good intentions, its still not a good idea for anyone uninvited to be there. I dont like people I dont know feeding my horse treats or petting them. Partly because my gelding does not like kids. Technically it would be my fault, even if I wasnt on the property and didnt authorize the visit, and my horse were to hurt someone. I dont want that or need that. I think its the boarding barns right to keep people, unless they sign something or are accompanied by the boarder, off the property. It sounds like this guy shouldnt be alone anyway and he might enjoy the company of others. I do agree that the boarder that talked to the man was really rude and should have been much nicer. Next time, go with him and no one should have a problem!
I board with a friend. Her only rule about visitors is that I please let her know if anyone else is coming besides me or my spouse.
I think buckinfun is right on the money.