Neglected horse at barn (question)

If she said she didn't care if the horse's leg falls off (I'm sure that was an exaggeration, but nonetheless), I don't see how this trainer's heart has ached for much. Just my feelings on it.

Whether the owner comes earlier or later is irrelevant. Neglect is neglect is neglect. Whether they come at all or come all the time. If they are sick or disabled, either they think the horse is being cared for and would WANT to know, or they don't care and it needs to be taken away.

Maybe it's just my barn, but I know my barn owner doesn't tolerate anyone lacking on care for the horses - the boarder's horses are cared for to an at least acceptable level, or they are asked to leave and she notifies AC.

So you are willing to condemn an owner you don't know based upon statements coming from a person you don't know?

If the horse is in danger or is terribly thin, that is the BO's problem. If the horse needs a brushing and a trim, that is the owners problem. Neither are any of the OP's business.

OP how long has this horse been in this state? How long have you been there?

[QUOTE=Kennedy;895239]So at my barn, in the area that my trainer has her horses, there is this tall bay mare. I've never once seen an owner take her out and the only interaction she seems to get is from me on the weekends from outside her stall and the hired hands mucking and feeding.

OP doesn't know this to be fact. Other lesson students, her owner, may be out at other times during the day/week.

The area that we are situated at is quite secluded and the only people to really go into our stable area would be my trainer, the stablehands and my trainer's few students so I doubt anyone has taken any real notice of this mare's current situation (being as we are placed on the precipice of a hill).

But I am truly concerned for this mare. First off, her hooves are overgrown (they haven't gotten to the curling stage yet but they are pretty bad and proves that she's been neglected) and she hobbles around within her pipe stall. Her back hooves are more worn down then the front so I believe she tries to overcompensate for the pain in her front hooves.

OP doesn't know that this horse is in pain. She doesn't know that this horses feet aren't in this state for a reason. She doesn't know if her feet have been looked at.

She also didn't have a blanket when it was pouring a few weeks ago and I've yet to see one on her.

We live in PA and none of our horses have blankets. Are we mistreating or neglecting our animals?

Her coat is really matted with mud and I'm afraid to know what kind of parasites lie beneath it;

While most owners choose to brush every time we visit, others are just happy to see our horses and leave the dirt on. That is not a crime.

our horses are taken out everyday and we still manage to find at least a tick or two on 'em.

BO needs to manage the tick situation.

I started to pick at some crust on her neck from outside her stall and what was beneath looked pretty nasty; She probably has a fungus and a ton of ticks.

Again, you don't know this. She could be perfectly healthy.

The mare is also pretty thin, not severely, but definitely below a normal weight.

This is a complaint to take to your trainer and one your trainer should take legitimately. Especially if she boards her own horses there.

Based on the information at hand yes. It's my opinion assuming what the OP says is correct. And it's not necessarily condemning anyone, perhaps I came off too harsh. But I think it should be looked into.

If we all went around and turned a blind eye to horses with questionable care when it's "none of our business", thousands upon thousands of horses would never be rescued.

Personally, I think to some degree it is the OP's business. She is a student there, paying to train there, and the situation with this horse understandingly makes her feel uncomfortable. She has the right to question it. To take charge and do anything? No. But definitely the right to question it, because at least if it were me, it could be the basis of my choice to stay or leave that place. I don't care how good a trainer or barn owner is; if they allow neglect of any horse to knowing go on in their facility, I don't want any part of their training or services.

Good situation I have in example I just thought of.

I moved my horse from the barn she came from for various reasons, but I did take lessons there for a couple of months. My reasons for leaving were not bad. It's a good barn.

They had a couple of very skinny mares in blah condition. I asked about their history, and nobody was offended and I discovered they were both rescue cases bought from ignorant/neglectful owners.

It's possible the mare is a rescue, sure, depending on how long the OP has been there. I realize I came off condemning the owner in question quick. Regardless, I stand by my opinion that the OP has a right to an explanation on the mare's condition.

I just don't like taking the word of others. There are always two sides to every story. If there were a horse like this at a training stable I paid to be at, I wouldn't stay long.

I doubt a BO is going to turn a blind eye to a horse that is in plain view of everyone. BO's cannot make a boarder brush their horse. Some will write up that horses need to see a farrier but some also leave that out.

I don't like that the trainer has become the villain here. She is just protecting her right to work. Maybe she sees the horse and, with a more trained eye, doesn't see anything bad going on. If I were her trainer and my living depended upon a good relationship with a good stable, I would instruct my student to butt out.

That is very possible. The horse could also be old, sick, a boarder surrender...etc. There are lots of reasons why horses get into bad condition. Not all of them are "The owner is a jerk and doesn't care about this horse"

I don't understand why you think the horse's condition is none of her business. Just because the animal isn't hers doesn't mean she shouldn't be concerned about it. Otherwise, why does Animal Control exist? It sure as heck isn't because the owners decide to call and report thenselves because they aren't taking good enough care of their animals.

That being said, maybe she is overreacting and the horse is fine. Maybe she's right and the horse is in a bad spot. I really don't know. But I don't think you should say it's none of her business.

I don't necessarily think the trainer is the villian here, but the attitude the OP is describing is, at least *to me* unacceptable. I don't see what she has to do with the OP's concern over the horse, UNLESS the OP puts her name into it. Then I can see the concern the trainer would have a rightfully so.

It is her business to some degree as another poster said. But I think it is good for her having a care for the horse. Yes the horse may be old and may have a medical condition or it not may be old or have any medical condition but she is CARING about this horse. You can't tell me if you go past a bit of a skinny or an unhealthy looking horse you don't think "He needs a little fat on him" or "He needs to be wormed a little".