BO and boarder problems...

Ok... This is going to be a long post.
I've been boarding my mare for 6 years and I have been at 4 different barns 5 different times. I know I'm not easy to get along with and I know I expect a lot. BUT I also know how things should go and I expect the basics to be covered, even if I need to do the work.
Problem 1. BO promises things and goes back on them.
Problem 2. BO has done things that were outlined in our contract that she is NEVER allowed to do (feeding my horse off the ground b/c of sand colic issues, taking my horse out of the pasture when there was no emergency).
Problem 3. BO is getting so many horses at her barn that she is running out of hay and room.
Problem 4. My ex friend is changing everything she wanted in the first place when we moved to this barn together.
Problem 5. BO isn't doing what is put in the contract.

I pay $175 for my mare and $150 for my 9mo colt. I feed at night, I pay for bedding, I clean the stalls, I feed grain, I give them water. All she does is open their stall doors to let them outside. Not to be rude but she is completely lazy!!! My friend pays $200 for her horse to have the stall cleaned every day, horse fed 2x, water, and bedding. My dad is the one who unfreezes all the water tanks, hoses, and such. I've never once seen her do it. The BO cleans the stall 1x a WEEK!!!! I always do the water because she never does. When she does clean the stall she leaves the wheel barrel full of poop and never dumps it. She treats every horse like a dog. In MY opinion, I should be paying $100 per horse at the MAX. She has dry lot pastures without a ton of room, no indoor area, crappy footing in the outdoor arena, dangerous round pen. I could go on and on. Every single thing I have outlined in the contract is being broken.
My biggest problem is my 9mo is not gelded and she treats him like he is a puppy. I try telling her that he needs discipline but she just says "oh he's a good horse" and doesn't listen to anything I say.
It isn't easy finding a new barn because price is a factor and my colt isn't gelded.
I don't expect perfection. I don't expect to always agree with others. But is it too much to ask for her to do the work that I pay her for and to do things the way I would like, which actually makes things EASIER for her?
Also, she knows next to nothing about horses!

You only pay $125 and $175 per horse? Wow.. I currently pay $600 for my one horse, and that's without training costs added. It's full board, they change bedding, put blankets on, turn them out, feed them, water them.

It sounds like you're doing self care board, and you want full care board and the price also reflects that.

What does the contract actually say? Does it say that she'll do all those things for that price or is that what you assumed?

If you are that upset, leave.

Honestly, you get what you pay for. Have you considered that she may be over her head? And if its self board, YOU should be doing the mucking, the turn outs, the feeding, the care for your horse. All you are paying for is the use of the facility. Everything else is on you.

Again, if this is such a nasty place to board, go elsewhere. But it seems since she is getting plenty of boarders, she must be doing something right.
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In the contract is states that she is supposed to do ALL of that for $175 and $150. In Michigan, there are either people who charge less than $250, or they charge $300+ even for pasture board.

It is not a self care facility, or at least it wasn't when we signed the contract and moved my mare there. So unless the BO had a conversation with us in her dreams, she is going against contract. Believe me, I wish I could leave. There aren't many places near me for a low cost, plus I have a ungelded colt who is staying that way (not discussing that so pleas no one start lecturing me about it). My mom is part of the problem. All the boarders she DOES get don't see how poorly things are run because they're never there. One of the boarders hasn't come out to the barn since November!

In your own words, you are hard to get along with and have big expectations.

Have you ever owned your own boarding facility? Have you ever managed a boarding facility with more than just your own two horses to be responsible for?

I'm not making excuses for the current BO, but in changing barns that many times over the past few years, perhaps you need to change your approach to the situation.

Having horses is a luxury. No one is obligated to provide you with a place to keep your horses, at a standard of care that you personally aspire to, at a price you can afford. Period.

If you cannot afford a barn that provides the level of care that you expect, then you need to either A) sell one or both of your horses or B) keep working at a "cheaper" barn to provide the level of care that you want for your horse(s) and stop complaining about it.

If she's not following the contract, take her to small claims court.

I find your post very confusing. First, what exactly is in the contract that the BO is not doing? Just taking your horse out of the pasture and ground feeding? What does your "ex-friend" have to do with anything?

I find it ludicrous that the BO cannot take your horse out of the pasture if she wants to. Ridiculous. You have a stall, don't you? What if she has to mow or clean the poo out of the pasture? She is supposed to work around a stud colt? NOT.

Why is your colt not gelded? Just curious, as it may make it safer for others to handle and for you to move elsewhere.

Honestly, given your history of moves, etc......I would suggest you start saving to have a place of your own for your horses. It would seem to me you may be a bit "difficult". JMHO.

I had to change the first barn because I needed an indoor arena, 2nd barn because the place was all sand and my mare sand coliced horribly, 3rd barn because the BO let someone ride her, 4th barn because my mare got an leg injury because of #3. So I have all valid and important reasons for moving her. And my horses are more than just an animal, unlike some of the people in the world who think they are dispensable. As I said in my first post, I have no problem doing most of the things, but I don't think I should be paying that much for so little. I understand the price of hay (at least in my state) is higher than usual but still. No way can I afford the perfect dressage barns where I would prefer to board. Not even if I had 1 horse could I afford $800+.

** double post**