using barn manager's vet?

I moved my horse to a new barn several months ago. It's a small dressage-oriented barn. Just 9 horses and owners. The barn manager is nice, and I've figured out that it's best just to do things her way. :) However, it's time for fall shots and three of us booked a farm call with our usual vet. Now the manager is insisting that we use the vet she uses. My vet is more expensive, but their practice keeps better records and is more likely to come when I call them at 3 AM. I've been using these guys for 10+ years. The barn manager does not own the property, but she has total control of the barn. Can a barn dictate what vet you use? My feeling is that as long as I'm up-to-date on everything and can prove it, then I should be able to use my own vet. Ever heard of this?

Hmmmm I don't think that they can really REQUIRE that you use their vet unless it's in your contract. Did you sign any kind of agreement when you first started boarding there? I know all the barns I have been at they have said I can use my own, but they suggest their contacts as well. Shots aren't necessarily a big deal as most of them all the same anyways. You just have to make sure you are only getting what you need for your area and not over vaccinating. If you are not comfortable with their vet, use your own...if they don't like it, well tough bananas. Have a talk with them and see how/why they might feel the way they do. In the end it's your horse and you decide how/who cares for it.

I would use my own vet, like free_sprtd said, unless you signed some sort of agreement with that kind of claus in there they can not dictate what vet you use as long as you can show that your horse has had the vaccinations required.

I posted something to the same effect on this thread, not sure where it went though, heehee. I agree 100%

edit: Oh.. you posted two threads on it. lol! I was so confused!

It all depends on your boarding agreement. The only situation which I can think of off hand for requiring their vet is that if there's an emergency and your horse requires urgent care, they don't have to go looking through records to find your vet's number. Then again, if there's only 9 horses there, that's not a whole lot of vets to keep up with. The only other reason would be that the barn manager might get a kickback / commission for referring business to the vet. Who knows?

We use only one clinic to ensure all of the horses get the same care. If one vet practice doesn't agree with another on procedures, vaccinations, worming schedule, etc, it can impact the health of the entire herd.

The clinic we use also has 10 doctors, full surgery suite and hospital care.

This is one of those things that a person needs to ask prior to moving into a barn. Many barns require their boarders to use one vet and/or one farrier. Many good reasons for this. The simplest of which is that the barn does not have to try to deal with the comings and goings of so many people (vets & farriers) which clog up the aisles and such. Can you imagine being a barn managed and trying to schedule your daily activities around three of four different farriers and vets showing up at different times on different days and never really knowing when one might be there?

It is one of those things that fits into the category of My Barn My Way. If you (general you) do not like the rules of a barn then do not board there.


If this is a new rule and is not covered in your boarding contract then sit down with the BO/BM and discuss your concerns and see if you can get it straightened out that way.

I am a BO/BM and I have never known anyone to be offered a kick-back or commission from a vet or farrier. The money they earn comes the hard way with a normal work day schedule, evening and night work, and 24 hour emergency call outs. The best offer I get is a 20% discount if I pay cash at the time of service with my farrier.

I would be curious if this is a common practice.

I do not require boarders to use my service providers. They can sign up on the calendar if they wish. They can use whom ever they choose but I do ask that they be there or ask another person to be there to attend to their horse for the visit if it is necessary.

I should clarify that I've never seen or heard of this happening either, but that doesn't mean it doesn't. Commission is paid on sales, referring boarders and in various other non-horse related fields for various things, so I was simply speculating that it *could* be a reason.

I too have never known of a kick back set-up.

I have known BOs that have gotten a discount of say no farm call or a little bit less per trim just because of a volume. When they are having their whole lesson string done it does add up to quite a few horses at once. But I do not see that as a kick back. More of a volume discount.