How is this fair..?! [Hay cut off]

Okay, so apparently I'm an under-educated idiot.
At least, that's what the BM is deeming her young boarders.

I was out Tuesday between University classes to feed my filly since I worked that evening. Noticed that the hay supply was awfully low. Assumed that the farmhands were just busy at the moment, and that night or the next day, it would be replenished.

Wednesday I wasn't out. Tonight, I went out after supper... and there is nothing left. We're talking picked clean. The BM was busy giving 'lessons' [you bring your own horse and learn to ride?? Does that make sense to anyone? I thought it would be learn to ride then buy a horse ] and so I didn't bother to interrupt her. Irritated, I drove home and wrote her; then informed my friend who also boards there of the food shortage.

I returned with the friend about an hour and a half after my initial depart. It was cold, rainy and dark. And there was still no food, while the 'lessons' continued.

Our board has been increased to pay for 'water/lights' during the winter, although the 'lights' we are supposed to pay for is in the arena that we rarely use; and there are no lights in our pasture/paddock at all. The water is a joke; it's shared between both BM's horses and our own.

Okay, so anyways. I get a letter back saying: "They don't need it anyways, it's for X's horse to put weight on him. There's plenty of pasture." Umm.. And here's the kicker. The four boarder horses are starving. The "pasture" is exhausted and depleted of any healthy growth because it has not had a chance to rest since spring. The underweight horse is continuing to lose weight, despite the hay/pasture/Cool Command supplements he is given. I know these horses are starving because my filly RAN to me when I went out today [she knows I bring food] and the rest eagerly followed, which is the opposite of typical.

On top of that, the pasture is about four acres; with two large dugouts and a swampy mess of littered trees. So there's about 2-2.5 acres of "grass" for these four to eat.

When you run a business, it's reallynot okay to starve your client's animals. And insult to injury; her horses get switched between two large, lucious pens AND have a fresh, untouched bale of hay. Am I missing something?!

Change barns? Only having 4 boarders tells me something - she's either not a "real" boarding facility or people have learned to stay away.

No, it's not right. We found ourselves in a similar situation - which we rectified by moving our horses ASAP!

Thanks MacabreMikolaj! :)

I think the primary reason she's stayed there for so long is until I can find a 'forever farm'. My parents made an offer on this old sheep farm; it's actually really nice and has a HUGE insulated barn that could afford six spaceous boxstalls, with a decent acreage. Best part is there's no downed wire anywhere, and the grass is thick and lush. I just haven't wanted to move her for the sake of stressing her out. Fingers crossed, she'll be out of current home by mid-October!

Horses should be grazing all day, you are right to feel icky about it. Sounds like the barn owner is running out of cash.

I am about to move my underweight horse to a pasture only (with feed) at my trainers for this reason, and I am nervous to do it as he is underweight, and it gets really really cold here, and he is skinny.
But at my current place, there is 90 acres but the horses only go out from 2-4pm. Why? Because the barn owner is old, and this is how he does it - the rest of the time they get 1 flake of hay in the am and one in the pm. So they fight and are hungry.

It sounds like this barn is not a good match for you. Time to move your horse.

I do agree that it does not sound like enough space for four horses that are not easy keepers to find enough nutrition.


Some of your other points are not worthwhile points though.

It is not uncommon for people to continue taking riding lessons even after they know basics. So trucking in with your horse for a lesson is not some strange thing.

A fee for lights and water in your neck of the woods is more likely to pay for the increased use of electricity the shorter days are bringing and the electricity required to keep the water from freezing when the cold weather hits. If they do not heat the trough then the water fee is pay for the hassle of making sure there is not frozen water there.
It really does not matter if the barn owners horses use the same trough. If you do not like paying these fees, find another barn.

Horses coming up to you in the pasture does not mean they are starving. You said you normally bring food. They came looking for what you normally bring.

I wouldn't say that horses running up to you in the pasture means their starving. If they were starving, you would be able to look at their bodies and tell. Bony and lifeless is usually an indication of starving. It does sound like poor pasture management though.

About the lights thing - usually if you are at a boarding facility the fee you pay for the amentities there. Even if you don't even use the arena, it's there and you can use it, so you have to pay for it.

I don't really understand what you mean about taking lessons. It isn't uncommon for people to take lessons when they have a horse.

Overall it sounds like you are unhappy with the place. You could probably find a much cheaper place without an arena to board at.

Talk with the other boarders and buy hay for your horses. Tell your barn manager that you will be deducting the hay cost from your board payment. If you have round bales in your area, call around until you can find someone that will deliver one for you. Have them roll it out in to your pasture. One big round bale (800 lbs) will last four horses 7-10 days, depending on how much the eat and if they decide to walk on and riun it when it gets eaten down. So, you can put two bales out there to be on the safe side.

Bottom line - what does the boarding contract say? Does the barn provide all the feed stuffs?

Talk to other borders about the situation. If all agree on getting hay - just get it together, if not then just buy enough hay till mid of Oct for your own horse (whenever you plan on getting that sheep farm) and just feed her herself. Or since you have other friend boarding there just try to arrange the rotational schedule.

I'm in the UK so things work a bit differently but I definitely agree you need to check your contract and see what it says about hay and other feed. If they don't provide it included in the price then you will have to get your own. If they do then they should provide it.
The field I think is a bit of a separate thing, if the BM has only got that much then either she needs to be managing it better. Or you and the other boarders could get together and agree a better way to manage it?
Otherwise I guess you will have to move .... make sure you are getting what you want up front!
Jo