help....ASAP!!!!

[Nikita88]

if you read my thread before, you will know the dilemma im in...if not basically its this (ill sum it up)...ive been getting awesome lessons from this girl becky...and she is like the best we have around here...doesnt get much better. anyway, we are keeping nikita at her place and Nikita has been getting neglected...like
1)becky refuses to put blankets on the horses when its cold (Nikita doesnt get the best winter fur so she HAS to be blanketed)
2) they dont have shelter in their pasture
3) they are sometimes not brought it when its rainy (when it rains here its freezing and the horses are standing out their shivering)
4) she often feeds them on the ground

i told becky...if your not going to bring the horses in...call me and i will bring her in myself. Becky told me its not her responsibility to clal me and tell me if they arent coming in...i have to drive up and check myself. 1...im only 16 years old and i dont make alot of money so its terrible on gas (i have to drive 1/2 an hour to get the barn). i also confronted her about feeding the horses on the ground...thats just not healthy. anyway, she told me it wasnt her responsibility either...if i dont like how she does things then im going to have to leave or drive up and feed nikita myself. Isnt this why im paying her $230 a month?

anyway...i knew i had to leave..its just not a good place for Nikita. I had to do whats best for Nikita, not whats best for me....so im looking for another place to board around here and has someone who gives great lessons (hard to find one here! i live in wisconsin so its mainly cow barns). so if ANYONE could help me find a place close to the places listed below or in that area...i would really really appriate it!!! im in desprate need to move nikita. if u have any questions just ask.

In Wisconsin (U.S.A for those of you in other countries)
Somewhere in the towns or cities of:
Coon Valley
West Salem
Holmen
La Crosse
Sparta
Cashton
Middle Ridge
St. Joseph
Onalaska
La Crescent (Minnesota)...or anywhere near La Crescent which i dont know any cities near La Crescent.

Oh yeah...has to have indoor arena, stables, out door arean...etc. just a place you think looks nice! so please please please if you have any info on a place....write back!!! im desprate to move her... i cant stand my horse being neglected!!!

[IrisSilverMoon]

what's not healthy about feeding horses on the ground?

that's where their food comes from! I understand not wanting to just dump food on a muddy, manure ridden ground, but if you can keep a spot dry there's not thing wrong with it.

I understand about the other stuff, sorry I don't know that area and can't help you locate a new stable.

[Nikita88]

first off....i dont pay $230 dollars a month to have Nikitas grain fed in her own manure!!!!!!!! she has supplements she HAS to get 2 times a day...she cant get it when its mixed it with manure....she is a slow eater also so the other horses will take her food!! I really dont see how i can train a horse to eat faster or train all the other horses to eat slower....cause if you have any suggestions, really..i'd like to know!!

i just refuse to spend $230 of my OWN money a month to have my horse eat off of her own manure because one, im 16 years old i do NOT make good money, i work in a clothing store all the money i make goes to this horse i dont have money to spend on things normal 16 year olds buy and 2...it is NOT healthy! there are parasites in there, they could get worms....and really i dont feel like paying any more vet bills on her seeing as though she just had surgery on her stifal. I only want the best for her...and that does NOT include feeding her grain in her own manure....i had to pay for 1/2 her surgery with money...i would be more then happy to pay more than $230 a month if she were to get the proper feeding...in a bucket, in a stall NOT with other horses pushing her around. she is not an agressive horse so if horses take over her grain she just walks off....im sure you dont understand because you probably have enough money to keep a horse at a decent place....but some people dont!! i was just trying to say i need to find her a new place...she means everything to me, i only want the best for her and the best for her is not getting her sick by feeding her grain on her own manure, that is just sick! i dont care if they eat grass of the ground...that is grass!!! this grain is thrown in mud and manure and grass does not grow in mud and manure. Now do you get why it makes me mad?

[Bay Mare]

There's no need to get so stroppy! You never mentioned that the feed was being put in the manure in your first post, just that it was being put on the ground. ISM just commented that feeding from the ground isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As for your comment that

im sure you dont understand because you probably have enough money to keep a horse at a decent place....but some people dont!!

believe me that most of us DO understand but, I'm sorry, it does beg the question that if you find it THAT hard to afford why did you buy a horse in the first place? Did you not consider the costs before you bought?

I agree with you about not having shelter etc but if you know that she doesn't rug up or bring in when you want then surely you should just go down there anyway without waiting for a call from her. My horse is turned out most of the time, she's not brought in when it rains but then there are plenty of trees for them to stand under.

What did you agree with her when you went there? Do you have anything in writing?

I don't know the 'going rate' where you are but I would think that you will have to pay more for an indoor school. If you're tight for money then you'll probably need to cross this off your list of needs.

Good luck in sorting things out.

[IrisSilverMoon]

*ouch*

that was really harsh yo, especially since I already said I understood about not wanting to dump food on a muddy manure ridden ground. You never pointed anything out about that in your first post, how was I to know? I even said I understood about the other stuff and was sorry I couldn't help! what more do you want?

im sure you dont understand because you probably have enough money to keep a horse at a decent place....but some people dont!

what makes you think i don't understand? you know what makes me mad? when people assume they know things about me, when in reality they don't. It gets annoying after awhile. I don't have a horse, I can't afford one at the moment. Or maybe I could, but it would take just about every penny I could save up, so I do understand. You think i'd be riding school horses if I could afford my own horse and the upkeep?

you're post was really rude, sorry. Consider yourself lucky this is NR, anywhwere else I would not be as nice as I am being right now.

[horsehelp]

ok to me you seem spoilt.

1- Horses natuarally eat of the ground as its best for the teeth the, most natural way to feed horses is from the ground
2- Horses are ANIMALS not humans you cant bring them in everytime it rains and wrap them up in cotton wool.

My old Horse had no shoes
no rugs no clipped lived out 24/7 in the most natural way possible.
Your Horses is not bieng negelected its bieng treated like a horse.

Do you really want to own a horse?

I dont have a horse at the moment, when i do il make to best for HIM nnot just for my convienence.

Does your horse have trees in the field? if so then that is sufficient enough.

You cant treat your horse like a human ,
get out apolished feed bowl on table evertime he eats, run him in side when it rains?

[shandy84]

I have to admit Nikita didn't say how it was bad very well in he first place but I actually understand where she is coming from.

If it were a car and you send it in for a service, it takes a large proportion of you money to pay for it and they only do half the job and not very well then I believe we would all be angry.

I for one am not happy to have my mare living out as she feels the cold, we left her unrugged last winter and gave her ad lib hay etc and she shivvered her weight off and became way too skinny so we had to rug. I also know what it is like to pay for expensive supplements and have the horse they're not intended from bully Shandy and force her to give them up, if these supplements were to do with her stifle and helping her recover from her op I too would be worried. *********, I know the point you are trying to make but some people cannot have their horses living that way, Bramble would love it, except she gets bad mudfever and she has to be shod as she is in agony otherwise, she had three months of lameness which shoeing her has cured! Shandy is an arab x and just does not grow a coat however cold it gets she just gets miserable and cold and loses weight, also my girls are not allowed as part of a herd so don't feel secure being left out alone with no others to protect them.

I would agree that you may have to pay more for a stable with an outdoor arena though so if you want better care and a nicer place you may have to compromise on that side of things.

I find my horses a struggle but i love them to pieces and when I worked my figures out i had another job that paid more which I was made redundant frm so it was not lack of planning that has made me poor but circumstance.

Please lets just not argue or make snyde comments hey guys?

[horsehelp]

sorry didnt mean to sound harsh.. been awake for 24hours .. sorry :(

[TBEventer2002]

In response to your original question --

Try searching for horses on www.equine.com or www.dreamhorse.com and search by the zip codes of the cities you mentioned. Most of the "better" horses will have their owners' contact info and/or barn websites that you can visit. That might get you a step closer to finding a new barn, even if it just gives you a phone number of someone you can ask regarding boarding stables in the area.

Good luck!

[Nikita88]

okay first off id like to point out, im guessing the majority of you are from england or the U.K...or wherever. Im from The U.S...and i dont know terms like "Spoilt"...im asuming you meant spoiled.....i dont know what stroopy means...but im guessings its not a good thing. So please, if your going to call me names...please do it in a language i understand.

i didnt mean to sound all cranky about it...but it really mad me mad when she asked what was wrong with feeding horses off the ground....i just assumed you would know that her grain and hay is being fed to her ont he ground in her own manure...i mean, what other kind of food did i mean? its not like we make them a spaghetti dinner every night....im going to try to answer to everyone but i dont remember what everyone said...so bare with me!

Bay Mare- okay...i DO have enough money to afford Nikita...i only get her the best of the best. i have a $1,800 jumping saddle...and a $800 dressage saddle...everything of Nikita's is top of the line! im not trying to brag but im just telling you i do have enough money to own her....i was saying i spend all my money on her, and thats perfectly fine. So basically i wake up...go to school untill 3:30..then i go to work till 8 and do homework (thats on Monday tuesday and all day saturday) ...all the other days im up at the barn with Nikita...so im up there wednesday, thursday, friday and sunday...i dont have the time or money to do things other 16 year olds do because all my money goes to Nikita, and she deserves the best and this place is NOT the best for her....thats what i was trying to say. i didnt mean to make that sound mean or anything, im just trying to explain it better. oh yea...this 230 a month does NOT include lessons...i have lessons for $15, 3 days a week...you do the math.


IrisSilver- i only sounded "rude" because the only reason i put it up...is you have to admit eating grain off your own manure is not healthy....i just thought you knew i was talking about grain cause like i said before, what other food do they eat???....your pretty much the same as me, if you got a horse it would take every last penny of yours..thats the same position im in! i spend every penny on her and thats the way i want it...so untill you get a horse and spend every penny on her...then no you dont understand how important she is to me...and how i only want the best for her.

*********- first off....i dont know what spoilt is!!! 2nd...it isnt natural for horses to eat grain off their own manure..i do NOT PAY $230 A MONTH to have Nikita fed in her own manure...that is plan sick and wrong. i dont care what you think, but what i think is she should not be fed her grain on the ground...you obvisouly didnt read all of it...Nikita is on supplements she HAS to get...this supplement stuff is very expensive and its tossed on the ground where she doesnt get it!!! and 2nd...you have NO clue how cold it is in Wisconsin....it gets below 0...you could keep your ice cream in your garage if you wanted...when it rains it doesnt just rain...it pours and its freezing!!! my car door freezes shut when it rains...im not joking!!! they dont have any shelter from the wind and Nikita does not get good winter furr....no there is no trees! and even if there were it wouldnt change my mind on things. i understand she isnt a human but i guess some people just really really care for their horses and really want the top of the line stuff....do you have a dog or a cat? if you do...do you keep them inside? if yes, how would u like it if i said "They are just animals let them stay outside under a tree" its the same thing with a horse. and im not even going to get started about you saying "do you really want to own a horse?" im sure you know the answer to that question and im not even going to get started....cause nothing on here has really made me mad except for that remark.

Shandy- Thankyou! you see where im coming from....Nikita too is an Arab x (other part is T'bred)...shandy pretty much said what i needed to say but in a calmer way!! and yes these supplements have to deal with her stifal..he needs them!!! and like Shandy said, i cant have my mare living this way.

[Nikita88]

oh yeah...i forgot you TBEventer2002 sorry!!! Thankyou so much for answering the orignal question haha, i'll let you know how things go...there is a barn im looking at, ill send it to you....tell me what you think of it.

http://www.huntington-dhrojafarms.lfchosting.com/

That is just one place im thinking off...im not posotive on it....they have information on the instructor, tell me what you think of her too...i would want to be worked with in dressage, jumper (not hunter) and cross country.

xoxo
**Jen**

[horsehelp]

er.. i did apologies

[TBEventer2002]

That farm looks very nice, though I am unsure if they take on boarders? I saw some mention of training, but no boarding, and certainly no costs listed anywhere. It would be worth it, however, to contact the trainer to see if you can get a hold of that information.

Nice place, and I appreciate that she doesn't take on 10 horses at a time. :) It's nice to see someone who picks out what they can do something with and sticking to them.

[shandy84]

What is it about arabs hey :rolleyes: Shandy is just starting to get some fluff and it really is just fluff not even enough to make her break a sweat when worked, I hate to think about the number of rugs you must have to pile on Nikita

[Tinkerbell]

Originally posted by Nikita88
IrisSilver- i only sounded "rude" because the only reason i put it up...is you have to admit eating grain off your own manure is not healthy....i just thought you knew i was talking about grain cause like i said before, what other food do they eat???....your pretty much the same as me, if you got a horse it would take every last penny of yours..thats the same position im in! i spend every penny on her and thats the way i want it...so untill you get a horse and spend every penny on her...then no you dont understand how important she is to me...and how i only want the best for her.

Read your original post, Nikita88. Whereabouts have you stated that you feed your horse essential supplements? Feeding off the ground - providing it is on unsoiled ground - is NOT unhealthy. Horses graze, for goodness sake, the ground is where they naturally source their food from. If someone is actively putting a horse's feed onto manure then you have a problem. If the ground is so poor that it is covered in manure then you also have a problem. You didn't mention other horses being bargy and taking her food.

All ISM did was respond to your comment that feeding from the ground is unhealthy. We don't know you and we don't know your horse. You either have to remember that fact and post calmly and rationally, respecting the fact that we are not psychic, or not post at all. NR is a fantastic resource when it comes to horse ownership but not if you respond to people in the manner that you did.

[HairyCob]

Just about what I was going to say Tinkerbell.

Can I also suggest Nikita that if you are going to come onto a 'predominantly UK' board and ask questions, and then don't understand some of the terminology used in the replies, that you ask for an explaination civilly?

New Rider is a valuable resource and generally a very friendly place, unfortunatley you don't appear to have grasped the 'feeling' of the board. Chill out.

[IrisSilverMoon]

Originally posted by Nikita88


IrisSilver- i only sounded "rude" because the only reason i put it up...is you have to admit eating grain off your own manure is not healthy....i just thought you knew i was talking about grain cause like i said before, what other food do they eat???

Hay?

i cannot read your mind and assume to know what you are talking about, because i don't know everything about your stable and your mare's set up, so if you don't say they put her grain on the manure ridden ground i'm not going to know. And once again i point you back to my original post where I said I understood if the ground was manure ridden.

so untill you get a horse and spend every penny on her...then no you dont understand how important she is to me...and how i only want the best for her.


you're doing it again, please do not think you know everything about my life from a few posts on a message board., because I"ve never owned a horse I couldnt' possibly understand how important one would be to me and how I would only want the best for it? Of course not! I hate horses, i'd never spend a dime on one, especially if i never owned it. DO you really want me to go over how much time and money I've spent the past year dumping into a horse that isn't mine? Or how much i'll be spending on him in the comming months? why would i ever do that?

[Nikita88]

i dont mean to sound rude and ornery...but i dont see why i have to learn "U.K. name calling" like Stroopy (no offense to who said that, but thats the only name i can remember that someone called me)....im never going to use it people would think im nuts if i used it here. i had a couple other posts up before...andt hats why i said if you read my other posts...and i summed it up...i assumed that you read my other posts which had the part about her grain and suplements being fed to her on her own manure...serisouly though...i'd really like to drop this, its stupid!! so really...any other posts on here, are NOT going to be read by me...so you can say all you want, but im not going to read anymore. If you have an answer to the ORIGINAL question...you can PM me, if you PM me with stuff about this...i will not read it. im not trying to sound rude again but im just trying to end this...and seeing as thought nobody else will...im going to.

Shandy- Yea we do have about 5 different blankets for Nikita...for each type of wheather i just bought her this major expensive one for this winter...she stands outside shivering and i cant stand that so i finally went out and bought her an expensive winter blanket. she still has tons of fluff...she kinda looks like a small mammoth with all her fluff haha

[Tinkerbell]

If you're going to use the board, you will become familiar with English terms.

Edit to add: looking back through your posts (very time consuming, by the way) I see you did mention feeding grain, using supplements and poor pasture management. So, rather than jump down our throats, in future either link to a previous thread so anyone who wants to help after this can find it easily; ensure you include all pertinent information in each new thread and not assume that people have time to wade through everything you've ever written; don't cross post. It makes life much easier on us all and avoids this happening :)

[Miriam]

Ok before this thread goes any further could I please point out that everyone on here tends to help each other.

Nikkita after reading your post over and over again and then moving onto the other posts I can see where you are all getting over heated. Your response to IrisSilverMoon was very much out of hand. Please refrain from jumping the gun and thinking that everyone is out to get you. If you feel no one understands what you are saying (and I say this to all members) then please repeat in an easier way or if you do not understand please ask for an explanation. Responses like this only create more unrest on the board and will not be tollerated.



Miriam
MODERATOR

[shakari]

If you are concerned about your horses welfare-why do you not go and do things such as rug it and feed it yourself???:rolleyes:

[horsehelp]

eating on the floor is the natural way a horse can eat...

like i said..

230 dolars a week is 160 pounds EEK! cant you find somewhere cheaper.....

i can undersatnd why your upset.. but.. if this place isnt doing there job, find somewhere that will....

GOOD LUCK

[Tina J]

I feed from the ground, and keep my TB horse out 24/7 very rarely rugging him. BUT he has a wonderful shelter to which he has free access, and he has three acres of good grazing, so feeding from the ground means either putting his hay in a clean corner of his shelter, or on top of the grass. He is only kept with one other horse as well, and we separate them at feed times.

Something that Americans and Australians may not understand about UK horse management is that we have a culture of "pooh picking" - that is going round the pasture every day, clearing up the manure, to make sure that worms aren't spread. But we are more in the habit of keeping just two-four horses together in fairly small pastures. To someone from the UK, feeding from the ground means feeding on top of grass.

But, I have also seen horses kept in the USA and Australia, where the idea of going round pooh picking every day is just crazy. Much larger herds are kept together in bigger fields in summer (ironically called paddocks in Australia) and then all the horses brought into what we might call crew yards in winter. In some areas of the States and Australia (and you do still meet it in the UK) the attitude is that the horse has to tough it out.

I can understand that if your horse is bottom of the pecking order, and in a churned up messy field, it is distressing. And not what you would pay money to see happen.

But there are big cultural differences in the way horses are kept in different countries. Something I guess we all need to be aware of.

I solved my problems in the UK by approaching someone with a field and asking to rent. I got my first year free because we built the shelter, which will be left if I ever move on (so benefits the owner). Nikita is there any chance of you finding someone who has cows who will let you do that? They would have to be really close to you, because it would mean looking after your horse yourself, but it might be much more reassuring. If that is then a lot cheaper, you could pay a freelance instructor to come to you, providing you have a level area of pasture on which you can school. Just a thought - I don't really know much about your area of the States so don't know if it is practical.

As for learning other countries languages and expressions. It makes for greater understanding all round - most UK visitors to the states learn such things as the difference (in the USA) between a rubber and an erasor! (They are the same thing - an erasor - in the UK, in case any Americans are now puzzled).

[Nikita88]

like i said...im not reading any of the threads, the only ones i read were shakari's and *********. I just dont want to get "overheated" with your responses....so im ending it by not reading them...i only read shakaris, ********* and tina's.i dont have a problem with what they said. The reason i dont go up there and feed her and blanket her myself (i noticed you guys call it rug...same thing) is because its 30 min. from my house...when im not at the barn im working to pay off her board and her vet bill from her surgery. i am in school untill 3:30...i dont have time. and even if i were to do it myself, they better lower the board for me because thats what im paying them to do. and *********...im trying to find a place, but $230 a month (or 160 pounds) is pretty much the average rate around here. i looked at a place that was only $200 a month (dont know how many pounds that is) and it was horrible. they atleast fed the horses with buckets and would blanket them...but where the stalls are is all rusty and worn out..there is no indoor arena so you cant ride in the winter (keep in mind i live in wisconsin...its to dangerous to ride outside in the winter) the outdoor arena was not all that big...maybe im being picky? i dont know.

tina- i really agree with what your saying..its okay to feed the horses outside to some extent. Nikita is at the bottom and doesnt get the grain i pay for...which really makes me mad. and here, cow places to keep a horse...not a good idea. i dont know how it is there either..but here cow farms are 10 times worse then where Nikita is..thanks for the thought though :)

[shakari]

I'm sure having an indoor school is just a luxury- I pay half what you do a month.
As for not being able to see to your horse because you finish school at 3.30pm-what are you going to do when you get a job and have to work up until 5/6pm??? I work until 8pm-I still see to my horse day and night and she is 40 minutes from where I work-still go with what I said before if you don't like the way they are treating her-do it yourself- you said you have your own car.

[Tinkerbell]

Perhaps you should read Miriam's response as well. She is a moderator.

[Evol_or_revert]

Hey Nikita88 I can see where you are coming from.

Is there any place closer to you where you could keep the horse so you could look after it?

Or could you fence her in electric tape to keep the other horses away from her?

Can she keep one cover on day and night? or does it need to be changed

I keep my horse quite close to me lucky but all we have is a paddock not even a water trough. He has three covers a winter, spring/autum(only case it was brought as a summer but was to hot) and a summer. He has one on depending on the season and it stays on unless im riding. We have a few places to ride but mostly limited to a paddock cause of stock. no areans, no stables, no shealter, no trees, no flat ground, no easy open gates or horse safe fences. But I have my horse near me :D lol i have spent so long convicing my horse to eat his food from the bucket and not tip it all over the ground :rolleyes:

The most important thing about having a horse is enjoying it :D. Horses are animals they dont look at the horse next to them and wonder why they dont have a flash bridle like the other horse does.

Being teenages we have to make the most of what we have got. Because I choose horses, I dont go out partying and drinking with all my mates, I dont have new clothes or the lastest phone, I dont go to movies or out clubbing.

My advice would be find some where cheap and close so you can enjoy her:D. Make the most with what you have, when you are older you can be worryed about the size of the arean, now it's just about having a horse. Winter may mean you have to spend all your time on ground work if riding is not an option. Just make the most of her while you can.

Good luck with what ever you do :D

[Equisgurl]

Hmm, $230 doesent seem like a whole lot to me, here an avarage price for boarding is $350-450 a month, you would probably be shocked to know that at my old barn the full board is $850!....You probably dont want to move to NC anytime soon.:rolleyes: :p

[Sparkle]

In response to your original question:

-feeding off the ground: if you are worried about her ingesting dirt and parasites (which I can understand, working with a horse that is prone to sand colic), buy a rubber feed tub to put on the floor that the grain can be dumped in.

If you are having serious problems with the YO, these need to be worked out or you need to find a yard that suits your needs. Good Luck.

Having said that, I will mention that board at my yard is $550 a month, and we do not have an indoor arena.

[Izod1360]

$230 is not alot all compared to what my stable makes you pay for fuul board!!!! i dont have a horse but i am just going to share these prices!!!!!

OK here i go!!!!

Basic Board:$700
Full Board: $1.050.00
(Includes daily grooming, mane pulling and trimming,
tacking and untacking)
Training Board: $1,200.00
(Includesdaily grooming and four professional training sessions per week)

now that is ALOT OF MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN!!!!!

and the lessons are:
Private 30 min. $40.00
Private 60 min. $75.00
Group 60 min. $40.00
Five 1/2 hour private $185.00
Five 1 hour group $185.00
Five 1 hour private $325.00

i will put my 10 cents in this thread now!!! i say get your out of there and go to another stable!!!!

[Nikita88]

wow lots of responses haha! thanks though.

the reason i dont go see her after scool (yea i do have my own car) is cause i go to school till 3:30...then i go to work 5-10 (i take from 3:30-5 to do homework) i work 3 days a week...the other 4 days a week i am up at the barn...so its pretty much just those 3 days that i work. i am going to talk to becky to see if we could come up with a compromise like..if i feed ALL the horses 2 days a week...she would feed Nikita from a bucket and make sure she gets her grain. so i dont know how that will go...im hoping she will take that offer...i think its a good compromise.

Evol...i thought about puting her in the jumping arena for feeding (its an outdoor arena right next to the mares pasture) we tried it one time..she got so worked up being away from the other mares she wouldnt eat...she doesnt like to be alone.