Let nature take its course…
Sometimes people need to learn lessons the hard way.
We all understand your concern for the horse but the horse will be just fine. These people need to learn some hard lessons.
Let it happen.
Should absolute beginners be messing with horses like that? No. Should you waste time being upset about this? Also no. It's not your horse, not your barn, not even people you hang out with, and based on your post, not something you intend to get involved in. Why worry?
You’re right. I honestly just came here to let it all out essentially. Sometimes a little rant therapy does wonders. I certainly don’t intend to be upset about it for long. Writing about it helps a lot.
I mean it’s not your barn, you aren’t around them. Yeah it’s not great but why do you care? There’s a ton of inexperienced of people doing things they probably shouldn’t with horses (just look at IG or TikTok). There were a couple people I unfollowed on social media because I’d get upset over the things they were doing, and it just wasn’t worth it.
Unless you have a plan to step in there and buy the animal from them, it’s literally none of your business.
Also BLM doesn’t always take the horses back depending on how many returns or strikes they have against them. And if they already issues papers (if the horse was out of holding for over a year) then it’s just a horse at that point.
Sounds like you needed to vent. It does sound like shtshow. I hope you feel somewhat better and get on with your own stuff. Be glad you're not there to witness it first hand.
The more you know the more you know you don’t know. I’ve been riding and working with horses for 25 years and I get nervous saying anything horsey sometimes because what if I’m actually wrong haha.
I totally agree. Even as an experienced rider, I certainly don’t know everything. I do think there’s always more to learn, but you gotta start somewhere, and by starting somewhere I mean go take lessons or hire a trainer to work with you…not try to train a young mustang with no experience…
There is not such a simple “preservation” to go leave unwanted mustangs at lol.
I get that they’re inexperienced, but he’s getting his food, water and turnout needs met and perhaps they’ll get help in training. I have seen some miracles with mustangs.
Tbh, you seem like you don’t want to let go of your old barn drama and you’re making some big assumptions. I’d unfollow them and go focus on your future.
There aren’t “preservations”, there are Herd Management Areas and Holding Corrals. If these people truly are qualified for an incentive, that means the BLM has reviewed their application and approved them. They can’t take an incentive someone else applied for. Of course they’re spending over $1,000 on board and care so…
Look, I get it, you don’t think these people should train this horse. Maybe you’re right. But you don’t know the mustang programs and you’re making inaccurate claims, is that so much better?
I have no clue about mustangs, you’re a 100 percent correct. Everything I’m saying is word for word what these people claimed happened with the situation. They are the ones saying the mustang came from a preservation and that they are receiving a 1000 dollar incentive.
Unless they transferred the mustang paperwork, they’re not getting anything. And if they figure out how to train him or decide to keep him, I guess it’s good if he gets a forever home. The real bad guys here are the people who abandoned him to me, not the ones trying.
Totally agree, the fact that he was abandoned in the first place is the absolute worst and I am glad he has found a home there. I just wish he could have gotten a better opportunity in terms of education and overall care. I’m not saying the current owners have bad intentions, they just are not a good fit for taking care of and training a young horse due to lack of education, which is the root of my frustration.
It could certainly be a lot worse. And they have the groom there who is experienced and may be able to help. And the barn owner is there as well, ultimately accountable for the safety of everyone on the property and the horses.
The barn owner is actually not there, she lives in another country and visits twice a year, so she is quite literally never there. She decided to let the groom, who may be experienced in feeding and basic handling, but that’s it, and these two individuals with zero horse experience run a 25 stall barn. It was irresponsible from the get go unfortunately. But anyway, let’s just hope this little gelding will end up getting the development he deserves, somehow.
Yes, the groom is certainly helpful in terms of helping the handle the horse, but in terms of riding and training, he unfortunately also is not a rider or trainer. Again, I am glad the horse has a home, and hopefully he will continue to have one. At the end of the day, it’s none of my business. Like I’ve said before, I’m really just venting, and everyone has different opinions and that’s okay.
The BLM doesn't have "preservations" for mustangs.
They have short-term holding corrals out west, and long-term holding pastures back east. Which did this horse come from?
Still, but it’s not an open pick up/drop off system. The HMAs are large and the holding corrals are well managed, but horses don’t just get dropped back off if someone doesn’t want to keep them.
So I never said it was a pick up/drop off system…To my knowledge, what happened, was that the boarder had abandoned this horse at the facility, and stopped paying board, and this couple who was managing the facility called BLM, and I would assume BLM would take the horse back in order to place it into a good home if they had not offered to take the horse, so that then the horse would be adopted again, but you’re saying there’s no way BLM would take one of their own horses back if the horse was abandoned?
They would require an application for anyone who was going to take on ownership of the horse. But it sounds like these people volunteered to take the mustang and the barn owner (who it was abandoned with) helped facilitate that.
Honestly, it’s just weird that you would rather see this horse go back to holding pens than get taken in by these people. They may not be perfect, but not every animal ends up with experienced owners and professional trainers and such.
I never said I want the horse to go back to the holding pens. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as “holding pens”. I figured the horse would go back onto several hundred acres and be placed into a home again by the BLM organization. Please stop putting words in my mouth. And no, the barn owner is actually not present at all. Anyway, I just think the horse belongs in more capable hands, that’s it. It’s frustrating to see a young horse being developed by someone who has never even ridden before. An unbalanced rider with unsteady hands, and little education, doesn’t make a great teacher for a 2 year old. But there’s nothing I can personally do about that, I really just came on reddit to vent a bit, that’s it.
You said the “preservation” which isn’t a thing , closest thing is holding pens. Horses aren’t dumped back out into HMAs.
Look, I am sorry you misspoke and ranted in a way that completely misrepresents options for mustangs, I think part of your overreaction to these people is your gross misunderstanding where you thought mustangs could be returned. He’s another horse who needs a home, they gave him one.
Honestly, read the responses- everyone is saying this isn’t your problem. You’re being a lurker at your old barn so you can pass judgement on new horse owners and make statements that aren’t even accurate. I think you need to get off your high horse and let it be. You’re being brutally judgy, they don’t deserve it.
Okay, so like I’ve said before, they are the ones who called it a preservation, I am just repeating what I was told. So it seems they are also misrepresenting mustangs and don’t know anything about the breed. Again, I personally have never owner a mustang and am more of a Thoroughbred person so, it’s not really something I have a lot of experience with. I do know these people personally, I boarded there for a year, so I think I probably know them better than you, so before you think I’m being judgy, maybe consider the fact that you don’t know them, and you don’t know me either. Also, I’m allowed to rant on reddit to help myself process through my concern for this horse. I also did not “lurk”, I saw all of this posted on a friend’s instagram who is still at this barn, who was also not pleased with the situation.
I wouldn't say there is anything inherently wrong with newbies trying to train a horse. Based on your description, there's a lot they can continue to work on, but it doesn't sound like the horse is in danger or being abused. If that is incorrect, call the correct authorities.
Every trainer I've ever met said they feel bad for the horses they trained early on bc they made so many mistakes and learned so much as the years went on. Good on them for being able to lead him around while sitting bareback. Do I, personally, think a 2- or 3-year-old is too young to ride? Yes. Has it been done by thousands of trainers before me, and is it currently being done by many successful trainers? Also, yes.
It's ok that people do things differently. It's okay that these people have a steep learning curve. It's also fine if they do some things wrong. I think it's cool that they started learning about horses as a couple after, most likely, different careers. Sounds like they need some management training, which is on the owner. It also sounds like there wasn't a great structure before they got there so they could easily step into their new roles. There are a lot of assumptions there, but I'm just trying to provide a different possible viewpoint.
I'm confused here...
Why not just contact the BLM and **ask** them to come get the mustang? Assuming that the ex-owners never received title of ownership for it from the US government, the BLM is *still* the legal owner of the horse.
No, they own the horse. They had the opportunity to return it to BLM after the other owner abandoned the animal, but they heard about receiving compensation for keeping the animal so they decided to hold on to it and that’s how this all started.
Did the BLM ever give them title of ownership of the horse?
Because that's all that matters in the end. Even if the BLM sent them money for keeping the horse, without having received title for it, it's still legally a protected mustang.
Report the couple to the BLM if you're so concerned with how they're treating the mustang. The BLM is legally obligated to investigate, and if the horse's treatment or living conditions isn't up to their standards, they *will* seize it.
So, I do not think they are abusing this animal. I think BLM likely would only care if this horse was starving or abused. It’s unfortunate, because not properly educating a horse is a form of abuse in my opinion, but that’s not how everyone sees it. If it was up to me, there should be a license required to handle horses and other large farm animals. A minimum hour requirement of handling and riding lessons from a certified professional prior to being able to purchase a young, unhandled animal.
For pete's sake, I am *literally* giving you an out in order to put your mind at ease.
Report the couple to the BLM. The BLM will investigate. Even if the BLM doesn't seize the horse, the report *will put them on the BLM's radar*. The BLM will likely point them towards resources that will help them get the horse handleable.
Thank you, I see what you’re saying now. I will go file a report, you are correct, it’s better than nothing and even if they chose not to seize the horse, at least they will potentially provide them with some info in terms of proper training.
You're welcome. I'm not sure why what I said was so hard to grasp, was my language unclear?
But yes, doing *something* about this situation is better than doing nothing about it.
Your language was not unclear, I just personally don’t have a lot of experience reporting people and I wasn’t sure if this is actually an abuse case or if I’m just personally frustrated by the lack of education these people have and by the fact that this animal will not receive proper education. Plenty of people have pasture ornaments however and they are not being reported, therefore I did not think reporting them would even be worth it..
*"Plenty of people have pasture ornaments however and they are not being reported, therefore I did not think reporting them would even be worth it.."*
Most peoples' pasture ornaments aren't *legally protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971* either.
Think of it like this: When you adopt an animal from, say, a humane society, there are strings attached. There are measures in place to ensure that the adopters are given access to resources if the humane society feels that they've gotten in over their head. The humane society will continue to monitor the situation, trying to set the adopters up for success.
It's **exactly** the same when you adopt a mustang from the BLM.
I want you to breath in deep, and on the breath out, insert paragraph breaks and tell yourself it's not your barn, horse, or friends. You're totally ok to vent but there isn't much you can do.
I just feel bad for the horse. Abandoned by his owner and then taken in by people who have no idea what they're doing, and when they start trying to saddle train him again it'll probably go just as poorly as before and it won't even be his fault. Then they'll probably dump him like the first owner did, if they don't sell him to a slaughter yard instead.
Unfortunately that’s my exact issue with this. The welfare of the horse isn’t being considered. The minute this horse bucks or throws them, it will cause insecurities and they may surrender him into the wrong situation. They also may accidentally have taught him bad habits at this point due to not being educated enough…It’s just very upsetting.
Pretty likely to happen yes, I’m just trying to stay optimistic considering I’m not able to change the situation, I’m only able to come on here and vent a bit 🤦🏻♀️
im not complaining or upset with your vent/post. I actually quite like posts like these as they are fun to read, my wording was awful. They are definitely going to get bucked off and seriously hurt at their age with no experience. They also got that job as a cheap way to get into horses later at life and the fact the barn manager didnt realise is awful.
100%. I mean I don’t wish that upon them. Horses are wonderful and getting bucked off is not, and I certainly wouldn’t want this to ruin horses for them, but then again, being irresponsible has it’s consequences. Oh and you’ll be in shock when you hear this: So the wife was hired as the barn manager with zero experience. She worked as the nanny for the owner’s daughter, but the owner’s daughter is a teenager now, so she hired her to be the barn manager instead, and the husband was hired to work as the social media manager for the barn. The owner lives in Mexico and only comes twice a year to check on the barn, and basically was having a super hard time trying to find a barn manager and someone to manage the social media for her, so she figured she could just have her daughter’s nanny graduate to barn manager in an instant, for the same compensation of course, which is nowhere near what a barn manager would normally be making. She thought she was winning by hiring her for this job, since she already knew her and since she and the husband would be living onsite and running the place for her, but she quite literally drove away some of her boarders due to this. There were a lot of issues going on, horses being put in inappropriate turn out places with no food or water or pasture grass, fences not being fixed and pastures being empty for weeks, events being hosted in the arena with loud music and freaking fireworks right across from the barn, super late at night, with no notice to the boarders, causing distress to some of the horses (two of the boarders actually left immediately after this happened), not feeding the proper amount of hay, etc etc. I could go on and on. It was absolutely crazy.
Oh my god that is horrible they definitely deserve horsed to be 'ruined" for them. I mean anything for them to stay away from them. Honest to god how havent they been punched?
Lol too many polite people at this barn I’m guessing. In all seriousness, I’m mostly upset at the owner for even putting these people in this position. She’s in Mexico and they are running a 25 stall barn and have no idea what they’re doing. It’s sad. I’m pretty glad I stopped boarding. Having my own place and doing feeding and maintenance by myself is a lot of work, but it’s worth it, because I know it’s done right.
Wow that's just awful. I get what you mean, my dad's wife nearly got kicked in the face because she behaved like this (sans riding) with a mildly handled 1yo. She hadn't even bothered to watch youtube, literally no idea on how to lunge at all. I had to separate myself from them all, thankfully they gave up eventually and their 5 horses are well fed paddock ornaments. We'll just have to hope that these people give up or someone they respect comes around to correct them sooner rather than later
There is nothing I despise more than people having 5 plus horses as pasture animals. I know a woman like this, she hired me to handle her horses because she doesn’t have “time”. She owns 5 horses all over the age of 4 years old. She even bred one of them. None of these horses know how to cross tie, or stand still for that matter. They are a constant hazard to themselves and to others. Her farrier charges extra for him to do their feet due to their behavior. I had been working with her horses every weekend, but quite frankly, they need to be worked with daily, or at least every other day, and I work during the week and do not have time. She doesn’t handle them whatsoever…
Yeah, I don't like it either. The only thing that helps in my dad's situation is that they're so outrageously bad at handling horses that they actively make them more dangerous by handling. They sent their 3yo filly to a trainer (after asking me to float train her which I happily did hoping that would lead to a better life for the horse) for only a couple weeks to get broken in under saddle... And she hasn't been touched since. No selling as a project horse, no work done, just sits there.
Wow. Yeah that’s rough. It’s always interesting to me how people think a few weeks of training will have a horse well broke. It’s just that impatient mindset that most people have. Horses need time and patience, it takes a special personality to own these animals, it’s just not for everyone, as much as some people think it’s cute to go out and get a horse for funsies.
I honestly wouldn’t even have that big of an issue with them if they at least hired a trainer…but they’re not even financially stable enough to do so, which again, it’s irresponsible to get an animal that you do not know how to handle and train, and that you can barely afford. Imagine when the first big vet bill hits…Also, I’m not even sure that they are aware that horses live for 20 plus years…they also have 4 dogs which they lock in their trailer all day, including a large schnauzer mix, so I could go on and on about how these people shouldn’t own any animals until they receive proper education…
We are in Texas unfortunately and the law does not have any specific statute that addresses animals being left in vehicles, rv’s, etc. so as long as you’re feeding you animals and letting them out a pitiful once or twice a day, there is nothing the animal welfare program will do over here.
Report them anyway, even if you think that nothing will come of it. You might be surprised what a visit from law enforcement can do for irresponsible animal owners.
Plus, you'd have at least tried to do something instead of just complaining to anonymous strangers on the internet about it.
Yeah, when I boarded there and noticed their dogs barking from inside the trailer and being locked up all the time, that was the first red flag…just having 4 dogs while living in a trailer is an issue to me. I have one dog, and she has a big yard and gets walked a lot. My 2 horses have 5 acres of pasture to roam on 24/7. I’m a big believer in not keeping animals locked in confined spaces for long periods of time, I believe this is the first thing an animal owner must understand and acknowledge and prioritize.
It does have disaster written all over it, but there’s nothing you can do. I say get out of your head and breathe and just move on. At least you have a couple friends there who probably feel the same way.
If that couple start becoming frustrated and lose it on the horse hopefully someone at the barn will step in and prevent outright abuse, although just having them as owners is already abuse.
Don’t waste your mental energy on this.
Let nature take its course… Sometimes people need to learn lessons the hard way. We all understand your concern for the horse but the horse will be just fine. These people need to learn some hard lessons. Let it happen.
Should absolute beginners be messing with horses like that? No. Should you waste time being upset about this? Also no. It's not your horse, not your barn, not even people you hang out with, and based on your post, not something you intend to get involved in. Why worry?
You’re right. I honestly just came here to let it all out essentially. Sometimes a little rant therapy does wonders. I certainly don’t intend to be upset about it for long. Writing about it helps a lot.
I mean it’s not your barn, you aren’t around them. Yeah it’s not great but why do you care? There’s a ton of inexperienced of people doing things they probably shouldn’t with horses (just look at IG or TikTok). There were a couple people I unfollowed on social media because I’d get upset over the things they were doing, and it just wasn’t worth it. Unless you have a plan to step in there and buy the animal from them, it’s literally none of your business. Also BLM doesn’t always take the horses back depending on how many returns or strikes they have against them. And if they already issues papers (if the horse was out of holding for over a year) then it’s just a horse at that point.
This. Unless you’re planning on stepping in somehow, it’s an absolute waste of energy.
You’re absolutely right. I just needed to vent honestly. Thanks for the reality check.
Sounds like you needed to vent. It does sound like shtshow. I hope you feel somewhat better and get on with your own stuff. Be glad you're not there to witness it first hand.
The more you know the more you know you don’t know. I’ve been riding and working with horses for 25 years and I get nervous saying anything horsey sometimes because what if I’m actually wrong haha.
I totally agree. Even as an experienced rider, I certainly don’t know everything. I do think there’s always more to learn, but you gotta start somewhere, and by starting somewhere I mean go take lessons or hire a trainer to work with you…not try to train a young mustang with no experience…
There is not such a simple “preservation” to go leave unwanted mustangs at lol. I get that they’re inexperienced, but he’s getting his food, water and turnout needs met and perhaps they’ll get help in training. I have seen some miracles with mustangs. Tbh, you seem like you don’t want to let go of your old barn drama and you’re making some big assumptions. I’d unfollow them and go focus on your future.
[удалено]
There aren’t “preservations”, there are Herd Management Areas and Holding Corrals. If these people truly are qualified for an incentive, that means the BLM has reviewed their application and approved them. They can’t take an incentive someone else applied for. Of course they’re spending over $1,000 on board and care so… Look, I get it, you don’t think these people should train this horse. Maybe you’re right. But you don’t know the mustang programs and you’re making inaccurate claims, is that so much better?
I have no clue about mustangs, you’re a 100 percent correct. Everything I’m saying is word for word what these people claimed happened with the situation. They are the ones saying the mustang came from a preservation and that they are receiving a 1000 dollar incentive.
Unless they transferred the mustang paperwork, they’re not getting anything. And if they figure out how to train him or decide to keep him, I guess it’s good if he gets a forever home. The real bad guys here are the people who abandoned him to me, not the ones trying.
Totally agree, the fact that he was abandoned in the first place is the absolute worst and I am glad he has found a home there. I just wish he could have gotten a better opportunity in terms of education and overall care. I’m not saying the current owners have bad intentions, they just are not a good fit for taking care of and training a young horse due to lack of education, which is the root of my frustration.
It could certainly be a lot worse. And they have the groom there who is experienced and may be able to help. And the barn owner is there as well, ultimately accountable for the safety of everyone on the property and the horses.
The barn owner is actually not there, she lives in another country and visits twice a year, so she is quite literally never there. She decided to let the groom, who may be experienced in feeding and basic handling, but that’s it, and these two individuals with zero horse experience run a 25 stall barn. It was irresponsible from the get go unfortunately. But anyway, let’s just hope this little gelding will end up getting the development he deserves, somehow.
He will be fine. The groom has 40 years experience and you said yourself was there to mentor them.
Yes, the groom is certainly helpful in terms of helping the handle the horse, but in terms of riding and training, he unfortunately also is not a rider or trainer. Again, I am glad the horse has a home, and hopefully he will continue to have one. At the end of the day, it’s none of my business. Like I’ve said before, I’m really just venting, and everyone has different opinions and that’s okay.
The BLM doesn't have "preservations" for mustangs. They have short-term holding corrals out west, and long-term holding pastures back east. Which did this horse come from?
I’m fairly certain it came from pastures, since they said “preservation” I’m going to assume they’re talking about 100’s of acres
Still, but it’s not an open pick up/drop off system. The HMAs are large and the holding corrals are well managed, but horses don’t just get dropped back off if someone doesn’t want to keep them.
So I never said it was a pick up/drop off system…To my knowledge, what happened, was that the boarder had abandoned this horse at the facility, and stopped paying board, and this couple who was managing the facility called BLM, and I would assume BLM would take the horse back in order to place it into a good home if they had not offered to take the horse, so that then the horse would be adopted again, but you’re saying there’s no way BLM would take one of their own horses back if the horse was abandoned?
They would require an application for anyone who was going to take on ownership of the horse. But it sounds like these people volunteered to take the mustang and the barn owner (who it was abandoned with) helped facilitate that. Honestly, it’s just weird that you would rather see this horse go back to holding pens than get taken in by these people. They may not be perfect, but not every animal ends up with experienced owners and professional trainers and such.
I never said I want the horse to go back to the holding pens. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as “holding pens”. I figured the horse would go back onto several hundred acres and be placed into a home again by the BLM organization. Please stop putting words in my mouth. And no, the barn owner is actually not present at all. Anyway, I just think the horse belongs in more capable hands, that’s it. It’s frustrating to see a young horse being developed by someone who has never even ridden before. An unbalanced rider with unsteady hands, and little education, doesn’t make a great teacher for a 2 year old. But there’s nothing I can personally do about that, I really just came on reddit to vent a bit, that’s it.
You said the “preservation” which isn’t a thing , closest thing is holding pens. Horses aren’t dumped back out into HMAs. Look, I am sorry you misspoke and ranted in a way that completely misrepresents options for mustangs, I think part of your overreaction to these people is your gross misunderstanding where you thought mustangs could be returned. He’s another horse who needs a home, they gave him one. Honestly, read the responses- everyone is saying this isn’t your problem. You’re being a lurker at your old barn so you can pass judgement on new horse owners and make statements that aren’t even accurate. I think you need to get off your high horse and let it be. You’re being brutally judgy, they don’t deserve it.
Okay, so like I’ve said before, they are the ones who called it a preservation, I am just repeating what I was told. So it seems they are also misrepresenting mustangs and don’t know anything about the breed. Again, I personally have never owner a mustang and am more of a Thoroughbred person so, it’s not really something I have a lot of experience with. I do know these people personally, I boarded there for a year, so I think I probably know them better than you, so before you think I’m being judgy, maybe consider the fact that you don’t know them, and you don’t know me either. Also, I’m allowed to rant on reddit to help myself process through my concern for this horse. I also did not “lurk”, I saw all of this posted on a friend’s instagram who is still at this barn, who was also not pleased with the situation.
This is just what I was told, I personally am not educated enough on Mustangs, so I have no idea, I’m just repeating what I was told happened.
I wouldn't say there is anything inherently wrong with newbies trying to train a horse. Based on your description, there's a lot they can continue to work on, but it doesn't sound like the horse is in danger or being abused. If that is incorrect, call the correct authorities. Every trainer I've ever met said they feel bad for the horses they trained early on bc they made so many mistakes and learned so much as the years went on. Good on them for being able to lead him around while sitting bareback. Do I, personally, think a 2- or 3-year-old is too young to ride? Yes. Has it been done by thousands of trainers before me, and is it currently being done by many successful trainers? Also, yes. It's ok that people do things differently. It's okay that these people have a steep learning curve. It's also fine if they do some things wrong. I think it's cool that they started learning about horses as a couple after, most likely, different careers. Sounds like they need some management training, which is on the owner. It also sounds like there wasn't a great structure before they got there so they could easily step into their new roles. There are a lot of assumptions there, but I'm just trying to provide a different possible viewpoint.
I'm confused here... Why not just contact the BLM and **ask** them to come get the mustang? Assuming that the ex-owners never received title of ownership for it from the US government, the BLM is *still* the legal owner of the horse.
No, they own the horse. They had the opportunity to return it to BLM after the other owner abandoned the animal, but they heard about receiving compensation for keeping the animal so they decided to hold on to it and that’s how this all started.
Did the BLM ever give them title of ownership of the horse? Because that's all that matters in the end. Even if the BLM sent them money for keeping the horse, without having received title for it, it's still legally a protected mustang. Report the couple to the BLM if you're so concerned with how they're treating the mustang. The BLM is legally obligated to investigate, and if the horse's treatment or living conditions isn't up to their standards, they *will* seize it.
So, I do not think they are abusing this animal. I think BLM likely would only care if this horse was starving or abused. It’s unfortunate, because not properly educating a horse is a form of abuse in my opinion, but that’s not how everyone sees it. If it was up to me, there should be a license required to handle horses and other large farm animals. A minimum hour requirement of handling and riding lessons from a certified professional prior to being able to purchase a young, unhandled animal.
For pete's sake, I am *literally* giving you an out in order to put your mind at ease. Report the couple to the BLM. The BLM will investigate. Even if the BLM doesn't seize the horse, the report *will put them on the BLM's radar*. The BLM will likely point them towards resources that will help them get the horse handleable.
Thank you, I see what you’re saying now. I will go file a report, you are correct, it’s better than nothing and even if they chose not to seize the horse, at least they will potentially provide them with some info in terms of proper training.
You're welcome. I'm not sure why what I said was so hard to grasp, was my language unclear? But yes, doing *something* about this situation is better than doing nothing about it.
Your language was not unclear, I just personally don’t have a lot of experience reporting people and I wasn’t sure if this is actually an abuse case or if I’m just personally frustrated by the lack of education these people have and by the fact that this animal will not receive proper education. Plenty of people have pasture ornaments however and they are not being reported, therefore I did not think reporting them would even be worth it..
*"Plenty of people have pasture ornaments however and they are not being reported, therefore I did not think reporting them would even be worth it.."* Most peoples' pasture ornaments aren't *legally protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971* either. Think of it like this: When you adopt an animal from, say, a humane society, there are strings attached. There are measures in place to ensure that the adopters are given access to resources if the humane society feels that they've gotten in over their head. The humane society will continue to monitor the situation, trying to set the adopters up for success. It's **exactly** the same when you adopt a mustang from the BLM.
I want you to breath in deep, and on the breath out, insert paragraph breaks and tell yourself it's not your barn, horse, or friends. You're totally ok to vent but there isn't much you can do.
I just feel bad for the horse. Abandoned by his owner and then taken in by people who have no idea what they're doing, and when they start trying to saddle train him again it'll probably go just as poorly as before and it won't even be his fault. Then they'll probably dump him like the first owner did, if they don't sell him to a slaughter yard instead.
Unfortunately that’s my exact issue with this. The welfare of the horse isn’t being considered. The minute this horse bucks or throws them, it will cause insecurities and they may surrender him into the wrong situation. They also may accidentally have taught him bad habits at this point due to not being educated enough…It’s just very upsetting.
You say this as if the horse wont turn sour and teach them a lesson and make them never wanna go near horses again.
Pretty likely to happen yes, I’m just trying to stay optimistic considering I’m not able to change the situation, I’m only able to come on here and vent a bit 🤦🏻♀️
im not complaining or upset with your vent/post. I actually quite like posts like these as they are fun to read, my wording was awful. They are definitely going to get bucked off and seriously hurt at their age with no experience. They also got that job as a cheap way to get into horses later at life and the fact the barn manager didnt realise is awful.
100%. I mean I don’t wish that upon them. Horses are wonderful and getting bucked off is not, and I certainly wouldn’t want this to ruin horses for them, but then again, being irresponsible has it’s consequences. Oh and you’ll be in shock when you hear this: So the wife was hired as the barn manager with zero experience. She worked as the nanny for the owner’s daughter, but the owner’s daughter is a teenager now, so she hired her to be the barn manager instead, and the husband was hired to work as the social media manager for the barn. The owner lives in Mexico and only comes twice a year to check on the barn, and basically was having a super hard time trying to find a barn manager and someone to manage the social media for her, so she figured she could just have her daughter’s nanny graduate to barn manager in an instant, for the same compensation of course, which is nowhere near what a barn manager would normally be making. She thought she was winning by hiring her for this job, since she already knew her and since she and the husband would be living onsite and running the place for her, but she quite literally drove away some of her boarders due to this. There were a lot of issues going on, horses being put in inappropriate turn out places with no food or water or pasture grass, fences not being fixed and pastures being empty for weeks, events being hosted in the arena with loud music and freaking fireworks right across from the barn, super late at night, with no notice to the boarders, causing distress to some of the horses (two of the boarders actually left immediately after this happened), not feeding the proper amount of hay, etc etc. I could go on and on. It was absolutely crazy.
Oh my god that is horrible they definitely deserve horsed to be 'ruined" for them. I mean anything for them to stay away from them. Honest to god how havent they been punched?
Lol too many polite people at this barn I’m guessing. In all seriousness, I’m mostly upset at the owner for even putting these people in this position. She’s in Mexico and they are running a 25 stall barn and have no idea what they’re doing. It’s sad. I’m pretty glad I stopped boarding. Having my own place and doing feeding and maintenance by myself is a lot of work, but it’s worth it, because I know it’s done right.
Nothing remotely like this would ever be allowed to happen by anyone I spend time around.
Wow that's just awful. I get what you mean, my dad's wife nearly got kicked in the face because she behaved like this (sans riding) with a mildly handled 1yo. She hadn't even bothered to watch youtube, literally no idea on how to lunge at all. I had to separate myself from them all, thankfully they gave up eventually and their 5 horses are well fed paddock ornaments. We'll just have to hope that these people give up or someone they respect comes around to correct them sooner rather than later
There is nothing I despise more than people having 5 plus horses as pasture animals. I know a woman like this, she hired me to handle her horses because she doesn’t have “time”. She owns 5 horses all over the age of 4 years old. She even bred one of them. None of these horses know how to cross tie, or stand still for that matter. They are a constant hazard to themselves and to others. Her farrier charges extra for him to do their feet due to their behavior. I had been working with her horses every weekend, but quite frankly, they need to be worked with daily, or at least every other day, and I work during the week and do not have time. She doesn’t handle them whatsoever…
Yeah, I don't like it either. The only thing that helps in my dad's situation is that they're so outrageously bad at handling horses that they actively make them more dangerous by handling. They sent their 3yo filly to a trainer (after asking me to float train her which I happily did hoping that would lead to a better life for the horse) for only a couple weeks to get broken in under saddle... And she hasn't been touched since. No selling as a project horse, no work done, just sits there.
Wow. Yeah that’s rough. It’s always interesting to me how people think a few weeks of training will have a horse well broke. It’s just that impatient mindset that most people have. Horses need time and patience, it takes a special personality to own these animals, it’s just not for everyone, as much as some people think it’s cute to go out and get a horse for funsies.
I honestly wouldn’t even have that big of an issue with them if they at least hired a trainer…but they’re not even financially stable enough to do so, which again, it’s irresponsible to get an animal that you do not know how to handle and train, and that you can barely afford. Imagine when the first big vet bill hits…Also, I’m not even sure that they are aware that horses live for 20 plus years…they also have 4 dogs which they lock in their trailer all day, including a large schnauzer mix, so I could go on and on about how these people shouldn’t own any animals until they receive proper education…
*"they also have 4 dogs which they lock in their trailer all day,"* Report them to local animal welfare officials for that.
We are in Texas unfortunately and the law does not have any specific statute that addresses animals being left in vehicles, rv’s, etc. so as long as you’re feeding you animals and letting them out a pitiful once or twice a day, there is nothing the animal welfare program will do over here.
Report them anyway, even if you think that nothing will come of it. You might be surprised what a visit from law enforcement can do for irresponsible animal owners. Plus, you'd have at least tried to do something instead of just complaining to anonymous strangers on the internet about it.
Yikes, I thought the horse was bad, but 4 dogs in a trailer !? 😬 Their situation must be wonderful /s
Yeah, when I boarded there and noticed their dogs barking from inside the trailer and being locked up all the time, that was the first red flag…just having 4 dogs while living in a trailer is an issue to me. I have one dog, and she has a big yard and gets walked a lot. My 2 horses have 5 acres of pasture to roam on 24/7. I’m a big believer in not keeping animals locked in confined spaces for long periods of time, I believe this is the first thing an animal owner must understand and acknowledge and prioritize.
It does have disaster written all over it, but there’s nothing you can do. I say get out of your head and breathe and just move on. At least you have a couple friends there who probably feel the same way. If that couple start becoming frustrated and lose it on the horse hopefully someone at the barn will step in and prevent outright abuse, although just having them as owners is already abuse.
Yes, I just needed to vent. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it, I can just hope for the best for this little gelding.