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Discussion on Turn out with hind shoes
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Member:
simonem
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 3, 2009 - 7:04 pm:
Hey all,
A situation has developed at the barn I board at, and I'm pretty interested to see what others' opinions might be about this.
There are 3 horses (one is mine, 6 y/o TB) kept on 3 acres at the boarding facility. The other horses are a 4 y/o TB gelding and a tank-like 13 y/o Friesian/TB mare. The pecking order is the mare, then the 4 y/o, then my 6 y/o.
The problem here is the 4 y/o's owner spoke about putting hind shoes on him, and the owner of the mare told her we are not comfortable with it, it is against barn rules and she needs to speak with the barn owner beforehand. Approx 3 weeks after that discussion, I caught her with her farrier in the barn, with one hind shoe on and the other in progress. A heated conversation ensued, and she was extremely ticked off we refused to let her do it. The barn owner told her if her pasture mates consented, she would allow the shoes. The hind shoe was pulled immediately. Ever since then she has been short, curt and makes rude comments any chance she gets-she even told me a couple days ago she is going to take a whip in the pasture with her, because apparently my horse "attacks" hers when she goes out to get him (which is not true.)
The 4 y/o is not overly aggressive, but he is a spunky young TB, and bucks and plays hard. His owner is a veterinarian and she seems to think this is not a danger because the other horses don't come in with kicks and bites regularly.
I am extremely careful with my animals and I have always thought that hind shoes and pasture mates don't match. I suppose there are exceptions to every rule, but I am just not willing to take chances with my horse's life potentially at risk. I'd be interested to know if anyone thinks I am over-reacting. The mare's owner feels the same way I do, so I suppose even if I consented to it, she would still nix the idea.
In any case, it makes for a pretty uncomfortable barn environment. The barn owner loves having a resident veterinarian (to be fair, she has done her fair share of emergency work, advising and prescription writing, pro bono). I suspect she feels attacked about this since she has done a lot for other boarders (she's never had to do anything for me, personally, though, so I don't feel too bad.) Ideas about smoothing this over? I do like her a lot, but I like my horse better!
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 3, 2009 - 9:40 pm:
Hi Simone,
I'm a barn owner with 20 horses in care. I believe strongly that things run smoother if the barn owner makes reasonable rules (and writes them down in the boarding agreement) than if this sort of thing is allowed to turn into a boarder vs. boarder situation. In my barn, horses with hind shoes go out alone or with the owner's other horses, no exceptions.
Hind shoes are a dangerous accessory on any horse that moves in a herd. Your co-boarder obviously feels her horse would benefit from wearing them, and she has already decided the increased risk to her horse's pasturemates is negligible. If she had a crystal ball that foretold horse injuries, she would no doubt have a different career and lifestyle, so I don't put much value in her dismissal of that risk.
So what to do. You can go to the barn owner and request that the barn owner make a rule one way or the other, to avoid the inter-boarder conflict. You need to be prepared for the rule to go against you, however, in which case you'll have to decide whether to keep your horse with the other two, or move him somehow.
The other option is simply to try again to talk to your co-boarder, and to tell her that you're sorry to have inconvenienced her, and distressed by her apparent anger, that you may be a worry wart but have seen and heard too many tales of disaster to sleep easy if her horse has shoes. Remember that she is only another boarder in this situation, not a person who is any more qualified to predict the future than you are. Horse management is mostly rational risk reduction, and barefoot behind falls easily into that category.
Wish I could help more-- it's an uncomfortable situation.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 12:14 pm:
Hello Simone, elk speaks words of great wisdom.
DrO
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Member:
sodmonst
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 12:51 pm:
Simone, have you ever noticed that people who knowingly break rules tend to resent anyone who calls attention to it? I wonder how that boarder would feel if there were a turnout field exclusively for shod horses. Where would she want her horse to be?
You mention that the hind shoes are against barn rules. Was there a written board agreement? Are the rules posted anywhere? I think that putting the decision to bend the rules on you and the other horse owner helped to create the situation, and created a hotbed for triangular communications. Technically, enforcement of rules and keeping a safe environment is the owner's responsibility, and you pay for it every time you pay your board bill.
I lost a nice AQHA gelding this way, it happens in an instant, there's no going back then, and I don't think that you are being unreasonable at all.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 1:17 pm:
The boarding barn where I used to work had rules about back shoes too, unfortunately some horses did need them. Any horse that had back shoes on had their own turnout pen. They were next to other horses so they would be happy, but not in with any other horse. We had 5 separate pens for turnout for horses with back shoes, lameness, or diet issues. The turnouts weren't as big or as nice, but only one horse would be in it at a time.
This was an eventing barn and a good many of them did wear back shoes during the "season" sometimes back shoes are needed for certain disciplines.
I would ask the BO if it would be possible to make up some extra turnout pens for the horses with rear shoes, then everyone is happy
I don't think you were being unreasonable that is the way it should be.
If I was BO though I believe I would have something to accomodate horses with back shoes, or other issues that need a horse in by itself.
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Member:
simonem
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 5:43 pm:
Susie- no, the hind shoe rule isn't written anywhere, but I was told that it wasn't allowed when I moved my horse on the property. I think the reason the BO tried to reason about it (she actually tried to get us to go for a "test run" with them) is because she does not want to lose a vet as a boarder. She does try to accommodate anyone whenever she can, but I think this went a little far.
I'm glad to see you all agree. I was hoping there were others out there who are as careful as I am! I agree that if the tables were turned, she probably wouldn't like it anymore than I do. I believe (part of) the reason this is being made into such an issue is because there is one other horse at the barn who has shoes all around and is turned out with others, but he's a 30 y/o laid back gelding with one foot in the ground. I guess it's just nice to have a little reassurance since the other woman's reaction really made me wonder, lol.
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Member:
dustee
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 7:43 pm:
So, who's going to stick up for your horse if you don't? You're on the right path. You need to dig deep for the correct words to smooth things out - and get your way. Guess it's called finesse!! Good luck
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Member:
sodmonst
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 8:05 pm:
I wonder why she thinks that the horse needs shoes instead of boots, and I wonder if putting boots with internal pads on him when he's out would take the kapow out of his hind feet. Probably I'm just being dumb, but just wondering... Sometimes people cannot back down until they find a way to save face.
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Member:
simonem
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 10:11 pm:
She wants to put shoes on him because she thinks he "doesn't have enough traction" on our grass ring and "slips too much." She is training/schooling him around 2'3"-2'6" right now...I agree about not wanting to back down
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 8:50 pm:
She should look into the facts of the matter.
Horses in shoes will slip much more on wet grass than barefoot horses will unless studs or borium are used, which can very hard on the horse for general use purposes.
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