This message is from: laurie with <livingi...@q.com>
i have always kept skylar outside 24/7, and she thrives on it. someone saw her napping the other day, lying down in the snow. silly girl. she has the typical yak hair that they get in the winter. the barn i am at changed hands last fall, and though we thought it would be a good change, it’s turned out to be anything but. almost everyone that i knew there has already left, and the new owner is the main reason. he and his wife, who has been battling breast cancer took over, and even though HE promised big changes, it’s not happening. there has been a revolving door of workers, trainers, barn managers, boarders, etc., because he finds problems with everyone he hires. he has told boarders to get out RIGHT NOW if they do something he doesn’t like. and though he claims to love horses, it’s mostly his own that he cares about. the stalls are not bedded well, water has frozen in the outdoor tanks, some of the fencing doesn’t work, etc. etc. he is a bully, a liar, and is having an affair with the manager of our local Dover store! she has her horses there, and acts like she owns the place, but she is not a nice person. the owner’s wife has filed divorce papers, so who knows wha! t’s going to happen. i know, it’s sounds like a soap opera. i come in sometimes and there is nobody there, and most of the stalls are empty. we used to have a lot of very talented kids and teens who rode there, but they are all gone. the ones that stayed left, because their kids all heard about the behavior of the owner because they go to school together. almost every local barn knows about it, because the horse community here in the minneapolis area is very interconnected. i like the facility, large indoor and outdoor, close to home. but the atmosphere has become toxic and it’s affecting the horses. i have found a small, private place, about 5 miles farther away, with a 1200 foot driveway, so the horses aren’t right up to the road, like they are where i am. the barn is heated, with automatic waterers, they custom feed the horses with what they need. i think there are maybe 10 stalls. they grow their own hay. it’s owned by a woman about my age and her husband, and her daughter runs it. the daughter has shown horses in the pinto/paint circuit (she knows kristin lee), and went to school for equine management. she teaches, but lessons are not required. there is no outdoor, but the property is large, and a local park with trails is close by. it would force me to learn to be comfortable away from the arena, which is one of my little fears. there is a nice group of middle aged women who board there, and the owners live right there. they come down in the evening and do a bed check, or is that stall check? the only down side is that there is only indoor board. i have always thoughts our fjords do better outside, but am thinking this is a much better atmosphere for skylar. any input? laurie with livingi...@q.com Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
