#TBT: How to Stay on Your Barn Owner’s Nice List

All the boarders out there–are you on the naughty or nice list this year?

It’s one thing to ask for a favor when you really need help. But when everyone and their horse is a special snowflake, it can kind of make you want to tear your hair out. Good thing is, the rules are simple. Here’s how you can keep your barn owner or manager from going insane.

Clean up after yourself. This ain’t your mama’s house…and if your mama cleans up after your horse, she’s a saint. Otherwise, just make sure you left the barn as clean as you found it–or even cleaner.

 [Wikimedia Commons]

Be aware of limited resources. Hay isn’t free, and neither are stall shavings, or boards to repair fences, or well…anything. Don’t over-use barn supplies just because you’re not the one buying them.

If you turn it on, turn it off. If you open it, close it.  This is especially true for turning on and off lights and heaters in the winter, when costs are high!

Save the drama for your mama. This could fill up an entire post on its own. So we wrote one. But bottom line–if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it.

[Wikimedia Commons]

Teach your horse manners. Working with horses is a lot riskier than working at an office, but who wants to fly a 1400-lb. kite at the end of a lead rope as part of their job? If your horse has behavior problems, work to fix them for everyone’s safety.

Supervise barn visitors. Whether it’s your kid, your dog, or a friend, you’re responsible for their behavior. So don’t let them do anything stupid–for their own safety, and for the horses’ safety.

Pay on time. Sure, you might think the barn owner may have a lot of money coming in from other boarders, but when everyone thinks that way, it takes financial gymnastics just to pay for hay and feed.

Bottom line, barn owners, managers and workers do a lot to care for our horses day in and day out, whether it’s snowing or whether it’s 100 degrees. So why make their lives more difficult?

Share any additional tips to stay on your barn owner’s nice list in the Facebook comments!