anoki
Well-Known Member
*sigh* well this all started before my dog show a couple weekends ago. As some of you know I still live with my parents (my grandparents moved in this past October), run my own small buisness and work at a small horse barn that is very close to me (where I keep Anoki...there are 6 horses there, 2 owned by my coaches, the other 3 owned by a very rich, know-it-all that I can't stand). I have worked here for almost 10 years and am very close with the owners (who are also my coaches). They have a very high standard for training and for the care the horses receive each day....they, like me, can't write a cheque to replace the horse(s) that they own. I don't mean to sound snotty by saying that, but I've worked too darn hard to have a horse, and get it to the level that it's going at to have someone do something stupid and it get hurt.
Anyways, back to the story (sorry)...my coaches (oh by the way they are husband & wife) decided they wanted to go away...somewhere warm. All and good, that's fine with me...but they were looking at a trip that would leave the Sunday of my dog show (this was very last minute...like the Wed before) and yes, this would have interfered with the dog show, but I told them don't worry I'd make it work (oh another piece to the story...there is a woman who 'helps' at the barn...more on that later). Long story short, they decided not to go that week (*phew* thank goodness). I told them that I really don't mind if they go away....but if they could wait until after the holidays as I have a lot of orders to fill before christmas, and there was a lot of things to get done at home before Christmas. Last Thurs morning I got a phone call from them saying they got a trip....I asked when they fly out, they said the 18th (sunday)...dead silence on my end....then I asked how long are they gone...when do they fly back...they say a week, we're back next sunday...more dead silence...I say you fly back Christmas Day....yes. I was just a little down in the dumps after finding that out...but they had already booked the trip and guess what...there is no one else able to look after things at the barn. My mom is furious with them that they've done this...I am also upset partly because I had a Christmas party this past Saturday night (which I had planned to stay over night at) and I was trying to figure out how this was going to work, when they were leaving at Midnight Sat night, and there was soo much to be done at home. Anyways, come to the conclusion that I'd just have to get up early Sun and haul some rear to get home...I have no 'life' so I was making darn sure I was going to this party. So I come to terms with that and live with it. I show up at the barn Sunday morning, one of the horses (owned by the rich b***h) didn't eat his grain from Saturday afternoon...so I dump it and try the morning grain...nope wouldn't touch it. I started getting very worried at this point, but he's eating hay, drinking water and pooping...nothing serious seemed to be wrong, so I didn't call the vet but popped over a few extra times to check him. The lady who 'helps' at the barn came and helped out with stalls (please do not take offence to this anyone, but she is an almost 60 year old woman with fibromyalgia....she isn't used to handling big, fit, powerful horses and I am constantly worried that she is going to be hurt. I also find that she makes my days longer when she comes to help-she makes more work for me the next day-and I have always told her that if it's too much for her to let me know and I can deal with it on my own, but I know she loves doing the work). Anyways, she is also furious that they left me with the barn at this time of the year blah, blah, blah. On to Monday, end up calling the vet for the horse that is off his grain (in which case I also have to call the rich so-and-so and listen to her rant and rave about how everything happens to her, and her horse is probably dying etc, etc, etc). While waiting for the vet, we do stalls, and my 'help' was more in the way than she was help, but I tried to be nice and tell her what needed to be done (I get very frustrated when she's worked there for 2 years and still can't see what still needs to be done, or she does something that is putting herself in possible risk)...but I am very worried and stressed out about this horse being sick. Anyways, vet comes, can't find anything....doesn't know why he's off his grain. So back to square one....deal with the constant phone calls and emails from miss rich-one (to which I keep saying, just wait for the bloodwork to come back to see what is wrong). Which brings us to today....I get to the barn, talk to the feed dealer on the phone to see if there was possibly something wrong with the feed...nope. Then my help arrives and we go to put horses out in their big fields (we had turned them out in little paddocks the day before as I was waiting for the vet). This means trudging through snow to get to each individual field...no easy task for even me!! But this was why I wanted someone there to give me a hand turning horses in and out (otherwise they'd just be in the little paddocks). We get 2 horses out and she tells me she could probably only get out one more time...so I said, that is fine, lets do their stalls, get them in, and turn the rest out in the little paddocks then. Fine and dandy we do that. Part way through doing stalls she says to me, 'I just don't think I can do this anymore...I think I need to have a talk to them when they get back'. So we proceeded to have a discussion about why the barn is run the way it is, and why things are done the way they are. And she says to me that she is worried about leading the horses, which I responded with, yes, it worries me too, because I don't want to see her hurt! So we keep discussing things, and she starts asking me why I keep Anoki there and what I'm getting out of it....I tell her....training and care....can't find it anywhere else in our area. She keeps bugging me with but is it worth it...I say yes!!! Then she starts going on about my coaches, how the barn seems to be run haphazardly, my one coach seems very scatterbrained with things....my hackles start going up...but I am still nice and try to be understanding about things...I know they can be...not difficult, but a lot of people don't understand WHY they run the barn the way they do...I guess coz I've been there so long that I don't think about that. Anyways, I think I have things somewhat smoothed over...she said she had a hair appointment wed morning, so I said, don't worry about wed then, and you can have the day off (I realize by this point that she needs a day off), and say, why don't I give you a call about Thurs, coz I have some stuff to do, and if the weather is bad, I won't be turning them out....so fine, we settle with that...get the last 2 horses in from outside, and she says, well I won't see you tomorrow and call me about Thurs and walks out the door.....I knew she was upset....so I tried calling her, she wouldn't answer the phone. I get home a little while later when I get done the other stuff at the barn, and there was this email from her giving me notice that she wouldn't be back the rest of the week...she was done...that she was uncomfortable around my temper (um what?), didn't like the way my coach ran things all haphazard, blah,blah,blah....she didn't like feeling like she wasn't enough help...it went on about other things and said 'I'm sure that's why you've had such a high turnover of workers'....which I really don't know where that's come from, because she doesn't know anything about who has worked there in the past and why they have left (which all of them had to do with moving their horses to different barns). And she went on that she always felt she wasn't pleasing me....but I just point out something, so that it doesn't make more work for the next day....argggg
I emailed her to say I was sorry if I was short with her this week, but I have been very worried about this horse, and it just isn't a good time of year for my family (which is another story, and really isn't any of her business anyways). Of course I had to email my coaches about this horse being off....so I had to email them about this as well....my one coach is all upset about what's going on, and I know she won't be enjoying herself because she doesn't know what exactly is going on....I've just had enough with people this week....I'm sure this woman is stressed this time of year as well...and I know she worries about pushing herself too far...but I have tried to give her ample opportunities to back out of doing things, without hurting her feelings...and yet, I seem to do exactly that, when I do offer these alternatives. She seems to be upset that my coaches asked her to help all week, yet when I say she doesn't need to help if it's too much, she takes offense to that! In the email I sent to her, I said take a couple of days off and if you change your mind, come by on Friday....but I'm not sure I want to work with her anymore....she said some pretty nasty things to me....
I just feel like hiding in my basement workshop and saying to-you-know-what with these people!!!!! You know the idea of bringing my big guy home has even crossed my mind in the past 2 days....and I'd be kidding myself if I thought that was a good idea. This is exactly why I don't have a life....because I do not like being treated like this by people who say they are 'looking out for my well being as well'
*sigh* sorry this is sooooo long, but it does make me feel a bit better....i'm going to have a much needed sleep
~kathryn
Anyways, back to the story (sorry)...my coaches (oh by the way they are husband & wife) decided they wanted to go away...somewhere warm. All and good, that's fine with me...but they were looking at a trip that would leave the Sunday of my dog show (this was very last minute...like the Wed before) and yes, this would have interfered with the dog show, but I told them don't worry I'd make it work (oh another piece to the story...there is a woman who 'helps' at the barn...more on that later). Long story short, they decided not to go that week (*phew* thank goodness). I told them that I really don't mind if they go away....but if they could wait until after the holidays as I have a lot of orders to fill before christmas, and there was a lot of things to get done at home before Christmas. Last Thurs morning I got a phone call from them saying they got a trip....I asked when they fly out, they said the 18th (sunday)...dead silence on my end....then I asked how long are they gone...when do they fly back...they say a week, we're back next sunday...more dead silence...I say you fly back Christmas Day....yes. I was just a little down in the dumps after finding that out...but they had already booked the trip and guess what...there is no one else able to look after things at the barn. My mom is furious with them that they've done this...I am also upset partly because I had a Christmas party this past Saturday night (which I had planned to stay over night at) and I was trying to figure out how this was going to work, when they were leaving at Midnight Sat night, and there was soo much to be done at home. Anyways, come to the conclusion that I'd just have to get up early Sun and haul some rear to get home...I have no 'life' so I was making darn sure I was going to this party. So I come to terms with that and live with it. I show up at the barn Sunday morning, one of the horses (owned by the rich b***h) didn't eat his grain from Saturday afternoon...so I dump it and try the morning grain...nope wouldn't touch it. I started getting very worried at this point, but he's eating hay, drinking water and pooping...nothing serious seemed to be wrong, so I didn't call the vet but popped over a few extra times to check him. The lady who 'helps' at the barn came and helped out with stalls (please do not take offence to this anyone, but she is an almost 60 year old woman with fibromyalgia....she isn't used to handling big, fit, powerful horses and I am constantly worried that she is going to be hurt. I also find that she makes my days longer when she comes to help-she makes more work for me the next day-and I have always told her that if it's too much for her to let me know and I can deal with it on my own, but I know she loves doing the work). Anyways, she is also furious that they left me with the barn at this time of the year blah, blah, blah. On to Monday, end up calling the vet for the horse that is off his grain (in which case I also have to call the rich so-and-so and listen to her rant and rave about how everything happens to her, and her horse is probably dying etc, etc, etc). While waiting for the vet, we do stalls, and my 'help' was more in the way than she was help, but I tried to be nice and tell her what needed to be done (I get very frustrated when she's worked there for 2 years and still can't see what still needs to be done, or she does something that is putting herself in possible risk)...but I am very worried and stressed out about this horse being sick. Anyways, vet comes, can't find anything....doesn't know why he's off his grain. So back to square one....deal with the constant phone calls and emails from miss rich-one (to which I keep saying, just wait for the bloodwork to come back to see what is wrong). Which brings us to today....I get to the barn, talk to the feed dealer on the phone to see if there was possibly something wrong with the feed...nope. Then my help arrives and we go to put horses out in their big fields (we had turned them out in little paddocks the day before as I was waiting for the vet). This means trudging through snow to get to each individual field...no easy task for even me!! But this was why I wanted someone there to give me a hand turning horses in and out (otherwise they'd just be in the little paddocks). We get 2 horses out and she tells me she could probably only get out one more time...so I said, that is fine, lets do their stalls, get them in, and turn the rest out in the little paddocks then. Fine and dandy we do that. Part way through doing stalls she says to me, 'I just don't think I can do this anymore...I think I need to have a talk to them when they get back'. So we proceeded to have a discussion about why the barn is run the way it is, and why things are done the way they are. And she says to me that she is worried about leading the horses, which I responded with, yes, it worries me too, because I don't want to see her hurt! So we keep discussing things, and she starts asking me why I keep Anoki there and what I'm getting out of it....I tell her....training and care....can't find it anywhere else in our area. She keeps bugging me with but is it worth it...I say yes!!! Then she starts going on about my coaches, how the barn seems to be run haphazardly, my one coach seems very scatterbrained with things....my hackles start going up...but I am still nice and try to be understanding about things...I know they can be...not difficult, but a lot of people don't understand WHY they run the barn the way they do...I guess coz I've been there so long that I don't think about that. Anyways, I think I have things somewhat smoothed over...she said she had a hair appointment wed morning, so I said, don't worry about wed then, and you can have the day off (I realize by this point that she needs a day off), and say, why don't I give you a call about Thurs, coz I have some stuff to do, and if the weather is bad, I won't be turning them out....so fine, we settle with that...get the last 2 horses in from outside, and she says, well I won't see you tomorrow and call me about Thurs and walks out the door.....I knew she was upset....so I tried calling her, she wouldn't answer the phone. I get home a little while later when I get done the other stuff at the barn, and there was this email from her giving me notice that she wouldn't be back the rest of the week...she was done...that she was uncomfortable around my temper (um what?), didn't like the way my coach ran things all haphazard, blah,blah,blah....she didn't like feeling like she wasn't enough help...it went on about other things and said 'I'm sure that's why you've had such a high turnover of workers'....which I really don't know where that's come from, because she doesn't know anything about who has worked there in the past and why they have left (which all of them had to do with moving their horses to different barns). And she went on that she always felt she wasn't pleasing me....but I just point out something, so that it doesn't make more work for the next day....argggg
I emailed her to say I was sorry if I was short with her this week, but I have been very worried about this horse, and it just isn't a good time of year for my family (which is another story, and really isn't any of her business anyways). Of course I had to email my coaches about this horse being off....so I had to email them about this as well....my one coach is all upset about what's going on, and I know she won't be enjoying herself because she doesn't know what exactly is going on....I've just had enough with people this week....I'm sure this woman is stressed this time of year as well...and I know she worries about pushing herself too far...but I have tried to give her ample opportunities to back out of doing things, without hurting her feelings...and yet, I seem to do exactly that, when I do offer these alternatives. She seems to be upset that my coaches asked her to help all week, yet when I say she doesn't need to help if it's too much, she takes offense to that! In the email I sent to her, I said take a couple of days off and if you change your mind, come by on Friday....but I'm not sure I want to work with her anymore....she said some pretty nasty things to me....
I just feel like hiding in my basement workshop and saying to-you-know-what with these people!!!!! You know the idea of bringing my big guy home has even crossed my mind in the past 2 days....and I'd be kidding myself if I thought that was a good idea. This is exactly why I don't have a life....because I do not like being treated like this by people who say they are 'looking out for my well being as well'
*sigh* sorry this is sooooo long, but it does make me feel a bit better....i'm going to have a much needed sleep
~kathryn
