Just wanted to share a nice anecdote because I'm still processing this positive change that I'm not used to!

My mare was diagnosed with EMS when she was just turning four years old. She was overweight for a while and I had her on levothyroxine, but the vet told me that the best thing for her would be a complete change of diet. Our boarding facility provided white clover hay that made my life miserable. She would stand around with her herd all day munching on something I knew was bad for her health and no matter how much I exercised her, nothing could cancel out what she was consuming. She was at high risk for laminitis which made me very anxious.

I spoke to the yard owners so many times about this and posed lots of different arrangements, like fencing her off somewhere where I can provide her her own hay at least during the day (which they had done plenty of times with other horses, there were lots of horses who had their own areas based on their own needs - so this wasn't a far-fetched request). I almost gave up and asked them for a stall but stopped myself because I knew she'd be miserable in one (and would likely be fatter and at more risk).

They never took her diagnosis seriously, would laugh and say she's just fat because I don't ride her enough, and generally dismissed me a lot. Eventually I got an opportunity to move her, and though it was hard to give up having her five minutes from my house, I moved her to a different facility. A bigger pasture, hay that suits her (per the vet's specific suggestion), and best of all - a yard owner who cares for her boarders' horses as if they were her own - and believes vets' diagnoses. She immediately knew what I was talking about when I told her about my mare's insulin resistance.

My horse has been there for nearly a year - she's at her target weight now! - and I get "surprised" all over again every single time the yard owner shows us kindness and consideration! The other day she posted that she was excited to finally bring in alfalfa hay. I've always trusted her but I would lie if I said I wasn't slightly bit "traumatized" from the old place and almost expected a complete disregard for my horse - I got nervous and messaged her asking about it and whether it was a permanent change of hay. She assured me it was only a temporary add-on as 30% of some of the herd's diet, but it was fenced off in a separate area. And then she added - "don't worry, I kept your girl in mind when I brought it. If it were a permanent change she would be moved to a different pasture with the ponies to keep her regular hay."

I don't know why I got so emotional over this! I'm not used to being listened to this way, which is ridiculous because she's my own horse - but I'm just generally very attached to my mare and I worry about her constantly. It was such a relief to hear this and I felt so safe.

Anyway, if you're reading this and realising your boarding facility just isn't right - take this as a lesson and maybe reconsider some things. My old facility was my first one as a horse owner. I suppose I got used to the idea that my horse's safety and well-being was at the mercy of the yard owners and I just had to go with their flow - and that's not a normal thing. As horse owners we need to advocate for our horses' health and safety and not compromise. Only once I was out of there did I realised that at the right place with the right people, my horse's needs would be as high a priority as they should be. And that's such a comforting thing.