September 12, 2014 Newsflash
/*URGENT*URGENT*URGENT*
ATTENTION ALL SHI BOARDERS...
We wanted to take this opportunity to make EVERYONE aware of the new Barn Rules which have been revised due to an incident earlier this year. As most of you are probably aware in February Katja, owned by Nancy Walker, received an overdose of bute (via a bute tube) administered by Virginio. Fortunately Katja received excellent care at Purdue University Large Animal Hospital and despite the odds survived this incident. To this day it is unclear what exactly was communicated that day between Nancy and Virginio, no one else was witness to this conversation nor was management aware of the communication or the fact that Katja was receiving bute by Nancy herself or by Virginio. Despite our ignorance of this subject, despite the good intentions Virginio had in appeasing requests he doesn’t fully understand and despite the miscommunicated instruction by Nancy Walker herself, the Walker’s legal claim seeking medical expense reimbursements for Katja prevailed.
We are 100% certain that Virginio had no harmful intentions that day as he has demonstrated by his loyalties for over a year in his unwavering efforts taking care of the horses even if it that came at the expense of his personal comforts. We also believe we can speak on behalf of the entire Sport Horse Community that this event is solely a case of miscommunication caused by language barriers. A recent incident reinforced this belief by a boarder who in broken spanish thought she conveyed to Virginio that her horse had lost weight and she wanted to change the feed/hay ration. Virginio “understood” that the horse was too fat and should therefore not get their morning feed ration. Speaking slower or louder to a foreigner does NOT make them understand better. If a foreigner nods or engages by listening it DOES NOT MEAN THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, it’s usually an implication that they are polite and want to acknowledge you. Just because you speak broken spanish DOES NOT MEAN you are actually getting through, dialects within a language are sometimes as foreign as a completely different language. TRUST ME, just because I am german does not mean I can effortlessly understand someone from Switzerland!!! Just because your smart phone can translate and allow you to leave notes in a foreign language DOES NOT MEAN IT MAKES SENSE to a foreigner, I’ve tested this myself!!! And lastly, just because you can write doesn’t always mean the person on the other end can read, foreigner or not!
We want to be VERY CLEAR in this communication that we are NOT accusing, finger pointing or in any way sharing these events or happenings in an offensive manner. We ARE however establishing CLEAR GUIDELINES on what is the ONLY path of communication and the reasons why such guidelines must exist. We want to continue to give everyone a voice in the care of their horse, from turn out to feed portions to training plans, it is after all YOUR horse. HOWEVER, communications reflective of the care of your horse are to be addressed to Management (Brian or Alex or someone appointed as such in our absence) NO EXCEPTIONS.
Please read and communicate with EVERYONE in your family the attached Barn Rules as EVERYONE that visits the barn will be required to sign their acknowledgment and understanding of these rules no later than Friday, September 19th. You may either email the signed form back or leave in the barn lounge INBOX. Further, if you would like your horse to have any medication or supplementation outside of it’s regular grain/hay portion as labeled on it’s stall card, please complete the Medication Log (attached) and return either via email or Barn Lounge INBOX. Hard copies of the aforementioned documents will be available for use in the barn lounge.
In closing, to keep things simple, safe and efficient communicate any changes to the current care of your horse to Brian or Alex or someone who has been designated “manager in charge” in our absence. Your horse and check book as well the foreign guy taking great care of your horse and the business that pays him will thank you for it!
Brian & Alex, Sport Horse Inc.