I was asked to pull my original review of this place down because parents were worried about the…read morereputation of the barn reflecting poorly on their kids.
Well. Upon further reflection and new information that has come to light, I feel the right thing to do is inform people how terrible this place is.
Do not come here.
I'm sure at one point, this was a good place,but it seems like the good people left. Not only is this place on a death spiral grind to survive, it's full of lying, manipulative, toxic people. The place is run by a completely unprofessional human being named Joel Griffin - who has a known track record of harassment and apparently a history of being hostile.
If you want a community of riders to grow and share bonds over animals - these are not your people. This is Mean Girls on a budget.
The owners work harder at excuses and blame than they do providing the services you pay for. They will not clean your stalls. They will hide the stuff they are supposed to clean under your shavings. You will get extra helpings of passive aggressive behavior if you mention it.
Joel, the owner, has no problem spreading rumors and information about anyone's personal lives to anyone who happens to be around. There's no limit, or any filter. He's actually said that he won't answer the calls of some boarders because they annoy him. He is also cheap. Did I mention he was inappropriate? Don't tell him or anyone anything personal unless you want others to know.
They will not fix anything for you unless a situation turns into a blow out. Our horse and several other horses have sustained repeated injuries due to stall conditions, and nothing was done about it. They will do the bare minimum with feeding. If you use a slow feeder or have special dietary needs, you're on your own. They will not help.
When we discovered a horse living in squalor, and temporarily moved it, they accused us child endangerment. And after getting angry and confronting people about lying and spreading misinformation, there is now a rumor going around saying I threatened to punch a woman . This behavior is ABSOLUTELY NOT OK and it is dangerous. Fortunately we have a couple of witnesses to the contrary, and learned of an illegal recording that was made during that confrontation, so should be easy prove otherwise.
We are definitely talking to our attorney about what actions we can take against this place and any slanderous/libelous claims made against us both from the owners and any remaining boarders who just don't seem to get how bad and serious these claims are. They will definitely throw you under the bus, before even considering the acceptance of anything remotely resembling their own accountability.
This isn't normal.
When we left, due to all of the drama and complete unprofessionalism (not to mention keeping up the stall became a nearly a full time job despite paying for it), we were locked out of our locker, instantly - even tho we had paid for the whole month. We want to go and recover our remaining items and food,, but now don't feel safe or trusting of the people there. You never know what will be said about you next, or what will be manipulated into something else
The barn is not secured. Odd people randomly come thru off of the street, and it doesn't feel safe at night. It's sandwiched between railroad tracks full of garbage and the occasional homeless tents, some processing plants... and the 710. There are groups of riders who take over the barn at night, party, get drunk and rowdy. Some say some beat their horses, but the owner turns a blind eye because "money is money". There have been claims that worse behavior towards other boarders has occurred. I cannot personally verify these claims, but I've heard similar stories from unrelated people elsewhere, who had boarded there and left.
We have spoken with a few previous IEC boarders now at our new location as well as people from across the city, who all have their own horror stories. This includes vets, horse professionals, caretakers etc. this is obviously a huge problem. Joel is a huge problem.
And to the people out there worried about the reputation of the barn... you should be. And you should do something about it. These are your decisions. It's your responsibility. I will not subject my family to this place for one second longer, or cover for one of the worst experiences of my life for the sake of others. That is just irresponsible at this point and my family deserves better.