Hoo boy. I haven't been here in a year now and slowly have begun to unpack the extent of how messed…read moreup my experience boarding here for almost 2 years was. I knew many things I experienced were wrong but didn't grok the magnitude because this was the first barn I've ever boarded at with the first horse I've ever owned myself as an adult. Additionally I am both a survivor of severe childhood emotional abuse and a person with Asperger's Syndrome. I present as very shy and malleable and have a tendency to apologize for things that are not my fault in order to keep peace and not rock the boat. I was 35 when I boarded here and the next youngest people were in their early 50s, with everyone else being older. So I was conspicuously different and an easy target.
One particular person who now runs this barn noted these traits in me and took advantage of them by essentially bullying me. I fully acknowledge that my horse was young, difficult, and above my skill level. I tried my hardest to reach out for help from people with more experience. When I first arrived this person acted as if she were trying to help me but really just wanted to dominate, manipulate, and gather information on me. Finally I politely told her I did not want her to "help" me anymore. When she took over running the barn she was constantly trying to find things she could harass me about that were "against the rules". Rules that were not documented anywhere and I had no idea about, like using slow feeders as example. Funnily enough a lot of those rules didn't apply to her or to many of the oldtimers she liked.
In the pursuit of leveling up my skills to be able to match my horse's level I took group lessons some mornings with the resident trainer. Everything was going okay until one day when my horse had a meltdown over some deer that spooked him on the hill. This trainer fought with my horse for an hour on a lunge line and when he wouldn't submit told me he needed someone super dominating to be able to retrain him, and that if I didn't do that he was dangerous and useless. She also said he reminded her of the horse in the film "Buck". You know, the one they put down because he was too "crazy" and untamable.
Speaking of the deer on the hill, the layout of this barn is probably the worst and most dangerous I have ever seen. It sits in a forest canyon and the arena has steep wooded hills on all sides where deer like to graze and pop out of nowhere. It is next to a public hiking trail where people emerge from a blind corner and scare the horses all. The. Time. Most of the people at this barn are OBSESSED with "safety" and put the responsibility of being safe onto individuals, seemingly not realizing or daring to admit to themselves that the environment itself (the aforementioned insane arena + the highly trafficked Mt Tam trails with mountain bikes whizzing by + horses being cooped up in small stall/paddocks) is a primary contributor to accidents and the lack of safety.
There are a handful of cool people here who agree with much of what I said above and continue to board here because the location and trail access works for their lifestyle. These are strong enough people to ignore, withstand, and push back on the resident tyrant as they see fit. I am so grateful for those people and their help during my time at Marin Stables. You know who you are!
The only really good thing that happened as a result of boarding here was that during the last 9 months of my time at Marin Stables (while I was recovering from a major surgery) I was able to work with another boarder, Heidi Craig, who is an experienced and humane horse trainer. She really understood my difficult horse and was different from almost everyone else there. Instead of a constant onslaught of domination she listened to my horse and knew how to engage with him and get him to work with her without a fight. She was the role model I needed who helped me see another way and I so wholeheartedly recommend her as a trainer or person to take lessons from. This negative review has nothing to do with her!
If you're considering boarding here just know the dynamic you are walking into. Somehow this horse facility has more drama than the dressing room of a strip club! If you're looking for a peaceful place in Marin to board your horse and ride the trails I recommend Creekside. I was planning to move my horse there but then my husband and I decided to buy some land and keep my horse at our new home instead. I feel so grateful we were able to do this and the changes in my horse since he's had a larger paddock to move around in, access to 24/7 hay in a slow feeder, and shielded from the presence of people who criticize and condemn him as "crazy", "useless", etc. has been incredible to watch. I'm so glad I didn't listen to the advice of many here to sell my horse. I actually almost did. They made it seem like I had no other option. It's so sad and I am not the first it's happened to at Marin Stables.
