Equine Feed Schedule
TLDR: How important is it/what are the risks of a widely varied feed/medication time, any information I can provide or courses of action I can take to improve this situation or is it best if I just leave?
Hi, hoping for some thoughts/input on feeding schedules from the community.
Context: A student of 5 years (now 18 years old) had a horse farm purchased for her by her mother last year, as she had aspirations of running a boarding/lesson facility. I was asked to live on site to oversee all operations and continue to mentor/consult on barn management while the 18 y/o acts as live-in barn manager.
Unfortunately, feeding/medication schedules have become a major ongoing issue. AM feed/meds are scheduled around 8am, but are often delayed until 10am–1pm. PM feed/meds are around 6pm, but frequently happen anywhere from 4pm–1:30am. This happens at least twice weekly (Since January), usually due to oversleeping, impromptu social plans, or forgetting. This past week, they were fed after midnight three times.
Once in January, they were fed at 7pm one evening, and not revisited again until 1:00pm the next day, when I discovered they were still in stalls with no hay and limited water. While I tend to monitor and swoop in before this happens, I do work full-time off the farm, and the teen's only obligation is supposed to be feeding/handling the horses.
There are 5 horses, all harder keepers - two require soaked feed, one is metabolic, and two are cribbers. They will pace/crib/sweat/wait at the gate by 9am and 7pm, and the quality of pasture is not good enough to entice them away form the gate. Two 1 acre fields with limited grazing.
I frequently end up taking over missed feeds or repeatedly reminding the person responsible, and I’m reaching the point of wondering whether I need to walk away. Excuses are always made, and it's turned into I am a bad person for pointing out when feed is missed. I’m losing sleep over this level of care, and I have students trailering in who have taken notice - it is embarrassing and disheartening. Is it time to throw in the towel? Are these standards unrealistic?
Overwhelmingly, I am truly heartbroken. This issue is just one small sliver of what is not going well, but I still stick around and try to fix it. This is a girl I've cared extremely deeply for, celebrating holidays, birthdays, and even inviting her to my extremely small elopement. I've been renowned in our area for being one of the biggest advocates for ethics/sustainability first training & instruction, and it feels like a massive failure that the operation I'm tying myself to doesn't feed on time, have adequate shelter, and no longer values my input when it goes against their wants.
Anything helps, not looking for people to automatically agree with me, but looking for thoughts that are outside of the bubble of my feelings alone.