Being precious about stuff in communal areas

[Lapufalina]

I think this is an AIBU but a horsey one
I'm on a tiny yard of seven, two are my responsibility (one I own and one I loan from the owner who's a friend).
Everything is very much shared, even the horses and ponies where appropriate.
I went to the field last night and found my nice new-ish headcollar and lead rope (for the loan horse but fits four of the others too) lying in the rain next to the fence which is road-side with lots of passing foot traffic so could easily be stolen.
I've taken it home in a grump to clean. I don't want to be all mine, mine, mine about it but thought it was pretty disrespectful.
Do I leave it, keep it in my car and not say anything? It feels passive aggressive to do that but no one ever moans in person! It will be noted as there are only about six head collars and this was the nicest.
(Further context, I have a lot going on in my personal and work life atm and I may well have overreacted to this!)

[RatherBeRiding]

Everything is shared? Grooming kit, rugs, feed buckets, feed, hay nets? Personally that would drive me nuts - this stuff isn't cheap and if I buy something particular (just bought a Groomi for instance) I would be very hacked off if all and sundry helped themselves to it. Whose responsible for an item that is borrowed and then broken, for example?

If you are not happy with the share and share alike approach for certain items that are too expensive to be borrowed and chucked around, then take them home. You paid for them, you do what you like with them. And bugger being passive-aggressive!

[ApplestheHare]

Just say it's individual headcollar and leadropes atm due to covid? I'd go nuts trying to share everything.

[maxelly]

I think it depends a bit - if people are usually respectful and careful with the communal things, then I would be inclined to write this off as a one-off and not say/do anything - understandably annoying but it's just a headcollar at the end of the day and I'd assume someone just dropped it coming out of the field and didn't notice (easily done if you've turned 2 or 3 out at once and you have an armful whilst fumbling with the gate in the dark) - careless but not malicious.

But if it's part of a pattern of things going missing or not being looked after then I'd start keeping your own stash of 'nice' things that are yours. On my yard which is a lot bigger than yours we do have a lot of communal things for everyone to use- everything from mucking out stuff to lunge kit to high vis to a box of old mismatched bridle bits - which is nice to have available when you need it, but it is universally acknowledged that these things are not particularly well looked after manky and are 'fair game' to being nicked or ruined by the irresponsible - I'm perpetually tidying up rogue hoof picks/headcollars/boots that lazy people have left lying around in puddles etc. If you have anything nice that is yours, you keep it in your locker/tack area or in your car - no-one takes offence as if you left it on the yard it would be gone before you blinked probably! Maybe you need to move to more of this mixed model - not taking away the communal items as such but keeping any particularly good quality/expensive items somewhere separate?

[Lapufalina]

Yes I think that model would work better! I brought down my old poo picker from when I last owned a pony (in the 90s!) and it gets used daily by anyone and I'm not sentimental about that at all, glad it's getting more use.
The headcollar had been tied to the fence and left there so I assume she put the horse back in the field in its bridle as it was raining.
I'm going to keep it with my own stuff and keep an eye out for some second hand ones on bargain sites to add to the communal pile. Thanks all for your thoughts.

[UncleBunclesHouse]

Same, this would drive me insane. Also bad practice from a horse and human health perspective, horses really need their own kit. I’d have a box per horse outside their stable with the essentials in, colour coded, labelled or whatever and it has to go back there after use

[Honeyroar]

It would drive me mad as well.

[krustykittens]

There is n way I would want the stuff I have worked hard for to be used by all and sundry. There will always be one person who takes the piss and stuff ends up either getting damaged or going missing. Also, it's not hygenic, even outside of a pandemic. But if this is how your yard operates then yes, you are going to look grumpy locking stuff away. Was this the norm when you arrived?

[MyBeloved]

Nope, I'm precious about my kit too. Most of my stuff ends up in the boot of my car like some sort of mobile tack room.

I have spent my hard earned money on kit, and have had enough of it getting trashed or taken.