A WWYD (Livery Yards)

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el_Snowflakes

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Hi peeps,

so Im at a lovely yard at which the stables/staff are great, lovely floodlit outdoor school, no indoor and hacking is decent. I pay £200 per month for assisted livery which is mon-fri, the weekends are DIY. Due to my work I also usually end up paying someone to turnout/bring in (only a couple of quid but soon adds up) Livery includes hay (in summer) haylage (in winter) and straw. However I have to buy in hay in winter as my horse cannot cope with haylage and my own bedding as my horse is sensitive to straw! In summer I sometimes turn my horse out 24/7 but to 'hold' my stable for winter I have to pay the full amount. So this is all on top of my livery. What are your thoughts on this? What would you do? Just feel like Im paying for something that Im not even using!!!!
 
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If you choose to turn out 24/7 during the summer, that is your choice. I would expect to pay the same amount all year round for my basic livery bill, i.e stable and field.

If you are part livery I would expect the horse to be brought in or turned out for you - with one end of the day being charged extra for.

If bedding and hay/haylage is part of the cost, but you can't use it then that would be a problem for me. And I'd probably be looking at yards where such things are not offered, and the livery slightly cheaper.
 
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Sounds v expensive! But if ur area is anything like mine you are paying for ur happiness! Unless u could move somewhere that would match up I would stay put, tone of ur post suggests u like ur yard quite a lot :)
 
I do love the yard Im at and Im happy there but need to be sensible regarding paying for services which I am unable to take advantage of. We are in Scotland btw, canot remember if I said that already! There are also times throughout the year such as Xmas/new year and public holidays where the yard goes DIY and I have to stress about getting someone else to do my horse (turnout out/ bring in) whilse still paying the full amount.
 
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I wouldn't be bothered about paying full amount in summer when horse is out 24/7.

I would be bothered about being charged for forage and bedding and not using it- have you approached the YO about that to see if there is any solution?

edited to add- Reading your further posts, it seems you actually want part livery 365 days/year which is fair enough but doesn't seem to be something your yard offers.
I presume you knew that when you moved there?

If you aren't happy with the service offered, look elsewhere :)
 
millitiger said:
I wouldn't be bothered about paying full amount in summer when horse is out 24/7.

I would be bothered about being charged for forage and bedding and not using it- have you approached the YO about that to see if there is any solution?

edited to add- Reading your further posts, it seems you actually want part livery 365 days/year which is fair enough but doesn't seem to be something your yard offers.
I presume you knew that when you moved there?

If you aren't happy with the service offered, look elsewhere :)
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Yes I knew what it offered when I brought my horse there. Its the only yard Iv ever been on. It suited me fine at the time but circumstances change. My horse cannot eat the increasingly moist haylage that we are being provided & I used to use straw but she developed a dust allergy. The straw is normally great quality but we occasionally get a horrible dusty bale and using that would be result in a vet call out...... Whats bothering me is that I am paying the same flat rate as those who use endless amounts of bedding and haylage even though I dont use it. Theres doesnt seem to be a huge choice in my area unfortunatly
 
I dont see how people see 50 a week expensive! Yo have to make a living!!!
They are getting rent and use of facilities 5 days a week care and hay and straw for 50 per week?? I dont know how they are doing it so cheap....
Hay and straw would cost at least 20 a week then rent possibly 20 per week leaving only 10 for all the work 5 days a week. Hardly a profit im sure most business workers wouldnt work for that much....
People need to realise what they're paying for. If yo go bust people would be quick to moan!
 
East central scotland.

Jen87 I never once said they are charging too much. However, I am paying the same as the others who can take full advantage of straw and hay. By the time I cover all the costs this is taking costs to about £300 per month before even taking into account wormers etc.
 
jenz87 said:
I dont see how people see 50 a week expensive! Yo have to make a living!!!
They are getting rent and use of facilities 5 days a week care and hay and straw for 50 per week?? I dont know how they are doing it so cheap....
Hay and straw would cost at least 20 a week then rent possibly 20 per week leaving only 10 for all the work 5 days a week. Hardly a profit im sure most business workers wouldnt work for that much....
People need to realise what they're paying for. If yo go bust people would be quick to moan!
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I thought it was a VERY good price for what is included, in my area is about £30for basicv DIY with no help and no forage, bedding thrown in.

But this is not the issue, it is whethe the OP is paying too much for amount of the facilities she is using. And in my opinion, yes you are if you aren' using the hay or bedding.


But as somebody said above, you pay for happiness! :)
 
jenz87 said:
They are getting rent and use of facilities 5 days a week care and hay and straw for 50 per week?? I dont know how they are doing it so cheap....
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That'll be because it's a set rate 365 days a year (how they balance the books). The only way Op will get a reduced rate is if she went full DIY, but then she'd have to pay someone in the winter to bring in/turn out, muck out etc.. What she saves in the summer, generally pays for hay/straw in the winter.
 
I'm not very clear on what your livery includes - I get the impression that it's mucking out Mon-Fri but not t/o and b/i?

I agree with jenz87 to a certain degree, however I think your gripe is more about you paying the same as everyone else, when they are using the straw & haylage, and you're not.

Have you tried approcahing your YO to see if you can get some sort of discount as you don't/can't use their haylage & straw? Somehow I doubt they'll agree as once they start it for one person, it escalates, then they lose the bulk buying discounts for the straw & haylage.

I think a good yard with good facilities, nice people and reliable staff is more important than how much it costs. Although it does sound like you need part-livery rather than assisted DIY.

Can you not get up earlier in the mornings to turnout? Up until a few weeks ago, I had 2 horses, and manage to get up, do them, and be on the train to London by just after 7 - I have to pay for bring-ins when I'm in London as I can't get back in time, but I still did them every morning.
 
Talk to your YO and see whether they would do you a bespoke price/package. Either a reduced cost to reflect the fact you source your own bedding and forage or they agree for a possibly slightly increased cost to source alternative bedding and forage for you. Explain to them that whilst you were happy with it when you moved there your horses needs have changed, and that offering two packages might be of interest to others, either exiting or future liveries.

My YO does a different price for a couple of us that can't use the hard feed that she provides and we provide our own but still use all the other part livery services. She also offers a choice of bedding and I think it is cheaper if you use wood pellets rather than shavings.
 
I think you need to compare what other yards offer in the area and compare to that rather than worry what other liveries are using. With any inclusive deal there will be people who do better out of it than others.

It seems incredibly cheap to me as I am based in an area where that wouldn't get you DIY with forage and bedding included for £200 pcm so you need to look at what else is around rather than worry about people here saying it is cheap or expensive.

I was at one yard where they provided straw and hay/haylage as part of the diy package at a very good price. The only way they could do it was that they cut these on the farm so it didn't cost what it would cost to buy in. So providing shavings for someone would have thrown their costings right out and yours may not have flexibility to offer alternatives.

Not covering bank holidays is quite common round here though some offer it for an extra fee.

Go and see some others, do the maths on how much they will costs for 5 with w/e turnouts versus 7 day. Some will include shavings, some won't. You may find even though it's annoying that you don't do as well from your package as others on the yard, it is still cheaper than the alternatives.

If you are turning out 24/7 in the summer some yards will let you switch to grass/diy over the summer but probably wouldn't let you switch back and forth.
 
I don't really have a 'gripe' as someone said. I love my yard & would be heartbroken to leave as we r like one big happy family......most if the time lol! :D

I'm just needing to make cutbacks in spending & finding alot of my earnings is going on basic horse care even b4 lessons etc.

& no, our livery price does not include mucking out. Only turning out & in. All straw/ hay is made by them do it's not bought in.
 
Ps. That's the standard livery charge. I wouldn't embarrass my YO by asking for a reduction. I resepect that they hsve overheads, they Are very good to all their liveries & its their livelihood.
 
Wow, £50 a week for a decent yard with forage & bedding included plus a small amout of assistance is amazing!

But I do see your point about not being able to use what you are paying for.

Would it be worth speaking to the YO and asking if they would consider a reduced price for assisted DIY, minus forage/bedding, and you then supply your own all year around? The small saving could then be put towards the extra assistance costs ? It couldn't hurt to ask at least.

Otherwise I think it's a case either accepting it or moving.

If it helps, I have recently got a horse who was struggling with rich haylage, and using a gut balancer has really helped - look up protexin.
 
I'm in the same situation except school isn't flood lit so I only ride at weekends :( stable and grazing is £100 per month, then adding on the extras (bringing in and changing rugs is £2 a go, twice a day), plus shavings, feed and haylage I added up yesterday and comes to £350. My horse has been there nearly 3 months and I haven't had any bill yet despite asking every week and getting promised I'll get it the next day! Also have 2 farrier visits to add on (which I wasn't told about until after he'd been shod) then a vaccination, dentist and worming which again I wasn't told about any until after it had been done and added to my bill! Can't wait to leave!
 
timorliste said:
I'm in the same situation except school isn't flood lit so I only ride at weekends :( stable and grazing is £100 per month, then adding on the extras (bringing in and changing rugs is £2 a go, twice a day), plus shavings, feed and haylage I added up yesterday and comes to £350. My horse has been there nearly 3 months and I haven't had any bill yet despite asking every week and getting promised I'll get it the next day! Also have 2 farrier visits to add on (which I wasn't told about until after he'd been shod) then a vaccination, dentist and worming which again I wasn't told about any until after it had been done and added to my bill! Can't wait to leave!
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Thats a shame ur only managing to ride at weekends......not really getting your 'money worth' so to speak :(

just to add (to answer someones question, sorry cant remember who asked!) I am not able to get up earlier to turnout as I work shifts. My shifts include 24 hr shifts which mean im out the house from 2pm until 4pm the next day :(
 
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