Another livery yard question

[CBAnglo]

Could people let me know what they think would be a reasonable rate to charge for DIY on the following yard - it is in between Cheshunt and Broxbourne just off the A10.

Small private yard with 12 boxes (good size) and 12 acres. All day all year turnout / 24/7 in summer (3 months). Individual or small herd (max 4) grazing but depending on horses getting on etc. For winter months owners may need to supplement grazing with hay in fields. Fields are all post and rail or electric (no barbed wire). Separate sick/laminitic paddocks. Feeding breakfast is included in DIY price (saves horses getting upset).

Floodlit sand school (20x40), secure alarmed tack room, rug room etc but not a lot of storage. Good hacking on doorstep.

Hay/bedding to be purchased from yard (no individual storage). Strict worming programme and liveries must poo pick own fields every week as a minimum otherwise YO will do it and charge them for it. Services provided and YO on yard from 7am to 6pm. Instructors welcome.

So what do people think? Anything in the description put you off the yard generally?

Thanks!

 

[ihatework]

Sounds like a really nice well run sort of yard.
I would want to know the quality and price of the forage/bedding if you are obliged to purchase from them.
I would say £30 pw, and wouldn't be surprised at £35

 

[CBAnglo]

Hay is local hay - pretty standard for the area. Either will be charged per small bale or on a free use of big bale basis (price depends on size of horse but obviously if people were taking the p then they would be charged more).

Bedding is hunter shavings (or best substitute) charged at £7 bale (this is cost price in the area). No straw because muck is in skip so taken away to keep yard clear.

 

[suej102]

Only problem I would have is the poo picking bit. Caused uproar at my last yard and lots of bad feeling. I would rather YO deals with it (if they have machinery of course - not all by hand!) and charge for it. Can be a minefield (as opposed to a poo-field!). All sounds really good apart from that one - and would agree that £30-35 a fair price.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

ive just moved from that area but my shavings were only £6 with a cost price of £5.60 a bale and they were more economical than hunter.

Apart from that, the yard i was on was very similar and was £25 a week diy.

sounds nice though.

 

[CBAnglo]

Oh, and I forgot to say that apparently they will be building an indoor school (30x60) but not increasing the number of boxes i.e. will be 12. I think the price will go up once indoor built - do you think it would be much more?

Vicki - have sent you a pm.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

have replied!

if it has an indoor the price may have to go up to cover the rates.

 

[CBAnglo]

I see what you mean ... so how much do you think would be reasonable to charge for poo picking (by machine)?

Shouldnt it be included in the livery price, therefore £35 includes stable, grazing, feeding breakfast, poo picking and use of facilities?

 

[suej102]

I think it should come under the general management and to be honest it is worth a few quid a week as it is an ardous task and one that I have only known bad feelings to arise from when people are time-pushed and want to spend it being with/riding their horses, not collecting up poop in the fields! Some winter afternoons we were having to pick instead of keeping our horses fit - I became very resentful as they did have a machine, but sadly they were not the nicest yard owners and I am well out of it. It became silly - i.e. people having to write down on a chart how many barrows, how BIG the barrow was etc etc! Hilarious now I can look back and laugh, but at the time it was really stressful. My husband wanted me to write a soap about it as it became such an epic - all around some horse poo!

 

[CBAnglo]

hmm yes, does sound bad. Have only been DIY where had own fields so had to do it myself as no-one else was going to. Now am on full livery so dont have to so wasnt sure what the set up was like everywhere else.

so, could I ask them to do it and pay say £5 extra per horse? I think it would be worth that to me!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

You could have a rota but then if people dont do it as they should then its in the contract that you do it and they get charged. That would save investment in poo machines (which have mixed reviews) or hours and hours of poo picking.

The poo picking regime you outline sounds quite generous, our livery fields had to be poo picked every other day at least. And we werent allowed to feed hay in the fields even when there wasnt any grass (didnt like that last bit!)

The yard sounds similar to my old one near St Albans and that was about £160 a month DIY.

BTW your summary of the yard came across that you understand the important aspects eg the breakfast bit so think you will do very well as YO- horses first! Our old YO was very strict but you could never say she wasnt doing it for what she saw as the horses interests.

We paid about £6.75 for shavings and bought small bales of hay from YO.

Now Ive moved to the wildy woollies with my naglets I have to do it all myself ))

 

[maggiehorse]

i am on large mixed diy yard , we poo pick daily on a fixed rota , ie 4 horses in field we do it every 4th day , i have 4 horses on yard so i,m kept quite busy with it but i don,t resent doing it at all , the fields benifit from it, the horses worm counts are low and it causes no problems with the other liveries , points i would be concerned about , only 3 months 24/7 turnout , mine have 1st may to 1st oct , feeding hay in field in winter would maybe indicate a tiny mudpatch turnout paddock? otherwise it sounds nice yard , price would depend on area , down here diy is between £18 and £25 per week for basic diy plus £1 per day to feed

 

[CBAnglo]

Ok, so you have all guessed that actually I am thinking about buying this yard!

Winter turnout would definitely NOT be mud paddocks - however I do not want horses fighting in the fields if there is no grass. With 12 acres for 12 horses, there is no way there would be sufficient grazing for winter for all day (7am - 6pm) turnout and I hate seeing horses standing in bar paddocks. With my own horses, I prefer to feed hay with the grass as then they decide for themselves what they want to eat and that means that they always have access to forage. By the way, it is not hay on the ground - there will be wooden mangers next to water and if it was a mixed field there would be enough hay/water stations for each horse to minimise fighting. And the gateways to the winter fields are gravel so do not get boggy etc.

With 24/7 turnout, again there is insufficient acreage for this to be more than 3 months of the year, particularly if there is a wet summer. The grazing is quite good as well so I would need to ensure that the 24/7 paddocks were not too lush and of course phase it in, so there would be night turnout etc then progressing to 24/7 etc. The summer paddocks are also the ones furtherest from the stables, so bearing in mind the layout of the fields (it is not just 1 square parcel of land) this also needs to be managed. Also, there will be a strict field rotation, so the fields for 24/7 need to be rested sufficiently and rolled to allow them to be grazed at other times of the year. I would much prefer this than to run any risks of overgrazing etc. And it would all depend on the groups. for example, if one person had 4 horses then that person would have one field to do as they liked - i.e. if they wanted 24/7 then they could have that but if they overgrazed the paddock they wouldnt get another field until the rotation. So people can manage their fields as they see fit within reason.

There would also be laminitic/sick paddocks and this would basically be one sand paddock (supplemented with hay) and the other a small grazing paddock which could also be supplemented with hay (water for soaking hay in the paddock as well).

There isnt a huge amount of storage, therefore I would prefer the hay to be in a central store and then everyone would be charge in accordance to their horse. Same with shavings as there wouldnt be individual storage for that either. Eventually I would replace the stables with stables with individual storage rooms at the back so that they could store their own hay/shavings but I dont want 10 separate deliveries a week so would prefer it all to be bought from the yard. Feed they can get wherever they like or I could order it for them as well.

Poo picking seems to be the biggest nightmare! I do like the rota idea but then I dont want people to be forced to do it on a tuesday if it is easier for them to do it on a saturday etc. Individual grazing - not a problem and also if 1 person had 1 field for their own horses, again not a problem. I see the problem with mixed fields, and therefore I think the rota idea would be the best solution - if there were any fights then I would do it and charge each of them. I think that is probably fair. I dont want to give Suej102 any more ideas for her soap opera on poo!

 

[LCobby]

I could not do a rota, each week's commitments vary, but do my own most days in summer and weekends in winter, ( too dark after work in winter)

We have about one horse per acre and turn out 7 till 6 in winter, Winter paddocks are rested in summer so are well grown old grass,as they need less than an acre each in summer, hay is put out on the ground in piles and no wastage.

If you are DIY, then any reduction from 7 till 6 means you would have to bring in or turn out the horses while people are at work. And if bruoght in ealry, they would have to muck out again and feed more hay anyway!

I think if you chuck in am feed and provide forage in field in winter then £35- 40 a week.is fair.

I doubt if 12 liveries would cover the cost of rates on an indoor school.

o you have space for lorry and trailer parking?
Is it within LEZ?
.

 

[Verity1976]

Hi, I'm looking for a yard in Broxbourne. Could you let me know where you are please. Many thanks

 

[AmyMay]

Hi, I'm looking for a yard in Broxbourne. Could you let me know where you are please. Many thanks

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