Can I Have Your Input Please. (Long)

[Shilasdair]

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Well seeing as my own dogs will only be allowed into our private area I am damn sure I am not cleaning up after others. How many times I have heard " Oh dont worry he is fine with horses" whilst snapping at the hocks!

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Oh, only a couple of the dog owners clean up....the rule is that if it's in your hay, it's your problem....and the dogs prefer to go in the hay than outside...
S

 

[Weezy]

OH GOD YES! NO children and NO dogs! My 2 sometimes have to come up with me but they sit in the car or poo pick or sweep LOL!

And the price for the schoolmaster Derby sesh - for me...freeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[arwenplusone]

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OH GOD YES! NO children and NO dogs! My 2 sometimes have to come up with me but they sit in the car or poo pick or sweep LOL!

And the price for the schoolmaster Derby sesh - for me...freeeeeeeeeeeee

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Your DOGS can poo-pick? What breed are they? I want one

 

[Shilasdair]

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OH GOD YES! NO children and NO dogs! My 2 sometimes have to come up with me but they sit in the car or poo pick or sweep LOL!

And the price for the schoolmaster Derby sesh - for me...freeeeeeeeeeeee

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Your DOGS can poo-pick? What breed are they? I want one

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I read Weezy's post that way too...and for a moment I was considering buying a Great Dane
S

 

[Cheesey2983]

QR

All i can say is it sounds purely amazing

sign me up!! Secondly what bloody bank did you rob

very very jealous!!

Good luck with it all

 

[Weezy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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OH GOD YES! NO children and NO dogs! My 2 sometimes have to come up with me but they sit in the car or poo pick or sweep LOL!

And the price for the schoolmaster Derby sesh - for me...freeeeeeeeeeeee

[/ QUOTE ]

Your DOGS can poo-pick? What breed are they? I want one

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I read Weezy's post that way too...and for a moment I was considering buying a Great Dane
S

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Dammit, I knew there would be a couple of comedians around

 

[beatrice]

QR
Your yard sounds amazing!!! If i lived a little further south, i would be there in a shot!!
The only input i can give is to compare with the yard i'm at:
25 horses, about 8 full liveries and the rest a mixture of assited/part/DIY.
We have a 60x40 school, woodland ride/xc course/ xc schooling field, all year turnout (24/7 in summer), lorry parking (hard standing/no gates but not in horse area) Monarch stables, live in yard manager/ 2 resident instructors and visiting. its a uk chaser venue so competitions in summer/ ok hacking on quiet roads just no loops. We also have deidcated storage areas/ large tackroom/ kitchen/ toilet/ shower etc. The basic livery charge is £150 per month for 1st horse with a 5% discount for 2nd/3rd horses etc. It's a very sought after yard in my area with a huge waiting list.

The yard works very well, there is no bitchyness, its always immaculate and the horses are all happy and healthy. There is set rules which apply to all liveries, everyone mostly abibes by them, for example feet have to be picked out before going across yard/haynets must be carried across the yard in the hay wheel barrows/you must keep your area clean and tidy.

The yard is priced with a basic rate and extras are marked on the rotas and charged at the end on the month. For example if you are on DIY and you get the horse turned out there is an extra charge. However you can have packages designed for yourself. there is also obviously a straight forward full livery charge.

All haylage/hay is bought from the yard. During the winter there is a charge perweek and you use as much or as little as you want. However in summer if your horse is out 24/7, you are charged per haynet/weight. Also all horses have to be on Bedmax which is bought from the yard, you pay on an as you use basis. At the min there has been a few bales not accounted for so we are having to get the bales signed out.

As the horses get turned out/brought in at different times they are all on different routines, but it seems that each horse is used to it's own routine, and none of them seem bothered if one gets fed before the other etc.

The school is always used on a shared basis, but when someone is having a lesson from one of the resident instructors, they get priority over the space. You can book the school but you will be charged what someone hiring from outside the yard would. Even when people are coming from outside for lesson we use other parts of the area. It's quite a size so i have never seen it be a problem yet.

I adore the yard i am at, and i think it works so well because the yard manager is very very picky about who she allows onto the yard. I think this is the key to a good yard. Its the mix of people. There is a wide variety of people at the yard but we all get on very very well. There is the odd set of people who keep them selves to themselves but they are perfectly nice. I think if you are going to offer DIY you should be very careful about who you allow onto the yard! Also a contract is essential as is a clear set of rules so every body knows where they stand and what is expected off them.

Your yard sounds so so lovely and i hope it works out really well for you!

(I have just realised how long this is sorry for rambling on but i hope some of it is usefull!!!)

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

I am putting my house up for sale in the morning and moving to Lancashire! Only kidding fave yard owner...{waves feebly}! My only thought is a note of caution re automatic waterers. From experience of both, I hate them. I know they have their place but (a) you never know how much your horse is drinking (b) in my OLD yard there were several incidents of waterers blocking and staff not checking so the horses went without water for DAYS (c) they can freeze up in the winter and again it can go unnoticed and (d) they can get totally gunged up (rust, slime, shavings dust) and some horses can refuse to drink from them and (e) if they are all installed at the same height, you will find that smaller horses/ponies have to adopt a very strange arched neck position to be able to drink from them at all and they may have to be lowered, if your system can cope with that!

 

[FRESHMAN]

Thankyou for taking the time to share your thoughts. It is appreciated.

 

[Shilasdair]

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I am putting my house up for sale in the morning and moving to Lancashire! Only kidding fave yard owner...{waves feebly}! My only thought is a note of caution re automatic waterers. From experience of both, I hate them. I know they have their place but (a) you never know how much your horse is drinking (b) in my OLD yard there were several incidents of waterers blocking and staff not checking so the horses went without water for DAYS (c) they can freeze up in the winter and again it can go unnoticed and (d) they can get totally gunged up (rust, slime, shavings dust) and some horses can refuse to drink from them and (e) if they are all installed at the same height, you will find that smaller horses/ponies have to adopt a very strange arched neck position to be able to drink from them at all and they may have to be lowered, if your system can cope with that!

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Agree regarding automatic water drinkers...have something at the back of my mind that says horses drink a lot less with them too, which can't be good.
And the swing round integral feed mangers are a swine to clean...and all the yards I ever knew that had them stopped using them within a few months.
S

 

[FRESHMAN]

I do agree that they can have a down side. I can not believe though that anyone doesnt clean them out on at least a daily basis with a bucket & sponge, it only tales a minute. Anyone that prefers a water bucket can of course use them as I often do with a new horse if I dont know whether thay are used to an automatic trough. My girls always check & clean them at least twice a day, as we would with water buckets.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

hi freshman
i would just like to point out that not all DIY liveries are bad.
i have 6 horses on diy, all competition horses and it seems that some people on here feel like diy is an idiots form of livery - which it is not.
i certainly could not afford to keep my horses on full livery and neither would i want to as - this may sound strange - i LIKE doing my own horses - every little thing that needs doing. i know then that they are done exactly how i want them and dont have to worry about whether the groom has put an extra rug or not when its cold etc.
also my yard is swept twice daily, muck is tucked well into barrows so that on the way to the muck heap it doesnt mess someone elses part of the yard and my storage area is also tidy.
i know not all liveries are saints but having worked on a big yard for a few years i can also say that full liveries are also messy - just they pay for someone else to pick it up!

my only tip for diy is to make sure everyone has adaquate storage space.
for our menage we have a booking system where lessons are private but all other occasions the school is shared ( unless with special reasons ie, long reining youngsters, practicing dressage tests)
people are also encouraged to share at peak times which at mine is 4.30pm til 6.30pm.

good luck and the yard sounds fab!

 

[FRESHMAN]

vicki, I dont think all DIY's are bad, I even mentioned early on in the thread that I was initially thinking of having them as not everyone likes others having day to day care of there horse. It's going to be a tough one to work out & get the balance right. Which is exactly why I asked for eveyones thoughts on here.

 

[Weezy]

Vicki I certainly do not think all DIYers are bad, I am one LOL! Sounds as tho you have your own area to keep straight, which is great, but when people have 1 horse on a yard then tend not to pull their weight, make that 8 1 horse owners and you spend your life clearing up after them!

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

freshman
i wasnt having a pop, it was just there were more bad views about them than good!
i do agree though that you will have to seperate them if possible form the full liveries.
it was confusing at my old yard as when a vacancy came up it got filled by what ever was next on the list so it was a mis match of different livery plans which was a problem when it came to feeding!
i do wish you well and have also read with much interest as i too am starting my own yard next year.
i just wasnt aware so many people were negative about DIY.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

WEEZY
i do appreciate that and maybe im just lucky that people at my yard seem to take pride in keeping the place tidy but i do know that this isnt always the case.
one section of our yard is always messier than the rest but it is never by any means a tip just a case of children that dont use their brooms to their full effectiveness!! but at least they try!

honestly to everyone that thinks i was having a dig, i wasnt, i was just pointing out that some of us diy ers ARE tidy but we do seem to be a minority!

 

[PaintboxEDT]

all our diy liveries are great they keep thier areas clean,we have no mess anywhere it works well.
We use to have 40 diy it was a bit manic but it worked well, with the sort of yard your going to be running then if you do take on diy then refferences are a v good idea.
Its sounds great and good luck,your living the dream cant wait to see pics

 

[FRESHMAN]

Now I have used the swivel mangers for donkeys years but you just pull a metal pin out at the bottom & voila it comes off easy peazy. Again I insist they are washed daily. I really like them personally.

 

[Rambo]

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If you do have DIY keep them very separate from every other type of livery!!

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The facilities sound top notch and would certainly command anything from £130 per week upwards for Full Livery around here. Like others have said though, I can't see how DIY can possibly fit in to this setup

If nothing else, with doping tests being carried out, a true competition yard must enforce very stringent rules and procedures to avoid any potential cross-contamination of feeds etc. I'd be very concerned about having any old Tom, Dick or Harry wandering around the place with access to feed rooms etc.

Good luck with the venture though....can you open a branch down my way next though

 

[jesterfaerie]

I do appologise as I don't have anything to be said on the matter as I have never had mine on any yard so don't have any experience. Although at college they had DIY and everything was constantly going missing....
Just wanted to say that your yard sounds like it is going to be absolutly fantastic, very lucky indeed!
Good luck with it all.

 

[hollibobs]

Freshman - it sounds fantastic and I can't wait til your open, I only live 10 minutes from you, how lucky am I! I have been on both assisted DIY and part livery, simply because I actually enjoy mucking out, getting feeds ready etc and think all this is part of horse ownership, I also enjoy spending time with my horse so like the flexibility of assistyed DIY.

However, I can appreciate the dilemma for yard owners and can see why people might advise against DIY, personally I would never go on full livery. One being the obvious cost and secondly I had mine on full for a month and it was awful, I turned up at the yard and rode - end of..... it just didnt do it for me, I almost felt I was loosing control of how my horse was looked after so it wouldn't be something I will be doing again.

I also agree on the dogs and kids running around. I have my own dog who will sometimes come to the yard with me but she stays in the car. I will take her for a walk when I arrive or if OH comes with me he will walk her while I ride.

Can I book my place now ......?

 

[Shilasdair]

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Now I have used the swivel mangers for donkeys years but you just pull a metal pin out at the bottom & voila it comes off easy peazy. Again I insist they are washed daily. I really like them personally.

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I am impressed that you actually use them AND wash them... I am considered odd at my yard as I rinse out my feedbuckets daily

I wish you good luck with your enterprise, (although I am sure you won't need it.)
S

 

[StaceyTanglewood]

oh sounds exactly the same as what im doing at my yard - so glad your at the other end of the country !!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I have no experience of running a yard but wanted to say your yard looks fab!! When can i come?

For what it's worth, I think you should keep DIY away from full livery. Else your poor grooms will end up cleaning up after someone else. And it will help you keep tabs on what each person / group of peopole are doing.
DIY in one barn, full in another and part in another.

Nothing wrong with DIYers. I imagine for what facilities you'll offer you'll be charging more than the average run of the mill yard anyway, which hopefully would put off riff raff

.

 

[AmyMay]

Can I just add my two penneth - and not having read other replies, so sorry if repeat somewhat.

Firstly, what you're offering sounds fantastic. I think that offering DIY, Assisted and Full Livery is perfect. Having been on a yard that offered these options I can only speak from experience and say it worked very, very well.

Charges were broken down quite simply for DIYers who at times needed assistance. £5 for mucking out, filling haynet and water buckets. £2.50 for bringing in or turning out - this included the rug change if necessary. It was £2.50 to bring in regardless of whether it was for routine vet visit, farrier or bed time.

The yard rules were simple. You were allowed on the yard at any reasonable time in the morning - although if earlier than 6.00am you were asked to inform YO out of courtesy. And you were expected to be at the yard by 9.00am at the latest to do your horse if you were DIY. There was no restriction on what time you should leave the yard, although in the winter the YO did ask that where possible most people had gone by 8.00pm. All horses were to be brought in by 6.00pm in the winter, either by YO or owner.

Everyone was expected to clean up after themselves obviously.

Two strikes and you were out. It only happened once in the 12 years I was there with Amy.

We never experienced thefts, aggressive behaviour, neglect or abuse. The yard was run (and still is) on a very professional basis.

I would imagine that a yard of the sort you are proposing would attract a very select group of people - and hopefully this would encourage all to work to the common good.

It could also mean that a lot of people won't have huge amounts of spare cash because they are competing regularly - and therefore wouldn't be able to afford their horses on full livery - nor for that matter want it. I would also imagine that those people who do consider their horses to be competition animals would want DIY or at least assisted DIY because they really would want to be doing them themselves to ensure that they are 'done' in the way they want.

Just thoughts......

And one further point - DIYers and Full were all mixed in together - with no problems.

 

[Anastasia]

Not that you wont have already thought about it

, but keep your breeding yard/stallions/AI seperate from the rest. When you get up and running you will need to keep more of a quarantine area for this as you would not want your mares/stallions or foals constantly introduced to horses coming and going, more so from the infection/disease point of view. Especially when you go to International competitions as the stallions will have to be swabbed and blood tested free of EVA, CEM, EIA etc.

The last thing you want is a virus, infection or disease sweeping through your whole breeding area...

You know that I think its a fab place anyways..........

x

 

[lisan]

It sounds absolutely fantastic! There is not a lot more to add from all comments already made on the thread. I am always DIY as I like to look after May myself, but our yard is a mixture of full/part and DIY and works well.

DIY is a set price of £34 pw to include ad lib haylage.
Feed/Shavings you write on a weekly sheet and they are delivered outside your stable door once weekly
Other livery services you write in the diary as and when required and are billed monthly

as somone else commented, not everyone rides their horses, a diary system for private lessons to book the indoor - computerised would be fab

I was talking to the lady who owns Osbaldeston last week, she has CCTV cameras to keep an eye on the DIY'ers - they have 60 liveries there - It might be worth having a quick chat with her - she's a very sharp woman!! Does'nt take any messing.

Would echo the no dogs (packed my lorry ready for comp on sun, someones dog ran up into my living and nicked my lunch!), and small children.

Good luck with it, and I would love to come for a nosey!! I'm not very far away from there!

 

[AmyMay]

Ditto the dogs and small children - no, no, no

 

[The Voice]

Hi Jan

Check out what is the demand in the area as there is no point charging higher rates when there is no demand. If there is a demand I would run it as a professional yard as you will get better rates and attract the right people who will stay longer after doing due dilligence on them as you do not want people who will upset the yard or will default on payments.

I would not just look at the kind of livery but the profit margins involved with each type of livery as it is not worth the hassle of having 5 DIY taking up stables and facilities when you can make the same profit from one full livery.

Good Luck

 

[jemmeg]

Hope this helps in my experiance more years than I care to state, its all down to the people that you have on your yard. Be they full/part or DIY you can get a stinker. I think that rule and regulations made plain to all from the start and if these rules and conditions are not met then the person is asked to leave.
All clients have their own lockable storage space, and a booking system in place for facilities. Any disputes brought to you with all parties conserned and as YO you have the final decision. Be friendly with all but dont form a friendship with any client its a business at the end of the day. This may seem quite strict but I find that these few simple rules applied to everyone been treated the same has stood me in good stead for many years. Best of luck in your venture.