Christmas livery prices - what is reasonable?

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Lucy_Ally

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I have been told that all services over Christmas will be treble (i.e. turn out will be £7.50 and muck out £15). Do you think this is reasonable? What is the arrangement at your yard?

Thanks
 
My YO is an absolute superstar and doing everything as normal (good for me as I'm part livery, so it means I don't have to find alternative arrangements). In the past I've been used to either no services over Xmas (most often) or double the price. I think treble is a bit excessive but IME YO's who charge that do it because they want to discourage people from requesting additional services. Yard I was on last year wanted at least double the price because she didn't want to do it, so thought if she charged more people wouldn't ask.
 
No extra charges at my yard (full care board). I still do everyone's horses as per usual every day charged at the same rate as every other month of the year.
 
We do double sunday prices, so full is £20 and t/o or b/i £5
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It Christmas
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I am aware that it is Cristmas, but I have never paid for livery over Christmas before so was wondering what was normal
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I am on DIY so have to pay for all extras (which have been trebled), those on part livery don't pay any extra.....
 
As a livery yard owner I have been giving this question much thought today, I have decided that if someone is on full livery the rest of the year then I will not change the price. However for those that just wish to enjoy the holiday season with family with no interuptions I think an increase in price is reasonable. After all if you go out to dinner on Xmas Day, Valentines Day, or Mothers day, or even buy flowers at such times the price is increased. Why should staff work for less than at least double rates on these public holidays, no one else does. Does anyone find this unfair or is it reasonable?
 
I would think that the prices are reasonable provided that you *choose* to have your horse done on Xmas day. I would not agree if you were not allowed to the yard...........

One yard I was on, years ago, was closed to everyone on Christmas afternoon, meaning that you had to have the YO do the bringing in/skipping out....but I normally go and do the horses about 5am so that I am back well in time to see the kids wake up!
 
Sounds reasonable to me Freshman. We do our horses on Christmas Day, and maybe our friend's horses that we share the yard with, then they'll do them over New Year if we're away. When we were on a yard over Christmas there was no question of the YO doing the horses! They did nothing. We did our own, or traded with friends. If I was on a yard and wanted the YO to do them, I'd expect to pay double I think, but I would like the option of having a friend do it instead.

Hope that made sense - need more tea
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We offer full livery and holiday livery and horses booked in for Christmas and the New Year period is exactly the same price as it is at any other time of the year. The horses don't know any different, and we would still be doing them whatever day it was, so can't see why any more has to be charged. It still takes the same time - although we try to be a bit quicker doing the horses if family are coming here for dinner. Think the price increase is a bit much personally.
 
I think it's absolutely fair that some prices increase for Christmas/New Year. Our basic stabling/ad lib haylage prices stay the same but as Freshman and Maisy say, if DIY liveries choose to have a day off themselves and want the YO to do their horses, then the YO is also entitled to a Christmas so we pay triple on "extras" like full service and turn out/bring in.
 
Totally agree. If I had DIYs and they didn't want to do their horses on Christmas Day (and other bank holidays), if I offered the services on those days then I would charge over my regular prices too; probably not triple, but double wouldn't be out of order. I never did offer these services to my DIYs back in England ... I had way too much to do with the my own horses, the full liveries, 4 children, my family who used to come and stay for the entire Christmas period PLUS all my guests who used to visit over the Christmas period.

Personally I think if people don't want to pay these prices then it's not a problem, the owners should just do the horses themselves. I know that is not what DS is asking, but just making comment on the asides on this conversation.
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We always do our horses ourselves but for those who do want a break our YO charges double for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and any other Bank Holiday.

I think that's really fair TBH.
 
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Is your holiday livery the same price as your 52 weeks of the year full livery price?

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Yes it is. As far as we are concerned, the feed, bedding, haylage, business rates, insurance etc etc costs exactly the same however long a horse is here for. Our charges are the same whether its a pony, broodmare, or whatever size and type it is.
 
I choose to have my horses as DIY because i like doing them myself.
I therefore have no problem with paying someone to do them on christmas day if i had to - ive never not done a christmas day yet though!

I have worked on a yard though and got paid double time for christmas morning and all day boxing day. - we had only half the number of staff on and the usual helpful liveries were all at home enjoying the holiday so the work was a lot more time consuming then normal.

Tbh i wouldnt of done it if i wasnt getting paid extra.
 
Im charging mine £10 extra a day on top of their full livery - I have 9 to do this year !! woo hooo

the yard also closes at 1pm - we live there so dont really want lots of people coming up and interupting us on Christmas Day while im eating my turkey x
 
I think it's reasonable if you're on DIY (not for full liveries, who pay a fortune anyway), and - if you are made aware of it when you move onto the yard.

It's a bit unreasonable to announce in December that you're trebling the prices - especially if people don't have the choice because the yard is closing.

Personally, I couldn't imagine not having a cuddle with my girl on Christmas day - but then, I don't have to muck out
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I'll be working at the yard Christmas, and will be charging triple the usual rate. Our groom in the week won't work bank holidays, Christmas, New Year etc, so I'm doing it. (I offer a service to liveries at the weekends) It's not my usual day to work, I'd quite like to see my family and have some time with my own horse, and if people decide not to use the service then that's no skin off my nose! So yes, Christmas and New Year will be triple, and Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (if I'm working that... not sure yet!) will be double.

I personally love being at the yard at Christmas, I get there really early and sort out the horses, then go to a friend's for a morning mince pie, and then it's off to church and lunch! (Yes, I do get changed before that :-p) That's just doing my own horse though...
 
The yard i'm moving to next week does't offer any extras to the DIY's over XMas (just the main days i think) but still does the full liveries (i think) I would be more than happy to pay double/treble the price on xmas/boxing day & new years time as i'm stuck at work and find it very difficult to get there.
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As others have said, the grooms/YO have the right to a christmas just as everyone else does so if they have to work they should be on a higher rate than usual
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All the horses on the yard are DIY but there are people and the YM who offer livery services. If people are going away then people tend to not increase their charges. If it is just a one off on xmas day or new years day then it tends to be double rate (and some chocies).

I don't think if you are on full or part livery the charge should increase - unless they are asking for a service that is not usually included. However, I don't think that the service should be as entire as a normal day (tack cleaning etc).

When I worked on a competition yard then all the horses were left in T/O rugs on xmas eve, fed and T/O in the morning, the yard mucked out, hay, water, feeds in (and a treat - swedes etc). We then had xmas lunch and all the horses brought in just before dark. Nothing was ridden (unless we wanted to), groomed or rugs changed. They were all checked over properly etc though. It worked well and the horses all had a good day off in the fields.
 
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