confused about grass livery?

[gumpatrump]

What does grass livery mean to you guys? Does it mean you can put your horse on grass livery at a yard and then only come see them once or twice a week?

We have taken on a few grass liveries at our yard and have become very shocked that this seems to mean to them that they can come see their horses if and when they feel like it!

Now to me, I thought it meant they pay for grass livery (£15 a week) and check their own horse at least once a day, not once a week. I did not think it meant they could be dumped on me to check everyday.

Am i wrong or right on this? I didn't think taking on grass liveries meant I would be checking them everyday instead of the owners! As a yard owner I understand I have a responsibility for the horses on my yard, but just assumed if people wanted a horse but only wanted to see it once a week then perhaps full or part livery would be a better option for the horse.

Sorry, bit of a rant, but just don't get how people can just dump their horses like this and not worry about them! Especially as some are youngsters and with fireworks etc, I would be worried!

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

grass livery that I have is - you have a field which you pay per week for- horse lives in it, you do horse entirely, just get help with fencing, nothing else included oh water.

x

 

[JM07]

Depends on the contract...

i have grass liveries....i check them daily, if nothing is amiss i dont contact owners..if so, yes.

they visit twice, maybe 3 times per month...

they pay accordingly


as i said, it depends on their contract with me......

 

[Enfys]

I do what is called Full Pasture Board here, for that I look after horses as if they were my own (exercising or stabling is extra ), I hold for Vet, Farrier etc, foot trimming and worming is included in the Board, as is all sweet feed and hay. Horses live out 24/7/365 and I often don't see owners for MONTHS, they don't expect to be contacted unless there is an emergency.

Smileyfaces, if checking the horses on grass livery wasn't in your contracts then up your fees by a fiver a week to cover it. Are you responsible for haying them then if they are being fed?

 

[_Acolyte_]

I find that amazing! I would take grass livery to mean DIY livery but without the provision of a stable, so you come and see your horse every day, unless your contract stipulates otherwise (e.g YO checks your horse daily, this is made clear in the contract)

Which reminds me, my YO has not provided me with a contract yet

 

[Frances28]

I need my boy out 24/7 so grass livery seems a sensible option. He can't stay in like my TB.

If the owners of my yard did not check on him daily and care for him as part of their yard I would be concerned and disappointed. I would probably not keep him there.

I am in the unfortunate position where I cannot check on my boy during the day - I need to rely on someone to do that for me. This is why he is at a yard rather than in a rented field.

 

[mrsew]

I would say grass livery is just that, grass & water with the owner checking at least once a day. Anything else should be called full livery @ grass and charged acordingly!! Sorry you have a horse/ pony look after it...or pay to do so

 

[Frances28]

MRSEW: I pay more than enough for excellent care of my horses. I have one on full livery and the other is on grass which I expect to include checking; and it does.

I refer to your comment "Sorry you have a horse/ pony look after it" The ownership of a horse should not be exclusive to those who don't work/work close to them. It is unfair to ostracise those who do not have that privilege. I look after my horses very well.

There are also two 'cc's in accordingly.

 

[Bosworth]

I charge £15 a week for grass livery - that is the same as DIY but without the stables - the owners are expected to come up daily. Yes of course i check as part of my daily rounds. But As with DIY horses if the owners fail to turn up I will charge them £3.00 a day. If the owner wants them looked after fully - they have to pay for that, for £15 a week they are already getting field maintenance, school and field. What more do they expect for so little?

 

[soph21]

I have grass livery, I pay £10 a week per horse/pony... I have 3 and I have a 1.5 acre field

When I had 3 a few months ago he charged me £25 for all 3 and then the 3rd one was almost 14hh, the 3rd one now is fully grown 11.2hh

Surprisingly Im now looking for different grazing!

He comes up and pesters me now and again, and dumps his tractor, roller, trailers all in my field even though theres a spare field

A couple of weeks ago he had a flat bed trailer in my field parked in front of my gate

with 2 glass doors on it, a couple of days later after asking him to move them from my field the trailer was gone and there was 2 GLASS doors propped up against MY hedge

I nearly had a effin heart attack!!!!
What if Bear being Bear pawed one and ripped his bloody leg open?
Believe or not he's had horses all his life, he's in his 70's

Sorry for the little rant....
Oh to have my own land

 

[mrsew]

Sorry to offend Frances28, however the OP asked for views on GL...I don't know what you pay & only posted my view. Apologies for typo...I've had a couple of glasses of wine and clearly didn't hit c twice....

 

[RachelB]

Grass livery to me (I have been on it for 18 months at different places and it's always meant the same) is DIY without the stable. As in "do it your b****y self". I have seen people put their horses on grass livery and think that means full grass livery (full livery without the stable)...
I suppose people just think their horses can fend for themselves at grass, but after having got to the field to find a huge length of barbed wire fencing on the floor and my three running round with next door's mare and foal and one of my three (the most expensive precious baby who wasn't mine) with huge holes in her legs - well I don't think horses can fend for themselves!
Make sure you have a very clear contract to ensure the owners do it themselves!

 

[Tinypony]

Smileyfaces, grass livery means whatever you put in your contract with your liveries. At my yard it means we are completely DIY, and don't have a stable. Our contract tells us what our responsibilities are, including visiting at least once a day to check the horses, and poo picking. However at our yard it's easy to tell what's going on, if you've rented a field out then it would be hard to know for certain if the person had been to visit or not maybe.

 

[soph21]

I have a stable to use if I want to, but it would extra, he doesn't charge me for the odd night.

 

[misst]

I have had all types of grass livery and paid accordingly. At present £25 per week includes twice daily check,water topped up and brought in for farrier as needed if I cannot be there. I do her myself as often as possible but she is half an hour from home as this is the best/safest/quietest grazing and is near our gelding.
I have paid less in the past but then checked her twice daily myself. Smileyfaces I think you need to make sure they know what they are getting in future as £15 week is jolly cheap for them to do a once a week visit. I would either make them do it themselves or increase the bill!

 

[luckilotti]

I offer grass livery, which is DIY but, yep, i have had horses dumped on me. I now only do full grass livery unless i know the person. They pay me a set charge per day to check their horse, feed it, change rugs as needed etc.
Sadly, a lot of people think, esp. for winter grass livery that they can throw their horses out and as an owner, they get the winter off! i have actually had people on the phone tell me that, needless to say, i didnt accept them!

 

[Tia]

It totally depends on what is in your yard contract (as others have said).

As yard owner, you have a responsibility to check each horse every day - you are more than likely obligated to do it for your business insurance (I certainly was when I owned a yard in the UK), regardless of which livery people are paying for.

Over this side of the Pond, my set-up is the same as Enfys', whereby people pay for full care outdoor board. Basically I am paid to look after every horse here as I would my own, regardless of whose name is on the registration papers. I also have some boarders whom I don't see for months on end - horses don't care though, and neither do I.

 

[Llanali]

Grass livery around here, means that you get the field, maintained etc. with water, and most yards will look at your horse daily. The yard Im *fingers crossed* about to move onto includes checking and feeding- but not the actual feed- in the grass livery.

To me, if there's no checking, I might as well rent a field.