DIY - do any of you lock your feed bins?

MuddyMonster

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Wouldn’t even cross my mind. Potentially need a yard move is missing feed is a issue!

I only lock mine now as I've had feed go missing in the past (along with other things), bought a lockable feed bin and other storage boxes along with a padlock so seems silly to not use it - even though I don't think it would go missing now.

Phew, I haven't DIY'd since 2010 so already a tad anxious ?‍♀️ .


I locked my storage boxes on part livery too so its no reflection on being on DIY per se, just an easy way to prevent the casual use of stuff that isn't theirs. They are all pretty flimsy padlocks so wouldn't prevent any intentional theft.
 

ycbm

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Yes when I fed my own horse I had to. At the DIY yard I was on it was padlocked. At the "full" livery yard I left it in sealed bags marked with the day and am/pm.
 

OlderNotWiser

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A friend of mine locked absolutely everything….. and then when she tested positive for Covid no one had keys! So if you do lock your feed away perhaps have a back up plan in case of emergencies.
 

Sussexbythesea

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A couple of yards I’ve been on have individual lockable storage or shared with one other (current) I lock my shared storage but I don’t lock anything in it. At yards where there is no individual storage I’ve locked trunks with tack etc in it but not feed bins. I’ve rarely had anything go missing in all the years I’ve been either on DIY or part-livery. Hay is usually in communal areas but again I’ve rarely thought anyhas gone missing.
 

Surbie

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No, never. It wouldn't have crossed my mind on any yards I've been on that I would need to lock anything away from other people.
 

MissTyc

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I've found on my yard every now and then, you get a new livery and suddenly everyone's feed is going down quicker than usual. We tend to get rid of that livery pretty quickly, but it's happened more than once.
 

PapaverFollis

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The only person I have encountered on a yard who was locking their feed bins was stealing all sorts, including feed, from everybody else! ?
 

ycbm

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I put a note inside my feed dustbin once saying "please don't take my horse's food". On the bottom of the note someone wrote "we don't feed our horses rabbit food" (this was very early days of premixed feeds). So why did they have the lid off my bin to even read my note then? I padlocked it after that.
.
 

Goldenstar

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In my time running a DIY yard stealing feed was a regular issue stealing hay out of people nets was a horrible one .
In the end I persuaded the owner to put the prices up and provide straw and forage that got me rid of that problem .
 

Smooshy

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On one livery yard, yes. I knew how much was in the bins and how long a bag would last, but it wasn't going as far as it should have. Same with hay bales.
On the other yards, no. I can lock my feed bin if needed but not here.
If people need feed as they have run out or want to try something different, they always ask (if its a whole bag they replace it). Same with my fussy one, if he isn't eating then the offer is there of grabbing a scoop of feed. Offer also stands for forage/ bedding.
 

Lacuna

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Nope but we did go through a period of using a lot more than we thought we should be on one yard. YO put a note saying "buy your own bloody feed" in her own bin and then one of the other liveries mysteriously got the hump with her asking what was meant by that!​
 

EllenJay

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Never - but I did have a month of my feed disappearing, but I knew who it was and why. If I hadn't been moving yards I would have done something about it.

Never happened since.
 

SEL

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Once - but she wasn't paying her livery either it turned out. It was kwikbeet going missing and I don't think she realised it needed soaking ?
 

ownedbyaconnie

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Nope but on one yard my hay would go walkies. But then I was in Surrey where the cost per gram of hay is higher than gold.

I also fed my pony a very low sugar boring diet and I very much doubt anyone else’s horse would eat it ?
 

Red-1

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I did in one yard, I knew who was pinching it but couldn't prove it. I even set a mouse trap in there, my excuse was that I *thought* it may be a mouse pinching feed.

I took all feed home to the garage and took it up in carrier bags. It amazed me how far the feed was going, they must have been at it for ages.

Kept them at home for 22 years now, feed lasts forever, or at lest it seems that way.
 

MuddyMonster

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Nope but on one yard my hay would go walkies. But then I was in Surrey where the cost per gram of hay is higher than gold.

I also fed my pony a very low sugar boring diet and I very much doubt anyone else’s horse would eat it ?

I thought that too ?

Then I went through a bag in 6-8 weeks instead of 5 months (along with mane and tail spray, shampoo, first aid kit and various other bits and pieces) ... so now it's all locked regardless of the yard ?

I'm always happy lend stuff out but at least it makes people ask now!
 

janietee_5

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Many years ago I was on a part DIY and part full livery yard. The YO insisted all horses got fed at the same time so we had to leave our feeds ready in her feed room ready for her to feed. My skinny TB was fed boiled barley (and no other horses on yard were). I also did some mucking out for her. Imagine my surprise when I found boiled barley remains in one of the full liveries stables…..seems my poor horse wasn’t actually getting fed and YO was feeding his food to one of the full liveries she had to provide food for. Very awkward when it’s the YO stealing your food. ?. My way of preventing this? I got a load of the vilest smelling supplements I could (garlic, seaweed etc) and laced my horses food with this. She soon stopped feeding it when the other horse refused to eat it and I asked her innocently if the feeds had been mixed up as I had found my horses food not eaten in full liveries stable. Never happened again but I did move on soon after. Funnily enough I went back to same yard 20 years later and feed was going missing out of other liveries feed bins. They left a note asking that their food wasn’t stolen and rigged up a cctv and it soon stopped again.
 

Quigleyandme

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When I was on DIY livery many years ago my feed, treats and grooming paraphernalia would regularly go missing or get used. I knew who was responsible as the silly cow once left her scoop in my Blue Chip balancer. When I confronted her she said somebody must have pinched her scoop to facilitate pinching my balancer. She should have told her face though.
 

holeymoley

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Nope. Never. I’ve known of one livery that drilled holes and put chains and padlocks through their feed bins but I think they were a bit nuts anyway. She also rode with full hat, body protector, knee and elbow pads though too so perhaps an overly anxious sort.

Another livery came to ours from a large yard, we were taken aback to see her tack locked away in an old wardrobe thing with chains and padlocks round it…
 

twobearsarthur

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Over the past 35+ years I’ve only been on two yards where I needed to lock up my feed. One was a huge equestrian centre (over 120 horses, a stud, private livery and riding school and college) loads of people coming and going and the other was a small DIY livery yard. The problem there really started after we locked the bins once we realised food had been going missing. The culprit started taking the food out of my horses bucket while she was eating. We couldn’t understand why she was losing condition. Until one day I’d left the yard, but had forgotten something and returned only she didn’t hear me. She was caught in the act of emptying my horses bucket into hers in my horses stable!!!!
 
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