DIY Owners who don't check their horses daily?

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chocolategirl

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Just wondered what other YO's position is on this? I have an unwritten rule that owners must attend their horses at least once daily when living out for the summer, which I know is being ignored by a couple of my clients. How would you enforce this? I already have said that if they are unable to get here, I will physically check their horse for them in the field for £1 per day. It's purely a token amount which is intended to give piece of mind to both parties. Am I being unreasonable do you think? TIA.:-/
 
Not unreasonable and probably quite handy! How would you enforce it though? I worry that people think I'm not checking daily as I often never see anyone else when I'm there!
 
I'm not sure that you can enforce an unwritten rule. You need to make a written rule and put it in your contract.
For now, just add it to their bil, or hand over a separate invoice for extra services.
 
Not unreasonable to have an expectation that horses are checked daily. Totally impractical to enforce. If someone is down to just check their horse then they could only be there for 10 mins in which case it would be very easy to miss them even if you are around on the yard.

I go to see my horses at different times every day. I'm sure my yard owner often wonders whether I have been down or not as I often don't see anyone!

It doesn't seem to me to be something to get annoyed with. I'd just let it go unless it was for days at a time.
 
I think your unwritten rule needs to become a written one! To not be checking their horses on a daily basis is totally irresponsible. If they cannot get to the yard, and you do the checking for them, then there should be a charge, and it should be more than £1 !! If you charge the going rate, it might help persuade them to change their lax attitude. DIY means precisely that - you do it yourself! Sounds a bit like someone is taking advantage (?) If someone has a genuine reason for not being able to get to the yard then fair enough. Seems to me some people think their horse magically becomes immune to injury and illness because it's living out in a field 24/7. These people need educating. And no, you are no being unreasonable - but you are being too flippin obliging!
 
Sign in sheet kept on the yard - sign name and fill in the time of visit. No signature equals an automatic £1 charge for that day, which is added on to the existing livery bill whenever that is due. Check all horses once daily regardless (because let's face it, horses like to find ways to make money for vets), but don't charge the owners who have turned up and signed in. Allow an option for liveries to sign on behalf of one another if any of them want to share care of their horses but make sure that it's a separate column on the sheet to avoid confusion. Obviously don't charge them for choosing to share care. Remember to check the sign in sheet daily to ensure that nobody tries filling out multiple entries in advance. Sorted :)
 
No, not at all unreasonable. Personally I'd put up a sheet on the notice board each day that has to be signed, if it's not signed by a certain time then you do the check & charge... but way more than £1. Personally I'd think more like £5 if they haven't requested a check over in advance.

You can make exceptions for your good regular liveries that you know come down but just forgot to sign but this would allow you to deal with the problem clients and encourage them to change their ways or leave.
 
I don't check daily as I work 24hr shifts but my field mates and I keep in regular contact via group fb chat and when one can't get down another will do all checks / rugs / fly masks etc. It's mutually beneficial and takes the onus off the yo. If I had a yard that required a sign in sheet or a penelty I'm afraid I wouldn't be there long!
 
Think you need to decide (you probably have, just isn't clear to me) if you want liveries to come down daily (you'll need some kind of sign-in as suggested above and probably a lot higher charges) or if you just want the horses chekced and don't mind making a few extra GBP yourself. If the latter I'd include topping up water/poo picking/whatever you'd expect liveries to be doing really depending on the set up and charge accordingly but fairly.
 
In the past 2 weeks I've checked my horse daily (bar one pre arranged day). I've been using the lower gate to get in as they have always been down that end not the field and I've not seen YO or any fellow liveries in that time.
 
Thanks for replies so far which appear to be in agreement with me. In response, I live on site and there is only one drive that people use which is directly in front of my house and most of the paddocks are visible easily, however, it is possible that I may be 'missing' the odd visit. This will be rectified when our cctv system gets installed shortly ( not for this problem I might add lol!). I'm not trying to be pedantic here, I just think it's totally unacceptable to not check your horse on a daily basis and quite frankly if anyone think £1 is too much to pay for piece of mind, I don't really want them as clients. I'm not trying to make money out of this I'm trying to encourage good basic care. Some people just think these things will never happen to their horse, but believe you me, I've rescued plenty over the last 22 yrs from precarious situations. I think as someone said, I'm going to have to write into the contact, even though I really shouldn't have to. And btw, I have had clients go away on holiday for up to 2 weeks and just leave their horse unchecked the whole time! Unbelievable!
 
^ I should have added we have it written into out contracts about checking once daily. If you are sure they are regularly not attending start charging - no animal should be left unattended.
 
Enforce daily checking, it's actually a legal requirement. If it means they leave, great, more responsible ones will be happy to take their place, you sound like a caring sensible YO. £1 is an absolute bargain by the way.
 
I have had DIY owners not check daily, or less than once a week in some cases, I do assisted DIY livery and charge a bit more than average which includes a daily turnout/ bring in and popping in feed in the winter and in the summer at least a once daily look over, not hands on but enough to ensure they are sound and not injured, that the water and fencing is ok, living on site, walking the dogs, checking my own means it is no problem to give all the others a check several times a day and peace of mind to the owners, although I can see most of them from the house anyway, my only complaint is when the odd one fails to keep on top of the fields with the poo picking.

I would decide who I wanted to remain as clients, I am very fussy who I take on as DIY because I have had a few less than ideal owners, then actually offer to do checks for a fixed rate or include it in the basic cost so they can let you know they are going away or need a day or two of checks rather than you feeling as if they are taking liberties or neglecting their horses, I suspect they know you can see them easily and that you would pick up if there was a problem and get hold of the vet or owner as required.
 
I don't know why some people bother having horses! If you can't be bothered to do a 5 minute check on your horse what other needs are not being met?!

I understand the poster who works 24hr shifts but obviously she has ensured someone else checks her horse, so he is still being checked, and as people know that is happening it is peace of mind for everyone
 
Doesn't this depends on the yard and how many people are around? If I was in a yard with thirty other horses, turned out in sight of the yard, where other people couldn't help but see my horse as they came and went, and it didn't need food, meds or supplements, then I wouldn't be worrying about driving all the way to the stables on the odd day that I was really busy.

What would happen when the horse hurt itself five minutes after I'd signed in and left? It wouldn't be ignored for twenty four hours until I came again, would it?
 
Funny this should come up. I pay one of the other liveries to feed my horse for me, usually once a week. I've just had a text to say this morning that as she doesn't check her horse every day and therefore will only come up to feed mine she's going to charge me more. Bit flabbergasted she isn't coming up daily in all honesty regardless! I think what you are trying to do sounds like a much better idea and I can see why :)
 
£1 is far too cheap - that's less than it would cost them in fuel to get to the yard, so you might find the non-checkers take advantage of you and you effectively end up offering part grass livery at a pound a day.

I'd charge a fiver to do checks if notified in advance (I'd include anything basic that needed doing - water, flyspray, etc) and a tenner if someone fails to show without warning.
 
TBH if it is a couple of clients and the rest are good then I would speak to the 2 directly and tell them they must visit their horses everyday and if they can't/won't then these are the options - move horse or put horse on summer cover for £X a week. Single day cover will be £X. If they can come some days but not others then you can adjust the weekly rate.

£1 isn't enough because it will encourage them not to come at all - a fortnight's holiday cover will cost them £14!

You need to charge a decent amount because when you go away (if you ever get a holiday!) you will have to pay to have those horses checked.

A sign in sheet would irritate good owners and avoids confronting the real problem.

A firm, fair, decisive yard owner!
 
If one of the DIYs on the yard where I keep my horse wasn't coming at least once a day to see to their horse, or arranging for another livery to do it for them, the YO would be having a word and if things didn't change they would be gone. We have lots of written rules, I don't think that's one of them, but that's just really basic and that sort of neglect wouldn't be tolerated.
 
My last attempt at having a DIY livery ended when I realised that she was not coming every day but was relying on me to check and also feed her horse. I couldn't understand why she had not noticed it had lost weight, then the penny dropped. She would come a couple of times a week and that was about it, I was not here the time so it was possible that I had not see her but when I said something about the horses weight she started leaving 3 days worth of feeds.
Contract and sign in sheet, or charge everyone extra and do it yourself and not have the worry. Make sure you have emergency numbers as well.
 
ycbm said:
Doesn't this depends on the yard and how many people are around? If I was in a yard with thirty other horses, turned out in sight of the yard, where other people couldn't help but see my horse as they came and went, and it didn't need food, meds or supplements, then I wouldn't be worrying about driving all the way to the stables on the odd day that I was really busy.

What would happen when the horse hurt itself five minutes after I'd signed in and left? It wouldn't be ignored for twenty four hours until I came again, would it?
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this. I personally keep my pony in a field with just one other owner so he is checked daily, but if we were on a large livery yard then I wouldn't be so worried. On a previous yard I had a pin up on his stable that gave all my contact details, vets details etc. As above, if I see my horse at 5pm and he sustains an injury at 5.05pm then surely all those liveries aren't going to ignore it until I come down 24 hours later.
 
ycbm said:
Doesn't this depends on the yard and how many people are around? If I was in a yard with thirty other horses, turned out in sight of the yard, where other people couldn't help but see my horse as they came and went, and it didn't need food, meds or supplements, then I wouldn't be worrying about driving all the way to the stables on the odd day that I was really busy.

What would happen when the horse hurt itself five minutes after I'd signed in and left? It wouldn't be ignored for twenty four hours until I came again, would it?
Click to expand...

I agree with the principle - I'm sure most of us are doing an unconscious "check" on every horse we see, and would take action or let someone know, but even so I think it's best to let someone know you aren't coming. I'd cast a closer eye over a friend's horse if they couldn't make it, as opposed to checking the legs were still on the bottom from the other side of the field.

In this situation, though, it isn't friends looking out for each other's horses; it's a livery owner, who.is effectively being pushed into providing services above those contracted, and which should be paid for.

My old yard didn't allow 24/7 turnout in summer because of DIYers failing to show up...
 
My present yard also stopped 24/7 summer turnout (before I moved there) due to DIY owners not coming up daily.
I don't get why people would think it ok, not to check on their own horse, not sure how you can resolve it really - personally I would move them on. Then again I'm not a yard owner and if I was would barely have any liveries as I consider various things a neccasity and am constantly surprised as what others consider optional!
I wouldn't object to a sign in sheet, would only take seconds to complete.
I also think £1 a day to check is too cheap and would second £5. £1 almost encourages people not to come.
I also agree that folks shouldn't rely on others to check, I'll often have a look in the field (and have alerted owners to anything odd) but don't always have time or think to do this and wouldn't be checking every horse. Plus if a owner isn't coming then I think the duty of care should pass to the YO, it is their business after all...
 
If owners who keep their horses on DIY livery don't sort their horses every day, and the yard owner is expected to 'keep an eye' on them (refill water buckets, straighten rugs, keep watch for injuries etc), then it's no longer DIY is it? It's assisted grass livery, and should be charged as such.
 
ycbm said:
Doesn't this depends on the yard and how many people are around? If I was in a yard with thirty other horses, turned out in sight of the yard, where other people couldn't help but see my horse as they came and went, and it didn't need food, meds or supplements, then I wouldn't be worrying about driving all the way to the stables on the odd day that I was really busy.

What would happen when the horse hurt itself five minutes after I'd signed in and left? It wouldn't be ignored for twenty four hours until I came again, would it?
Click to expand...

This
 
But it's always the same few lazy arses who presume that 'other' folk will somehow check on their horses without prior arrangement, isn't it, so they don't bother for rock up each day.

Two proper close up checks per 24 hours are a minimum, IMHO.

OP, get rid if you don't want the mither.
 
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