DIY yard rule regarding when to muck out..

Another reason I do not offer DIY.

I have been on several DIY yards, we have never had restrictions like that, nor curfews, you mucked out when you could, or paid someone else to do it (I used to get my livery paid, and then some, doing beds and turnout for other people ;) )

If I DID run a DIY yard it would not occur to me to tell people WHEN they had to muck out by.

I have a few indoor Boarders, they are out by 6.30am, beds and evening nets are all done by 7.30.
 
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It's not lazy or disrespectful, it's just that people have to fit jobs into their lives. And I would never ever leave feed made up for hours, even with a cover on. One DIY used to do that and I can't count the number of times I saw a mouse in her bucket. I like my feed buckets left clean and upside down until I make the feed up just before they're fed and add the water.

We all have different things that bug us - these threads show that. If a horse has jobs done properly and daily it's fine, the time shouldn't matter.
 
A lot of the comments about smell etc are very presumptive that everyone lifts their beds every day. I only poo pick/tidy during the week. ATM horse comes in at 2pm so I do it in the morning though usually leave it in a skip bucket until the afternoon. If it is me bringing my horse in I like to muck out when I choose, I will close the door and sweep my bit of the yard. I would definitely want to know 'why' when there is a rule change.
 
I can't help thinking that some of the YO's are forgetting who is the customer. Sure it's nice to have a yard all pretty by a certain time in the day. If that's what you want get staff and do full livery. DIY'ers are basically renting a stable and turnout and maybe a bit of storage space. I think it's disrespectful to think that entitles the person who owns the property to dictate how they have to run their day and look after their horse. (Welfare issues different of course). I rent a house out to tenants, to me this is the equivalent of me telling them what time they have to put their washing out.
 
Tinypony said:
I can't help thinking that some of the YO's are forgetting who is the customer. Sure it's nice to have a yard all pretty by a certain time in the day. If that's what you want get staff and do full livery. DIY'ers are basically renting a stable and turnout and maybe a bit of storage space. I think it's disrespectful to think that entitles the person who owns the property to dictate how they have to run their day and look after their horse. (Welfare issues different of course). I rent a house out to tenants, to me this is the equivalent of me telling them what time they have to put their washing out.
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yep, its like telling someone when to do the washing up in their own house.
 
Yes, been on several yards with this rule, some where the time limit was 10 am. There is good reason for it, as I've known several liveries in the past just not bother to turn up and muck out at all! I can't see any problem though if you have been up and turned out, and sorted your horse though as that's different. Have a word with your yard owner and see if they can make an exception to the rule. I'm sure they won't mind as you will still be caring for your horse - it's mainly to just stop people not bothering to turn up at all (as shockingly there are people out there like that!) :(
 
Facinating read. Comes back to something that crops up time and time again. Some YOs really seem to think they are doing the livery a favour by letting them pay them to keep their horses there. I am not saying being a YO will make anyone rich, its just an attitude I have met quite often and heard of even more.
"I have rules you dont like? - then go, I can replace you just like that". And so they can round here.

For what its worth I used get up v early to muck out two on DIY, ride one, turn out both before work, until the only place I could find for my new horse was a part livery yard.

I hate a horse being in a stable with any poo or a wet bed, so skip out as soon as it drops, and get the horse to pee in a bucket if I am there at her peeing times!
 
I see my thread has been resurrected so just an update for you all.
I left yard in question just over a month ago- not just because of this issue, mainly because I found a cheaper/closer/quieter yard. No more rules about when to muck out, its lovely and makes my life so much easier- new YO (its just her one horse and my 2 girls there) was in shock at the rule and said she would never ask me to be mucked out by 12. Phew :)
 
BroadfordQueen said:
I see my thread has been resurrected so just an update for you all.
I left yard in question just over a month ago- not just because of this issue, mainly because I found a cheaper/closer/quieter yard. No more rules about when to muck out, its lovely and makes my life so much easier- new YO (its just her one horse and my 2 girls there) was in shock at the rule and said she would never ask me to be mucked out by 12. Phew :)
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That's good news, I hope you and your horses are happy at your new place.
 
I never used to have such rules in place, but sadly, as you'll find with a lot of rules, they are brought about because people are taking the piss. A blanket rule is easier and fairer to enforce.
 
Good news that you've moved Op, hope it all goes well in the future.
Sitting here drinking coffee I had a read through the thread, interesting to read the different points of view. It seems to me that things got a bit tangled between equine welfare and simple mucking out.
The yard rule was simply that everyone had to have their stables mucked out by a certain time of day. People leaving horses in without sufficient hay, not bothering to go up at a reasonable time to turn them out etc... that's different really. I think if you're renting a bit of building to someone you should take an interest if they are neglecting their horse. But simple housekeeping like mucking out a stable is up to them.
Again, I am reminded why I like not being on a livery yard. I'll think back on this when it's a bit of a struggle in the winter and value my freedom!
 
My last yard was a yard of 30 horses - last winter, the vast majority of horses were stood in all day. YO fed and hayed them but they were not mucked out till evenings. My horses were 2 of the few that were turned out every day during the winter as I would not leave my horse stood in a dirty stable all day. If they did have to stay in because of weather I would get up an hour early and muck out before work. When I worked 4 12 hour shifts a week, I did get up extremely early and muck out my beds on work days because someone else was bringing them in and they needed to be done as I didn't finish work till 10pm. I don't know many people who actually muck their horses out before work to be honest. I'm now on a very small private DIY yard with one other owner and 6 horses between us and none of our beds are regularly mucked out in the morning. I'm at the yard at 6am every day, I feed and turn my horses out then I have to be at work for 8.30, sometimes earlier. If I want to ride after work my beds are done in the morning so I have time in the evening. My guys have very thick beds and rubber matting and the stables are mucked out properly in the evening after work. I have never had smelly beds, a build of urine or anything else and neither of my horses have ever been been adversely affected due to their beds not being mucked out till the evening. They are in the field not caring if their bed is done or not. Having said that if I was on a yard with that rule and I liked the yard I would be prepared to get up super early to muck out before work if that was what the YO wanted. So I suppose it just depends how attached you are to a yard that sets that expectation
 
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