DIY yards- leaving horses on their own?

diggerbez

diggerbez

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if you are in a field with a few horses and you went to catch your horse and there was only one horse left out what would you do?
a) bring this horse in and plonk in stable
b) leave it
c) ring either YO or owner to ask what to do/ let them know horse is on his own?
 
It really depends on the horse.
Some are quite happy out on their own therefore I'd just leave them.

If however one left out on there own was going crazy and at risk of injuring itself, then I phone yard owner and ask.

I think the reality is you get to know your fellow liveries and you dont need to phone the yard owner unless you are new, and people will know, bring that horse in or just leave it be as the general rule x
 
It depends on the horse.

I've gone up to the yard & found my horse alone in the field & she wasn't exactly thrilled about it but she was fine so I wasn't bothered but if she was belting about & in danger of injuring herself I'd be annoyed.

So I would leave a horse who stayed calm but would either put another horse out or bring in a horse who was risking injury. But I would only bring the horse in if it was good to handle,if not I would tell the owner to teach their horse some manners, then I'll catch it & bring it in for you.
 
Bring it in, unless there is a note, or I have been told it is happy to be on its own.

I never, ever leave a horse on its own, even if it is in a different paddock, I'd still go and fetch it in.
 
if it seemed happy out i would leave it.

if it started looking anxious/calling/walking the fence etc i would get it in.

it might not be my responsibility but i would hope if i was delayed at work or with an emergency etc people would get my horse in and not leave it to go bonkers and hurt itself.
 
If it was happy and settled - leave it. If not, bring it in.
But to be honest, this is one of the things that needs sorting out before the dark nights set in for a while, so that people know what is happening.
 
Bring it in and ensure it had a bit of hay and water,unless owner had stated a preference to leave it out and horse was calm.
Alternatively, I would leave one of mine out until the other one was sorted.
 
Surely you have all discussed what to do, so know which horses are ok on their own or not, and what to do in the particular circumstances, yes, other peoples horses aren't your responcabilty, but if your horse was lying injured you would hope they would contact you, I would have thought mobile numbers would have been swopped as well in case of emergencys, doesn't abyone talk to each other at your place :(
 
Pedantic said:
Surely you have all discussed what to do, so know which horses are ok on their own or not, and what to do in the particular circumstances, yes, other peoples horses aren't your responcabilty, but if your horse was lying injured you would hope they would contact you, I would have thought mobile numbers would have been swopped as well in case of emergencys, doesn't abyone talk to each other at your place :(
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That^^^^
 
As a YO i include this in the contract, everyone is expected to bring in the last horse along with their own. All horses here are used to being lead in pairs, with any other horse. And i would be extremely annoyed if one horse was left out on its own to stress.
 
Can't believe any horse person would even contemplate being so selfish as to leave another horse out on its own at the risk of injury. :confused:

This is one of the things that stresses me out the most about livery yards. Horses should not be left unless they are 100% ok with it. People do get delayed, stuck, etc, and it shouldn't be taken out on the horse. :(
 
Bring it in. For the sake of a two min job.. its seems stupid to leave it out and risk getting it injured..
Nice attitude Marmalade.. have to say. glad we've not got people with that oppinion on our yard. I don't think they would last very long.


Lou x
 
I would have spoken to the horse's owner as well and asked them beforehand, although when your horse is in a field of 6 like mine used to be it got difficult remembering the rules for each horse!!
 
Im on a yard where the policy is no horse is left out alone, with one exception - mine - as he doesn't care! However, if there was a horse in my field who was not good to handle etc, then simple, I wouldn't bring it in. Why? I HAVE to take my children with me most nights, and I value their safety. thankfully, I'm on a fab yard, and all the horses are lovely, but IF it came to it, I would rather leave mine out a bit longer! We all talk too :-)
 
Im very lucky in that we have a very small livery yard and it seems to be my job to turn and bring in the 3 horses in the same field together so they dont stress (luckly they are very good).

But at yards in the past unless a owner said to do not bring it in I would never leave a distressed horse in the field!
 
marmalade76 said:
Leave it.

It is not my responsibility to provide other peoples' horses with a companion, and vice versa.
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Dear me, this sort of attitude really stinks.. as long as your ok.. I think its irresponsible to leave a horse out alone unless you've been expressly told that its ok by the owner.
 
I find it really quite shocking that someone would take the attitude that 'its not my job' some horselover.........not! Selfish selfish selfish!

It is many years since I was on a livery yard, but we never ever left a horse out on its own, we all agreed that one of us would bring in the last horse.
 
One of the reasons I left a livery yard was because my gelding was out with the YOs horses and the YO would bring all her horses in, at ANY random time of day and leave my poor lad out, despite the fact she knew I worked full time 20 mins drive away. Not acceptable - he would overreach and cut himself, and then she would have the CHEEK to moan at me about my horse churning up her fields!!!

If horse is stressed, bring it in. It isn't fair on horse or owner - if the owner doesn't know what time people are bringing in then how can he/she get there?
 
I will and have called the owner on their mobile to ask whether they want their horse brought in. If no answer, I bring in. Mine is not to be left on her own as she goes bonkers and my fieldmates know this. We talk ;)
 
on my yard there are only 3 horses that can stay out alone, they don't care so long as they have food. there is a yard policy that no horses out alone though.
i've gone to get my horse in nasty weather and one of the other horses wanted in as well, i caught the other one and then the 3rd horse wanted in, i knew it wouldn't be good to leave it out alone so i brought all 3 in, it wasn't a problem as they came in well together.
everyone on the yard help each other out and if someone goes to get their horse (leaving one in the paddock) then someone else will go and get the one that would be left, no one expects it to happen and everyone helps each other out, it works well.
 
When a new horse horse arrives at my yard I establish several things, including whether the horse can cope on its own. If the owner states the horse is happy to be left on its own, we then test this theory once the horse has settled in, whilst keeping a close eye.
I am fortunate as my yard is small and every client knows every other clients horses likes and dislikes, and can trust their common sense to do the right thing, whether I am there or not.
I personally think that I would contact the YO under these circumstances and let them make the decsion - some clients don't like their horse being intefered with, even if it is for the welfare of the horse.
We also had a situation with a diy client who basically used my other liveries to get her horse in for her as she knew it couldn't be left alone, and my other clients were too responsible not to bring it in too! I ended up making a agreement with said livery that I would get it in for her and would charge accordingly.
Also bear in mind the YO should have care and custody insurance - as a livery bringing in somones elses horse there can be insurance implications if the client/clients horse gets injured.

As somone else has already mentioned, communication is the keyword and if you know your horse stresses on its own, make others aware and make appropriate arrangements!
 
It was an agreement when I came to my new yard that my horse would never be left alone and in return I would never do the same to another horse.
My horse is particularly silly if left alone so it was always a big worry.
I wouldnt dream of leaving another horse alone - not worth the risk and doesn't take much time to do.
Not everyone can be at the yard at the same time to bring horses in, its just a fact of life, and shouldnt be taken out on the horse!

Some peoples attitudes really stink!
 
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