Do those on full livery really know what goes on?

[humblepie]

Had horse on part livery but still went up every day and did quite often re do bed as the mucking out was not great and there were one or two other less than ideal things but on the plus side yard owner was very knowledgeable (other than mucking out and the one or two other things), fencing and fields superb, good school etc.

Horse then went into a showing yard and had upmost confidence in his care and well being. Always had hay if in, was often turned up, very high standards in everything.

Am now back doing him myself so he has to rough it a bit more!

I think word of mouth recommendation is the way to go but difficult if a first time owner or moving into a new area.

 

[MizzPurpleKitten]

The stories of horrifying full livery do not surprise me at all I'm afraid, I have been on full livery a few times (I ALWAYS prefer DIY and after these experiences would never do Full Livery again), One of the yards I had just recently moved into when I had a bereavement back at home in Newcastle and thus I had to go up there quickly, I stayed a week to try and comfort my Mum a little (it was my Maternal Grandmother we lost) and on my return I went straight to see my boy....I was confronted by another livery who was fuming, she had a go at me explaining she'd had to give my boy hay and water each night as he'd not been fed or watered and had been left in his own filth 24/7 for the whole week.....I was Seething! I explained to her I was paying for full livery and that the Yard Owners were aware I was going to be out of the area and all was arranged, to which she responded "Oh, did they not tell you? The Yard Owners stopped doing full livery on Sunday as they're leaving the yard this week!" Erm, no, they didn't tell me!

The second yard had a total of 5 stables, to increase profits the YO split each stable in half so they were tiny boxes (But not too bad a size for my then 14.2hh Gelding), When going to see the yard it was spotless, beds were lovely, haynets all full, waters clean and everything looked brilliant however very shortly after moving to the yard it became apparent that my boy was not being mucked out on days when I didn't go up there to see to him (he was on party loan so my sharer went up 3 days a week), his water was only changed on days I went up and he was only turned out for around an hour a day!

Needless to say I left both yard very sharpish and went back to DIY

 

[Gingerwitch]

I really hope this post will not put off folks from having full livery - it was not my intention, I know for a fact that there are full livery yards out there that offer a service 2nd to none, my very picky mate has his horse at just such a place - and i have been there for lessons and seen first hand the care bestowed on each and every horse. They are all treated like dressage mega stars and the owners cannot do enough for the livery horses.

It was more of a post about the trusting folks amongst you - as to how long it takes before you realise that things are not just as they appear and you have been treated with the "new customer" only syndrome. The other thing is that most folks of full livery are there for a reason ie lack of time to do jobs but love their horses just as much and tbh you probably do not become as "friendly" as you do when your diy. It must also be very difficult to approach someone that you don't really know and start to them things about the horse's care - as many posts on here will show that very often your good intentions will end up with you being told to butt out, and if they did react to what you had said - how do you know that it would not backfire and your horse would end up suffering for it.

 

[michellelou]

Does anyone know of a good full livery yard in south Manchester. Really need a yard I can trust as I work away allot so cannot be there full time.

 

[Captain Bridget]

I used to work on a full livery yard, some of the owners rarely came down and the yard manager took advantage of this.

Water and hay was always done properly but the beds were not. I tried but some of the stables just had dirt floors so damp came up from the ground and mud got mixed in with the bed. Some of the others girls on the yard just did the top of the bed, never took the wee out of the bottom, I turned a bed over a few times and found red stained bedding that stank.

As long as the beds looked nice on top it was rarely asked about.

The horses rarely got turn out, only about an hour if they did. Rugs didn't get changed. Injuries went unnoticed by the yard manager and when mentioned, dismissed.

I often tried to do things to make it better but got told not to by the YO and YM. I didn't like the way they handled the horses either. One of the horses was a sensitive 3 yr old and petrified of most of the people on the yard. Poor mare. I really wanted to take her home with me!

 

[Firefly*]

My horse is on full livery. I can turn up any time of day and the yard and her stable is immaculate.
If I didn't have something I needed at the time then the YO would lend it to me or sort it out for me.
My horse is happy and comfortable. Always well cared for as is all the other liveries DIY or not. Very happy and don't worry at all about my horse when I'm not there!

 

[Renvers]

I feel for your friend, I'm glad you and she got her horse somewhere better.

My two are on full livery at a great yard and I completely trust YO and staff. I, and many of the liveries, turn up whenever we like and all of our horses are treated with equally good care. The day sheets are available for us to see and if our horses have troughed all their hay we are allowed to give them more, with only the odd concern about fatties being over fed. My TB has never looked so well.

I do know of some yards where corners are cut, including a local BD comp centre, but I find around here most people know which they are and they are the ones which always have vacancies.

Full livery is a necessity for some of us who want to ensure our horses get the high standard of care we cannot always provide due to the demands of career, family etc on our time. It is a shame if some unscrupulous people take advantage of that and the horse suffers.

 

[contestdancer]

Absolutely shocking but does not surprise me in the least. There are a lot of supposedly full livery yards about that think the owners are "stupid". A friend was very briefly at a full livery yard which also took horses in for breaking and schooling by a supposedly experienced rider. One young horse came in as he was quite a handful and was only supposed to be there for 2 months. When he arrived the yard manager rode him probably 3 times in the first week and then after that the horse was lucky if it was lunged once a week... needless to say the owner had no idea the horse was not being schooled and the horse had to stay longer, many more months until it went home. Other horses came in on schooling livery and were lucky if they even saw the school. The yard manager used to go off teaching and leave the horses stood in mainly with a section of hay to last all day on disgusting beds. If they were lucky they got turned out for an hour during muck out!

 

[MagicMelon]

Never would I consider full livery, there's no way I'd trust someone else with my horse (unless they were a close friend).

 

[PooJay]

Friend just phoned in tears, horse at livery yard where he has been for 6 months.... supposed to be turned out at 8ish and brought in at 4pm ish..... he is on full livery 7 days.... she has been away at her mums for the week, suppose to come back late tomorrow night, missed her boyfriend and horse too much, came back today - got to yard at 2 - yard "done" for the day not a yard owner or stable girl on site - bed was disgusting - she has had 8 wheel barrows of "wet" out, water buckets had all sorts in them - do not appear to have been changed for the last few days - horse stood in his lightweight turn out rug - and by the looks of it it has been on since she left on Monday morn... rub marks to shoulders are the tell tale sign, temps have gone from 13 degree to minus 2 over the last week.

Hay.... well apparantly the smell was bad enough - would appear they have just been topping up and then resoaking the nets he has not finished.

She met another livery and burst into tears - other livery looked at her scathingly and said - have you never checked out what time they come in normally ? and now you know why no one ever goes away.

She is upset and fuming - she has found a new yard to go to tomorrow BUT has just paid her December livery by direct debit - I have told her just to go - and write the money off as a chrismas prezzie to the horse - but do you really know what goes on on full livery yards, or do you just belive what you get told at the "show around" and when do you start to add two and two together and realise that the odd occasions you show up early - there appeared to be a valid reason for the horse to be in early.... or still in his box so late and did not think to check again because you trusted what you had been told.

Hmmmm....this isn't a yard near Markfield leics is it?

EXACTLY what happened to me. Moved straight away and haven't looked back. Went for 2 weeks and came back and the stable was DISGUSTING. 8-9 barrows of muck taken from her stable on my return and the y/o just didn't even bother to look like they cared! They'd quite often come in early when y/o wasn't likely to be coming back up so sometimes they'd be in from 1pm. Awful place. Dog poo all over the car park as well. Bleugggh!

 

[YellowHorse]

My horse has to be on full livery because of my work.
( Though DIY'd him myself for 3 years so know him inside out )

The firs yard he was on DIY on I left full instructions and everytime I saw them asked why he had no bed, why the bed was damp why he had no water.. no to mention I couldn't use the school as it was being re-done (Fair enough but..) had no-where to lunge, they didnt feed what I wanted, only fed haylage, had to pay extra for use of lights, and electricity and excess water and bedding and haylage, everyone was nasty and would criticse what I wanted, and he got turned out when I asked them not too, and didn't get turned out when I wanted him to be.
He was so unhealthy and sad, on a wet bed and terrible conditions that it made me cry everytime i went there. I had looked everywhere locally before I moved there so chose to move him further afield ( An hour and halfs drive away) just so he could have a better life. Luckilly a space became available near me and I will never be leaving there.

They actually do what I ask them too, or if they want to let me know anything i just get a text message etc. He is cared for like he is their own. So much that i let them ride him during the week and all my tack is replaced how it was found and hes doing really well. Now I don't feel the need to check up or be nosey about whats going on because they tell me before I have to ask, and you can tell he is so happy. That really is 1 livery yard in 10 though I think.

 

[Hippona]

It doesnt surprise me, but I have to admit to not understanding why someone would choose to run a livery yard and then not look after the horses appropriately

Never been on full livery, but I was on DIY with assistance on an ad-hoc basis once......went away for the weekend and left instructions, which as far as I could tell had been carried out. I had said to not worry about doing the stables on the final day because I would be back to do them....but lovely YO had done stables, filled water-buckets and haynets so I didn't have to. All without charge too

 

[JessPickle]

I fully trust the person I have my two on livery with. Whatever time of day I'm there the beds are done pretty much. They are incredibly well looked after and she phones me if there is even the slightest issue.

She looks after them like her own and I appreciate that they have massive beds, always clean get the longest amount of turnout time possible. Always wearing a suitable rug. Most importantly she can handle our naughty one, consistent handling has made him a different horse and his behaviour has improved loads

 

[SpockkyBoy]

Every yard I have been at/worked at has offered full livery services. Although the majority of the time my boy was on DIY, I never thought twice about putting him onto full livery when I had to go away.... Have always been lucky that the girls and guys who cared for my boy were brilliant, and usually have a horse of their own at work/near by. I have come back early and beds are always neat, clean water soaked hay net all ready... Times when I have to back later and he was already in, groomed and rugged for the night.

I have on the other hand heard bad stories from other full livery yards, whom I wouldn't touch with a barge pole!!!

 

[heidiharvsnroo]

Each to their own but I personally don't see the point in having a horse to have it on full livery?

Mine is supposed to be DIY, but our owner has a "manager" that basically sorts out turn out slots, paddocks and feeds in the mornings for us so I don't have to actually go down in the mornings, I just go after work at night. In summer, if she's in at night, I take it in turns with her turn out buddy's owner to turn out/bring in, depending on her shifts. And if I'm ever stuck I know I can ring someone and ask them to chuck her net over/skip out etc.

We all help each other out and bank the favours. I'll feed one night if I'm around and someone else is rushing off and vice versa, just one of them things.

I wouldn't and couldn't be an owner who didn't see her every day...I'd rather have her out on part loan if I was struggling.

 

[LaurenBay]

Wow some of these are awful!

I'm on DIY/Assisted. I have put her on full livery though once. I went on holiday for a week last May. I completly trust my YO to look after her. I know she will be mucked out/watered/fed/hayed every day. And treated with kindness. I even left my tack with her and said she could ride whenever. In fact when the bad snow gets here. I will have to put her on full livery again as theres no way I could get there! (YO lives opposite, so Horses are always seen too)

 

[JessPickle]

Each to their own but I personally don't see the point in having a horse to have it on full livery?

Mine is supposed to be DIY, but our owner has a "manager" that basically sorts out turn out slots, paddocks and feeds in the mornings for us so I don't have to actually go down in the mornings, I just go after work at night. In summer, if she's in at night, I take it in turns with her turn out buddy's owner to turn out/bring in, depending on her shifts. And if I'm ever stuck I know I can ring someone and ask them to chuck her net over/skip out etc.

We all help each other out and bank the favours. I'll feed one night if I'm around and someone else is rushing off and vice versa, just one of them things.

I wouldn't and couldn't be an owner who didn't see her every day...I'd rather have her out on part loan if I was struggling.

I am on part livery, so my horses are done for me but I still see them almost everyday for riding them. I just don't have the time to do them fully. While popping up to lunge one I can do.

x

 

[TallyHo123]

I'm afraid that this type of thing is all too common. I would advise any owner to turn up unexpectantly several times a couple of months into their livery. I run a livery yard and treat all the horses the same. What the owners pay for they get. They could turn up any time of the day and night and not be disappointed. BUT I have to say it would be very easy NOT to genuinely do everything a client expects and I have heard many horror stories.

Agreed. I went to work on a yard with full liveries. They turned up at half 10, had tea and buscuits then opened the field gate and the stable doors and let the horses take themseleves to the fields!!! hardly ever mucked out and left horses stood in all day very often. Needless to say I wasn't working there for long!

 

[Enfys]

Each to their own but I personally don't see the point in having a horse to have it on full livery?

.

But what if you worked or had family commitments? Why should that stop you owning a horse for your own enjoyment.

I have a couple of clients who work overseas a lot, and two families have a disabled children that seriously restricts their ability to come and see the horses as and when, especially when it is blowing a blizzard, the snow is 2' deep and it's -20C...if they had to do the horses themselves (and DIY is not a common concept here anyway) then they simply wouldn't be able to. The horses actually don't care who feeds and looks after them as long as they are safe, fed and in a happy environment.

 

[Archina]

If it was me i would be kicking up a fuss and demanding my money back!

 

[Bikerchickone]

Omg! Reading all these posts makes me truly appreciate the livery yard and YO where my two are! Both are on Part livery, which in this area means everything done and included 7 days a week except exercise and grooming. Their feet get picked out, their beds are deep and clean, feeding is done to my requirements, they are turned out or kept in according to my wishes, YO will suggest options if she thinks it beneficial to the horses and she knows I'm happy to go along with requests if there is a problem or they need to do something differently for some reason. Generally it's something like my 4yr old WBxID being left out if the wind is up and YO's mum is running the yard that day. Said 4yr old is 16hh and does rear in high wind, so unless I'm able to be there I've told them it's perfectly ok to leave her out, rather than anyone get hurt.

It's a lovely family run yard, horses absolutely love being there, and having moved away once for something closer to home and cheaper and gone back again, I won't be leaving now unless we end up at the other end of the country.

Good livery yards ARE out there, but they're the ones with the waiting lists for stables, as mine has. I'm so lucky I got two boxes, and they're next door to each other!

Anyone who is paying some of those extortionate prices for their horse to be neglected should definitely look around for better and move! I also think OP that your friend should go to her bank and get the DD payment reversed, that's what the DD guarantee is for. Good luck.

 

[el_Snowflakes]

Pity she's not allowed to name and shame on here

Think I'd bl**dy do it anyway!!

Thats terrible. I hope she kicks up stink, reports them (BHS?) and drags their name through the dirt so no one else ends up in the same situation. I also really hope your friend manages to move her horse pronto. My horse has to go on full livery sometimes when im working silly hours and i no she gets the same care as i give her