Do you pay for bank holiday's but get no services?

[Gingerwitch]

Question - couple of my friends are on 7 day and 5 day full livery - however we were all due out for the day on 2nd Jan, but their yard manager has put on the board today that there will be no cover on new years day or bank holiday monday - but they are still expected to pay for a normal month. Apparantly it was the same over Christmas, so the girl on 7 day has ended up doing Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Bank holiday Monday - but again has had to pay as if she was on 7 day livery - is this normal ?

 

[Gleeful Imp]

No not at all. I have been on full livery now for over 10 years and on a number of different yards, and have never experienced this. I do muck out Christmas Day though (although my YM tells me off every year ).

The least your friend can expect is a lower bill. Is this set out in the livery contract?

GI
x

 

[SavingGrace]

A group of people volunteer every christmas and new year. I don't mind doing it as the staff work hard all year so its nice to give something back. It is funny that it is always the same people though. The horses are also brought in early on christmas and new years day and giving double haynets although I did go up around 6pm on christmas day and check everything had something to eat. I was there an hour and a bit as I ended up giving lots of cuddles to most of the 50 odd horses on the yard lol!

 

[L&M]

Their yard, their rules! However it should have been made clearer in the livery contract, or a reminder sent out with the Nov bills.

I only do assisted DIY but do charge double for services on bank holidays - again these extra charges are laid out in writing.

 

[forestfantasy]

No thats not on.
They should have been well informed about this either in their contract or a reminder as sidney says.

When i worked as head girl on a full livery yard the owners were asked to muck out their horses on Xmas day so the staff could finish before lunch by the YO, everyone was more than happy to do this and xmas morning was a jolly fun day at the yard.
Obviously some owners went away for xmas which was fine, it wasn't in their contract to muck out on xmas day but they did out of kindness and appreciation of the staff's hard work all year. Many also did so on New Years Day.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Apparantly its something that has "appeared" over recent years, nothing in the contract either way - it started when the YM was ill 3 years ago and the liveries said they would "cover" there own horses to help out - unfortunatly this was continued last year and although a few folks moaned they thought it was a "one off" but has been done again this year - thing is there was a huge notice saying no livery crimbo day, or boxing day or new year day - then on the crimbo eve eve, the note about the bank holiday Monday appeard. And then the note about no cover on the 2nd has appeard.

Oh and Jan livery has to be paid in full tomorrow - Thursday - no explanation on this either as the banks are open on Friday arnt they?

My friends have 7 horses between them - so you can imagine why they are a little miffed at paying full wack for no services, the short notice and the sudden pull forward of livery due on the 1st - they would normally have paid on Saturday 31st -

 

[forestfantasy]

Sounds to me like all the liveries need to get together & discuss this then approach the YO and tell her its not on, obviously she's got away with it for the last few years as no-one has said anything to her!
I certainly wouldn't be paying full whack for no livery.

 

[Walrus]

On our yard there was a tick box chart put up before Xmas so any part or full liveries could volunteer to do DIY days over the Xmas period and any days they did would be knocked off their bill. Seemed to work well, my yard is generally great on that type of organisational stuff.

 

[Bernster]

I'm on 7 day livery but would have had to pay extra for my horse to be done on xmas day, boxing day and NY day. However, we were told this back in Nov and have had plenty of notice. It's also a very good yard so I don't really mind and I don't do him for the rest of the year so I can pretend I am a proper horse owner for just a couple of days. Saying that, it took me flippin AGES to do him so I thoroughly appreciate the hard work and effort people put in looking after my nag year round :0

 

[BonneMaman]

Sounds to me like all the liveries need to get together & discuss this then approach the YO and tell her its not on, obviously she's got away with it for the last few years as no-one has said anything to her!
I certainly wouldn't be paying full whack for no livery.

Absolutely this - strength in numbers ;-)

 

[EventingMum]

It seems very strange. I'm a YO, admittedly we don't do DIY livery at all but I would never expect my liveries to do their own horses.

Our staff work either Christmas or New Year and only come in for 2 hrs on Christmas Day and 1st Jan to muck out and on Boxing Day and 2nd Jan they come in till lunchtime as horses are turned out for a couple of hours. The rest of the day is done by myself, OH and son. We have 33 horses in so it's not easy but that's just the downside of being a YO unfortunately. The festive period leaves me exhausted and really isn't much fun especially juggling the yard with cooking Christmas dinner and entertaining elderly relatives. I rely on the income from my liveries all year round and they or their husbands or parents work to be able to pay me so why shouldn't they be able to have a holiday at Christmas? I think YO's just have to accept that working over Christmas is part of the lifestyle no matter how much we would prefer not to have to do so.

 

[Syrah]

No, I wouldn't expect to have to pay extra or to have no services at Christmas, New Year or Bank Holidays unless it was specifically stated in my contract.

However, I would help out if needed. I did offer for Christmas Day but YO and staff wouldn't hear of it.

 

[millitiger]

I'm on 7 day full livery and Bank hols/Christmas day/ Boxing day etc are treated as normal days and the horses all get done as usual by the YO.

If Christmas was not covered I would expect a reduction in my monthly bill of each day I was expected to do my own horses.

I have never heard of this and have had a yard myself, worked on a few yards and now have my own horses on full livery.

ETA- even my youngster who is on grass livery was checked over and hayed and watered as usual on Christmas day!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If it's 5 day livery then quite often bank hols as well as weekends arent covered or are double rate BUT that has to be specified as it's a basic and fairly major term of the livery contract. If it's 7 day the same applies but if unwritten would more expect the assumption to be that bank hols were covered.

The 'reduction' for the uncovered days if part of the contract can be just reflected in the overall livery rate rather than there being a higher rate to cover it and then a refund UNLESS as in this case, it was being covered at one time and now mysteriously is not, in this case I think the liveries are justified in being peed off and should approach it as a collective with the YO. Since if one livery does it they are likely to be told like it or leave!

Quite often with yards services/maintenance start off good and then gradually slide/more restrictions come in. It would be better if YOs worked out what they were happy/not happy to do and stuck to it consistently to avoid the resentment!

 

[Daytona]

Normally they will charge you DIY rates for those two days. Are they sure they not being charge a slightly reduced rate, have they seen there bill.