Freelance costs

[bouncing_ball]

What would be reasonable to pay a friend who is a groom, to check a horse on her way home from her job, 5 days a week. She typically finishes by 5pm. She passes directly by the field, can park right outside, and there are no gates as foot path runs through field.

Would be about ten minutes work, check horse, check water supply, check sufficient hay - winter only (I would put out enough for 24 hours in the morning 99% of the time), give feed in field no supervision needed, put next feed on to soak.

Possibly change rug / apply fly spray / take off fly mask depending on season / temperature shift.

 

[Tiddlypom]

No matter how brief the visit, I pay for a minimum of 1 hour per visit. So £15 ish minimum. It's not just the time, it's the responsibility of a professional in seeing that all is well and dealing with issues if things are awry.

 

[Arzada]

Jaime Jackson said something like it's the knowledge and skill behind my rasp not how long I take trimming your horse's feet. Agree with TP, about £15. Already it's not 10 minutes work with the already known variables ie possibly change rug / apply fly spray / take off fly mask depending on season / temperature shift, not enough hay out 1% of the time

 

[fankino04]

When I was on holiday I paid a friend £10 per visit, it was park in gateway, take feed out of box by gate and give to horse, general check over then done, no hay, fly spray, rugs or prepping next feed.

 

[Belmont]

My friend is a groom and seeing to my 2 this weekend. I always make life as easy as possible for her, so she should only have to feed a small breakfast, put fly masks on am, pick out feet and check waters. Pm just take masks off. I'm paying £10 a visit. In the winter I paid £15 when she was skipping out too.

 

[Polos Mum]

If you want her to do it again and be happy to do so - £10 per visit would be very fair

 

[ihatework]

If I were doing it for a friend and it was genuinely not out of my way I’d probably do it mates rates at £8/£40 a week. If it were in a professional basis it would be £15 a time

 

[rabatsa]

We get £10 for counting 4 cows as we pass their field every day. About twice a week I need to get out of the car to check round the corner. The water trough is alongside the road and visible from the car.

The owner is very happy with this arrangement and he knows that should anything be wrong we have the experience to deal with things.

 

[canteron]

£15 - if they are happy to send you a quick picture (so you know it’s happened, easy to fall out with ‘mates’ over horses I found!).
A much nicer job in Summer than Winter should maybe be prepared to pay for any extras in Winter.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

10 to 15 pounds a visit depending on where you are. It could be a pain on dark wet evenings after a long day.

 

[Jellymoon]

Freelancers charge £11/£12/hr around here, but that includes driving from wherever they are coming from. If she’s passing the field anyway, I’m not sure I’d expect to pay a full hour for what would be a 10 min job. But I probably would, because it’s only a small amount of money, and would change your life not having to go up every eve!
Have you asked her what she would like to charge, or are you at that slightly awkward impasse where neither of you wants to insult the other one!!!
In that case, I would offer her normal hourly rate and she might say, ‘I can’t possibly charge you an hour for what will only take 10 mins, and I’m driving past anyway! I’ll do it for £5’ or she might say, ‘thank you very much, I charge £15 an hour’, and then you have to suck it up!!!

 

[Fieldlife]

Jaime Jackson said something like it's the knowledge and skill behind my rasp not how long I take trimming your horse's feet. Agree with TP, about £15. Already it's not 10 minutes work with the already known variables ie possibly change rug / apply fly spray / take off fly mask depending on season / temperature shift, not enough hay out 1% of the time

How long does it take to change rug / apply fly spray / take off fly mask / give feed and check. Wouldn’t take me more than ten minutes assuming not a huge field and parking outside.

 

[Fieldlife]

No matter how brief the visit, I pay for a minimum of 1 hour per visit. So £15 ish minimum. It's not just the time, it's the responsibility of a professional in seeing that all is well and dealing with issues if things are awry.

If it’s 5 days a week, no travel, no unlocking, would you really pay £75 a week and £300 a month. For under an hours work a week in total?

I think I’d be looking to pay less!

But set the expectation that I’d pay £20 an hour for any extra time dealing with anything unexpected or any time it took more than 10 minutes to complete.

I’d expect to pay more for one of assistance or for assistance where there is travel and travel time involved.

 

[bouncing_ball]

Freelancers charge £11/£12/hr around here, but that includes driving from wherever they are coming from. If she’s passing the field anyway, I’m not sure I’d expect to pay a full hour for what would be a 10 min job. But I probably would, because it’s only a small amount of money, and would change your life not having to go up every eve!
Have you asked her what she would like to charge, or are you at that slightly awkward impasse where neither of you wants to insult the other one!!!
In that case, I would offer her normal hourly rate and she might say, ‘I can’t possibly charge you an hour for what will only take 10 mins, and I’m driving past anyway! I’ll do it for £5’ or she might say, ‘thank you very much, I charge £15 an hour’, and then you have to suck it up!!!

She’s not a freelance groom. She works 8-5pm at a neighbouring yard. I give her Horsebox lifts (when I’m not taking my horse) about once a month.

I’ve not asked her yet, was just trying to get my head around what was reasonable.

Maybe I say £20 an hour and ask her to let me know how long it’s taking?

Or maybe I set a fixed rate, and pay anything that takes longer than ten minutes at £20/hr? Dunno.

It’s not a small amount of money in the sense £15 a visit 5 times a week is £300 a month.

I think my fuel cost to come back is about £3. It’s 20 round trip (slow roads). But including the ten minutes checking it’s about an hour extra time as 50 minutes driving.

 

[Spiritedly]

I think my fuel cost to come back is about £3. It’s 20 round trip (slow roads). But including the ten minutes checking it’s about an hour extra time as 50 minutes driving.

Do you mean for her it would be about 50 minutes driving on top of her normal trip home?
If so I don't think £12-£15 is unreasonable as that's an hour of her day that she could be doing something else so should be paid an hourly rate.
When you give her a lift to shows does she pay? If she does then maybe offer a free lift for a weeks work? If she doesn't then I'd offer a bit less than £12 to factor in the favour you're doing her too.

 

[Orangehorse]

My local freelance (lives about 2 miles away and is usually passing) charges £10 per hour. Pay for 1/2 hour per day.

 

[maisie06]

I check on a couple of retireds for a local lady twice a week, check troughs are working, horses right way up and a bit of hay in winter - I'm passing anyway and we agreed £10 per visit, everything is easy and ready no poo picking either.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Why don't you ask her if she'd do it and how much she'd want for it ?

 

[bouncing_ball]

Do you mean for her it would be about 50 minutes driving on top of her normal trip home?
If so I don't think £12-£15 is unreasonable as that's an hour of her day that she could be doing something else so should be paid an hourly rate.
When you give her a lift to shows does she pay? If she does then maybe offer a free lift for a weeks work? If she doesn't then I'd offer a bit less than £12 to factor in the favour you're doing her too.

No that’s 50 minutes driving for ME to come back. She drives past gate at 4.45 / 5.15pm five days a week.

No I don’t charge for taking to shows. Though it’s once a month / once every six weeks. Fuel costs if not local. But can easily be 6 hours of my time even if it is local. But maybe mixing that complicates it.