Full Livery - my rights with feed etc?

MrsMagoo

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Ok, this is the first time ive been on full livery and was just wondering where I stand if i didnt agree with the feed my mare was being given?

I mean its not bad or wrong, but she is highly sensitive with feeds and ive always had her on simple nuts with oil. She is now on a paddock mix as is the whole yard and will be adding alfa a soon - but my question is, if i felt this didnt suit my mare and its sending her skitty, am I able to demand she is fed something more suitable??? Thanks
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ihatework

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If I were to put a horse on full livery the feeding arrangements would be discussed before the horse went there.
Some yards are very good and flexible, others not so.
Discuss it with them but you may need to be prepared to offer to buy in the feed of your choice yourself.
 

Alibear

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Agree it's definitly something you need to discuss before you start the livery.
A lot of yards all the horses get the same other wise you'd need silly amounts of feed bins etc and trying to feed would be a nightmare.
If I want mine to have different feed I have to provide the feed bins and I have to pay extra for it. Luckily there are a few different types avliable within the livery so , so far we have always found something to suit my horse.
 

samp

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Def discuss it and if need be negotiate having your own feed. This is the problem with some livery yard the horses all get fed the same feed
 

sloulou

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In the past I have been on a yard where everything was fed the same - just in varying quantities... I tried to ask if they were prepared to add extra things in and they wouldn't.

I actually found it quite frustrating, but the yard was so good apart from that one thing that I left him there - and to be fair he did do well on the food.

I think if you knew about it in advance, there probably isn't much chance of insisting. But you could try asking their advice... which might work
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Como

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I would always expect a full livery yard to feed my horse exactly what I asked it to, including adding oil, supplements, succulents (although these are always at the owners expense). I have been at 4 full livery yards and all have fed each horse a meal tailored to their needs. Feed is so important that I wouldn't be at a yard that didn't.
 

MrsMagoo

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Oh yes we did discuss it to begin with and TBH i didnt really think there would be a huge problem with the feed - i mean she is looking very good on it BUT on the other hand, i didnt expect her to get skitty on it (she informed me that none of her SJ's get mad on it) and she is ridden 6 days a week!!! Maybe i should wait a little longer and she if she settles down..hmmmm

But like Como - I always thought they would need to feed according to horse etc and if you wanted supplements (obviously at your expense) then that would be done to. I do have oil and propell plus and this doesnt seem to be going in her feed, although at the monent she doesnt need it lol
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Tierra

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Ive been on both kinds of yards... ones where they are happy to feed according to individual preferences and ones where that is not an option and you have to conform to the yard feeding program.

My last would buy in whatever you wanted as they got it all at cost price... they would also buy supplements for you and bill you along with your livery. However this was quite a small yard where the liveries were only clients of the onsite trainer.

The larger yards ive been on have all had a feeding regime that you had to go along with due to space restrictions and to make things easier on the staff.

I think you'll need to speak with the yard owner about it... however i personally wouldnt assume that they'll cater to your personal requirements.
 

ihatework

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But livery yards are a business !
To feed each horse completely differently not only costs more in terms of buying in all the different feeds but takes a lot more time in preparation and storage of bins etc.!
Now I'm not saying that owners don't have the right to say what and how their horses are fed, they do, but they also have to think about it from a livery owners point of view. If the livery stated how the horses would be fed from the beginning then I don't think an owner has the right to 'demand' theirs are fed differently (not saying this is what you are doing).
However it's normally easily resolved if the owner is prepared to buy in the food of their choice.
 

Kelly1982

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All the yards i have been too feed all the horses the same nd if you want anything different then you have to buy it on top.

Hence why i stick to DIY!!
 

MrsMagoo

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Hmmm, will see how she goes then and if she doesnt settle down, will have a chat with YO. It is only a small comp yard and as above she gets all her feed at cost from Hickstead - may be possible just to buy in some bags of simple nuts or whatever? If not will have to change yards i suppose as cant afford to buy extra food on top of the £433 im already paying....
 

Kelly1982

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Thats one of the reasons i cant go full livery, Senza is such a pain to keep weight on that if she was on the bog standard stuff that half these yards feed she would end up like a hat rack and i cant afford full livery and feed on top as well.

Usually yards do give you a choice or mix and nuts though?? Isn't there any chance of her being given nuts instead??
 

MrsMagoo

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Well im pushing my accounts as it is, and the only reason we went on full livery at this yard was cause we could not find any decent or have space DIY/Part yards around, otherwise we prob still be DIY - As far as im aware when we discussed it, she has mix and alfa a - thats all i see in the feed room i think!!! Havnt seen much else when they are being fed....
 

mlm

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i have just started my own yard. i am intending on doing basic nuts and chaff inc in price for full livery, but surely i think it is the owners choice to have different feed and i would then negotiate the difference in cost. all supplements will be excluded except for sugar beet and oil these will be included in price
 

mlm

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i think they should be reasonable. i will have chaff, alfa a, livery nuts, and a calm & condition. all these i will do inclusive of the full. i think it is right to offer a couple of alternatives. all feeds are reasonable priced it just depends on storage for a lot of yards. i also have hay or haylage. shavings or straw. to many yards put a price on everything and forget what is right for the horses. thats why i started up on my own. 50p to put a feed bowl over the door, and i was always the first at they yard as i was diy and ended up doing 17 horses. i never got a reduction!!!!
 

katiejaye

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Hiya, I have been on full/part livery at 3 yards and have never had issues with what I want to feed Louis. It is something that I normally discuss before I "move in" though. My current yard has a couple of feed variations and they tend to monitor the horses and feed them what they feel is necessary. When Louis started losing a bit a condition over winter I had a chat with my YO and he swapped Louis on to conditioning cubes. Any other things like supplements I add in myself. You could try and negotiate a way of supplying your own feed if you are worried. My last two yards were big yards with lots of comp horses so they had loads of feed variations and were very flexible with feed requirements.
 

katiejaye

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[ QUOTE ]
Hiya - well at the moment there is 4liveries then the rest are her own SJ's or young horses - think im just gonna have to ask her later and see what she says!

[/ QUOTE ]

Just have a chat with her then and see what she says. It's not an unreasonable request and your not asking for anything expensive or difficult to source. If she says no you could try and negotiate price and bring in your own feed?
 

JessPickle

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We are on full livery monday-friday and they decide a simple feed to start of with (because we didnt know horse too well to start off with) then we tell them what we want and they order it!
 

legend

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You've probably thought of this, but is it worth trying her on just the alfa a without the mix? Should hopefully give her enough energy but without sending her scatty, and if you are supplementing her anyway she should get everything she needs from it.
 

emma69

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May I make a suggestion for those whose yards won't feed supplements etc? Pop the oil / farriers formula etc in a tupperware, that is stored outside the horses box, you can label M-F etc and store a weeks worth there. They just grab it and tip it into the bucket as they go in to feed - I have never known a yard have a problem with this - keeping things in the feedroom, measuring, making sure you have the right bucket seperate from the others can be a pain, this method is far easier!
 

RachelB

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I agree with others, it depends on the yard and what you discussed with the YO. However we feed all ours at work on one main brand of feed and they all look fab IMO. Expensive stuff like TopSpec is extra, as are supplements. TBH I have no trouble knocking up a yard full of feeds and adding supplements, I think and yard should be able to do that. But as has been said, feeding completely different feeds can be expensive and time-consuming. But I also agree with whoever said maybe try feeding just alfa a, it might work and save you money at the same time!
 

Vindaloo

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Hellloooo sexy lady. Shame you're not at my yard hon. They do full but will also discuss part etc. School, horse walker etc. Loads of grass and they feed exactly what you ask for. I've changed Dougals loads of times and they never question it and don't charge any differently.

To answer your question though I agree that you should tell them what you want her fed. You are paying it after all.

Um, had a bit of a hangover this morning. Nat xxx
 

Weezy

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On the yards I have run and those I have liveried at if feed is included then it is usuall chaff/alfa a, pony nuts, pasture mix, sugar beet and comp mix on offer. If you want anything else, any supplements, etc, then it is up to you as the owner to provide it.
 

mickey

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[ QUOTE ]
On the yards I have run and those I have liveried at if feed is included then it is usuall chaff/alfa a, pony nuts, pasture mix, sugar beet and comp mix on offer. If you want anything else, any supplements, etc, then it is up to you as the owner to provide it.

[/ QUOTE ]

This pretty much sums up the arrangments at my full livery yard. My horse is on pasture mix, alfa-a in winter, chaff in summer. Sugar beet in the winter. I provide supplements myself including feed balancer. I believe she stocks competition mix and build up mix and that's about it. I would discuss it and if the cost of what you are wanting is similar to what you get currently I would expect the YO to do this for you (If they don't mind getting extra bags in).

I have always discussed this up front though and sometimes have brought my own feed on top of the stuff on offer because it did not suit/I wanted to make sure my horse was getting the amount I asked for (sometimes I have been at places where you only get 1/2 what you requested)
 

tizer

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I'm not sure why some of you put up with this feed thing, I own and run a full livery yard with 20 horses and the horses are fed whatever the owners want, it is our job as the people to look after the horses to make them and their owners as happy as possible, we are after all in some form of the hospitality industry if we take on full livery's, the horses on my yard range from 8 weeks old to 18 yrs old and are fed a range of feeds some on traditional straights and others on top spec, with lots of variations inbetween, and all are fed (at the owners expense) whatever suppliments required and it is always added it required not left on the side to go off! I definatley think you should have a word with the yard owner.
 

Partoow

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I run a yard with 22 horses on it 4 of which are my own competition horses. All my liveries are horses that i either train and compete or they are off doing their own 'thing';i have one or two eventers.
I have my feeding looked at by a nutritionist for a profile on a range of horses.I have high quality feed and it covers a range of needs and work levels.so i have a 'base' diet, which consists of alpha A, topspec, and speedi beet,to this is added the individual horses needs in terms of energy, so is related to the work load and who the horse is , so we have Allen and Page calm and condition, Dodson and Horrell ERS pellets or top spec's conditioning flakes.We also feed a herbal suppliment that is a system cleanser that contains linseed, fenugreek,mint, garlic and seaweed.
Suppliments like joint suppliments are added at the owners expense. Within this system there is room to accomidate all the horses nutritional and energy needs. They also have the choice of soaked hay or haylage.
I and my staff are proffesional at our job and the feeding of the horses in the yard is something i talk to the owners with but it is made quite clear that the feeding programe is as in place and is quite flexiable in term of need within the criteria i have stated . We spend more time with the horses than the owners and we notice change and are aware if they have likes and dislikes . With this system i can keep everyone happy and keep the feeding simple and clear so that it is consistent and does'nt take 100's of feed bins and 10hrs to do the feeding. feeding is important and i study the feeding closely and it is made clear to the owners that this is how the feeding is managed when they come to view the yard.
i dont have any spaces left on my yard and most of my clients have been with me 2 or more years so they all seem pretty happy with it.
 

Andelusional

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I have horses in full livery and have run a competition livery yard. When I was YO I used to tell the owners what I thought and did as they wished unless it was completely nuts! As a 'customer' I expect to have my horses fed EXACTLY as I wish and this has never been a problem. You need to be firm, you are the client and your wishes have priority.
 
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