Full Livery Problems advice/reassurance needed

L

LittleBurd83

Active Member
Joined
17 September 2012
Messages
30
Visit site
My horse is currently on full livery at a lovely yard I moved to a few months ago. We moved there because I've been having problems with my horse (something which we are currently dealing with using a behaviourist) and having him on DIY was getting too hard as I was heavily pregnant.

Anyway, they basically do everything for him at the moment including riding him a few times a week and although the YO seems to be doing a great job. I am starting to feel a little left out of the loop....maybe I am being a little sensitive but a few things having been bugging me. For instance, if I leave my horse treats in his stable I get a shirty text message which basically says not to do it and if I ask about his progress with him being ridden I just get a generic - "yes he's fine" answer back. I don't even know what his feeding regime is anymore.
I know it's partly my fault as I had a long recovery from a c-section and a baby with colic so i didnt have much time to spend up there but am I asking too much for a little more communication?

I've never had a horse in full livery before so I don't really know what I should expect from it but it feels more like they own him now and I'm afraid to interfere.... They do a good job, he seems happy and well fed.

I don't have the option for him to be in DIY with a new baby so some advice on how to feel like I have a say with him without upsetting anyone would be great or should I just say nothing and expect this to be the norm for full liveries?
Does anyone else have this detached feeling if their horse has been on a full livery basis?
I do think that the fact I cannot ride him myself at the moment doesn't really help me either :( maybe it will be better when I'm back riding again...
 
Id go up and meet the YO. Tell him you're not happy with the messages saying not to leave your horse treats and the lack of communication. One presumes you pay a few quid for this service, so go up and demand your rights!
 
You are paying for a service, so you are within every right to speak up and tell them you are unhappy.

Why can't you leave your horse treats? Not sure what difference that makes to them.
And as for his ridden progress, maybe speak to YO and/or whoever is riding and tell them you want an in-detail account of what he's been working on? Again, he is your horse and you are paying for their service so don't feel like you can't speak up or get involved. They, as the business, should be accommodating you.

Good luck :)
 
From the other side, I have horses on livery, at times the owners are away or otherwise unable to visit frequently, if the phone I usually have time for a chat but at times may be too busy to say much more than he's fine.

If you are feeling out of the loop go up and see him working, call and make a firm arrangement, they should then make a point of spending that time showing how he is going and have time to talk about plans for the next few weeks etc.

Do not feel pushed out, you are the client, paying the wages, it is your horse, ask what his diet is, say how well he looks on it, leave treats with the groom to give him at an appropriate time rather than just putting them in his box, take a bottle of wine or some biscuits they will appreciate a small thank you.

Try and go up regularly and see him, spend a little time grooming or walk out for a graze, you ought to have some contact with him without any pressure or feeling unwanted on the yard, if you are still unhappy consider moving as soon as you are up to doing more yourself.
 
I have felt like this whilst on a particular full livery, when I've been up there most days!

However, that was one yard. Others (including where I am now) see it a 2 way relationship, feed regime is agreed with me, YM offers advice but my decision. I am frequently asked if I am happy with beds etc.

Shirty text messages about treats are not on. As others have said, full livery is a service not a favour so why not pop up for a chat and explain you want more involvement? Having been with fellow full liveries who didn't give a monkeys about feeding etc, it may be the yard just isn't used to people wanting that much involvement.

Good luck.
 
I agree, go up and have a chat, you certainly shouldn't get told off about leaving treats for your horse!

as GI says, it is a 2 way relationship, and they should communicate with you x
 
I've never had s horse on full livery but i think i would feel like you.

They are doing a service for you.
it is your say.
so you should have control and final say over everything.

You tell them what exercise you want him to have, what food etc.

Obviously it has to fit into the
yard routine etc.
but you should have more say and control.

Speak to yard owner, if it doesn't change then id would move to a different yard with a better owner.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I should go up there and just discuss it. I don't know why I feel like I can't, it's silly because, as you say, I'm paying for a service. I think some YO just have a way of making you feel like they are doing you a favour and that they know better than you about your horse.
 
I sometimes think I spend more time emailing clients about their horses than I do actually working with them, I am so determined that people won't feel left out and will know exactly what I have done and how their horse is.

People are paying me for a service and they should know what they are getting. However, because I'm like this, I do sometimes get annoyed at constant text conversations when I am obviously going to be in the middle of mucking out or trying to exercise everything, so occasionally I either don't reply (because I am riding or teaching) or give a very short answer!

As to the treats thing, you say that your horse has had issues and you are using a behaviourist. Personally I do not like horses being given treats as in many cases the way treats are given can create any number of problems, but I don't mind treats being given in the feed manger. If I was working with a horse and trying to re-establish boundaries, for example, I'd be pretty peeved if the owner came in and started slipping it polos :D But, I would discuss it with the owner and explain why I was peeved.

You really have to ask your YO why she doesn't like the treats, and say that you would like to be kept more in the loop. On the one hand she probably has a reason for the first, and on the other you have every right to be kept up to date on the second.
 
I felt like a complete spare part when I first had my horse in full livery. I have health problems and so, like you, am stuck with full livery. It's got better now and I have a good relationship with the YM and other staff.

It's very easy to say 'you're the customer, demand your rights", but not so easy to move the horse if things go sour. So sometimes you have to think what is the thing that's bothering you the most and work on that.

Paula
 
I think there is just a bit of lack of communication here. Go to the yard and have a chat with the YO. There may be a very good reason why they are not happy with leaving treats and so on. If you feel the YO is not listening to you then change yard.

My horse was on full livery and i know how you can feel a bit left out and i have received many a very short text... Frustrating at times but i knew the horse was very well cared for and that was all that mattered to me.

Make sure you keep the communication going and hopefully you will feel happier. Life is stressful with a young child so don't add any more stress to your life. If your horse looks allright then they are probably doing the right thing. Soon enough i hope you will be back to the yard more often and you will feel a bit more in control.
Good luck.
 
I think it is difficult if you have suddenly starting taking more of an interest after perhaps letting them get on with it.

My pony is currently on full livery minus the riding due to an injury. It is the first time I have been on full livery and they decided what food he has and how much and how much hay etc. I think the feeding thing is standard they probably want to have them all on similar diets eg on the fatties on the same stuff and all the skinnies on the same stuff as it is easier when ordering in the feed as they can probably get a discount when ordering in bulk and do not need lots of different bins for storing the different feeds. However they were feeding the same brand as I normally use and a feed that I was happy with so it was not really an issue.

I also think different people are happy with different answers so some people just want to know their horses are fine and others want a more detailed explaination about what they have been up to so perhaps if you have been ok with the just fine answers whilst you were busy with your baby they don't realise you want more information or there is a problem especially if they have not had a chance to see you and chat in person.

If your horse has a behaviour problem and the behavioural person is dealing directly with the yard then it maybe that they have told the YO the horse is not to have any treats or that the treats you are leaving are high in sugar and this could make your horses behaviour difficult.

The people work very hard on full livery yards and they often may not have time to stop and chat for ages especially if they are in the middle of riding or caring for a horse.

I think in your situation if you have been a bit distant in the past and now want to play a more active role then perhaps ask to make an appointment to visit your horse when the YO is there to discuss his progress. Explain that you are happy with the care but that you now have more time and want to take more of an interest in what is going on with your horse.

Yes they are providing you with a service but it is a valuable service and you have to respect that they might be busy looking after your horse and it is often difficult to give a long answer by text it is much easier if you are in person or on the phone.
 
I agree with what's been said - if you're unhappy, talk to the yard owner. I would hate for one of my liveries to feel they weren't included and that their horse was no longer anything to do with them.

That being said, I do have a few other points (as always, sorry!). Re: feeding, I talk to the owner of a new livery on the day they arrive, to find out what they've been eating before, and what sort of horse they are to feed (good doer, won't eat nuts, that sort of thing) and then I come up with a feeding plan for them. That way I don't have to spend crazy money buying one bag of this and one bag of that, can buy my feed in bulk, feed what I like to feed, and can adjust it accordingly. If owners want supplements, they buy those in themselves, but apart from that all feed is left to me. I know what I'm doing, and talk regularly with the owners about how their horse feels and whether they feel the feeding regime is working for them. Treat wise I have no issue with people giving treats, but I never allow treats from the hand, or high sugar treats to be given to horses who are in for re-schooling or to iron out behavioural problems. It's not worth the trouble it causes!

Message wise, I often feel that owners don't realise quite how much I have to do each day, and I do have some that get snippy if I don't immediately reply to a text, so when I do reply I apologise for the delay, and explain that I was busy.

Today for instance, I mucked out the whole yard (finished by 7am), exercised five, clipped two, got one washed and plaited up and on the lorry to go competing, gave a lesson, washed two more ready for hunting tomorrow, cleaned three saddles and five bridles, brought everything in, and repaired a strip of rather battered fencing. The owner of the horse who was competing was almost an hour late to pick him up, and was very cross that I had tied her horse up in one of the grooming boxes and left him while I went to clean tack. When I explained that I had so SO much to do, and hadn't eaten since 7am (by this time it was 3pm) she realised that my days don't revolve around her and her horse, and was very apologetic and sweet.

I'm often too busy to send more than a quick "he's fine, nothing to worry about" text, and would never mean it to be short. I do, however, often spend an hour or so in the evenings sending long, involved descriptions of what the horse has done and how it's doing, to keep the owners in the loop.

I'm sure they don't mean to be short with you. It took some getting used to when I got new owners in who took an active interest in their horses routines etc.. I was used to owners who show up once a month or so to ride, or turn up ready to go hunting, then hand the horse back and disappear until the next time they want to go hunting. Most of my owners don't get in touch to ask how their horses are, as they know they're fine and I would tell them if there was a problem.

I would chat to the yard owner, tell them you're not happy, and work out where to go from there between the two of you. Good luck!
 
It took a bit of while to get used to going from DIY to full for me as well. I am not used to turning up with nothing to do - not even ride due to pony being injured.

I don't think they were used to having someone who wanted to be able to groom their horse and do some jobs as well. So we arranged on the days I come to visit for my pony not to be groomed so I can groom him myself and I can also skip him out and top his water up as well.

I also always offer to help with skipping out any other horses that need doing or grooming and helping out with any other jobs, I don't like being leisurely on the yard whilst everyone is working hard.

I think if you are used to being on DIY and then go on to full it is a bit of a culture change and if you trust the people enough to let them look after your horse whilst you are not able then you have to try and let them do their job. However if you think there is an issue with their care then you have to talk to them to reassure yourself.

Starzaan said:
i'm sure they don't mean to be short with you. It took some getting used to when I got new owners in who took an active interest in their horses routines etc.. I was used to owners who show up once a month or so to ride, or turn up ready to go hunting, then hand the horse back and disappear until the next time they want to go hunting. Most of my owners don't get in touch to ask how their horses are, as they know they're fine and I would tell them if there was a problem.

/QUOTE]
Click to expand...
 
Just go to the yard ring or text and say what time are you working him and go just watch be nice try and develop a relationship with the YO and the people on the yard.
On the treats you say the horse has had behavioural issues I would not want it left treats either,in truth when a horse is on full livery you lose a degree of control .
Going to watch the horse work is a good start point to getting back in the loop.
 
New to this..forum, but know exactly where you are comming from as also had a baby and c section and had horse at full livery yard with similar attitude. It can make you feel removed and out of control over your own animal, I stood my ground and waited until a more suitable yard placement came up and then moved. Best thing ever for me and pony! good luck x
 
Heavens, Starzaan, I hope you have help? What an amazing service you give. Whatever does that cost?
In reply to OP, I too have been there, and it feels horrid. Some excellent advice given already; hope you feel more able to get the situation to your liking as you feel stronger, and baby gets older. Horse sounds fine, which is the main thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top