How do you approach leaving a yard when you owe the YO money?

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caitlynrogers

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to cut a long story short, i've been having issues at my yard for a long time now but have been struggling to find somewhere to move to. i was also made redundant a few months ago so have been struggling to pay livery and have ended up owing my yo about £500. i still wanted to move but obviously couldn't go anywhere while owing her money - i don't want to rip her off.

anyway, now i have a new job and am in a position to finally get out of the place, my horse and i are seriously unhappy and i can't wait to go. my question is how do i approach paying off the yo?

it might seem like a no brainer, pay up and go, but here is the issue - she has been fleecing me for money for months. my original issues were being charged for things like rug changing which i hadn't requested, well eventually it extended to feed as well. except i have since found out she's not only charging me for hard feed that i didn't want fed to my horse, she's also been feeding her horse out of the same bin for three months now
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i have spoken to her numerous times and had so many arguments (which is hell when both of you know if she chose to kick me off i'd be screwed) , but i'm a novice riderand a first time owner and she talks to me like a numpty. eventualy I gave up questioning her, stopped riding and started turning up at 6am to muck out when no one was around in the hope of a quieter life
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as i said i couldn't go anywhere before because i didn't want to totally rip her off, plus she would put the word out in the local area and my poor horse would end up homeless. but now i'm finally in a position to be able to afford to move, what would you do re. paying the debt?

before anyone says it i know i'm an idiot andi feel so stupid for getting into this situation in the first place, the last few months have been an absolute nightmare
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I picked the last option as I do like a quiet life, you may just have to pay what she wants and chalk it down to experience.
Sticks in your throat that you will be paying for things you haven't requested though, I wouldn't be happy.
Sounds like you need out of there asap, have you found another yard to go to ?
 
Before I saw the poll, I was going to suggest "Under cover of darkness"
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How about offering her what you think you should be paying, then if that doesn't go down very well, up your offer to meet her somewhere in the middle of what you think you should owe and what she wants. Might be a good idea to write a list of what you are paying for, so you both have a basis to work from.

Presumably she has been fairly understanding about you owing her money, a point in her favour (even if you feel some of the bill is not fair) and as you are now in a position to pay, you might find the last option best, so you can walk away with your head held high
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paying up quielty was my thinking although i do feel very bitter about the whole thing.

yes, i have found somewhere to go, they are just waiting for me to confirm i want the stable. its total diy, but the yo has horses so hopefull i will have help if i need it but no interfering.
 
Then offer her what you think you owe, and take it from there.

Worth a try, especially if you can back it up with any evidence (ie written agreement, bill with the (non-appearing) extras, or other livery who can back you up).
 
I had a horrid situation leaving my last yard - PM me if you want to know the ins and outs but I chose to pay up, a vastly inflated bill, leave and revel in being happy with my horse once on the new yard.
 
I would have said the second one. But seeing as she hasn;t chased you for the money some yards would hold your horse and keep charging until you paid up. So in my opinion only you should pay up and get things in writing at your next yard of what you do want and what you don't want and the prices.
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I would only pay what i see as being fair. If she has been using your feed and taking advantage i would not pay for that! I would giver her the rent/livery you agree on and see her in court for the rest ( if she bothers to go that far) I certainly would not pay for things i havent requested!
 
The bottom line for your current YO is that she wants you gone, because you are currently occupying a space that could be taken by a livery that does have the means to pay on time - that isn't a dig at you, it is a fact of life. Therefore you do have a little scope for bargaining if you remind her of this when you go, and point out that you have been billed for things that you did not request or agree and you believe you have been overcharged for feed - it might give you a little room for negotiation if money is tight, or give you scope to agree repayment terms.

The important thing is to start with a clean sheet at your new yard and know that you have either paid up in full at the old yard or have an agreed repayment schedule.
 
Ditto most of the others - pay up quietly and go, and don't leave on a bad note if you think she will spread the word. I agree she has been kind to allow you to run up a debt, so give her credit for that and just go quietly.
 
I would probably pay and leave on a good note.Prefer to do this as you never know if you may need to go back and livery at that yard again.
 
I would pay up and leave quietly. Another way to look at this is that she could have been charging you interest on the livery that you owed which would (partly) offset any overcharges that there may be?
 
i picked number 2 but i do bear a grudge!! lol if the easier option is 2 just pay up + leave then do it, atleast u should finally b happy at another yard!! + u wont have any thing to worry about.
 
I am a livery yard owner, and I am owed a significant amount of money from one of mine (think thousands). She is in a similar situation to you in that she cannot move any of her horses from here until the bill is paid, not that she wants to move as she's been here for years, however that's by the by. If she came up and gave me the money owing - oh I think I would be absolutely elated!!
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In your case, just give her the money, hand in your notice, forget about incidentals ... really so what if she owes you a little, YOU owe HER a lot for not making your horse homeless, or even worse, selling it to recoup monies owed.
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I am presuming that nothing was in writing first off?

Personally I am a big believer in not "burning bridges". One presumes that when we move from somewhere we were unhappy we will NEVER go there again, however, you just never know and the horsey world is small!

If you pay up and go with a smile, she has no comeback on you whatsoever, and if anything is said regarding money you can say with a clear mind and honesty that you left the the slate clean.

I have had to go back to a yard I hated and was ripped off too, only temporarily due to circumstances at the time, but if you never burn a bridge, your options are always wider...

Also, it does appear that she has allowed you to stay and been reasonably understanding (albeit fleecing you) but some YO's would not have been as tolerant.

Put it down to experience and ensure you get something in writing at new yard so everyone knows what is expected of them.

We have all done it so dont feel silly, just put it down to experience, thank her for her patience, pay up and start anew.
 
Either tackle the issue once and for all, and come to an agreement re what you feel is fair or pay up and go.
Believe me all livery yard owners will warn each other of a bad payer, and I'm afraid running up a bill of £500 is what you are, why should she have paid for your horse's feed and provided stabling when you haven't paid her for it?
She has out of the goodness of her heart ensured your horse has been stabled and fed when you were unable to pay for it, so the fairest thing would be to pay her what you owe.
As for the feed issues you really should have tackled it when it occurred, surely she hasn't just started charging you for rug changes, it must have happened over a time?
I am very sorry you were made redundant but it seems to me you have relied on someone else to care for your horse when had she not been so generous, it would have had to be sold or given to an equine charity.
Going like a thief in the night is the lowest trick in the book, plus she may well take you to the Small Claims' Court for her money, giving you more stress and upset.
Talk to her calmly and try and resolve it, but pay her what you owe before you go, it's the decent thing to do under the circumstances.
 
Depends on the YO but I would certainly pay what I thought I owed and maybe discuss with YO why you think it should be less.
If you don't pay up she could try and stop you moving until you do
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Sounds like you need a fresh start with your horse
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If you have been running up a debt for some time then now is not really the time to argue about it. If you were not happy about the costs you were being charged for then you should have settled it with the YO before now in all fairness.

Pay what you owe then leave with your head held high - otherwise I expect the debt will keep following you !!
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