If you were a yard owner....

The dog poo thing: I saw an old YO a while back baling a particular field which is basically a dog toilet :( I took my dogs there for a social walk with others but left because of the amount of ***** everywhere :( Horrified to think that I have at some point fed my boy hay from that field. :mad:
 
micramadam said:
I'd have no liveries because my list of do's and don'ts would be too long. QUOTE]

This, although my reason would be that I have been put off them for life, tbh, we do have a yard, two in fact, and we turn livery requests down every week. I can have my dogs, kids, geese and hens on the yard, with no complaints, and it is bliss!
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Wooooo.

Some of these rules :eek:

Any yard that tried to impose having to wear a hat to and from the field would lose my business immediately.

Thankfully I have my own place and I can do what I want, when I want and how I want without the curtain twitchers sticking their snouts in my business.

I would be reeling to receive a 9 page list of rules!
 
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Thankfully I've never been on a yard with a list of rules. Good yards can be chosey about who they take and a good YO can spot a potentially bad livery at first sight and refuse to have them.
The bad liveries that slip through the net are given their marching orders with no pussy footing around. Keeps life simple.

While every yard works slightly differently, it doesn't take too much brain power to keep a low profile at first and watch how things are done when arriving on a new yard.
Any adult who is so stupid that they need instructions to on how to behave on a yard, really shouldn't be responsible for a horse.

My nightmare viewing was the one where the YO spent 2 hours telling me how she would manage my DIY horses and went into minor detail of how the horses preferred to live before presenting me with a thick file containing all the yard rules. It was my vision of hell, one where owners are thought to be imbeciles unless proven otherwise.
 
At my old yard, from 1992 to 2005, there were no rules. Everyone used common sense and worked together. I was there as a child and don't think kids should be banned; the knowledge picked up when young is invaluable. I learned so much. The yard was a very happy place.

Come 2005 it was taken over and rules were enforced. The yard emptied quickly, and I did stay on for 3 months but left when I took on my own place. I went back recently and the place, which I still hold very dear to my heart and have some wonderful memories of, was as miserable as sin. I think I would have had more enjoyment in hell. I found it quite heartbreaking and left as soon as I could.

I fully understand that rules are important, but people have to be treated with respect and allowed to use their common sense. Sensible kids should also be encouraged, not forbidden.
 
spottypony said:
The horses would have a very set routine to keep them relaxed. Yes, I have one of those. Mine are so laid back they are horizontal
Forage would be ad-lib (or for those which HAVE to be restricted they would get little and often)
I would feed Forage at set four hour intervals (I actually do this now at the yard I joint manage and it really works as the horses know exactly where they are and don't get stressed out/impatient at feed times) You feed through the night too? Do they always have some let from the last feeding? It is common practise in barns here to feed about 6 times a day - labour intensive or what?
Turnout would be available year round and limited as little as possible during winter months
Any owners failing to meet their horse's basic needs will be charged and the duties will be carried out by the yard
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^ I call that Full livery ;) :D
 
I'd love my YO to enforce the rules she had. We received a sniffy newsletter reminding us to leave the school tidy after use. Usually it's her and her kids that leave it full of poo , jumps and games equipment.
 
my rules would be;

1. ALL dogs to be kept on leads at ALL times. (I’ve only ever been on two yards where other peoples dogs weren't and they were left to run around to steal your grooming brushes and jumped up, drove me crazy!!)
2. NO smoking on the yard or fields.
3. ALL muck, poo, straw, hay, shavings, hoof droppings anything MUST be swept up.
3. ANYBODY caught mistreating a horse/pony will be made to leave the yard.
4. A hat MUST be warn when riding.
5. NO bitching, if found being nasty and being very unfriendly will be made to leave.
6. ANYTHING that’s borrowed MUST be put BACK. If borrowed and broken whilst in use MUST replace.
7. Every horse’s welfare is put first.
8. Have Fun!
 
Ok, really obvious one:

I would only accept horses of the right gender based on how many were currently in the fields. One yard was on had dozens of geldings, a handful of mares and the YO accepted more and more geldings. The fields were trashed, there was no rotation or fencing off to give the boys more room. Seemed crazy.
 
Brimful - I agree with lots of your rules but your capital letters and underlining would keep me away from your yard :) they presume I don't understand the sentiment without them therefore I am thick?
 
I could only deal with full liveries. I am far far too precious about my sweeping to leave it to DIYs. My only rule would be - Dont make a mess when you ride!
 
PolarSkye said:
Rules:

- If you (or your horse or dog or child) drops it, pick/sweep it up
- No horses to be left in field alone
- No horses left tied up unattended either on yard or in a stable for any longer than it takes to nip to the loo
- All hard standing and walkways to be kept swept and free from obstacles
- All equipment - wheelbarrows, forks, skips, headcollars, etc. to be put away after use and properly stored
- All fields to be poo picked daily - if not done, YO will do and charge liveries accordingly
- Contact details of owner, vet, farrier, dentist and farrier must be given to YO - YO reserves the right to contact a vet or farrier in owner's absence if necessary
- No horse to be left stabled without clean bedding, food and water - no exceptions
- All horses' feet to be picked out before coming onto yard (tie-up, buckets and hoof picks provided for this purpose on way from field)
- All droppings removed from school and disposed of on muck heap
- Jumps to be put away after use
- No unsupervised children on yard
- Dogs permitted on yard but must be kept on lead and supervised - otherwise YO's dog will eat them
- No unaccompanied visitors
- Wash down area to be swept free of standing water and soap after use
- Any accidental breakages (fences, gates, etc.) to be reported to YO immediately to ensure prompt repair and safety
- Coffee/tea making facilities to be kept clean or will be removed
- Last to leave yard must lock up . . . repeat offenses will result in strict opening/closing times
- Hats to be worn when riding/lunging at all times - under 16s must also wear a hat to bring in and turn out
- Muck trailer must be properly mucked back/forked up - repeated failures to do so will result in liveries having to cart their wheelbarrows half a mile to the muck heap - up a steep hill
- Thievery of any description will not be tolerated - cameras will be installed and those possessing sticky fingers will be asked to leave with immediate effect
- Ditto bitching/bullying

I'd be a horrible YO . . . having been on several yards, I have rather specific views on how they should be run.

P

P
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Sounds good to me, i always find rules that are obeyed never get in the way. I would add that one of my favourite yards had the rule jumping only on thursday and sunday, this stopped the problem of arguments over school use and also led to people teaming up for lessons and encouraging each other. The yard also had a 20 jump limit for children/ teenagers who were jumping without a adult present after a girl jumping flat out for far to long.
 
In my experience of being a livery the only bitching that went on. Was more often than not about the yard owner/manager.


I did have one y/o moan my horse was too fat but then demand I fed him lunch because all the horses got lunch every day. We ended up having a couple of run ins about petty things but ultimately I respected her and the way she run the yard. It still didn't stop me from not adhering to some of the rules.


He's my horse and I'll take care of him how I want.
 
Wow, lots and lots of rules here. The thing that i find quite sad though is that most of them shouldn't have to be written down. Common sense, Common decency and a little bit of horse sense would mean that they would be done naturally anyway!! I don't keep my horses at home and have them on part livery (i work nights so early mornings are an issue) sso turnout and mucking out is done for me but everything else is done by myself or my 11yr old daughter. Since when has putting tools away been a rule? or poo picking the school after use? or making sure your horse has access to forage and water and is not knee deep in its own poop? A sad state of affairs that these things need to be written down. I can understand the need for them though, judging by some of the horse people i have met in my travels!!!:rolleyes:
 
We don't have rules. Pop in and give the ponies a kiss at midnight, sunbath half naked on the yard, me and my dogs run riot! Even slept there a handful of times. Drunken BBQ's well into the night, let the ponies loose on the yard while mucking out so they can have a munch on the haylage bale or a wander in the vegetable patch :-) Vault (badly) onto the ponies in the field, cool down on hot summers days by laying in the water buckets. Blissful joys of having a private yard, I hope I never have to go back to a livery yard.
 
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