Is it normal to not have a livery yard agreement?

chaps89

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Livery yard or loan agreement?
I've only ever been given a contract once on a livery yard, but always had loan agreements where I've had something on loan.
 

muddybay

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Livery yard or loan agreement?
I've only ever been given a contract once on a livery yard, but always had loan agreements where I've had something on loan.
Livery I just mentioned the fact I never had a loan agreement because all the other people who had loaned did. My horse is kept on livery at the moment!
 

Leandy

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I have always had a written contract yes. It is important to be clear exactly what you are paying for and notice terms etc. Not sure I would want to keep my horse at a yard which was so slap dash it didn't have one.
 

Leandy

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Nope. Only been on one yard who gave me a livery agreement.

I never signed it and they never chased me to do so, so I guess it wasn't worth the paper it was written on ??‍♀️

Not necessarily the case. They will be able to say that you were aware of the terms because they sent them to you and in not objecting to them and continuing to pay for and recieve livery you have accepted those terms. (At least if you are in the UK anyway).
 

Chianti

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I've been on about fifteen yards over the years and I think I've only been on one that had an agreement. I think all yards should have to have an agreement in place. It's so easy for yards to change the rules as you go along with no signed paperwork.
 

Lipglosspukka

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Not necessarily the case. They will be able to say that you were aware of the terms because they sent them to you and in not objecting to them and continuing to pay for and recieve livery you have accepted those terms. (At least if you are in the UK anyway).

The contract was handed to me in person. Unless they happened to have been filming me accepting it then there would have been no proof I was ever aware of them. Of course had I been emailed them then perhaps a different scenario.
 

ArklePig

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This is something that weirds me out about getting my own horse in the future. I'm a full time paralegal/part time final year law student and it seems from the yards I've been scoping out that signed contracts aren't much of a thing and it goes against every fibre of my being/professional training ?
 

awelshandawarmblood

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They all vary so much, I've been on ones where I've had a sheet to sign, or had to hand over a copy of my horses passport, one had a 15 page contract with pages of rules and regs! NeedIess to say I didn't stay long! I currently have nothing where I am now.
 

dogatemysalad

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Don't think I've ever signed a contract. I'm just impressed if I'm handed an information sheet about the yards routine.
Do recall viewing yards where they were very organised on the admin side of things and saw copies of contracts, along with other info, but didn't chose to livery there for other reasons.
If a livery yard isn't offering a good service, I'd leave. Arguing over a contract isn't going to make a bad yard, a good one.
 

VioletStripe

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If a livery yard isn't offering a good service, I'd leave. Arguing over a contract isn't going to make a bad yard, a good one.

Completely agree with this sentiment, however having just fled a yard which threw a livery off the premises 'by the following afternoon' (when it was already the evening) because the livery made a lighthearted comment about her horse looking grumpy in a photo sent, it dawned on me that I definitely would prefer to have a written contract regarding notice periods/gross misconduct.

Said livery was a friend of mine and since leaving I have found out the YM had a habit of throwing people off with a days' notice because she wasn't happy with them.... yes we did have a written contract and this was totally against said contract, and seeing this unfold I was very glad to have one which I could refer to/take legal action against should I need to. As it was, this happened a week before I was going to hand in my notice anyway following a string of issues with YM, and I packed up and left a day into my notice period....

Edit - I do not know all the ins and outs of why some liveries were thrown off, I'm sure some were legitimate, but I know several cases where they weren't overly fair, and I do not think under 24hrs is ever appropriate....
 
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Birker2020

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Completely agree with this sentiment, however having just fled a yard which threw a livery off the premises 'by the following afternoon' (when it was already the evening) because the livery made a lighthearted comment about her horse looking grumpy in a photo sent, it dawned on me that I definitely would prefer to have a written contract regarding notice periods/gross misconduct.
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My sentiments exactly.

I would prefer to have a livery agreement but its something the YO at my yard has never been keen on doing.

I think it would be good in respect of having sufficient time to find another livery yard if asked to leave. There have been cases (rightly or wrongly) that have been asked to leave that day or the next and its not for something I would consider serious enough to warrant an 'instant dismissal' situation. Again rightly or wrongly, it is not for me to judge, I am just saying that this is what has happened historically on occasion and it worries me a great deal.

I do love the yard I'm on and do get on with the YO whom I am very fond of but there are times when we have tested each others patience and if you asked me years ago if it could happen to me there have been times when I would say, yes, possibly in the past maybe.
 
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