I've decided to give up

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Moobucket

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offering DIY livery. People told me it was more trouble that it was worth, but you always think you know better, and that with reason, understanding and hard work you'll make it work. Utter foolishness.

Any YOs with any soothing advice to ease me into the world of part and full livery?
 
Not a YO but long time livery. I would say you would know the perimeters and rules, no worrying about people turning up to do their horses or squabbles over fields and worming. Maybe you just need to be more picky with your clients? Having been on DIY years ago, it worked really well when you had a nice bunch of people together but someone has to be in charge to sort out the squabbles/fields and blooming worming programmes!
 
I can understand. I remember your thread on having to limit turnout and your liveries reactions. Haven't really any advice, we also stopped doing DIY, but just kept the yard private for ourselves rather than do full/part.
 
Totally understand.
I had show (full) liveries, backers & schoolers - and a few DIY's for around 10+ yrs.
A few DIY's spoiled it for everyone so I got rid. Yard was a much more easy place to be as things were where I left them, horses/ponies in and out when I wanted them to be.
Wound things down a few years ago & now just have mine - and lovely livery who was only bringing her horse for a month... 11 months ago :rolleyes::)

Maybe I'm too hands on :o but it suits me as it is :)
 
I rarely take on DIYs I would rather have an empty box than £25 for the hassle that comes with some, not all, some have been lovely, full and part is much easier, harder work but in my view less trouble and you are usually more appreciated, the owner can come, find the horse in its stable or field, ride and spend quality time with it rather than rushing around trying to get things done with little time left for the reason they have them.
 
I tried to be too reasonable. I think that was my main mistake.

I let them use their common sense re turn out. As a result my winter grazing is trashed.

They have a beautiful top of the range outdoor menage that they only use to pop their horses in while they are mucking out.

I've come up with 101 different ways to get them to poo pick their fields, the last scenario of which, included me paying over £100 for trugs so they could fill them in the field and leave them for me to take to the muck heap. They still don't do it.

They have an hardstanding yard but they won't use it, because concrete damages horses legs (it's a mix or road planings, concrete and deep gravel).

I'd like someone to come to my yard who'd like to ride in my arena, use my show jumps, and cross country course.
 
My yard had few DIY liveries, but they were allways turning up at odd hours.. Feeding their horses at odd times leaving yard messy ect, so when they went YO went to part I e mon to fri she does and we do weekends and a few on full.. She is very flexible if you need full at weekend just in the evenings she only charges accordingly. Or just mornings.. Or just nets hanging up, I couldn't do DIY myself due to working 8 to 6 weekdays and with children to,sort to school. She also lets you do part any 5 days of the week as long as she knows in advance. I pay £60 part livery. Buy my own hard feed and supplements. Hay bedding and stable ant turnout all in the £60
 
Get good contracts with fixed routines, any additional on part have x amount of notice (ie if you only do morning turn out they don't text you at 10pm to get their horse in that night). Write into contracts about turnout. I'd be bloody annoyed if I'd thought it was 24/7 turn out and then was restricted but would be fine if I knew this was a possibility in contract. Have set morning feeds so people can work riding round or feed themselves after.
Basically have it so everyone knows where they stand. Cuts out anyone misinterpreting little points and throwing a paddy, however logical it may seem to you
 
Moobucket said:
I'd like someone to come to my yard who'd like to ride in my arena, use my show jumps, and cross country course.
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*sigh*... I wish there was somewhere like this near me!!

I don't think all DIY liveries are bad though... I school 4/5 times a week, poo pick regularly, keep the yard tidy and fit in working full time. Though I do have to rely on someone else bringing ponio in for me... hence now looking for assisted DIY...
 
Nope, I won't take DIYers because they are more trouble than they are worth. I used to do full hunter and comp liveries and they were great, but there is no call for that here, so I do schoolers and backers and holiday liveries, and it works well. Enjoy your lovely facilities, get some liveries who appreciate them and you, and you'll be much much happier :)
 
chestnuttyy said:
*sigh*... I wish there was somewhere like this near me!!

I don't think all DIY liveries are bad though... I school 4/5 times a week, poo pick regularly, keep the yard tidy and fit in working full time. Though I do have to rely on someone else bringing ponio in for me... hence now looking for assisted DIY...
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You are welcome any time.:D
 
Just say that you will poo pick and add the cost onto their bills, I think a yard round my way does this, £10 a week per horse .
 
sorry you are so disillusioned with diy liveries. i am one of the dreaded diy liveries and i like to think i am not a liability. my yo is very hands off which is fine, she gave me a contract stating what she provides , and what i can use. the contract states that we must poo pick a minimum of twice a week, we must keep the muck heap tidy, if horse damages fence we must pay for repair, we can turn out 24/7 in summer but they must come in at night in the winter, she tells us which fields we can use. i try to keep the place as if it was my own ,poo pick daily , keep yard swept and hay barn tidy, always ask if i want to change fields......you need a contract and be firm with your rules and probably need a couple of oldies like me who will obey!!!!!!
 
Moobucket said:
I tried to be too reasonable. I think that was my main mistake.

I let them use their common sense re turn out. As a result my winter grazing is trashed.

They have a beautiful top of the range outdoor menage that they only use to pop their horses in while they are mucking out.

I've come up with 101 different ways to get them to poo pick their fields, the last scenario of which, included me paying over £100 for trugs so they could fill them in the field and leave them for me to take to the muck heap. They still don't do it.

They have an hardstanding yard but they won't use it, because concrete damages horses legs (it's a mix or road planings, concrete and deep gravel).

I'd like someone to come to my yard who'd like to ride in my arena, use my show jumps, and cross country course.
Click to expand...


Gosh! You sound fab.

I am on a DIY, but there is only me and my daughter, one other DIY, the YO, the YM and then some reitred horses who are looked after by the YM.

But there are rules and we have to abide by them. If they tell me my horses can only go out for 2 hours to save the fields then that's what I do. i have never quibbled about poo picking, they even provided a little kubota for us to make it easier. I think if I didn't do it then the YM would do it and I would see it on my bill!

You were obvouusly too nice, you need to have rules. It's your land so they need to abide by what you say IMO.

I
 
We aren't all bad, I was a working pupil once and it has been drilled into me automatically to sweep yards, keep the place tidy, do things sensibly etc.

On another note we have a list of rules and regulations we have to sign when we came to the yard, including we must check and see to horses twice daily and if they aren't they will be done for us and charged accordingly and various other things.

Mines on assisted DIY anyway.
 
Can't complain about the yard i am on,its mainly DIY but has a few full liveries. yard owners are fab and don't take any bitching off liveries which makes the yard a really nice place to be. They turn out or feed in a morning and we leave it all ready as that saves having upset horses. Yard owner or liveries will use there common sense and if 1 horse is left and owner not yet arrived someone will bring it in.We have 2 schools,one for riding one for lunging/turnout,winter turnout bark pens and summer fields. Everyone gets on well and all the horses are happy,smiles all round :)
Also our fields are electric fenced off into indivuaual paddocks,making poo picking easy and only one person to blame if the field is full of s**t
 
Please don't tar all DIYers with the same brush.....some of us are thoughtful and pleasant horse owners!

I am on a strictly DIY yard, we all get on well, have our own paddocks so turnout is wholly up to us. Our yard is clean and tidy, our paddocks are poo picked daily (though can be weekly in winter), things don't go missing or get moved, though people do borrow other peoples stuff with permission.

Yes, we do all turn up at different times of the day but the horses don't expect to be fed or turned out just because another horse has been.

Having sole care of my horses is what makes horse ownership enjoyable for me - I don't want part or full livery, so I'm glad that not every yard owners feel the same about DIY.
 
Yes I totally understand that there are good DIYers out there. My liveries are lovely in their own way, they just don't do what I need them to do for my stables to work sadly. I don't want to have to spend my spare time nagging and getting cross, and threatening fines. If the rules are clear, and there's no action, then you come to a point where you have no choice but to start afresh.
 
I am really surprised how many YO have had bad experiences with DIY liveries. Before I had my own place I was on DIY livery and was very respectful of the yard owner. Mine and my MIL horses were the only liveries and we always kept the yard tidy and made sure we kept to the rules. YO put our horses out in the morning for us and we would muck out and bring our horses in in the evening. When one of the YO horses was put in our stable block we mucked that one out and brought her in every evening with ours. Would never have left that yard if we had not bought our own as the YO's were lovely and the yard was a very happy and relaxed place to be. So we are not all bad.;)
 
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