Live on site Yard Owners - how do you cope?

sandi_84

sandi_84

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I was talking about this with my OH the other day, I'd like to run a very small livery yard one day (roughly 10-12 stables for customers) not for any other reason than because I'd like to - I know it wouldn't make that much money if any :)

Anyway the plan is to be live on site, OH wants the yard a good distance from the house - which I understand and agree with - but here is the bit that I wondered about...

OH wants us to have set working hours for the yard so say for example 7am - 6pm where either we would be actually on the yard or would have the work phone with us so people can call and ask questions/ talk about their liveries etc. But after the cut off time he wants us to have our time where liveries are not allowed to come up to the house and the work phone would be turned off.

I completely understand why he wants it to be like this and I agreed with him but now I'm wondering if it will actually be possible ha ha! :D I know what people are like and even if you say at the start "you are welcome to call or visit the house between the hours of xx-xx for any questions or to discuss anything to do with your horse but from the hours of xx-xx we switch the phone off and do not accept visitors" you know people are still going to come up to the house right? (sorry obviously that would be put better if I hadn't just got up).

Obviously the liveries would have access to their horses (I was thinking combination lock on the gate or something) and if there were any emergency circumstances such as a bout of colic or some illness or such that needed seeing to on a more frequent basis than normal I would work out something with the livery in case they needed to get me in an emergency.

Does anyone who lives on site have these sort of rules in place? Do they work?
 
As long as the liveries can still access their horses and facilities during the times that you will not be working, then I don't see what the issue would be.
I would have two phones however, one for during working hours and another number that the liveries can contact you at during off-times incase there is an emergency :)
 
I'm not the owner, but at our place, we do have a 9pm curfew, unless you're late back from a show or waiting on the vet. Minor annoyance for liveries, but far outweighed by plus points. With regards to phone, to my knowledge, she just uses her personal mobile, as does her husband. I doubt they're switched off. Troublesome liveries can be given strong words, whereas you'd never forgive yourself if something was wrong and the phone was off.

I'd think carefully about the loss of privacy. I get more than my yard owner and that's saying something! We park next to their house and was can see most of their garden. Some liveries can see the bits I can't. I'd seriously hate that!
 
i don't think you really want to start liveries coming to your house even if it is close. if they have a mobile number they can always ring you. my old YO just had one mobile, and you were just sensible and unless it was an absolute emergency you would not ring or text really early or late. however some people don't think like that so you may need to state the obvious of what hours are OK!
it also depends a bit on what type of livery, on DIY the YO is not as involved but someone of full livery may be more demanding as they pay for full care.
another useful thing to reduce amounts of texts is a yard diary/book, we used to write in if we needed something extra done or were going out and would be late ect.
 
If you're setting it up from scratch I'd have an office on the yard where they could find you (if you aren't out fixing something, building something, cleaning something etc. ;0)) and just avoid them coming to your house at all. Not in a massive KEEP OUT way but just get into the habbit of chatting in the office - maybe have a sofa in there. If they come to your door initially rather than invite them in go with them to the office and have a cup of tea there.

2 phones would be complicated for me so I'd just ask that they don't phone out of business hours unless an emergancy and every day stuff write in a book in the office
 
I've always liveried where the owners were on site. We've never had a curfew. Liveries have just had the common sense not to knock on the door after say 7.00 (summer anyway) unless it was a real emergency. The yards have also been what I would call professionally run yards, usually ruled with a rod of iron, and idiots not tolerated.

I think it's unrealistic to think you'll have set working hours as it were. But can totally understand why you'd like to think you'll be able to sit down later in the evening without interruption.
 
Most yards I've been on have been very flexible and have no hard and fast rules. In practice, most of the liveries have fairly regular times when they come, so all matters are discussed when the YO is working.

One yard had a Do Not Disturb policy after 6pm and all day Sunday except for urgent matters. It wasn't a problem as orders for feed and hay were done on a board and liveries were free to come and go at any time day or night.

If I was a YO, my priority would probably be to fence off my garden from the yard so that I could have some privacy when friends and family were visiting.
 
Thanks evey one you've given me food for thought :)

I definitely want people able to visit their horses whenever they like - within reason as long as it's not an emergency, if it were I wouldn't mind 4am visits for example ;)

I think you're right in that I should make it a habit to have people discuss things with me in the office rather than the house, that makes sense and it will allow us to keep out work and home life seperate :) I also really like the idea of a yard book where people can communicate non-emergency needs with me if I've gone home for the night :)

To be honest I know I won't have "set" working hours but I mean I'd like to not be woken up at 5am by a livery asking a question that could be left till a more reasonable hour and when I went home at night to be with my OH I'd rather not have phonecalls and txts unless it was an emergency situation.
I do agree though that I would be horrified and never forgive myself if something happened so I would have to use the "do not disturb" policy after whatever time I go home unless in emergency situations and hope people respected it. If not I'd probably have to have a quiet word with repeat offenders :o

I'm not really sure what sort of livery I'd like to offer as yet, I guess it really depends on stuff in the future, where we move to and what job I'm doing at the time but I've always liked the idea of a small livery - yes I'm a bit crazy ;)
 
I discourage liveries from coming to my house right from the word go. They can come to visit their horses at any time of day or night and do whatever they want on the farm but they only come to the house if there's anything that needs doing immediately or they need help. The farmhouse is right, smack bang in the middle of all of my fields so it's all too easy for people to wander up to it so I just set the guidelines when people come to view the farm, even before they've moved their horses in. My liveries can email me at any time, I always have my phone with me, so if I'm needed, that's the way they usually contact me and that suits me just fine as I can pick and choose whether to go out or not depending on the situation.
 
I think we need to be firmer with our clients! OH has 'working hours' and (eek!) 'time off'. Most clients work on the basis that if they can see him, he's clearly available. And calling at 9.30pm to discuss something that could easily have waited, is not unusual. Hmmnn...

We do have yard opening hours, but that's to help me differentiate between burglars and clients (bat like ears and very security conscious). If clients need to be on the yard earlier or later, they let us know.
 
I've been in this situation quite a few times in different configurations.

My advice is similar to above - have a coffee room/office where you can do business and chat and don't allow your house to become part of the yard. Have a book or white board for non-urgent matters and ask that outside of business hours people text or leave a message. It's not rude to ask people to respect your privacy!
 
One thing to think about is if you have people who compete. It isn't unusual for those where I am to be at the yard at half four to get ready to go to a show quite a distance away.
 
My YO lives onsite, very close to the yard. And no we don't have any times etc, yard is open 24/7 as long as you're fairly quiet and respect that they may be asleep. As to going up to the house, we have absolutely no reception at the yard, so we can't ring the YO on her mobile, and our livery is purely DIY so there's no need for her to be coming down to the yard hence no white board etc either, so we are allowed to go up to the house, within reasonable hours of course, but we just use our common sense to decide whether the hours are reasonable or not. And YO has clearly said that if there is an emergency, we're welcome to come up at any time we want, and even wake her up if needs be, lucky we haven't had to do this so far but its comforting to know that the option is there. :)
 
I run a yard and live smack bang in the middle of it, my liveries are mixture of part and full, no DIY, so most of them come up no more than once a day, I have yard ''opening hours'' outside of which they are welcome to come and see their horses, but can't expect assistance unless an emergency.
I started off without those rules, but after repeatedly discussing the advantages of cotton versus polyester linings in rugs at 10pm, on my doorstep with me wrapped in a towel, I decided enough is enough.
Unless absolutely necessary I don't come out on the yard before 9 am and like to be done by dusk in the summer or by 7 pm in the winter, barring late night haynets and checks, which are done around midnight.
Having said all that, my privacy is non existent and I have been known to dive behind kitchen cupboards to avoid a tiresome livery :o
 
I live right outside the stable yard, and the other side of my house overlooks the arena, so there is no privacy! I don't find it a problem though. All my liveries are full or part livery and so owners often don't come up more than half the days of the week. I have opening hours of 8.30am to 9pm Mon - Fri and 9.30 am to 7 pm weekends. Liveries are welcome to knock on my door any time within these hours. I prefer to have fed and turned out before people start arriving on the yard, and to give the horses their final feed and top up haylage after all liveries have gone, as this prevents the routine being disturbed, and which is the reason for the opening hours. I think the horses are more relaxed because of this. Obviously, if a livery needs to be here outside of those hours, for a show or competition, or if their horse is ill, then they can be by prior arrangement. I even have the facilities (separate to the house) to put them up for the night!
 
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My YO lives on site but has a huge garden so has a huge 6-8ft wall so total privacy! Not once in all the years I have been there have we ever disturbed them even if it is an emergancy as we simply call the vet if it is a distressed/injured horse or deal with it ourselves if something else.

If we are off to a show early and our lorry won't start we sort it etc........

Our yard is more or less open 24/7 although of course everyone is gone by say 9-10pm (1 livery is a nurse so does shifts and can be there until about 10 but again we do not disturb anyone). I am usually the last and am gone by 9pm and even when my horse got colic and I stayed until midnight having got the vet out, then had to go back at 3am under his instructions for a check I didn't disturb the Owners as had the vet's number directly at hand.

We simply do not disturb the YO as it is their HOME!!!

They have an office during the day and an office phone so I would have 2 phone lines, 1 for your office and 1 for your home to keep your 2 "lives" separate.......

By the time I get to our yard (7pm) the staff have gone home so we have a white board with any messages that we need to tell them eg our horse is lame so not to turn out etc........

Good luck!!
 
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I am a YO with a very small set up, i.e. we've only ever had the one livery!!!

So not a "big" operation by any means, although personal space is still important as we live on site. Ours is purely DIY, not assisted.

As others have said, you'll need to think about what time is, and is not, OK for liveries to contact you, and by what means.

Myself and livery communicate by text more than anything else. She often has to do hers early before work (6.00 am) and often goes to shows so is here early OR coming back late, but she normally texts so we know what's happening and not to worry if the horses are out of the field etc.

The idea of a "yard book/diary" is a good one, or you could use a wall planner/white board like they had when I had mine liveried at someone else's yard, with the horse's name on the top and stuff like vet, shoeing, clipping, any visits like saddle fitters on it, so the YM knew exactly who was in the yard for what horse. It worked for a very busy yard with 30 odd horses in it.

If YO lives on site, and you've got more than the one livery, you'll need to put it in writing somewhere that between the hours of such-and-such you're contactable and/or around the yard, or by telephone/text, but "out of hours" you're contactable only in an emergency.

If you don't want visitors to your house, then you must say so, clearly, firstly on everyone's livery contract and then reinforce it by a notice in the tack room or whatever.

And if someone comes banging at the door after all that ....... ithen gnore them! If its a crisis, then they'll have to get the vet out. Their problem not yours. Sorry if that sounds hard, but everyone has the right to space.
 
I live on site a bit too close for my liking . We have a no one on yard before 7am or after 8.30 pm unless previously agreed. This way we know if anyone is on the yard we go out make sure its not someone casein the joint. Liveries are welcome after those hours for shows or first aid or illness. We have on our rules

4. PLEASE RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF THE OWNERS BYE ONLY CONTACTING THEM WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY OR IN EMERGENCY

90% of the time this is respected.
 
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