apkelly01
Well-Known Member
Hi, it's been a while since I've been here. I'm looking for some advice please and just to write this to get it off my chest.
I've been doing DIY in a livery yard for the last 5 years. Since I've been there it's changed yard managers 3 times. I like the place, the horses are happy and I was happy. My horse is old, 25 and I don't ride anymore. I was paying €65 a week and life was good. Lately though things have changed with the current manager.
First I noticed my stuff that's stored in the attic has been moved to a very inaccessible spot. I've had it there years and someone has decided they wanted my spot and moved me.
Then we were informed the livery is going up €10 due to a rise in the cost of hay, feed and bedding. So full livery is going from €100 to €110 - 10% hike. DIY €65 to €75 - 15% hike. I questioned the manager asking if she was right as I buy my own feed and bedding. I only get hay off her. She got angry and told me that's the price. Like it or lump it.
Then last week she told me my horse had a cough. My horse has a cough, has for a while, but I wasn't too worried about it as she's sensitive to the hay. She's also eating, drinking and not losing weight. But the manager said she was afraid she was going to find her dead in the stable. She said she sounds like she has pneumonia or worm infestation. This blew me out of the water as I really didn't think it was that bad. She said I was to get a vet or leave and let my horse die somewhere else. I said I'd call one Monday (today). She said a girl who used to do livery there and is a vet, was to be in the yard to look at another horse and she'd ask her to throw an eye over my horse.
So here's the text I got:
Hi Aileen Kathryn looked at kiyo this morning,listened to her chest and took her temp, thinks she has a bad infection in her lungs, gave her a steroid injection, and is dropping up some powder antibiotic which should clear it up hopefully, suggested wetting her hay to help ease the cough and allergies.
I immediately called my vet and fair play, he was in the yard before me. By this time my horse was back in the field. I called her and she came trotting to the gate. My vet looked at her and said she didn't have a temperature. He said she didn't have pneumonia, worm infestation or bad chest infection. He said she was just reacting to the hay as it's a bit dusty. So his prognosis is. If she was a young competition horse and performance was important, then he would be suggesting a course of action. But as she's an old retired horse, goes out to the field and comes in at night, then I'd be wasting my money as sympathetic care is all that's needed. Wet the hay or change to haylege and just keep an eye on her. Take her temperature and should she get worse, to call him and then he'd put her on antibiotics. But he reckons she'll be fine with wet hay and monitoring. I said about the manager afraid she was going to find her dead in the stable. The vet said, she's an old mare and she could find her dead but it won't be from her cough. BTW my horse didn't cough once in the time he was there, even though she trotted in and was eating the hay.
So I thought, that's great, it will put the managers mind at ease, it's not pneumonia or worms and she's not going to drop dead just yet.
So I said to the manager what my vet said, she wasn't happy. She said he wasn't a good vet anyway and I should go ahead and give my horse the course of antibiotics. I said I wasn't going to as the vet said I'd be wasting my money and I was going to monitor first and then see. She's said she wasn't happy with that and if it was her horse she'd give the antibiotics. So i said if I needed them I'll get them off my vet. I told her I was mentally preparing myself for the worse after her text. If she was as bad as they said and treatment was going to be expensive, I was going to have her PTS. The manager said I should have her PTS as I won't give her the antibiotics. FFS I got the vet, it's not pneumonia, it's an allergy! And I've ended up paying 2 vets as I now owe the other girl for throwing an eye and steroid injection which they should have asked me about first and which according to my vet was totally unnecessary!
So I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I don't do what the manager wants, I'll have to leave. If I do do what she says then I'll have to fork out for what my vet said is wasting my money.
So from an unfair livery increase to being bullied into getting a vet for my horse. I know my horse and knew her cough was the hay. I got the vet and now I feel I'm being bullied into unnecessary treatment for my horse and if I don't comply I can find somewhere else! But I'm happy there and my horse is happy. I'm up to date in my livery, I follow yard rules. Ok, I just go up, muck out, bring in my mare and go. She's mucky, so I don't groom as much as I should. But my horse is happy, I don't want to move.
I don't know what to do
If you got this far, well done. Thank you for reading.
I can't delete the text at the bottom
Hi Aileen Kathryn looked at kiyo this morning,listened to her chest and took her temp, thinks she has a bad infection in her lungs, gave her a steroid injection, and is dropping up some powder antibiotic which should clear it up hopefully, suggested wetting her hay to help ease the cough and allergies.
I've been doing DIY in a livery yard for the last 5 years. Since I've been there it's changed yard managers 3 times. I like the place, the horses are happy and I was happy. My horse is old, 25 and I don't ride anymore. I was paying €65 a week and life was good. Lately though things have changed with the current manager.
First I noticed my stuff that's stored in the attic has been moved to a very inaccessible spot. I've had it there years and someone has decided they wanted my spot and moved me.
Then we were informed the livery is going up €10 due to a rise in the cost of hay, feed and bedding. So full livery is going from €100 to €110 - 10% hike. DIY €65 to €75 - 15% hike. I questioned the manager asking if she was right as I buy my own feed and bedding. I only get hay off her. She got angry and told me that's the price. Like it or lump it.
Then last week she told me my horse had a cough. My horse has a cough, has for a while, but I wasn't too worried about it as she's sensitive to the hay. She's also eating, drinking and not losing weight. But the manager said she was afraid she was going to find her dead in the stable. She said she sounds like she has pneumonia or worm infestation. This blew me out of the water as I really didn't think it was that bad. She said I was to get a vet or leave and let my horse die somewhere else. I said I'd call one Monday (today). She said a girl who used to do livery there and is a vet, was to be in the yard to look at another horse and she'd ask her to throw an eye over my horse.
So here's the text I got:
Hi Aileen Kathryn looked at kiyo this morning,listened to her chest and took her temp, thinks she has a bad infection in her lungs, gave her a steroid injection, and is dropping up some powder antibiotic which should clear it up hopefully, suggested wetting her hay to help ease the cough and allergies.
I immediately called my vet and fair play, he was in the yard before me. By this time my horse was back in the field. I called her and she came trotting to the gate. My vet looked at her and said she didn't have a temperature. He said she didn't have pneumonia, worm infestation or bad chest infection. He said she was just reacting to the hay as it's a bit dusty. So his prognosis is. If she was a young competition horse and performance was important, then he would be suggesting a course of action. But as she's an old retired horse, goes out to the field and comes in at night, then I'd be wasting my money as sympathetic care is all that's needed. Wet the hay or change to haylege and just keep an eye on her. Take her temperature and should she get worse, to call him and then he'd put her on antibiotics. But he reckons she'll be fine with wet hay and monitoring. I said about the manager afraid she was going to find her dead in the stable. The vet said, she's an old mare and she could find her dead but it won't be from her cough. BTW my horse didn't cough once in the time he was there, even though she trotted in and was eating the hay.
So I thought, that's great, it will put the managers mind at ease, it's not pneumonia or worms and she's not going to drop dead just yet.
So I said to the manager what my vet said, she wasn't happy. She said he wasn't a good vet anyway and I should go ahead and give my horse the course of antibiotics. I said I wasn't going to as the vet said I'd be wasting my money and I was going to monitor first and then see. She's said she wasn't happy with that and if it was her horse she'd give the antibiotics. So i said if I needed them I'll get them off my vet. I told her I was mentally preparing myself for the worse after her text. If she was as bad as they said and treatment was going to be expensive, I was going to have her PTS. The manager said I should have her PTS as I won't give her the antibiotics. FFS I got the vet, it's not pneumonia, it's an allergy! And I've ended up paying 2 vets as I now owe the other girl for throwing an eye and steroid injection which they should have asked me about first and which according to my vet was totally unnecessary!
So I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I don't do what the manager wants, I'll have to leave. If I do do what she says then I'll have to fork out for what my vet said is wasting my money.
So from an unfair livery increase to being bullied into getting a vet for my horse. I know my horse and knew her cough was the hay. I got the vet and now I feel I'm being bullied into unnecessary treatment for my horse and if I don't comply I can find somewhere else! But I'm happy there and my horse is happy. I'm up to date in my livery, I follow yard rules. Ok, I just go up, muck out, bring in my mare and go. She's mucky, so I don't groom as much as I should. But my horse is happy, I don't want to move.
I don't know what to do
If you got this far, well done. Thank you for reading.
I can't delete the text at the bottom
Hi Aileen Kathryn looked at kiyo this morning,listened to her chest and took her temp, thinks she has a bad infection in her lungs, gave her a steroid injection, and is dropping up some powder antibiotic which should clear it up hopefully, suggested wetting her hay to help ease the cough and allergies.