Livery behaviour YO needs help!!!!

TopTotty

TopTotty

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Hi,
I was wondering what other yard owners etc did.....
I have some liveries that do not look after their horses the way I look after mine. Somethings I can overlook and somethings I can't. I can ususally deal with things by offering to put a net in later at night or help turn out etc without problems arising.
However, I have a lady who has a 18 year old Clydesdale X and is trying to get weight off him. He looks really good at the mo and she is trying to keep him like that. He has been living out until the last few days and I am disturbed to find that he is now running out of haylage by 8pm which means he has no food for 12 hours. I do not want to upset her and do not offer advise usually unless it is asked for but wondered what others did in situations like this. She has two horses with me and is also someone we go out with sometimes.
I know people will say just tell her but then I will cause bad feeling, lose liveries and she will just go and do it somewhere else.
Thanks in advance!
 
If you approach it in the right way then it shouldn't cause bad feeling. Our YO would tell us if she was concerned about something like that. You could suggest to her that she feeds soaked hay, as then he can have it more or less adlib. Maybe just say you noticed that he's eaten all of his haylage by 8pm so would she like you to put a net of soaked hay in, or another net of haylage?

From a livery perspective, if you approach it in the right way then I can't see how it would cause bad feeling.
 
ok as a livery i would think the nicest way a YO could tell me if my horse had run out of hay is to say... I don't know if you are aware but (name) is running out of hay at about 8pm, would you like me to give him another hay net later in the evening because it can cause problems for them if they go that long without food.
I don't think that would cause a problem if she says no then that's unfair on the horse and someone has to speak for him??
 
I ask our liveries to leave a net outside their stable so I can hang them up later (about 8pm) We also mix hayledge and hay in one net, they scoff the hayledge straight away and then leave the hay till later, it seems to last a bit longer.

I think a lot of horses will finish their haynets early, I also think if they have enough to eat during the day & they are looking ok ... they will be ok.
 
If she is trying to keep her horse a healthy weight, then I can understand that the reasons for restricting his intake. But agree that finishing the hay by 8.00pm is less than ideal.

In your shoes I would tell her that you're not happy with any horse standing in for 12 hours like this - and that if she would rather not give him any more, you are happy to pop his haynet in at last check.
 
I assume the livery gives him his net and then leaves? In which case she won't be aware that he is running out early.
I personally don't see the problem, all that is needed is tact.
Say to her that you were on the yard at 8 and were just checking they were all comfortable and noticed he was out of hay. Perhaps the livery could separate his hay into two smaller nets, one of which she could put in and one you could put in later if she doesn't want to up the quantity.

I would welcome information like this!
 
What a lovely caring YO you are , I'd love for someone to notice and let me know that my horse was running out early.

I think the 2 nets is a good idea - she can't take it badly if your offering to help. Just suggest it to her and if she wants to carry on the way she is then you might just have to let her :-(
 
Yes. This is annoying and i know how you feel. Personally I hate horses in stables period but horses in stables with nothing to eat is even worse and really does my head it.

Tell her definitely - but possibly make it out as though of course she doesn't know (I am assuming she is not there at eight?) so, do it as if you are informing her/helping her.

Also, why not mention that she would possibly be better off with well soaked hay rather than haylage and also why not double haynet it, so it takes longer to get through (I am assuming she has a small hole one now too)

xxx
 
[ QUOTE ]

Also, why not mention that she would possibly be better off with well soaked hay rather than haylage and also why not double haynet it, so it takes longer to get through (I am assuming she has a small hole one now too)

xxx

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to suggest that, or even a really small holed hayledge net. In my eyes, a horse needing a restricted diet wouldn't be on the finest produce like hayledge, it's just like saying give him a smaller feed using weight gain mix too!
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I would tactful say the running out of hayledge at 8pm to her. Recommend soaking hay for 12 hours to get most of the goodness out of it, therefore being able to feed greater amounts.
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A big horse like that needs a balanced but full diet for it's size, not shetland sized in take!!
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My friend use to be at a dreadful yard where there was no grazing, horses in stables for 20+ hours, and the YO didn't give enough hay. Her horse turned nasty in the end because it was hungry.
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The YO decided it was bad manners and tried to 'beat' manners into the horse, which made it worse.
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My friend was only young at the time, the horse became too nasty and dangerous, so her parents had to sell it to a dealer!!
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Does she do anything else to help weight wise? muzzle? exercise? xx
 
I'm sure she won't mind you mentioning it. My friends horse used to eat everything on offer almost without a breath she had a second net about 9ish, but even that was gone by 10! She definately went by the see food and eat it mantra.
 
As above, i'd be pleased if my YO told me my horse was running out early. She probably doesn't realize.
Some do eat considerably faster than others!
my little lad has been on box rest (yuck!) and was eating the hay i gave him loose at great speed. i've swapped him onto small hole nets and it really slows him down - a big improvement.
I'm also a very reluctant haynet user as my shod mare got horribly stuck in one once, and only sheer luck (I returned to yard for something I'd forgotten) averted injury. If i have to use nets I feel the small hole ones are much safer; less easy to get legs,shoes caught in them.
 
Rule 1 - dont socialise with clients, it can make things difficult.

Do a yard newsletter with updates, welcomes, farewells, well-done's, do's and dont's re muckheap, parking, turnout/bring in, services, neutrition, haynets, etc etc
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wish our YO was so considerate but really don't think it's that much of an issue.

the liveries on our yard are finished off at 6 and most have finished their nets before 7.30 - at weekends its an hour earlier. makes me feel really guilty putting mine to bed at that time with a nice big heap of haylage.
 
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