Livery Costs East Midlands

BaileyButton

BaileyButton

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Hi All

I'm lucky enough to have been able to buy my own land last year. I have two horses of my own and one livery. When I moved here my "friend' came with me. She just pays £20 a week but in return she was to help out.

Anyway, as you can probably guess where this is going. She doesn't help out at all. She doesn't even turn up 2-3 days a week because she works part time and has a child!! Don't we all!!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the horses live out but I've just installed a 20x60 menage, so she has good facilities and we have excellent hacking (not that she ever hacks out, as that takes too much time).

I feed her horse at 6.30am every morning and hang a haynet in the field shelter. I also feed them at night and hang yet another haynet out. She had the cheek last sunday to turn out around 11am and say that she had a wonderful night out with her husband and a lie in bed as her mum had the kid! Some days she turns up, fills up haynets (after I asked her to do this) then ******* off.

To be honest, its the horse I feel sorry for.

Anyway, I've decided shove her rent up and state that she must look after her own horse at weekends. So that means twice on a Saturday and Sunday.

What would you expect to pay for part grass livery with a 20x60 school per week?

Am I being harsh?

Thanks
 
Sounds amazing! I'd say grass livery with good facilities was worth £25 a week, but I'd be adding feed and check service cost on for every time she fails to show. That service costs £2 each time at my current yard.
 
You need to nip this in the bud before it gets worse................been there on a couple of occasions. You need to be firm or make her pay! I got fed up in the end, it was causing so much grief not just to me but those I moaned at!

So firstly, think about what you mind/don't mind doing. If you just want diy then you have to tell her. If you don't mind doing the mornings then charge her £3 a day on top of £25 a week. Everything else, ie hay/bedding/rugging is extra.

If you don't do something about it, it will just get worse and you will be stressed/angry.

If she fails to turn up/do something, then you will have to be strong and leave her pony in or turn out and present her with a bill. Failing to pay, it depends on if you have a contract; I did not as was in the same situation as you, was a friend, and I told her to leave. It did take her 5 weeks, but I did nothing in that time and made sure she paid me up front.

Good luck!
 
Thanks AngieandBen. It sounds like you had the same situation. Its all the little things that are starting to wind me up too, like not picking feet out before going in/coming out of the school etc.

Its my poor partner that gets all the grief. How did your friend take it, when you told her to leave?
 
In Leicestershire for grass livery I paid between £9 and £20 per week and then £25 for livery with a stable, all with good facilities. No feed or forage included.
I think your issue is with the services you have to provide. Perhaps £5 per day for putting out feeds/haynets and rug change if needed, would be fair. I'd also insist that she picks her horse's feet out before and after using the menage, and if she doesn't, put a lock on the gate.
 
Kasee said:
Thanks AngieandBen. It sounds like you had the same situation. Its all the little things that are starting to wind me up too, like not picking feet out before going in/coming out of the school etc.

Its my poor partner that gets all the grief. How did your friend take it, when you told her to leave?
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She cried!! I was straight with her. Bug bears; not picking feet out and leaving a trail of poo/hay/straw all up the yard and not sweeping up. Having a discusting stable, full of poo even though supposedly mucked out, Not paying on time, constantly moaning about how tired she was ( she lived about 5 doors away ) Making plans to hack out then changing them to suit her, oh I could go on lol. It will grind you down.

I have been so happy since she left :)felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulder!

Fe
 
In my situation, I didn't want to do the work, it was DIY and DIY only! Except I ended up doing jobs I just didn't want to do, and when that happens it's no longer enjoyable.

I didn't need the money, I wanted company, thought it would be fun; it backfired, lesson learnt! Much happier being on my own with the ponies :)
 
Thanks Everyone. Feel a bit happier and tougher now. Had a brief chat with her this morning and she started blaming her 4 year old son for her lack of time etc. Didn't wash with me though, as last week - when she couldn't make it to feed her horse, I caught her shopping in Debenhams. She also said she might have to sell her horse and how its going to break her heart. I said, it breaks my heart everyday watching him in the field bored, not getting any work or the attention he needs. That shut her up.

Anyway, I've put together a new "pricing plan", with additional prices for Christmas (cos I always get lumbered with that too). I've also stated that she will have to come to the yard twice a day on a Saturday and Sunday throughout Winter.

I know what you mean Fe about moaning how tired she is. I have the same. She's constantly tired, but quite often tell me about how her son is put to bed at 6.30 each night and doesn't get up until 7 the next day.

Its all so annoying, but it certainly shows you who your real friends are. It wasn't the money with me either, I wanted to share my yard with a friend - someone who I could hack out with and spend time with. Its quite sad really.

Tough lesson to learn.
 
Good for you :) I would sometimes like to share my place and have company to hack out with ( I even have a big lorry and go out and about quite a bit ) but some people always manage to take advantage and want a lot for not much money. You couldn't stay in a hotel for £25 a week?
 
Well today was the day. After my livery turned up an hour late to feed her horse and only 20 minutes before she was due for a lesson so I finally flipped. After weeks of her not looking after her horse and weeks of me having sleepless nights (as this was supposed to be my best friend). I finally told her. I feel bad but at least she's looking for livery. X
 
AngieandBen said:
:) Weight lifted off your shoulder?..........as soon as she is gone, you will feel sooooo good!
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Abso"bloody"lutely. I feel so relieved. We had a little bit of snow over Xmas and she didn't turn up for 6 days. I didn't mind the first couple of days but after that she was clearly taking the p**. Then I was away last week, I asked my dad to look after my two and asked her to take care of her horse. I said please can you come between 7.30 and 8.00am to help my dad feed. She turned up at 9.30 after everything had been done. Stayed 5 minutes and buggered off.

Sunday morning she had a lesson booked at 9am - so I said, (thinking that she will turn up an hour before her lesson to feed her horse and get him ready etc) - I'll be feeding mine at 7.30 so we can feed them all together, I'll leave feeding until you get here. Anyway, it was gone 8 when I decided to feed. Mine were getting agitated. Anyway she turned up at 8.30. So I said "I've fed your horse" and then I flipped. She got both barrels and much more.

She said you know I have a child - you know I have to work. I replied by saying, you only work two days a week and on 3 occasions in the past month I have seen you out shopping when you say you have been at work. (Think she was quite shocked that I had seen her).

Anyway, I said I am happy to continue looking after him until she finds something else, but I will NOT looking after him for another winter.

So she came back last night to feed him and took all her stuff. She left a feed for this morning so I've got my fingers cross that she might be off today.

I was in bed last night thinking about the whole situation. I'm so glad shes going but feel such a mug. I was the one who sat with her horse for 4 hours after it had been put to sleep, waiting for him to be collected. Spent numerous weekends looking for her new horse. Spent time travelling her new horse to the vets. And the past 18 months of looking after him.

I think I'm shocked more than anything - I expected an "I'm sorry, what can I do to put it right". Just shows you who your friends really are.
 
Lol tell me about it, when my livery left ( she had 5 weeks notice! ) I didn't even get a thank you..........no card/pressie ( ha ha as if ) nothing.......some people are born users. Good riddance :D
 
And she's gone. Got a text message yesterday to say she was possibly leaving that afternoon. I work from home and didn't see a trailer or lorry. She was seen leading him down the lane with a haynet. There must have been a lorry waiting on the road (we live on a bad bend) and they must have loaded him on the road. She obviously didn't want me to see who picked her up.

I didn't even reply to her text. If she hasn't got the decency to knock on my door and tell me. Just find it all odd. My instructor thinks she had it all planned (you don't mind livery within 24 hours in the winter) and that I've been used.

Anyway, its lovely now. Even my horses are bothered that he's gone. He used to stomp up and down the fence all day long as he was bored. At least I didn't have to wait weeks before she went. x
 
:) peace and quiet! my livery went to a riding school, her horse is used on full working livery, she doesn't have to lift a finger, suits her down to the ground. Why you would pay £200odd quid a month for others to ride your horse I don't know, but as the saying go's nowt so queer as folk!
 
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