Livery not pulling weight

[BaileyButton]

Last summer I was lucky enough to be able to buy my own land (a dream come true) and a friend moved her horse to be with me. She only works 2 days a week, so I said she could pay £20 a week livery as long as she helps out. Originally she said that it was impossible for her to come on a Thursday as her husband goes out on a Thursday night. So I said OK (thinking one night a week won't hurt).

Anyway, you can probably guess where I'm going with this. At the moment she only turns up 4-5 times a week and some days, especially at the weekends, she can be here and gone within 30 minutes.

The horses live out, but I end up poo picking, mucking the shelters out and putting out the hay - filling the water etc.

As you all know, its been a bloody long winter. At the weekends she will turn up late (there is always an excuse) when all the work has been done, then will say "oh do you want anything doing". My partner tells me that I should leave it for her to do, but I can't not feed and water the horses. They like routine.

I don't know what to do. Her horse is extra company for mine, but he is a big cobby 16.2hh which runs around turfing up the grass.

I've already had a quiet word, asking her to do more, but it only lasted a couple of days and she reverted back.

I've thought about sticking her rent up - as I'm doing all the work. I've also though about telling her that I'm going to get somebody else to help out and she will have to pay a third of the costs. Like most people I work 8+10 hours and day and trying to look after three horses is hard work. Especially when she only works 2 days a week.

We also use a neighbours ménage for free, until ours has been built, but muggings here is the one that ends up levelling it off after its been used (even if I've not ridden that week).

Anyway, rant over.....any suggestions??? Also what is the going rate for DIY livery??

 

[samlf]

Either charge her extra (eg £1 for poopicking, £1 for rug changes etc) or give her notice and find someone who would help out, I'm sure someone genuine would take you up on the offer.

Going rate depends on area really

 

[Fransurrey]

You need to be charging her for part livery at the very least for that lot! I pay £120 every 4 weeks for grass livery witha shelter . It's the same for a stable and grazing without shelter.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Unfortunately problems like this always seem to happen when friends get together to work a yard. One will always end up doing the work & the other always arrives late when most has been done. I sympathise with you but you've got to get hard with her. You need to give her an ultimatum, she either bucks her ideas up & tows the line doing what she should be doing or she can find somewhere else to keep her horse. It's difficult but it has to be sorted out. Upping the rent is unlikely to help, she'll pay it & consider you now to be the groom.
If she does go you'll probably have little difficulty finding someone who will respect you & the yard & do their fair share. Good Luck.

 

[DW Team]

Your yard your rules. If she is not pulling her weight time to go.

I pay £120 per month for the stable and a paddock on big DIY yard.

Could you get a few sheep to keep your boy company?

Sounds as though you need to have words. If she can’t or thinks its ok you will do it it is time for her to move on.

Good luck

 

[calmgirl]

How about making up a schedule with her, stating who is doing what on which days?
Made up with her agreement and set out in black and white. If this doesn't happen it's much easier for you to evict, raise her livery, hire a poo picker etc.
Perfectly acceptable to say, it isn't too working out with me left to do x and working full time, lets have a chat about it, again! Good luck.

 

[Polos Mum]

Just explain that you are struggling with time so she can choose whether to go halves on someone freelance coming in to do them a few days a week (at £8 an hour - so for 3 horses I'd guess 1 1/2 hours am and an hour pm ish) or she can do more to help out - her choice. If she agrees to pay get the cash up front month in advance so she can't change her mind once you've paid someone

 

[nikkimariet]

Wow, you're being taken for a ride.

She would have met the toe of my boot a long time ago!

 

[paulineh]

I would be charging at least £25 a week in the summer and £35 in the winter. Who pays for the hay and feed etc. When you build the School Then charge her to use it.

I would also have another word with her. Have you got a contract with her, if not I would do so stating in the contract what you do and what she should do.

Friends are fine but some can take advantage of that friendship.

 

[pip6]

No excuses, she should be there twice a day every day or she doesn't have time to keep a horse. Charge her for every job she doesn't do (including by her turning up late knowing you will have done it). Asking when too late to salve her conscience is pathetic. Also charge her for ground maintenance if her horse ruins the ground. Give her the option, she does the list of jobs you could draw up for her (by set times each day so horses aren't left too late), or she pays another person to do them. Her choice. If she's broke she'd better get her backside out of bed earlier.

I keep my horses on my friends land & very definately pull my weight, work 3 jobs, 6 days a week. A part-timer not to have time is rediculous. Sorry if I seem overly unsympathetic to her, but it can work very well (as I know) but should not be abused.

 

[Fides]

She's effectively using you as part livery - I'd charge her as such... £1 a net, £1 a feed, £1 a rug change - you get the picture and it will soon mount up

£20 a week 24/7 turnout - you'll have your hand snapped off...

Alternatively could you divide the field in half and just do yours? Yours would still have company, albeit over the fence, but then you wouldn't be responsible for hers...

 

[OWLIE185]

Get rid of her. Have the yard to yourself and do what you want when you want to.

 

[BaileyButton]

Thanks all. I just needed reassurance that I was being taken for a ride. It's so hard when it's your best friend but she can't be that much if a friend if she sits back and watches me doing all the work. I've thought about charging her everytime i feed him etc but then, knowing what she's like, she will just stop feeding him. Time to get tough. I know one thing though, I'll not do it again xx

 

[putasocinit]

£25 per week diy excl hay and bedding, so if no stables her gain no bedding. I wouldnt charge her for feeding or net, but i would charge her for poo picking £10 a week, if you do it daily its not a lot and its done and it makes the livery now £35 a week, then if changing rugs £1 a time a day, explain this to her if she sees what the cost will turn out to be, insist that she does, wed thurs, fri for eg and if she doesnt then hot the high road cos it aint working.

 

[*sprinkles*]

It's hard when it's a friend but bill her for full livery on the days she doesn't turn up. She'll soon be there every day no probs. The going rate around here for full livery is £15 a day.

 

[3OldPonies]

OP your situation sounds very much like that of a friend of mine. She now charges 'extras' to the person at livery with her (another friend) and does very well out of it! Of course she also has to do the work, but like you she would find it impossible not to do all the things that need to be done day to day to keep all the horses healthy.

So I'd advise that you start charging your friend, list out everything that you do and price them up. Tell her what you are going to do and stick the list on the front of a diary and note in the diary each time you do her horses and what you do, then put a price next to it add it all up at the end of the month and charge her. Also note in the diary why you did the chores that day. That way she won't be able to argue with you as you'll effectively have her movements and excuses mapped as well as what you did because she wasn't there.

OK, there's a little more work in keeping the diary up to date, but at least you will have hard evidence should push come to shove you'll be able to prove how much you've been doing and how little she has.

 

[Marydoll]

Speak to her, tell her how you feel and let her know it changes or she has to leave.

 

[Goldenstar]

Speak to her, tell her how you feel and let her know it changes or she has to leave.

Yup , you have to be blunt or it's not going to sink in .
This why when I got my own place I have never had anyone to share .

 

[AngieandBen]

Your livery has a twin...........at mine!!!

She stays 30 minutes?! mine stays about 10 if that, and they are stabled at night;

I gave her 4 weeks notice last week, friend or not, who needs friends like that; dirty stable, no poo picking, never sweeps up, always got a hangover at the weekends, can I do this, do that, the list is endless;

Get ride of her, I can't wait for mine to leave; I have another livery who is a good friend too and she is the best though, they are around, just got to be clear what you want.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

What if you split days? Then she has the responsibility of your horse too and will be unable to shirk her duties? I would obviously check to see that it's been done, so as not to risk the horses' comfort. But if you organised two sessions per day, you'd have 14 sessions which would be easy to split. Then assign duties to sessions; paddock clean-up -mornings, tidy yard- evenings.

 

[Lizzie66]

You agreed £20 per week if she helped out, that means that not only does she do hers but she should be helping with yours.

Explain that as she seems to not be able to help that you are going to have to put her onto straight DIY which will be £30 per week

Then further explain that on the days she doesn't come then there will be an additional £5 per day charge, as this will be treated as part livery.

Explain that you are struggling time wise and that you may well be getting someone in to help and that the increase will go some way to helping cover the extra costs

 

[Voxhorse]

Hi OP, everyone has said my thoughts, put your foot down! she's had it good through your kind nature and the fact that you consider her a best friend but she is not acting like one, it's 50 -50. You are not her staff.

Be calm and don't show emotion, be firm and to the point, muck in or bye bye...

Good luck

 

[Rose Folly]

So sympathise. I have always had 2-3 liveries, and one person was a waste of space. I was charging £20pw for 24/7 grazing, barn shelter and me feeding, haying her horse. She came less and less, and also took long holidays midwinter (Christmas) when naturally everybody would like a break in an ideal world - only not for 3 weeks!

It was embarrassing to do, but I did moan, and in fact the other liveries told her as well that I was unhappy. In the end I said that the arrangement just wasn't working. I needed the actual physical help and said she was also putting a burden on the other liveries, who did more than their share to help me out. At last she got the hint, and left. She's now paying someone to look after her horse! And I've also heard from a new acquaintance that she had a reputation on local yards for behaving like this, and was usually moved on.

So be firm. Tell your livery that the arrangement you thought you had patently isn't working, and if she goes, she goes. I don't think, frankly, she will change her ways, and you will be well shot of her, even if you have to borrow a neddy for a few weeks to keep your horse company. Good luck!

 

[Tnavas]

I suggest that you charge her for full livery and then deduct some when she turns up and does her expected share of the work.

It will help both ways as if she fails to show then you get payment for the work you are doing and she benifits from the deduction of her livery when she puts in the work.

A good incentive.

 

[Nosey]

No get rid don't faff about with charges / duties. She obv has no conscience behaving like this & cannot be trusted to do jobs when/how you'd like so you'd be constantly checking up on her which defeats the object.

 

[AngieandBen]

No get rid don't faff about with charges / duties. She obv has no conscience behaving like this & cannot be trusted to do jobs when/how you'd like so you'd be constantly checking up on her which defeats the object.

Exactly, my livery who is leaving in three weeks is taking her horse to a riding school to be on full working livery at a cost of £200 a month, she doesn't have to do anything, just turn up and ride..........but she is only allowed her horse on a Sunday!!

At least the horse will get some attention

 

[OldNag]

No get rid don't faff about with charges / duties. She obv has no conscience behaving like this & cannot be trusted to do jobs when/how you'd like so you'd be constantly checking up on her which defeats the object.

^^ This. I'd just say it's not working out for you.

 

[cheeryplatypus]

Decide whether you would like the money or time and then either charge her for full or part livery depending on how much you are doing or tell her to leave. You could get a small companion for your horse from a charity who would make smaller poop and not turf up all your grass and be less work all round.

 

[Tobiano]

I would also say ask her to leave. If you ask her to do more she will slip back to her current ways. If you charge her she will pay you late, dispute th charges, give you a guilt trip, and be a general pain in the bum. Find someone with a nice lightweight calm barefoot horse that won't trash th fields too!

 

[Dizzle]

I have full grass livery because I was finding it hard to pull my weight at my old yard.

This costs me £140 a month, this includes them checking on my horse, giving her hay etc, plus use of school, yard and XC course. YO is wonderful and I trust her with my pony.

I would up 'friend's livery to at least this!