Livery won’t leave yard

[Jaime44]

I’m after some advice. I manage a small private yard for a local farmer.I recently gave one of the liveries a months notice to vacate the yard due to continuous breaking of rules and being quite bullying and rude towards me this has been going on for a good couple of years so they have had numerous warnings.I’ve since discovered that they’re going to refuse to leave when their notice is up,they’re not even looking for anywhere to go and they have told another livery that I can make them keave
I do not want people like this on the yard
Help!

 

[fredflop]

You need proper legal advice not unqualified people on a forum

 

[babymare]

Yes please get legal advice on this to ensure you stay within law x

 

[blitznbobs]

its a squatting situation and as its not residential its going to take a while....

 

[SEL]

I'm not sure what insurance you have in place but you might have legal cover under it

 

[Dasher66]

Put up the rent - a lot?

 

[Leandy]

Put up the rent - a lot?

Not sure how that is going to help given they are not doing what they are asked to do in the first place. Please take proper legal advice. Continuing to accept rent/livery fees after the end of the notice period could be seen as implictly agreeing to their staying and you may have to start all over again with giving notice etc.

 

[Leandy]

In the meantime, I would make it very clear that the end of the notice period is the last day they, their horse and their possessions are permitted on the yard and that you will take legal proceedings in the event they are not all gone. I would deliver that message in writing if need be and keep evidence of delivery.

 

[Goldenstar]

The Farmer needs to get legal advice on how to proceed it may be that he needs to send a letter before the notice is up .
Make sure you have written records of dates times what was said when and screen shoot texts get them printed out .
Bad luck she may just be all bluster but get prepared in advance .

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Do you have BHS insurance, ring them for advice. They were very helpful when we had to evict a former nightmare livery in the UK we had who refused to leave.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Just clear out the stable and put another horse in it

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Once a yard I was on just put all the resistant to leave liveries gear at the top of the drive..padlocked the stable and put horse in a small isolation area at the edge of the yard. We other liveries made ourselves scarce and the livery left with very bad grace.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I would just deliver their horse and all their belongings to their home address.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s not the managers place to start taking legal advice this needs to be done by the owner of the yard .

 

[The Jokers Girl]

I would just deliver their horse and all their belongings to their home address.

Its not the horses fault it has a bad owner. And unfortunately if you run a livery yard you have a legal duty of care to ensure any horse you accept into your land is fed and watered and free from pain and neglect so by dumping the horse the OP who isn't even the land owner will find themselves in a lot of trouble.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

It may well depend how hands on the owner is, if they’ve asked them to fully manage the yard then it may well be that the owner wants nothing to do with the issues.

OP, please don’t take advice like leave the horse tied up outside the gate etc, it’s not the horse’s fault. Get legal advice if the land owner doesn’t want to be involved. It sounds like the livery has little respect for you, so you need some legal support on this.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Its not the horses fault it has a bad owner. And unfortunately if you run a livery yard you have a legal duty of care to ensure any horse you accept into your land is fed and watered and free from pain and neglect so by dumping the horse the OP who isn't even the land owner will find themselves in a lot of trouble.

Delivering it back to its owner is hardly dumping it though is it. Realistically, what are they going to do if you drop their horse back to them? Nothing. They will just be forced to find alternate arrangements for their horse, rather than being allowed to get away with being a self entitled....

 

[scruffyponies]

I thought the standard answer to this one was to deposit the livery's stuff at the end of the drive, with horse tied to the gate. If they don't collect you then stick an abandonment notice on the horse and dump the stuff.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Seriously on the day they are meant to leave put the horse in the field and put a padlock on the stable, if they refuse to go I would get there stuff together and leave it in a pile on the yard and put a different lock on the tack room so they can't get back in, and I would make sure I had a very scary man with me that day at the yard!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Best answers are speak to Legal people however being the cantankerous person that I am I’d just remove their stuff from the stable and tack room/storage and leave outside in bin bags and put the horse in a small paddock with a friend and make it clear that they are no longer wanted. I’d also Remind them today/tomorrowthat their notice period is up on X date. Pin it to the stable if necessary. Then they have no defence that they didn’t know. I’d also be advertising the stable as available from the day after they leave.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

It’s not the managers place to start taking legal advice this needs to be done by the owner of the yard .

That depends on the contract between the YO and YM

 

[Goldenstar]

There’s a yard I used to go to when I was a welfare officer not because it was an issue but I used to go because it was a great place to gather intel.
beside the main gate off the road there was a little square bit bigger than a stable with sturdy fences I asked what it was and was told that where the horses get put if owners don’t remove them by the due date.
I asked if they had to use it much the answer was no , it’s presence was enough .

 

[Winters100]

Personally I think you need legal advice, but in the absence of that I would not deliver the horse to her home, but I would lock up all her equipment and tell her that it will be returned when the horse has left. If it is a ridden horse I suppose it will become a bit of a bore not having a saddle and bridle. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[honetpot]

I think you have to make sure the YO is going to do their bit. I had a livery that wouldn't leave, and I got legal advice on eviction, its not like a house eviction, and would have involved bailiffs. The chap I spoke to from the BHS was useless at the time, I was actually working with someone who was a bailiff, and they were really helpful. It's funny when I put up the notices, they actually left, I think they must have been evicted before.
If the end of the contract has been served properly, I would assume they are then classed as Fly Grazing and then that law comes in to force.
https://www.redwings.org.uk/news-and-views/fly-grazing-advice
'Fly-grazing is the deliberate grazing of horses on land without the land owner’s permission.
In some cases, the horse may have originally been there legitimately, but the agreement between the landowner/occupier and the horse’s owner has terminated and the horse has not been moved.'

 

[canteron]

Obviously the best advice is to understand the legal situation.

But maybe you could try a bit of bluffing too, ask the liveries to make sure all her kit is in one place for easy removal, (they clearly will tell her) start making a small paddock by the exit, tell them you have a new livery arriving on xxx day. Ask her if she has the transport arranged or needs you help, etc etc.
Basically just act like it’s going to happen and you mean business!!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Put 'Equine Solicitors' into your search engine & you'll find plenty that would give you how you stand legally. It would probably better to engage one of these solicitors to handle your problem as it is quite a specialist area.

 

[Lois Lame]

Basically just act like it’s going to happen and you mean business!!

This, in bucket loads.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Any update OP?

 

[MagicMelon]

Cant you just make life very difficult for them? Padlock on the gate to their field (which other liveries have a key for but not this person), padlocked stable (if they have one), keep moving their stuff outside if they keep trying to put it in a tackroom etc.? Report her as a trespasser?

 

[AdorableAlice]

I had this happen to me years ago, one owner with no money issues at all, he was a very successful businessman, with 3 horses all over 16.2. I don't do livery as such but the gentleman (I use the term loosely) was in a difficult position so I agreed to help him out for a very limited time from December to March. He made no effort to find another yard and refused to leave as Winter turned to Spring

Foolishly I had nothing in place in writing. A trusted friend had asked me to help the owner out for a very short period of time and being a trusting person I agreed. I was well and truly shafted by that so called friend. It was an absolutely awful and stressful time. It was obvious that polite conversation wasn't working so I put the horses into a half acre field and locked the stables. It took a while and the horses dropped off before they were eventually moved and I was accused of starving the horses to get them moved. I learnt a few life lessons from that horrible experience.