Livery Yard Contract - Clause that You must work with Horse 3 x a week

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Actually as I have said already you are not forced to ride 3 times a week just take responsibility for moving your horse i.e. lunging, free schooling, go for a walk around the terrain, a really good long groom, hand grazing, ground work whatever you like to do.

[/ QUOTE ] But there are a lot of horses that actually would gain no benefit from that at all! I can guarantee you that my retired mare would be no happier for being dragged around for a walk 3 times a week when she already spends every day out in the field with her friends! Likewise, I know my riding horse who is turned away for a few months, would be no happier if I hacked her out three days a week during the winter. Again, she goes out in the field everyday, is well fed and watered and really wants no more than that!

The only way I can understand such a clause being beneficial is when you are unlucky enough to be at a yard where you are not allowed to turn out very often, or the turnout available is in very limited in tiny paddocks with no equine interaction - then such a clause is really making up for the inadequacies of the livery yard.

And as for people who say this sort of thing:

"I feel so sory for a horse on my yard as the owner never sees it"

"There is a horse on my yard that never gets ridden"

they are usually anthropomorphosising! If a horse is on full livery at a trusted yard, and get well fed, watered and has plentiful turnout with friendly equine company, he is unlikely to notice or worry about whether the 'name on the passport' turns up to see him! I know several horses in such a situation who are happier and better cared for than some horses whose owners go up and see them everyday. Likewise, the majority of horses do not care whether they are ridden or not, as long as they get plenty of turnout!
 
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It seems from the responses on here that the majority in favour are actually YO's which is interesting.


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They can't help it, they are all in the grip of "psycho, control freak YO disease". It gets them all eventually, poor mad souls.
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be at a yard with such rules. However, this is a Dutch yard and the culture there is different. If its a typical Dutch yard the turnout will be quite "boring" for the horses - small, flat and bare grass. And turnout isn't standard - many yards over there turn out for maybe an hour a day into a sand school if you are lucky so I think in that environment, such a rule makes perfect sense. I think they just want to ensure that the horses are still looked after by the owners and that they don't get the "abandoned horse" syndrome, where all the bills are paid but the horse is never visited.
 
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be at a yard with such rules. However, this is a Dutch yard and the culture there is different. If its a typical Dutch yard the turnout will be quite "boring" for the horses - small, flat and bare grass. And turnout isn't standard - many yards over there turn out for maybe an hour a day into a sand school if you are lucky so I think in that environment, such a rule makes perfect sense. I think they just want to ensure that the horses are still looked after by the owners and that they don't get the "abandoned horse" syndrome, where all the bills are paid but the horse is never visited.

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HH have you had the bad luck to live here as well lol
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Luckily this yard has 8 hour turn out (as long as it is not a howling gale and raining stair rods) in winter in sand paddocks and you have the option to 24/7 from April - October in grass paddocks.

But none of the paddocks are like the paddocks people have in the UK I dream of having my old 2 acre paddock back. We have 3 Acres divided into small sections by electric tape and they are strictly rotated to keep the grass intact. Yes the horses can play and have a hoon but do not have the room that you have in the UK.

I had the same on my yard in Cyprus horses lived out 24/7 in small groups in sand paddocks about the size of the average school. No grass at all and they were fed all their calorific needs in hard feed.

The yard there had no rule as it such but my god if you did not excercise your horse for a week or so someone had a quiet word!

We had a number of Teens who lost interest and the horses were left standing and the YO there (a very straight talking British lady) used to give it 3 weeks then get someone else to excercise them. We had some screaming matches "how dare you let someone else ride my horese" and her reactions was always " Your horse you take responsibility for it, I will not sit here and see it causing hassle in the paddocks because you can't be bothered" They then had 3 choices;

1. Move
2. Get a sharer
3. Start to sort out the horse on regular basis.
 
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It seems from the responses on here that the majority in favour are actually YO's which is interesting.


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They can't help it, they are all in the grip of "psycho, control freak YO disease". It gets them all eventually, poor mad souls.
tongue.gif


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You know Flame I know you think this is Physco Control Freak YO BUT this yard is totally happy, no bitching and moaning, everyone gets on, everyone is willing to help out each other, they have people who no longer have horses but still come down every weekend to help out, a waiting list to come onto the yard so maybe just maybe they are doing something right.

Maybe having rules does keep everyone on a level with one person in charge the YO (and frankly as it is his home and his facility he does have the right to be in charge).

I will however admit that this would not work in the UK as our whole psyche is "Don't you dare tell me what to do" humph!

I have lived abroad for 10 years and have had to adapt a bit
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Obviously with the turnout available in Holland, things must be different but if I were a YO here (heaven forbid, ours are at home and I couldn't face having liveries), IMO a better rule here would be 'your horse must have a minimum of 6 hrs turnout every day, with company, unless the vet has advised otherwise'. IME horses are happiest when allowed to be horses and aren't usually so bothered about interaction with humans if they have plenty of opportunity for equine contact in a stable herd.
 
QR

I haven't read all these replies but OP - did you say you were in the Netherlands?

Interestingly, there does seem to be a large problem there with horses being left in for long periods - in fact an animal welfare organisation is currently running a campaign about this, enouraging people to get their horses out of their stables.
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?...sl=nl&tl=en

So in that context, not such a bad idea!

PS - Why, look what's on that page! It's the transportation Written Declaration.... have you all bugged your MEPs yet? Only 93 signatures to go....
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It speaks of a too interfering YO to me I'm afraid.
There is absolutely no need for anyone to be forced to walk/ride their horse three times a week, most horses are perfectly happy grazing in the field.
Far better would be for her to add a small amount to her charges and walk round the horses and check them herself daily.
There have to be rules on livery yards, such as no borrowing/stealing other liveries' stuff, clearing up after yourself and poo picking the arenas etc, but this is a step too far, it would be better to have a quiet word if someone is neglecting their horse, difficult though that can be.
As someone who has a great many retired horses I can state catagorically your YO is wrong re retired horses needing a change of scenery, they prefer a peaceful retirement grazing within their mini herds, and show great distress when removed from them even for a walk.
Are you sure this woman hasn't been parellied'? !!!
 
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Are you sure this woman hasn't been parellied'? !!!

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No but he has produced showjumpers that have competed at Dutch national/International leval.

Anyhow long and short is I opened this up for debate. I am very happy with the rules and regs (maybe I am odd or just lived away from the UK too long) and everyone Control Freak YO's included are entitled to their opinions that is why debate is good.

By the way the retired horse on the yard a 32 year old Shetland, her owners get her out of the paddock every day and she canters up and down the tracks by the field saying hello to everyone and enjoying the attention......for her it works and she enjoys the interaction. I had best tell her that she should be happier with peaceful retirement grazing and she should be getting distressed being away from her herd!

I have found with horses that there is no black and white right or wrong way and if it works it works. Just because you don't happen to agree with it does not make someone else Wrong.
 
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By the way the retired horse on the yard a 32 year old Shetland, her owners get her out of the paddock every day and she canters up and down the tracks by the field saying hello to everyone and enjoying the attention......for her it works and she enjoys the interaction. I had best tell her that she should be happier with peaceful retirement grazing and she should be getting distressed being away from her herd!

[/ QUOTE ] But surely the point is that this pony isn't in a proper herd situation in the first place, so this requirement to 'move' the pony is to make up for that.

Whereas, HH's animals are kept in social groups in spacious fields, so they are getting all the exercise, interaction and stimulation they require without having to be 'moved' by the owner/keeper.

Whilst I understand that the system works for the set up your yard has, I think the most contentious part of your OP was this:

"the YO's are adamant that a happy horse is one who has a job or in the case of one who is retired it moves and sees a change of scenery."

I don't agree with that at all. Perhaps if you had said:

"the YO's are adamant that a happy horse needs spacious turnout with friendly companions and if that isn't available then one must offer an alternative by ensuring it is worked or 'moved'."

then people might have been more keen to agree!
 
i think it is sensible TBH..... I am currently stuggling with my mare who hasn't done an awful lot in recent weeks and I am also seeing the TB at the end of the block being effectivly abandoned due to a relationship breakup.... his owner shoots in sees to his basic needs and goes, unfortunatly the horse is now so unhappy he is now not eating as he needs affection.

I also think they are right when they say horses need a job. The happiest I have seen my lot is when they are doing something.
 
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then people might have been more keen to agree!

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Sorry I was not asking people to agree as my OP said I was opening it up for debate and exchange of views.

There have been some really good responses both for and against and some crazy ones relating to "Control Freak YO's" and Have they been Parilled".

As I said above in 40 plus years of delaing with horses training the typical BHS way, having my youngster saddle made by Emile Voest (Freestyle Natural Horsemanship) as I did not want him turned into the typical Dutch Dressage Diva, Living and keeping horses in Cyprus, Greece, France and now Holland I have never stopped learning and having to change my set opinion on how to do things there is no black and white way or right and wrong way.

And just because you don't agree with something does not make it Wrong. I am not disagreeing with anyone on here just saying it works for us.

Lesson learnt stick to fluffy posts.
 
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Lesson learnt stick to fluffy posts.

[/ QUOTE ] Why's that when you have had the exchange of views and debate that you wanted?
 
I think this is a bit of a non-sensical debate? You are comparing apples with oranges. Horses on your yard in the Netherlands go out into what amounts to not much more than a pen. The majority of horses in Britain normally go out into decent sized fields along with their herd mates. British horses are getting interaction and exercise when turned out, Dutch horses are not, so this rule may make sense to you in your limited turn out situation, but it doesnt to most Brits.
 
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Personally, I wouldn't like to be at a yard with such rules. However, this is a Dutch yard and the culture there is different. If its a typical Dutch yard the turnout will be quite "boring" for the horses - small, flat and bare grass. And turnout isn't standard - many yards over there turn out for maybe an hour a day into a sand school if you are lucky so I think in that environment, such a rule makes perfect sense. I think they just want to ensure that the horses are still looked after by the owners and that they don't get the "abandoned horse" syndrome, where all the bills are paid but the horse is never visited.

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HH have you had the bad luck to live here as well lol
grin.gif


Luckily this yard has 8 hour turn out (as long as it is not a howling gale and raining stair rods) in winter in sand paddocks and you have the option to 24/7 from April - October in grass paddocks.

But none of the paddocks are like the paddocks people have in the UK I dream of having my old 2 acre paddock back. We have 3 Acres divided into small sections by electric tape and they are strictly rotated to keep the grass intact. Yes the horses can play and have a hoon but do not have the room that you have in the UK.

I had the same on my yard in Cyprus horses lived out 24/7 in small groups in sand paddocks about the size of the average school. No grass at all and they were fed all their calorific needs in hard feed.

The yard there had no rule as it such but my god if you did not excercise your horse for a week or so someone had a quiet word!

We had a number of Teens who lost interest and the horses were left standing and the YO there (a very straight talking British lady) used to give it 3 weeks then get someone else to excercise them. We had some screaming matches "how dare you let someone else ride my horese" and her reactions was always " Your horse you take responsibility for it, I will not sit here and see it causing hassle in the paddocks because you can't be bothered" They then had 3 choices;

1. Move
2. Get a sharer
3. Start to sort out the horse on regular basis.

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Ja, natuurlijk!

You're quite lucky to get that amount of daily turnout in NL, it sounds quite a nice yard actually. Theres not a lot of spare space, especially in the Randstad area, its quite common to keep horses on smallish pieces of land in towns or the very edge of cities. So the ground has to be very managed. Generally speaking, the fields are not lovely hillsides with areas of woodland and soft, boggy bits for rolling in, they are small squares of manicured lawn or sandy paddocks, again very small. Plus a lot of the horses there are not used to turnout and don't really interact that well with other horses, so they do benefit from the mental stimulation from being "worked" by humans.

I wonder which area you are are in Chavhorse? My mother's family were from Gelderland, but I also went to uni in Leiden.
 
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