Livery yard dilemma...what would you do?

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ElleMay

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My pony mare is currently at a very small private yard, with just the yard owners horses and one other livery who works abroad a lot so is never around much. She is in a paddock with one other mare and the other 3 horses are in a different field. Before I start slating the yard, I do honestly like it there and the yard owner is generally very good...It is probably the best yard i've been on (we've had to move a couple of times in the years i've had my mare for a number of different reasons) and my mare is very happy and settled there.

The main problem is I have no choice but to be on full livery which although ideal at the time of first moving here 3 years ago, is not necessarily ideal anymore, particularly as we've just been given notice of quite a sizable price rise on our livery fees. The other issues are more to do with my new working hours, and her routine with the yard clashing, and to cut a long story short generally ends with me not being able to ride, or in myself having to feed all the horses and basically I am starting to feel slightly like i'm being taken advantage of, especially given the amount I am now paying.

I am reluctant to move as my mare is hard to settle on new yards, and she is getting older so the last think I want to do is stress her out by putting her back on a bigger yard with horses she doesn't get on with. But at the same time, I think I could possibly be happier somewhere else, and if on DIY could afford another horse which is something i've been thinking about for a long time. So my options really are either to stay where mare is happy, to move to another local yard where I could be on DIY or possibly to rent/buy some land of my own (this obviously wouldn't be an immediate option but something I have considered)

As far as dilemma's go, this is deffinately not the worst, but it has been playing on my mind so I just wanted to hear a few outside opinions on what you would do in my situation :)
 
Read a few of my threads about my livery, got lots of replies! Not exactly the same, but jist is horse happy me not so happy, so a few people gave good advice on that aspect xx
 
As above, how come you are left to feed all the horses? I'd be after some money back! If it were feasible, I would look into moving, you need to realistically work out costs and time implications and weigh it up against staying, the cost there and also how it would affect your horse to move again.

Tough one only you can decide really.
 
I would imagine op is feeding as she rides at feed time therefore horses can't be fed till layer and all get fed together?

It's a difficult one, is be tempted to stay where you are until you find an "ideal" yard it your own land. Good livery yards with spaces are hard to find so hang onto yours until another crops up.
 
Firstly, can you definitely not do anything but full livery where you are - have you asked the yo? You never know, she might be ok with it.

As for feeding - I know how you feel, our yard is mainly DIY with a few fulls and I am the only early riser on my part of the yard. I used to feed just the DIYs but the yo started leaving all the full's feeds out as well, so I feed 14 horses pretty much every day (and no-one ever thanks me for feeding their horses). It p's me off every day & then I think "just get over it". Still p's me off though ;)
 
Personally, I'd move.

You're having to work to pay for your horse, and if you're paying for something you don't want (full livery) AND having to feed the others, and you're not getting to ride, you're not going to be happy and therefore nor will your horse be happy. She will settle on a new yard, it just may take a bit of time. So if you can find somewhere that suits you, I'd be out of the old yard like a shot ;)
 
Lets think outside the box for a minute........What about talking to the yard owner! Explain that as you are on full livery you feel like you are being taken advantage of by having to feed 5 horses, not just yours. Tell her how you feel,, you never know, she may not realise!
 
You are the customer, surely they do what you want, can't you time your arrival an hour after they've been fed ? that's assuming they get fed at the same time every day. I'd have a word about perhaps part livery where you do one end of the day. If you want to get another horse I don't see what option you have though tbh
 
I don't understand the feeding thing either. As a yard owner I used to feed at 5 pm but that led to all kinds of problems with it clashing with liveries riding times and I don't agree with leaving one horse out of the feeding just because he or she is going to be ridden. So I solved the problem by moving the last feeding time to 9.30 pm. As the yard closes at 9 pm, this ensures that all horses can be fed together and a suitable break between riding and feeding ensured. Can your YO not do this?
 
If I were you, then I would talk to the YO first and see if some, if not all your problems could be resolved. I always think the most important thing is that the horse is settled and happy. However, if your problems cannot be resolved, then I would recommend getting your own place and a companion for your mare, although you need to consider that you will be very tied down when it comes to holidays etc. I would not recommend a DIY yard unless you know it is very well run and no pilfering or bitchiness goes on. There are good DIY yards out there but they are harder to find IME than nice yards that only do full/part livery.
 
Wagtail said:
If I were you, then I would talk to the YO first and see if some, if not all your problems could be resolved. I always think the most important thing is that the horse is settled and happy. However, if your problems cannot be resolved, then I would recommend getting your own place and a companion for your mare, although you need to consider that you will be very tied down when it comes to holidays etc. I would not recommend a DIY yard unless you know it is very well run and no pilfering or bitchiness goes on. There are good DIY yards out there but they are harder to find IME than nice yards that only do full/part livery.
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Listen to WT, she talks a lot of sense :) but then again not all YO's are nearly as accomodating or sensible as WT, but if you don't talk to the YO you will never know if things can improve.
 
Thanks for all your replies.

Sorry if my original post caused a bit of confusion...The problem with the feeding is probably my fault, as in the past if I wanted to ride at feeding time I would offer to feed (she always feeds just before she goes off to pick her kids up from school, after she has ridden). But until very recently there was only 2 on the yard, but YO has just bought 2 youngsters and got another livery in for the winter, and feeding one other wasn't really a problem. She would feed later if I asked, but this means I have to leave my mare in on her own after she's been ridden until YO gets back later as she is a bit of a pain to catch, especially if she's already been in once hour previous and she stresses if in on her own. I know I could just ride later, but this causes the same problem - I can't catch her, and I can't ask for her to be the only one not fed as she would be left in the field on her own and would stress. So this is why it has become easier for YO to just bring them all in and ask me to feed and put out, or if she doesn't ride I bring them all in and feed if I am riding.

I think it is the fact that she has just put my prices up quite drasically which is making me think twice about staying on the yard. At the original prices I was happier to just feed and do what I needed to do to make things easy for everyone, but at the increased price it does make me wonder exactly what I am paying more for. I have asked YO before about part livery as this would mean I could have 2, turn them out together and do my own thing on an evening, but she said she has done DIY/part before and it hasn't worked out, and although she does understand that what i'm doing isn't exactly ideal she needs the extra money that full livery gives her as it is such a small yard livery wise.

My main priority is my mare, hence why i don't want to just up sticks and move, especially as I know that very good DIY yards are hard to come by and she is happy where we are. I think the suggestions of sticking where I am until I find a better option are probably the way to go.

Thankyou all again for all of your replies
 
Might a solution be to explain how you feel (ie paying more but actually doing some work for the yard) and explore whether your mare could perhaps have a dummy feed with the others and then you could slip in her main feed after you've ridden? My OH does this occasionally - horse feels it's had something to eat and so doesn't stress. Others generally don't fuss when the ridden horse gets a feed afterwards or, if they do, there are always ways of hiding it (eg carrying it hidden in a rug). It's always a shame when people up sticks because one aspect of a yard isn't suiting them but they've not really explored whether the yard can be more flexible. Frying pans and fires often spring to mind!
 
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