Livery Yard opening times

Wagtail

Wagtail

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I only do full and part livery and so my opening times are 8.30 am - 9 pm weekdays and 9.30 am - 7 pm weekends. Our house is right next to the stables and the arena and so we have to restrict times if we are to retain any privacy. Also, I like the horses to be fed well before people turn up to ride and their last feed of the day is after 9.30, again to avoid disruption of feeding times. I was just wondering what opening times your yard has? I expect that DIY yards need to be far more flexible.
 
I'm on DIY and the yard times are 7am - 9pm (unless otherwise arranged eg travelling to/from show).
I looked at a yard that had an opening time of 7:30am but I wasn't sure I'd be able to do my horse and get to work in time in the mornings if I started at that time.
 
I have never been restricted as to what time I can go to the yard to see my horse - and certainly a restriction of not being able to arrive before 8.30 for those of us that work would not work in any shape or form for many.

I am always on the yard by 6.15am at the latest - 7.30 on the weekends - but could arrive earlier if needs must.

The yard is a large yard, and the rhythm of arrivals and departures is very much established.

If you were planning on arriving before 6.00am then the YO would always be told. The same with arriving after 7.30 at night in the winter, or say 8.30 - 9.00 in the summer.
 
little_critter said:
I'm on DIY and the yard times are 7am - 9pm (unless otherwise arranged eg travelling to/from show).
I looked at a yard that had an opening time of 7:30am but I wasn't sure I'd be able to do my horse and get to work in time in the mornings if I started at that time.
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I have never been on a yard with opening times - ever and would find that restrictive. I have always applied common sense i.e if really late down or very early due to a show, I would tell the YO and when the YO lived near the yard, had always assumed that their home was strictly out of bounds unless a massive emergency. I can understand your point as its your home too but I would not feel comfortable having my own horses "out of bounds" to me at certain times. Also, there are times when I ride before work, say if I am getting a train into London and not being able to start till 8.30 would mean I couldn't do that.
 
I dont really understand having opening times...i know you dont want people coming onto the yard at all hours of the day and night but i dont see why people cant come to the yard at 6.30/7am and ride their horse if they need to. But then again i am on a DIY yard so we have to fit all the chores in around work. Also 7pm at the weekend seems quite early, im often just arriving at the yard till that time.
Like you said i think it does depend on what type of yard you are on, if you have only part and full liverys the owners dont have to worry so much and you can afford to have opening and closing times...

For me the times you open would just not work because i would never get a chance to come and ride.

My yard you can be there pretty much any time probably 6am till 9/10pm
 
Yes, if you have to do your own horse, then an earlier start is very important. Strangely, I have never had anyone ask to come early on a regular basis. My opening times used to be 7 am - 9 and then when no one ever came before 9 I changed it as it didn't seem something people needed. I d allow people here early or late so long as it isby prior arrangement, say for a show or something.
 
I assume you're flexible on show mornings, though? :confused:

I understand your motives for implementing the times you have, but for some who fit riding in around their job and/or commuting or other commitments, it mightn't suit year round. But I guess as long as your prospective liveries know your 'opening' times in advance they can make a decision before they opt to livery with you whether it suits them or not.
 
Current yard doesnt have opening times but if I want to go very early or late then Ive got to be quiet as there are houses surrounding the yard. Old yard was 8am to 8pm which when you work full time really isn't possible. Mine were on DIY though.
 
how on earth are people supposed to compete if they can't get to the farm until 8.30am on a weekend?? My yard offers everything from compete DIY to full livery. But in winter when they are in at night most oft the horses are turned out at 6am so you would have to be a very early riser to get there before the YO is up and about! She also lives on site but there has never been opening times mentioned. Your set up would definately not work for me as I work shifts so coming down early/late is a must but if your liveries are happy then it's up to you when you open!
 
BobbyMondeo said:
I dont really understand having opening times...i know you dont want people coming onto the yard at all hours of the day and night but i dont see why people cant come to the yard at 6.30/7am and ride their horse if they need to. But then again i am on a DIY yard so we have to fit all the chores in around work. Also 7pm at the weekend seems quite early, im often just arriving at the yard till that time.
Like you said i think it does depend on what type of yard you are on, if you have only part and full liverys the owners dont have to worry so much and you can afford to have opening and closing times...

For me the times you open would just not work because i would never get a chance to come and ride.

My yard you can be there pretty much any time probably 6am till 9/10pm
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Yes, I can quite understand you needing more flexibility when you are DIY. I like to close at 7 at the weekends because on the (very rare) ocasions when we go out for a meal, I don't like the idea of people being at the yard when I'm not there. I like to make sure all the horses are secure and fed and the yard gate is firmly closed. Also, in the week we often go to bed at 9.30 - 10 and I like to make sure everything is secured (gates etc) before retiring. It is also our home and we do need some privacy too.
 
The livery yard I'm on is both part, full and DIY, the house over looks the yard but we don't have any restrictions on times, you can come and go as you please but people don't take it to the extreme but I need to be able to be down early at times to feed or ride before work, or if I've been competing or off hunting in the past I've needed to be down at the crack of dawn, while I can understand the privacy side of things, those times wouldn't go down too well with the folk on our yard, it just wouldn't work well for anyone.
 
Jango said:
how on earth are people supposed to compete if they can't get to the farm until 8.30am on a weekend?? My yard offers everything from compete DIY to full livery. But in winter when they are in at night most oft the horses are turned out at 6am so you would have to be a very early riser to get there before the YO is up and about! She also lives on site but there has never been opening times mentioned. Your set up would definately not work for me as I work shifts so coming down early/late is a must but if your liveries are happy then it's up to you when you open!
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People can come early by prior arrangement. It seems to work very well. The horses, especially thrive on the fact that the first person they see in the morning is me and they are fed. If some people sometimes arrived earlier, one horse especially would start really stressing. Obviously, people know the opening times before they come here, so must be fine with them.
 
I am a part livery on a large yard.
The yard is staffed from 7am-6pm and on 3 days is often staffed until 8/9pm.
That said there not no contractual opening times for liveries - we can come and go as we please, although out of politeness I would try to let them know if I was likely to be there at obscure times.

Despite being on livery there is no way I would go to a yard with an 8.30am opening time. During the winter especially, 1-2 days I will often ride before I start work and aim to be on board at 7/7.15 am. Plus competitions etc?
 
Wagtail said:
People can come early by prior arrangement. It seems to work very well. The horses, especially thrive on the fact that the first person they see in the morning is me and they are fed. If some people sometimes arrived earlier, one horse especially would start really stressing. Obviously, people know the opening times before they come here, so must be fine with them.
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Thats interesting - I often rock up before feeding time as do some other liveries and the horses ignore us as they know we are not the ones who feed them! I will sneak a handful into mine so he doesn't think he is being starved and then feed when I get back. Should add I will also then finish him off (rug up or turn out) which all the liveries do.
 
i was at one yard that you had to ask permission to go to a show if you were having to leave before 9 and back after 5 at the saturday. also on a sunday you were not allowed to be there after 2 in the afternoon, and yes that did effect shows.

didn't stay long
 
One riding school/livery yard I was on had times of 8am - 8pm every day. Other times could be arranged by prioor agreement but in the time I was there no-one ever needed to.
Because we worked there, we got our horses in at 5-6am and rode before work or we'd end up finishing riding about 9pm some nights and there was never any fuss over this.

Yard I'm on now has no restrictions (only DIY yard). I think they could do with to be honest as one owner has turned up between 12-1am to feed his cobs but didn't tell yo he'd be this late.
On occassion I have been up at 9pm (to check on horse due to weather) or 5am (to prepare for show) but I've let them know in advance when this is taking place so they know what car is coming in. - Also house is past the yard so I'm not disrupting them or any horses when I do go up :)
 
hollyandivy123 said:
i was at one yard that you had to ask permission to go to a show if you were having to leave before 9 and back after 5 at the saturday. also on a sunday you were not allowed to be there after 2 in the afternoon, and yes that did effect shows.

didn't stay long
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Wow is all I can say,
That would screw most people over in winter. I go for 4-5 hour hacks and to be told I can spend a gorgeous day with my pony would be annoying. I can see reasonings for YO wanting time to themselves BUT 2pm on a Sunday is madness to my thinking.
 
Hi - I understand your need for privacy but if I was ever to ride my horse in the week, it has to be before work so I am up at the yard at 6am . This is on part livery (everything except exercise) but most of the liveries tend to be up to ride in the evening I can't see restricted opening hours working for most of us. It is one of the downsides of having to work full time to afford the horse - I would love to be able to ride at a "normal" hour!
 
Our yard is part/full only and has opening times of 7am to 9pm (obviously can arrange others for competitions etc by prior arrangement) and this really isn't a problem.

YO lives on site (you drive past her window to get to the yard) and so I totally understand her need for some 'time to herself'. Also this then fits in with the horses routine (fed at 6.30am and then last feed nets at 9.30/10pm). Their routine is part of the reason I choose to put my mare on part livery because the varrying of routine at a DIY yard was making her very stressy.

I think it depends on the type of yard - if you have DIY you need to be more flexible - I used to get to the yard at 5.20am when on DIY to get it all done before work.

xx
 
I must admit, I was surprised when no one wanted to ride before 8.30 in the mornings. I had provided a shower and changing room for people to be able to do just that, but they never did. After a couple of years, we decided, that actually, it was good not having people come early as I could get the horses all fed, rugs changed and turned out before my breakfast and didn't have to worry about not feeding a particular horse because it was being ridden early. I hate making a horse miss out on breakfast because someone wants to ride. So we decided to make the opening hours start at 8.30 so tha any future liveries also would not ride before then. We have been full with a waiting list for six years, so obviously not a problem. I asked the question though as a new livery mentioned to me that she used to leave her last yard at 10 pm and there would still be people arriving! I wondered how yards coped with such unrestricted times. Though if ever decided to do DIY, I would extend the opening hours, definitely.
 
The horses, especially thrive on the fact that the first person they see in the morning is me and they are fed.
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This is a set rule at my yard. First up feeds the horses. No one has a problem with this, and I agree - it establishes a good routine for the horses.
 
amymay said:
This is a set rule at my yard. First up feeds the horses. No one has a problem with this, and I agree - it establishes a good routine for the horses.
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When I had my horses on DIY we did this and it does work really well. The problem with a part and full livery yard though is that the owners don't feed and so all you get is a disturbance of the horses.

I guess I just lke the fact that all the horses have been fed and their breakfast nicely settled in their stomachs before they are ridden. I wouldn't like any of them to be pulled out of their stables and worked before breakfast, though I expect they would get used to it. However, everyone says how suddely calm their horses become when they move to our yard. Some have changed from complete stress heads to nice calm horses.
 
That's what I thought when I read this - the horses must be really relaxed!

My daughter took her's to a busy yard when she was training.
He was miserable, even although the standards were very high and so much happier when he came home again after 4 years.
If your liveries aren't out competing , then it sounds perfect!
 
I have not been on a yard with restrictions and as a DIYer, couldn't cope with your opening times as in the winter I'm on board by 7am at least twice a week. However, I can see that it works well for you, especially as you're felxible for shows etc, and that's all good.

As for feeding, tbh I've never had a problem on yards were the horses are fed at different times, although I can see some horses would get stressed. I was in a barn at my last yard and would often get there before the YM had fed the part liveries, but as they never got fed by me, they weren't bothered. I wouldn't go to a yard where you had to feed all of the horses if I was there first, it would take ages on a large yard! I just know that there would be some who would rock up half an hour later every day with the horse ready to be tacked up as it has had breakfast ;) I also think it could be a problem if some didn't have breakfast. I feed mine a handful of chaff then muck out, do nets etc before riding, so around half an hour, and by the time I'm done, he's ready to be tacked up :)
 
If you have set times which work for your liveries, and no problems filling places, then that's great.

Wouldn't work for me as, even though I have full livery, I ride at 6.30am on week-days so as to keep evenings free. There are also a couple of others who prefer early morning to evenings - which actually works well as the arenas don't get overcrowed at the end of the day.

Even full livery needs to be flexible (which your other posts clearly indicate you are). Whilst agreeing that this is your home, you have chosen to run a livery yard as your business.

The very nature of Full Livery is that the client is paying a fair bit of money for a service, and will expect to be able to ride their horse pretty much as they wish.
 
Wagtail said:
When I had my horses on DIY we did this and it does work really well. The problem with a part and full livery yard though is that the owners don't feed and so all you get is a disturbance of the horses.
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The 'first up feeds' rule applies to all horses, regardless of livery service. So whether it was yard owner or client - horses were fed.
 
I am on full livery and the yard does not have opening/closing times- I wouldn't move to a yard that did!

I very regularly get to the yard at 8.15 on a weekend morning- I just text or speak to YO the day before so she doesn't feed and there is no issue.

Another livery regularly rides at 7.30pm so could be at the yard past 9pm, again not an issue.

The horses are all very relaxed and happy in their routine and not upset by being worked before/after breakfast etc.
 
The horses on my yard have a set routine, my lad couldn't have it any other way really. (It's part/full livery only).

They are fed at 7:30am and 8:00pm.

If we need to be at the yard early (for comps etc), then it's no problem at all as long as we let the YO know. Likewise, we can stay late in summer, providing she knows so she can feed all the horses together :D

It works well for us, no complaints :)
 
Wagtail said:
Yes, I can quite understand you needing more flexibility when you are DIY. I like to close at 7 at the weekends because on the (very rare) ocasions when we go out for a meal, I don't like the idea of people being at the yard when I'm not there. I like to make sure all the horses are secure and fed and the yard gate is firmly closed. Also, in the week we often go to bed at 9.30 - 10 and I like to make sure everything is secured (gates etc) before retiring. It is also our home and we do need some privacy too.
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I'm sure if people don't like your opening times, they wouldn't choose to livery at your yard. There is no way I could adhere to a 7pm finish at weekends, I always stay gone 8pm during the summer, generally hacking around the farmland.
 
I think it said something about opening times in the contract, but I can't find it just now. However some days I'm there at 5am, I just unlock the gates myself never been any bother. Was up there riding until 10pm the other night, I tend to go down later on when its quieter as I cannot abide some of the other liveries noise and general lack of horse sense.

Yard owner lives on site about 20ft from the arena, but I'm quiet, if it was kids screaming and carrying on I'm sure it would be different.
 
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