LIVERY YARD OWNERS - ANSWERS ON A POSTCARD PLEASE

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do you think they are trying to out price you? what have you done to upset them?????

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i was wondering this...whether they want my stable!! but i have ne done nethign wrong!!! i am nice to everyone! pay my livery the DAY i get the bill etc, listen and act on any concerns about my mare (she has been very tricky). the only gripe they had was i insisted on suplying my own feed (i work as a tack shop so get it cheaper...as it can add up the costs!!!)

i would hope i have done nothing ot upset them and if i have i want to sort this out in an adult fashion etc. i like being open and honest with individuals. A good working relationship where everybody sees the others responsibilities etc.

im going to ask for a break down of the costings etc, but on top of the cost of my medication, physio, complementary therapy etc, im costing around £3000 a month to fix....and only in year 2 of my recovery...
 
What do they charge for part livery? Why not drop off full livery and pay say £100 a week for part. Then you could have your 3 lessons a week at £20 and voila £160 a week with your lessons included
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it will be the use of my lorry (mine and the YM horse she will contribute to the diesel etc). what would a reasonable hourly rate be?/ the YO sees it as the cost of a provat elesson (£30 per hour - the thinking is that she could be teaching in this time...but the reality is she is not...im the only one who trains with the YM, so the only lessons the YM is missing out on is me!!!)

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So how is the fact that the other livery is only charged £20 for a lesson even relevant? If they do not train with the same person, then why would you expect the charge to be the same?

If I were paying someone to compete my horse/accompany me to a show, then I would agree a flat rate in advance depending on how much of the prep etc I was doing, and agree how winnings should be split etc in advance. I certainly wouldn't pay an hourly rate in case the class was running late/got held up by an accident/lorry broke down or whatever!!
 
spotted cat -i utterly agree! when i first went to the yard (its a new yard btw, been open a year) i knew what i was getting, but the goal posts keep moving, hidden charges put it and no talking to the owners before hand!!

on the bill it says 'training livery @£150 per week = £600'
' 4 x lessons @ £30 = £120'
'worm count = £10'
etc etc

so the extras are listed but not what the livery includes, from what i have seen it is muck out, turn out, bring in, change of rugs, feeding, ad lib haylege, 1 bale of shavings a week, riding 5 times a week, grooming and care of horse.

vet/farrier/physio etc are all extras, but that standard isnt it?

sometimes the YM rides my horse for me before my lesson (say i have a lesosn at 2pm, she will ride dee at 10am so the 'edge' is taken off her) but mostly no, i ride on the time i have lessons etc.
 
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a bill for my horse being 'walked out in hand to graze' (£20 a time) due to the fields being unsuitable.

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if their fields are not suitable then they need to get them sorted, not charge you extra for their own mismanagement! While they are getting away with that, they are never going to make an effort to get the fields sorted!


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It has also been proposed that the YO is looking into charging the YM if she recieves trainging. this means that when teh YM is being trained on my horse, not only do i have to pay for the lesson, but also for hire of the facilities (no one else uses and hire of facilities is in the livery costs) but also for the YM time spent training on my horse (even though i pay TRAINING livery

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so you are loaning someone your horse for them to have a lesson on AND paying for the arena hire AND the lesson AND potentially the time of the person having the lesson???
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sorry - but they are totally taking the p*ss here!!



I can understand that you don't want to move but they obviously don't have the same loyalty/respect for you - it does seem they are just using you!!
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Hope you can get things sorted. ((hugs))
 
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Ok, hold on a minute - I think I'm being thick
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If you have lessons 3 days a week and they school your horse 5 days a week does that not add up to 8 days a week or is your horse ridden twice on one day
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well i can only ride at walk and a lil bit of trot at the moment (carl hester watch out!
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) so del is ridden beforehand
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your not being thick, i was being blonde in explaining it, sorry i have a splitting headache!

moby - yes i am but its allowed me to keep my leg! so really its priceless!
 
I would sit down with them and tell them you just can not afford to pay this much and will have to look at ways to reduce what you pay, or find a cheaper yard. Let them then come back to you and tell you what they will do for a certain amount in your budget. The thought of loosing the hen that lays golden eggs might make them think, of what they could be loosing.
 
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it will be the use of my lorry (mine and the YM horse she will contribute to the diesel etc). what would a reasonable hourly rate be?/ the YO sees it as the cost of a provat elesson (£30 per hour - the thinking is that she could be teaching in this time...but the reality is she is not...im the only one who trains with the YM, so the only lessons the YM is missing out on is me!!!)

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they do train with the YM - like me!
 
Another thought - if they are changing the direction of the yard and will need YM to do more work with youngsters(presumably) are costs inflating because they beleive you will be falling outside their 'standard package' as the business progresses and would be making more money doing something else in the time - so they are pricing everything for what they beleive looking after your horse is losing them elsewhere, rather than actually for what they do? Can you find out a bit more about there future plans?
 
*sigh* i just want to learn to ride my horse again
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shes an affliated dressage horse who i want to breed from in future....i need her competed BD affiliated and taken through the grades, so her schooling can support me..in that respect the yard is fab!
 
fingers_crossed - the YO is actually a caterera..she has had a new resturant built and will (from may 19th) be hosting functions etc thats her main business....the costs of the building work etc and gettign the yard built and up and running are placing them under financial strain (which is why i pay asap
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to helo them). i just want to know what im getting for my money, and is time being bulled reasonable and if so what is the industry average for it???
 
*is wondering why she is crying over this whole issue...im so emotional at the moment and so tired...i am really happy there, love the yard, will sing their praises to high heave as they have reunited me with my horse...but it seems the fairy tale is ending and i hate that
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We all want things in life, some of us are more lucky to be able to have them than others!

But FWIW - if you want to have a decent competiton livery then you have to pay for it I'm afraid.

If money is an issue then drop onto part/full and maybe advertise for a capable rider to compete her for you, you could well find someone willing to do it for free if she is a nice ride.
 
If you want to have your horse at the top level then would it not be better having it with the top rider/trainer in your area? by the sounds of it it would probably cost your the same if not less! sounds a tricky situation
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we had one of ours competed by a professional last year. Did a lovely job and charged £40 for events, £30 to come and ride beforehand (usually once before an event, sometimes not at all - so not milking that either!)
 
in my experience, the 'top' trainers i have had can be quite faceless...my YM is very easy to talk to/get on with etc, ridden to PSG level.

i dont mind paying for what im getting....as long as its not extorsionate! lol thing is, i have a v.good competition horse but im a bit of a pleb of a rider at the moment lol.
 
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we had one of ours competed by a professional last year. Did a lovely job and charged £40 for events, £30 to come and ride beforehand (usually once before an event, sometimes not at all - so not milking that either!)

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thats not too bad, did that cover the cost of enterance...
 
I gues it just depends how far you want her to go if she (your mare) is that good then PSG is great but not the same as someone at the top. do you want a friend as a trainer or top results? at the moment it doesn't sound like you are getting either i'm affraid.,
 
In that case I would get a breakdown with an exact description of time and what is done for each subheading. I think if you were making a comparison to other yards for some of the extras you probably are being overcharged, so present them with local comparisons. It sounds as if ,if you did your research the YM would offer you support when talking to the owner. Its also worth checking if other liveries are charged extras for the silly little things they get done. It just sounds to me like they are being a bit selfish and inconsiderate due to their own worries, which is not the way to run a business.
I hope the YO can have an upfront conversation with you so you can at least reevaluate whether it is worth being at the yard, or how you can solve these issues.

Good luck!
 
i need someone who is capable of producing good results from my mare without forcing her into an outline or ruining her mouth, and who is sympathetic to my problems and who will help me....i think i need a good rider and a friend. the mares talent is there, just she needs to learn the buttons, the YM gets regular lessons from a BD list 1 judge who loves my mare....

moby reply to my PM please
 
I hate it when YOs make new charges. They need to at least give you a list then any additions they should inform you at least a week in advance saying from this date we will be charging so much for this.

I would ask them for a list and ask them to inform you in advance for any additions or changes then you can make your choice about what you can afford.

I didnt really understand what you were saying about being charged more for your YM to have training on your horse? Surely if he/she choses to be trained while riding your horse instead of their own then he/she should pay for that and it should just be counted as one of your five times a week?
 
well she gets the training but its training to help train my horse (she is a very tricky and complicated mare...) well, actually i think that she is a mare explains it all
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I understand that many people have said the same thing before me, but I feel this is utterly appalling and tantamount to stealing!

They seem to have confused you to the point where you have no idea what is included in your basic livery, they are charging you left right and center for all sorts of ridiculous things whilst completely pulling the wool over your eyes.

My YM charges £600 pcm for competition livery. The owner of the horse pays for registering it (if needed BSJA etc), transport & entry fees.

I am sure that you like the yard and all that, but this is just unbelievable. I appreciate you are unable to ride to the best of your ability, but I will bet your monthly livery there are better yards out there who will not bend you over a barrel and shaft you.

With the utmost respect, you need to pull your finger out and leave!!
 
It all sounds very complicated and I may not have got it all straight BUT
It sounds to me as though the YO is just out to make money (fine she is in business) and thinks she has you over a barrel (not fine) because of your situation. I would ask her for a list of all charges and then a breakdown of what exactly you have been charged for each week/month. I don't think that it is unreasonable to charge you for the competing time but think the charge is excessive. I certainly don't think you should be paying extra for the YM to have a lesson on your horse, this should be part of the 'training livery'. I would keep a careful record of every lesson etc that you have had and make sure that your records and YO's tally. That is if you are sure that you really want to stay on this yard.
I would think that you could find a suitable yard where your needs and the horses needs would be met by a YO with a much more professional attitude who is not trying to support a catering business with a livery yard.
I'm not sure why you say your mare is difficult to ride, she is suitable for you to ride in walk and trot, with your presumably less than effective atm legs. Is it the YO/YM who say she is difficult? It sounds to me as though this 'typical mare' is looking after you, talent does not equal difficult in all cases. I wonder if you weren't so sure that she is difficult, would you believe that you need to stay on this yard?
You say your mum drives you to the yard. What is her opinion of what is going on?
 
woah if i could earn that much for one horse i would be laughing , i run a livery yard in cobham surrey and i would be embarresed by this with every one of my liveries they all know how much anything is all costs extras and what it all entails i charge £415.00 per month with one excercise included and for 5 day a week excercise is £460. everyone is on a level peg so there is no favours done for one and not the other , you should ask for what and ask for a break down of the costs ask them to do it in front of you so no extra add ons are worked out then you know for sure how your costs have evolved good luck
 
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