Pedantic
Well-Known Member
Same as everything in life, if you rely on anyone else you end up dissapointed, you are a paying customer, they either do as you have asked, or you spend your money elsewhere.
I’ve mentioned it on a previous thread but I think we have very strange relationships on livery yards.
They are a business that provides a service to clients.
I can’t think of any other situation where a business could significantly fail to meet a clients expectations and still have them paying up every month with barely a murmur.
No children myself but can’t imagine many parents would happy to learn their child hadn’t been fed at nursery!
Getting on with your YO is so crucial but it shouldn’t leave us in fear of demanding minimum standards of care and that contractual obligations are met, eg if your livery agreement states ad-lib hay, there is absolutely no excuse for a hungry horse.
Would it be possible to go on part livery? As in they do all the care side and you just provide your own feed and haylage? I’m like you, I can’t stand to see horses go for hours on end without something to eat ? seems a shame to leave if everything else is good ?
I hope this is now sorted and your horse is now at least adequately fed..Thanks everyone for your advice and understanding in the situation.
I have had an honest chat with the yard owner, and made a few comments to staff which I think have brought to their attention that my horse is not to be left without food. I have figured out that it actually seems to be certain staff members which don't give him enough so I actually think it boils down to the fact they weren't aware how much he should have. Fingers crossed, the situation seems to have improved!
I will keep monitoring the situation and not let it become a problem again, and if it does I will be finding somewhere else as everyone is aware now how much he should have so there is no excuses. I picked this yard because of the owners experience, and it is a smaller full livery yard rather than the huge ones with loads of different staff members, where requests and specific requirements get lost in translation.
It's still a bit worrying though that on a small yard , run by ' an experienced owner ' , that there appears to be ongoing confusion over what your horse is/isn't fed . Why weren't the staff aware of his requirements ? How do staff members currently decide what they do/don't feed your horse ? Does each staff member just make their own judgement call ? That's bad practice .
Every yard I've ever worked on has had a master board in the feed room where each horses feed/quantities/feeds per day/nets weight etc is detailed and updated as required , and whoever is doing feeds/hay is expected to consult that chart each day and follow that information . If there isn't a list then there should be . If staff aren't following it then they need to be told that they must , as part of there job responsibilities . It's not complicated - in fact I've got one on my own feed room wall so that , in an emergency , anyone else would know what to feed my ponies .