Livery yards being closed, banned from seeing our horses

[sarahann1]

Beyond upset/angry. We’re not even allowed to be at the fence line, let alone in the fields! Even for medical care!


Anyone else in the same boat?

 

[SEL]

There are a few in the same position on the longer thread in Tack Room. It's at YO discretion so if they are doing it for safety reasons we need to respect that. It's really hard.

 

[Aoife 2020]

I now people are upset/ angry but yards are doing it for everyone safety it will help save life’s.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Ehm, as a YO myself (just a DIY one with only one livery, but still a YO), I personally would feel that is a little heavyhanded???

Yes I know this is an unprecedented issue - but I fail to see why the YO's concerned cannot issue "guidance" i.e. keeping safe space which might include "doing" your horses outside e.g. grooming etc rather than inside either a barn or stable, etc rather than issuing dictats that people should stay away??

But that's just me........

 

[zaminda]

We have gone to doing the horses in slots. My main herd share a field with a friend, but we both have one on the yard so have a spot each which means if necessary one of is can go twice a day. There are nearly 30 horses between our herd and the yard, so far too much for our poor farmer. We have several vulnerable people so are being incredibly careful. I would not be happy not being able to go, I would have moved mine to my mil short term if that was on the cards.

 

[conniegirl]

we have some pretty hefty guidance to follow if we want to go to the yard. I've got one who is just about to come off box rest having healed a tendon injury. I am working with vets to get him turned out as quickly and as safely as possible. That way if my yard owner does have to implement a full lock down (her and her infant daughter are in the high risk group as it is anyway) then horses can be chucked out and given hay and feed twice a day rather than her having to muck out and look after 35 horses on her own.
If the full lockdown does come in before then hopefully the majority of horses can be chucked out and my yard owner will only have to deal with the special cases.
This evenings plan is to lightly sedate him and pop him out for an hour.

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Our yard has two spacious barns..individual tack/feed rooms and is DIY. We don’t share tools and almost naturally attend at different times. It was busier this morning than usual as a couple of mums have brought children but no one was in close contact or in a confined space. Admittedly I didn’t hang around...did my jobs..groomed the ponies and left...2 hours max...tonight will be check over feeds and leave and I don’t imagine many will be there. I can’t imagine the YO closing the place..she couldn’t provide full livery for all the horses.

 

[Equine_Dream]

Our yard has done something similar. The horses have all been turned all out 24/7 and we are not allowed on the yard save in exceptional circumstances (i.e. my lad is still coming off box rest so will need seeing to twice a day for the next week or two).
My anxiety is through the roof about my other horses, but luckily there is a lane and footpath that runs behind our field so at least we can still check on them from there.
It's going to be hard but we will get through this. Fingers crossed we will be able to enjoy some of the summer with our horses

 

[vmac66]

My YO is a farmer, he couldn't possibly look after 40 horses. The yard has, stables built into old farm buildings so each block is self contained. YO has requested that we work out a, rota for each block so that everyone is not there at the, same time. That and we hace actually been given disinfectant spray for touch points such as field gates. Other then that it's all as usual obviously observing social distancing when we are there.

 

[HBB]

Two nearby diy yards have done this even though they are small spacious setups and their house's are quite some distance away. They have forced full livery on these clients and are charging an extortionate amount. I would be so disappointed if this is going to be a common occurrence and a chance to profiteer from this already horrendously stressful time.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My daughters livery yard are going to be given time slots they are allowed to visit.
It’s closed today while all this is arranged but my daughters gone in this afternoon to help get the yard done as it’s a lot of horses for one y/o and they know she’s been working from home the last week at least.
I think people just have to run with it. It’s going to be hard but remember a lot of these yards are also someone’s home.

 

[be positive]

Two nearby diy yards have done this even though they are small spacious setups and their house's are quite some distance away. They have forced full livery on these clients and are charging an extortionate amount. I would be so disappointed if this is going to be a common occurrence and a chance to profiteer from this already horrendously stressful time.

That is totally unfair, not the full livery part but the extortionate charges, I have a small yard and part liveries, they are now turned out so I can do full care, being prepared I have pared back on what they will need doing and will not charge more if anything does require extra for some reason, even if they come in on box rest, I will possibly be able to offer grass livery a bit later on for one or two extra if any owner ends up in difficulty, if moving is possible, profiteering from this does not sit well with me, we should all pull together.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Thank god I’m on a yard where the owners are not closely involved. We’re all being sensible with distancing and hygiene and carrying on relatively normally.

I think people are focusing on the wrong risks personally.

 

[ihatework]

There is no point being angry, people are just trying to do what’s best in their own circumstances.

My young horse has already been turned away at the breaking yard. I haven’t been banned but will limit my access. Will probably take 1 exercise sessions week there to check him. YO is keeping a daily eye and haying.

The big horse is on competition livery. As of yesterday the yard was on full lockdown and I don’t have any access. He is currently being let down and provided this weather continues he will be turned away with some of the others next week.

 

[Fransurrey]

We're totally DIY with no-one living on site, but there aren't many liveries anyway and we do stagger times naturally. Most of us are on grass livery with our own storage, so it hasn't changed much, except we're careful to stay away from each other. We've made a book with all contact details and quirks of each horse just in case, but to be honest, we always help each other when someone is ill anyway, so aside from increased biosecurity, it's business as usual. YO doesn't have time to do horses - she's been ill herself and her OH is long term ill.

 

[Coronaworried]

We have also been forced onto full livery and banned from access.

It is only a small yard and with two horses I can't afford it. People are losing jobs due to coronavirus, can the full livery portion be challenged?? I don't have the option to move mine home, what will happen if I refuse to pay the extra?

 

[Trinket12]

Mine is closed, lesson horses turned out. Sugar is rehabbing a check ligament injury, so my coach is walking her and dealing with vet visit's thankfully. But after going through the EHV-1 quarantine in January, 2020 is not my year so far!

 

[SpringArising]

We've also been banned from the yard and had full livery forced upon us. Not sure how I feel about it TBH. I'm just wondering what the people who can't afford full livery are going to do. I'm also concerned with how much weight my horse is going to pile on without being able to exercise him (not riding, just lunging and long lining).

 

[ecb89]

I am already on full livery, all the horses at my yard are. The yard closed last night, no idea when I will see my horse again.
It’s horrible but it’s for the best.
I suffer with depression and seeing my horse makes me feel better

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I think it absolutely out of order & morally wrong to enforce full livery on people!!! Especially at extortionate costs to make money out this difficult situation. Luckily my yard owner has the decency to allow us to sort it out amongst & be sensible - common sense!!

 

[Annagain]

We're carrying on as normal - smallish DIY yard and we're rarely all there at the same time. YO works for the NHS so is at risk anyway and house is a fair distance from the yard. We've always teamed up for turnout and bringing in anyway so half of us are there in the morning and half in the evening and usually at different times. I hardly ever see anyone up there anyway as I'm usually last up. We have sprays for gates and bolts etc and all have our own tools.

 

[Daniel_Jack]

I keep my horse at a small full livery yard so yo has decided to close the yard - her elderly parents live on the farm so she needs to protect them.

From a selfish perspective I'm gutted as I was just getting horse and I fit and back riding again after having a baby but it's temporary and I 100% trust my yo to take care of my horse.

 

[Honey08]

I think forcing full livery is a step too far. Implementing some rules and changes to routines is acceptable.

 

[criso]

Ours it has the opposite end of the spectrum. YM doing nothing, outside trainers visiting today and people would be going out to clinics if they could find them. I'm keeping my distance.

 

[Flicker]

Our yard has enforced the same bio security measures we had in place during the strangled outbreak, but for people.

 

[GoldenWillow]

Although I am now not in a yard I was on a livery yard attached to a dairy farm during foot and mouth and the yard closed to all liverys with the yard owner doing all care. I respected their decision then and do understand livery yards owners who feel the need to do this. However our YO at the time did not charge the full livery cost, IIRC tyere was very little increase, which made a huge difference and I think was very fair of them. This was a different situation though and the lockdown was to protect their herd and livelihood.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

My YO is leaving us to sort it all between ourselves - we are all distancing, keeping horses out as much as possible, and otherwise mostly stagger our visits naturally. We are trying to avoid sharing tools, and basically doing what we can within reason.

I agree that it is a step too far to enforce full livery.

 

[tiahatti]

My mare is on retirement livery. They have said we can visit but they would rather we didn't go.

 

[Expo]

We are on rostered time slots to prevent too many people being there at once. My times are one hour, three days per week so not enough time to ride. Not sure how this fits with my other issues around dog walking (needed twice daily) and the requirement to only go out once per day for exercise!

 

[Pippity]

My yard is closed. People have the choice between paying for full livery and their horse staying in its usual routine, or having their horse out 24/7, and yard staff will do a daily check and feed hay free of charge.

We're also allowed to see our horses in the field, no more than three times a week and no more than an hour at a time, and we have to co-ordinate so there's only one person at a time. We also have to go round by the farm track and duck under the fence, rather than using the gates.

Livery charges were due to go up at the end of the month, but that's been postponed indefinitely, so no profiteering! Just an at-risk woman, her two at-risk children, and her at-risk elderly parents, who all live on site, doing what they can to protect themselves.