Livery yards being closed, banned from seeing our horses

Pippity said:
People complaining about fairness: You're right. There's absolutely nothing fair about this.

It's not fair that my 6yo niece can't understand why she's coughing so hard she vomits, and why it hurts to breathe. It's not fair that my sister's starting to come down with it. It's not fair that my blind brother-in-law is going to be the sole carer for a 6yo, a 11yo, and his wife, while still trying to work from home because they need the money.

This ISN'T ABOUT FAIRNESS. This is about doing every little thing you can to STOP THIS THING SPREADING.

It's not fair that some people get to spend time in their garden, while I'm in a town centre flat. It's not fair that my income is secure while some people have no money coming in and don't know how they'll pay their rent.

This isn't about, "Oh, well, the rules say that I can go out for one exercise session, so I'll go for a six-hour walk!" Stop looking at the letter of the law and how you can work around it. Look at the spirit. Look at what YOU can do.

Yes, it sucks. Yes, it's horrible. God, I miss my horse. But do I miss her enough to make my YO's 6yo daughter go through what my niece is going through? No. No, I don't.

Stay. Home.
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This. Stay home.
 
Gingerwitch said:
But I can be forced to have to shop at 3 shops as I try to provide the basics for 3 households, 2 of which have people over 80 because of others too. I can see why this lockdown isn't going to work if we don't get some fairness in the system.
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Fairness over buying food isn't fairness over getting to see your horse.
 
None of this is fair though if you want to get technical. Not the affect on horse owners, people who've lost their jobs, schools, keyworkers pushing themselves to the limit and beyond every day.
But you know what's even more unfair?

People.
Are.
Actually.
Dying.

When you go out (even to see your horse because 'it's not fair' that you can't even though it's perfectly well looked after) you are potentially killing people or making them quite seriously ill.

Yes, the restrictions are inconvenient, but that is ALL.
No one will suffer for adhering to them and going out for essential reasons only - that's BASIC necessities in shops and BASIC necessary care for animals only, however 'unfair' it is.
Yes you may vent about it, because it isn't fun, but flaunting the rules because you perceive it as unfair is just blatantly selfish.

The only reason lockdown isn't working is because we don't really, truly have a lockdown because people just aren't following what they've been told to do....


Eta I regretted this approximately 0.2 seconds after posting it.
*awaits furious lynch mob*
 
Gingerwitch said:
But I can be forced to have to shop at 3 shops as I try to provide the basics for 3 households, 2 of which have people over 80 because of others too. I can see why this lockdown isn't going to work if we don't get some fairness in the system.
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I would suggest that you ask around locally if anyone is willing to help you with the shopping - knowing that you are a key worker I am sure that there will be many volunteers.

The fact is that you and I are in the same boat in that since we have a higher chance of contracting the disease we should be the ones trying to take our social interactions down to 0, or as close to that as humanly possible. I agree that you are exactly a person who should not be going into 3 shops, not because it is 'not fair', but because you represent a higher risk to others - so try to get some help with that.

Life was never actually fair before, it is just that we are seeing it in a more visible way right now, and in a way that impacts us directly. I mean it isn't fair that our kids are born in European countries with health systems and free education and others are born in war zones. It isn't fair that I was born into a middle class family and had a comfortable upbringing while other kids were born to drug addicts. So forget about 'fair' and think about what you can do to help the situation - because if everyone does this there is some chance to limit the time that this will take.

I see that you are finding this really difficult and frustrating, you are not alone in that, but actually being envious of others is a really negative thing, and in the long run it will only affect you, because your YO is unlikely to suddenly relent and allow full liveries to go to the yard just to see their horses - and s/he is right. So forget about what everyone else is doing, and remember that in staying home you are protecting others and also protecting your horse - because if this virus spreads to the yard for sure there will have to be lower standards of care.

This will not go on forever, and more containment is achieved now the less time it will take. So do try to think positively that you can help society in both doing your job and in staying home when you are not at work, and if you are tempted to think about what others are doing why not think about those who are worse off - always puts things into perspective a little. Chin up.
 
Right now, nothing is fair. I'm terrified of bringing this home and giving it to my husband, so although I am sleeping at home, I haven't seen him or my daughter for over a week. The only reason that I have seen my son is that he and I are both key workers, and work for the same company. My daughter is doing the food shopping, twice a week. I'd love some equine therapy in the guise of working in the yard of the now closed riding school where I taught twice a week - but I must not go there or risk potentially spreading it to them.

I have staff who are likely to lose parents or spouses in the next few days.

I have staff complaining because I won't send them home on full pay because they have vulnerable partners (but we have offered them their annual leave).

Nothing is fair at the moment, but this is a time to do things for the good of society as a whole.

Yard owners and managers need to make sensible decisions, again, for the greater good but I hope none of them are seeing this as an opportunity to grab money.
 
View said:
Right now, nothing is fair. I'

I have staff complaining because I won't send them home on full pay because they have vulnerable partners (but we have offered them their annual leave).

Nothing is fair at the moment, but this is a time to do things for the good of society as a whole.

Yard owners and managers need to make sensible decisions, again, for the greater good but I hope none of them are seeing this as an opportunity to grab money.
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I totally get this, most of my friends have been furlough'd, so are at home getting 80% wages, me i get to work in it, if i go off sick guess what I will get ?

Yes SSP ! - that's grand isn't it. i am on a break now, its been an incredibly stressful shift already and some twonk has taken/hidden all of my cereals, used all the milk and has left us with half a bog roll and two tea bags.

So not exactly wanting to do my bit for society at the moment !
 
Life’s not fair at the moment. Sad but true. It’s nothing to do with a tier system, it’s down to the fact that nobody should be making non essential journeys. Nothing else! It isn’t the yards creating this situation, it’s the Government’s way of trying to protect us. I just wish that people would work it out! By not going places you don’t have to go you might just be saving your own life. or someone else’s life. It’s that simple.

But I can certainly sympathise with people struggling to get shopping for people in isolation as well as yourself. I’m in the same boat. I’m having to go out more than Id like to because of it. Having to go to more shops than I need to because of limitations. The local coop that knows my mum has been great and will put things aside for her that I can collect. Generally I think that every over 70 yr old, or anyone else that has to isolate, needs to be given a shopping pass that can be given to whoever is shopping for them to enable them to pick up extra shopping along with their own.
 
Life isnt fair in general. Never has been. We had feasts when Biafrans werestarving. We have peace while Syria is at war. Some people are fleeing their country and dying in lorries and boats.
Life is not fair, people are not born equal.
This wont go on for ever- 2 months, 6 months who knows. But for the sake of everyone we must make do with what we have and not want what others have -for a short while at least.
 
Gingerwitch said:
I totally get this, most of my friends have been furlough'd, so are at home getting 80% wages, me i get to work in it, if i go off sick guess what I will get ?

Yes SSP ! - that's grand isn't it. i am on a break now, its been an incredibly stressful shift already and some twonk has taken/hidden all of my cereals, used all the milk and has left us with half a bog roll and two tea bags.

So not exactly wanting to do my bit for society at the moment !
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Well I'm a limited company contractor and won't get a penny as the government has already said that you are not entitled to SSP unless you are an employee of your own limited company and that also applies to other statutory payments. Whilst you'd think that you would be an employee of your own company you are not. If you have a controlling interest in the company, or are the sole shareholder or sole director then you are not an employee. This is the way it was set up for me by the accountancy company so I can't get anything. Fortunately I have savings although most of that is in a bond which is inaccesible until August :( So I guess I won't be getting 80% or even 10% lol

Thankfully I am still working in my job although I didn't think I would be. The construction company I work for has issued me with a letter confirming I work on site in case I get stopped by the police, however unlikely this is. I am trying to pay off my large vets bill whilst ensuring we have some money to fall back on if we should go into total lockdown. I am santising everything that I come into contact with and have a big line around my desk so people practice safe distancing. Most of the staff have been sent home, non essential staff, it's just me and a couple of others. There are around 10 people on site, one per table spread out in the canteen, all practising sanitising and social distancing.

Today is my 50th birthday and a few weeks ago I had hopes of celebrating it with family and friends and going for nice meals and maybe a weekend away. Hopefully this will come one day and I will be able to celebrate then! I realise people are losing their lives and my problems pale into insignificance in comparison ..........
 
hopscotch bandit said:
Today is my 50th birthday and a few weeks ago I had hopes of celebrating it with family and friends and going for nice meals and maybe a weekend away. Hopefully this will come one day and I will be able to celebrate then! I realise people are losing their lives and my problems pale into insignificance in comparison ..........
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Of course if you want you could take the view that if no one saw your birthday it didn't happen - which means you are still in your 40s:) Do try to find some way to celebrate though - sounds like you need a bit of fun. Chin up!
 
be positive said:
Full livery would cost approx £10 per day, so 3 weeks of 7 days is 21 = £210 quid and if you cannot put your hands on that amount what would you do if you were ill ?

Not many places will do full livery for £70, they may usually do a daily rate but if they have to supply hay and bedding and do 7 days a week the rate will probably be more in line with normal full livery rates and most will be double that at nearer £140 per week. It is all irrelevant if the YO cannot offer it anyway.
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Emergency full livery care by a freelancer is £20 a day. But she cant cope with everyone on full livery. Shes doing my two as I'm isolating and another person is doing someone elses. There isnt capacity to put the whole yard on full livery. The YO is workng hard to get it so everyone can go out 24/7 at some point this week though, and I suspect things will change again at that point.
 
Leo Walker said:
Emergency full livery care by a freelancer is £20 a day. But she cant cope with everyone on full livery. Shes doing my two as I'm isolating and another person is doing someone elses. There isnt capacity to put the whole yard on full livery. The YO is workng hard to get it so everyone can go out 24/7 at some point this week though, and I suspect things will change again at that point.
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The first line above was a quote from someone saying it was only £10 per day, in my experience it will be more like the £20 and beyond many yards to provide or owners to pay longer term.
 
Leo Walker said:
YO is working hard to get it so everyone can go out 24/7 at some point this week though, and I suspect things will change again at that point.
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Hi again this I do not have an issue with, as everyone is being treated the same and has the same standard, what I cannot cope with is the two tier system of those that can and those that cannot. I assume then that the horses that need special care the yo can put on full livery livery and stop anyone from visiting the yard. So everyone is in the same boat.

I would support this 100%.

The £10 per day was mentioned by me, this is on top of your normal livery package, does not include feed or bedding, a turn out or a bring in is already included in the livery package
 
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I went out yesterday afternoon for my daily permitted walk around within a radius of 1km of my home. I walked past one of the racehorse training grounds and saw about six or eight horses in there, walking, trotting and cantering, that most definitely were not racehorses, but the kind of leisure horses and hacks that I usually see on the streets on their ways to the forest.

Coming back towards the house I saw a neighbour from the flats next door, and elderly lady in her eighties, with her dog, chatting to a young man, respecting the social distancing rules, so I stopped to talk, too (it's probably over a month since I last saw her).

It turns out that the young man's girlfriend is a riding instructor at one of the yards across the street from my house. When I commented that I'd seen people riding out of the yards, he told us that owners can't take out their own horses, most have had their shoes pulled off and have been turned away, and the few that are left are being ridden only by qualified instructors employed by the yards; and that France Galop, the company that manages the racehorse training grounds, has opened up those training grounds so that leisure horses can be exercised now that the local government has declared the forest paths off-limits.
 
Aww guys thank you so very much, that's really kind of you. Good idea about the takeaway, and those who said I could be 49 forever!!1585569930345.png


I agree that there will be amazing celebrations when this is all over. I wonder if it will be a bit like liberation day/independence day/VE day. Someone said it will be marked with great sadness because of all those thousands that have died but they still celebrated the end of the war in the same way.

I don't expect there will be street parties and carnivals because the government will still want us to stay clear of crowds. But I expect there will be fireworks (that we don't want) and flags and bunting in the streets, televised the world over.

As we are behind France, Italy and Spain I wonder if we will sit in our living rooms under lockdown and watch their celebrations on TV and wait in anticipation of our freedom??
 

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Gingerwitch said:
I now know why most horses hate box rest, maybe the vets will reconsider dolling this advice out to us owners when we get out of this, can you just imagine what it must be like for the horse, they have no idea why they are not going out and don't even have a computer to keep themselves occupied.
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Now wouldn't it be easy if we humans could be kept happy with a treat ball!
 
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