LIVERY YARDS

[nuffield]

Seems to methat most of the problems are caused by
1. The YO wanting to make easy money
2. Horse owners placing their animal there without a proper contract

So, if yards were licenced and only run by people with relevant eg BHS qualifications and clients paid a fair price for what it actually does cost, remembering that for the the YO it is a business and not a charity, surely thngs would be better.

sorry, but I'm fed up with reading about both unreasonable YO's and on the other side, clients wanting superb facilities for peanuts.

 

[nuffield]

no comments?

 

[Battyoldbint]

i love my yard

 

[stencilface]

I have a great YO - thats because its me and family

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Unfortunately the issues around livery yards are not quite as simple as that. Any business that involves people dealing with people are bound to have conflicts. Some people are easy going & get on with others well, other people actively seek conflict & aggravation, it's the nature of the beast.

Even when there are contracts in place some people still try to push things & again some people don't realise that there has to be compromise on yards with several liveries as not everyone wants the same things. You can see this time & time again on this forum when some disagree with others view on some aspect of horse husbandry.

But all that aside, some YOs have to put up with a lot from liveries.....& on the other side of the coin some YO's seem to be a little nuts (This is a medical term)

Oh...love our yard, YO isn't nuts....but some liveries make up for that

 

[DW Team]

I like my yard very much no complaints

 

[martlin]

QR
I'm not convinced that BHS is necessarily the best qualification to run a business... Licensing though might be a good idea, but then the bargain hunters would be out of luck...

 

[TS_]

I think if it was made a rule that you had to have BHS qualifications to run a livery yard, the livery prices would go up. Which could mean people being anable to afford to keep horses at all or in the way they're customed to.
I love my livery yard very much and wouldn't change anything about it.

 

[Riverboy]

I think there are always compromises to make on livery yards and therefore people will complain - it seems to be human nature.

I agree licencing might be a good idea, however would than then push the price of keeping horses out of a lot of peoples reach?

 

[sherbet]

Riverboy, was just going to post to say as a YO if I had to pay to become reg I would have to past cost onto livieries, as I have a full yard at the mo and with what I hope are happy liviers what would the benifit be for them. Thay are already happy on the yard nothing would change apart from them paying more.

 

[Riverboy]

Wind - this would be the concern - the trouble is there are yards out there were things aren't safe etc, and new or novice owners can be caught out - or the yard is not what you were sold. However I think the majority of yard problems are personality clashes and I am not sure you could licence against those?

 

[BBH]

I think most places that offer livery would close down if they had to be BHS registered and you would end up with large equestrian centres being the only places to keep horses. A lot of YO's wouldn't want the hassle of more legislation / licensing etc. All the farmers, small yards etc wouldn't make financial sense to keep going and yes prices would rise to reflect the additional formal requirements.

As for conflict me and my friends have always said the best, easiest people in horses are those who do another job for a living and have horses for recreation, and it is those who work with horses full time who can be difficult. The reason is they spend so much time with horses they forget how to deal with people and also in a formal workplace you are taught things like negotiation, conflict resolution, team work, listening skills etc.
Generalisation I know but in our experience thats how its panned out.

 

[Fairynuff]

I have my own small yard (9 boxes) and all liveries are old or has physical problems that has forced them into retirement.I charge quite a lot for my services as each horse is treated as an individual, 24 hour a day. This is possible because I have a limited number of horses and know each one from his ears to his ergots. On a large commercial yard this wouldnt be possible and much faith has to be given to grooms etc who cost a lot in time and money.
There are the idiots who think having a livery yard will make them lots of dosh and give them a power trip but, most do it for the love of it and just manage to pay their bills at the end of the month.(I speak from experience

).
I belive that turning the profession over to the 'qualified only' would mean losing the human touch and the whole scene would become industrialised to the detriment of the individual (horse and owner). I think it would be sad day and as it is at the mo, works well enough. Yards usually exist because they 'work'. A bad yard is known to all and doesnt last long-if it does it is usually full of idiots who know no better

M.
PS, the 'idiots' will never cease to exist so at least, lets keep them in one place!

 

[BBH]

PS, the 'idiots' will never cease to exist so at least, lets keep them in one place! [ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

That made me chuckle. Very true

 

[bailey14]

Like a previous poster said, things are not always black and white. I am going through a bit of a tough period at the moment with regards to the yard I'm at, and I feel anxious going there as I have recently had words. It is not a nice feeling and its silly really when you spend so much money and yet you can't enjoy your hobby because of the way things make you feel. I am hoping to come through this black hole like I have come through many before it, and will bounce back a stronger person because of it. Sometimes its upsetting when you think you are doing right by doing something and it all comes back on you. I think yards should be licenced and a fairer pricing structure agreed but then if this was to happen a lot of yards would go out of business, in reality there are very few yards that are registered at the moment. As a whole I like the yard I am at, but things could always be improved like anything.

 

[M_G]

[ QUOTE ]
Seems to methat most of the problems are caused by
1. The YO wanting to make easy money
2. Horse owners placing their animal there without a proper contract

So, if yards were licenced and only run by people with relevant eg BHS qualifications and clients paid a fair price for what it actually does cost, remembering that for the the YO it is a business and not a charity, surely thngs would be better.

sorry, but I'm fed up with reading about both unreasonable YO's and on the other side, clients wanting superb facilities for peanuts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sadly people will always want something for nothing...Such is life

 

[sherbet]

On a kind of different note, is this not why so many riding schools have gone out of business cause of all the insurance, bhs req costs etc. If all the riding schools go are we going to end up with people who had the odd lesson buying a horse cause only way they can get to ride, then who picks up the "spoilt" horses. Please dont get me wrong we all start somewhere and have to have are 1st horse, just not after one lesson.

So if a yard has to be reg etc will the slaughter house be even busier cause people cant afford it even more so with the credit crunch

 

[Penny Less]

Our yard is only £20 week, DIY and people seem to want the earth for that. They get stable, grazing, storage and schooling manege. They want fields to be poo picked (not by them!) and fertilised, harrowed etc. but mention putting up the livery to cover and they are horrified !

 

[BBH]

No wonder DIY yards are few and far between, how is someone to make a living based on those figures and wants ?

 

[M_G]

This is what I dont understand. People want full livery at DIY prices...Personally I love poo picking

 

[LauraWinter]

I am very happy at Rollestone, reasonably priced and with great facilities; unlimited turnout, great hacking and menage, but most importantly to me is that YO tries his best to cater for everyone if they have a particular request or problem and has done things to help me which he certainly didn't have to. When Leilah was born for example he came down late in the evening and made sure everything was ok as I have little experience myself. The groom is great, I have been friends with her for years and she helps me out a lot too.That has been my experience at least and for me this is one of the most important things, that the owner/staff are laid back, helpful, friendly and accommodating. After all, we pay a lot of money to enjoy ourselves and I have been on yards where the YO was not particularly horsey or understanding and had no concept of the implications of their 'rules' which has been very frustrating. It has certainly been the best yard I have ever been on but I have had experience of not being able to find decent places in the past and I feel sorry for anyone who is not so lucky, I know what a difference it can make to how much you enjoy your horses

 

[Nats_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
Our yard is only £20 week, DIY and people seem to want the earth for that. They get stable, grazing, storage and schooling manege. They want fields to be poo picked (not by them!) and fertilised, harrowed etc. but mention putting up the livery to cover and they are horrified !

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm spolit then - ours works out just over £30 a week and we get stable, storage, alarmed tack room, two menages (one with jumps) which are harrowed regularly and excellent grazing (which is fertilised and regularly harrowed)

 

[eoe]

You can keep most of the people happy most of the time, some of the people happy some of the time and there are those that will never be happy.

My yard has a contract with all liveries setting out the terms and conditions and also the rules. We are inspected by the local council every year, we have an indoor and outdoor school and a grass jumping paddock for the summer, we have CCTV, all year turnout and 24/7 in summer, we harrow, fertalise and roll fields every year and paint the stables and I sweep the yard regularly, they have secure lockable storage for hay, bedding etc. What more could a livery possibly want?

Hence my post in Stable Yard yesterday about Rotten Apple, who didn't see why she had to worm her horse when and with what the other liveries did, insure her horse and have flu and tetnus injections yearly, she did nothing but to stir up trouble, when confronted denied everything!

I agree there are YO's out there that are not very good and the same with liveries but there are those of us who bend over backwards and make very little money after business rates, water rates, electricity etc etc and still get sl***ed off for voicing our joy when a troublesome livery leaves of their own accord because we had no actual proof to give them notice and did not want to get a reputation of giving people notice for no reason which is what would have been said. Even though she has now gone I am still hearing the things that she is saying about me and my yard even though it was her choice to leave!

RANT OVER