Mare and foal field - Grrrr!

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BlondeAmbition

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Has anyone ever been charged to keep their mare and foal in their own paddock?

We have one field for geldings and one for mares, and then usually one for a mare and foal should there be one on the yards However, this year I have just been informed that I will have to pay for the field (no other mare and foal owner has ever had to pay in the past and it was not not mentioned when I first talked about putting her in foal, just dropped on me now she is 10 months in foal) to make it 'fair to all the other liveries' to have my mare and foal on their own!

If so, how much have you been charged? You can PM me for more details on the situation if you like...
 
No when we found out my daughters pony was in foal, the yard i was on let me have a large paddock for free, I did work there though but saying that another horse foaled again a suprise and they were allowed to use it for free, just split the day between my mare and foal
 
Are they charging you for the foal as extra or a separate field?
Sorry but if you are having a field entirely to yourself that puts it out of use for other liveries, so of course you would expect to pay.
If they are charging you for the foal studs normally charge extra for a foal at foot too.
The thing that seems unfair is if they have sddenly introduced a new charge without telling everyone first.
You could of course vote with your feet.. and find a new yard.
 
Sorry but i agree with this, when i start my yard and clients want an individual paddock then yes they will have to pay extra. So yes if shes having a seperate field then its completely fair.
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Unfortunately it really depends on each different yard, we have geldings, mares, colts, fillies and mares with foals all separate and foals only start paying extra when they are weaned on residential mares, but any mares coming into the stud to see the stallins are charged extra for foals at foot.
My friends yard doesn't charge extra either until the foal is weaned but then I know plenty of yards that do!
You'll have to decide whether you like the yard enough to pay the extra or do your talking with your feet. Out of interest how much extra do they want, compared to what you are already paying?
 
Like HH says, if you have a field to yourself for mare and foal (which IMO is essential for the first month anyway so they can bond well with no outside interference or aggression from other horses) then surely you expect to pay for that privilage as the field is unusable for anyone else at that time. I wouldn't expect to have to pay on top or as well as my normal livery charge, just an altered rate to take account of the foal and the restrictions that places on the yard if they are not a normal occupant (like if your yard is full of riding horses, a M & F combination will put added pressure on facilities, may even need them improving for security sake) Anywhere that takes stud liveries do charge extra for a mare and foal, even though the foal will eat a nominal amount of grass for the first couple of months. It is still tying up a field which could have been used perhaps for another few horses instead of just two, these things have to be taken into account.
A big stud (well known and successful) could charge as much as £20 per day for a M & F but for that amount I would be expecting it to be somewhere like the National Stud!
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If there is any unfairness I think it is the sudden decision to charge a fee, but in fairness to the YO, it is something you should have realised would have to happen if you get special treatmant/extra facilities, you wouldn't expect it for nothing would you? After all, if it was a full grown horse you were bringing onto the yard you would expect to have to pay so why is a foal any different just because it goes as a pair with its dam?
 
The rent has recently gone up on the yard and is becoming a constant amount all year around. It is over £30 a week for stable and haylage.

No one uses this field normally, it is empty.

If I had known this when I first mentioned putting her in foal I would have probably found somewhere else as the rent is one of the highest in our area. So by adding the additional amount on top of this it is simply too expensive for one horse.

Plus, it has also been made clear that come summer turnout (April) the cost of the field with increase again.
 
Sorry, forgot to add that I did discuss this all previously, and there have been many times it could have been mentioned before now. I was told there would be no charge, and if there was one, it would be a token gesture as opposed to the amount I am now requested to pay.
 
This is a tricky one to be honest. If the yard has a gelding field, a mare field and a mare and foal field....then logically everyone should be paying the same amount regardless of which field they are in and regardless of how many horses are sharing that field. Seems like a badly thought out idea to be frank.

I charge per horse, but no extra for foals until they are 6 months old.

If anyone at my yard specifies an individual field then I charge the horse owner for the whole field and it is up to them how many horses they keep in this field - makes no difference to me but if they pack too many horses in then they are not given hay at no extra cost like all the other fields I have - it is then their responsibility to make sure they don't overstock.

£30 per week seems a bit excessive to me if it is just for your one horse with her newborn. If I was you, I would ask the lady if you are renting this whole field? If she says yes then I would follow up with saying, "so it's okay for me to have as many horses as I like in this field?" Call her bluff!

Is she new to owning a livery yard? This is usually the sort of thought-process of someone who hasn't come across a certain "problem" before. (Not saying you are a problem, just saying that she isn't sure what to do in your situation.)

Good luck.
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Hi Tia,

Thank you for your reply.

The £30+ is for the stabling and the haylage per week. Then I would be paying an extra £12 a week for the field, so it would come to £42 a week for the mare and the foal up until April. Then on 1st April, the price of the field will further increase, so I will be paying £30+ for the stabling and then £20 for the field, so £50 a week.

Sorry, I know I am being a little vague, it is just that you have to be careful what you say on an open forum in my opinion.

The owner has owned the livery yard for a long time, and there have been many many foals born there over the years, two owners I am still in touch with, non charged previously for having their own fields, I will be the first one.
 
It really does sound like they don't know what they are doing
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If I was you, I would tentatively make enquiries at other yards to get a comparison of prices and find out availability in your area. The next thing to do is to speak to the lady and call her bluff. Don't forget YOU are the only person going to be using this field - YOU are paying her just under £200 per month.....she won't want to lose that money at this time of the year (much harder to get winter liveries, generally speaking).

Try to remember she does NOT have you over a barrel anymore than you have her over a barrel!
 
Tia, thank you for all of that.

I have been looking for other possibilities, but the mare only has 4 weeks left before foaling, so I am loathed to move her at this time. Also, there is no where around that would be suitable for a mare and foal so far, and I have looked at around 5 yards in the area.
 
Just a thought; does the field have a field shelter in it? How would it be if you were to forget about renting the stable and just keep Mum and baby in the field 24 hours a day? That would lower your costs dramatically.
 
Definitely not an option unfortunately, because then the YO would be losing £32 a week. I have a feeling this is all about how much money they can get out of this situation, which I understand because it is a business to the YO.

However, some warning would have good. The field is not particularly big either, would not be big enough for them to live out in all summer anyway.
 
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I have a feeling this is all about how much money they can get out of this situation

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Agree totally!

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which I understand because it is a business to the YO.


[/ QUOTE ] Yes BUT not at the expense of ripping people off - all should be fair, and what is fair in this situation? Your horse is eating the same amount of grass as another horse - it doesn't matter that she is in a different field (one specified by them needless to say), she can't eat more than she can eat, therefore you should be charged the same as any other horse owner.

What should happen and what does happen are too different things though and this isn't helping you at all. I think my favoured way of dealing with this is to just speak to her and say all of this. Also ask her what happens when your mare and foal go back in with the other mares - does the charge go back down to the same as everyone else? Sounds like you are not planning her to go back in with the other mares mind you.....but once again, you could cause a bit of uncertainty in her mind if you were to suggest this.
 
we have previously charged 1/2 for foals for 24/7 grazing when with their mums still.

a stabled livery, wouldnt be charged extra if they were using a seperate paddock etc until the foal was weaned.
after all - sometimes with yards certain horses/ponies need to be seperated - ie when we had one that would attack others.

we have been offered previosly by liveries for them to 'pay us extra' for an 'exclusive field' for theirs but we turned down the extra money - livery yards do need to cover cost but to be out to get every penny from a situation, and at sch short notice just doesnt seem fair.

it seems you are in a catch 22 situation - cannot move quickly due to mare being due soon but need the turnout.
 
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