Mild moan about yards changing the goal posts !

[Frumpoon]

This YO is taking the pee big time

For the sums you are paying you should be able to have your pick of local yards

Which part of the country are you and peeps on here may be able to recommend places

I don't think 3 is that many to accommodate, try finding space for 4-5-6 etc

 

[Chianti]

I suggested this but apparently the other owners said no. Apparently the horse doesn’t like to be out more than 3 hours. Which it probably would if it was out with company.

Would your horse be Ok if the other one came in after 3 hours? Yours could then stay out. The situation sounds so controlling but unfortunately that's the case on many livery yards. I've moved twice only to have the yard owner 'forget' what we'd agreed when I viewed or make instant changes to it. I envy you the prospect of your own place. I think you've got Hobson's choice. You may just have to put up with it and hope you find somewhere else soon.

 

[PurBee]

It does sound very controlling for a yard to want to know where you;re going with your horse, who you bring off-site in to treat your horse.
Is this normal?
Surely paying for use of agreed facilities and care remit, doesn’t extend to them giving permission/determining who i employ to help/treat/train me/my horse? Wanting to know where i’m going with my horse?
Aside from disease outbreak scenarios, this level of nosiness and control seems insane tbh!

A lot of posts on here make many YO’s sound like narcissistic monsters! I guess if a yard is hard to get a space on, thats a good sign that the YO is decent.

Widen your housing search sounds like a good plan OP. Uklandandfarms.co.uk is a good site for properties with land.

 

[Leandy]

I would be cross too and would be looking for a new yard for at least the "special needs" one. I have been on yards which have changed the goal posts and rules and offering as they go along despite the original agreement and whilst at the time I sucked it up, it left a bad taste and a continued feeling of dissatisfaction and annoyance at not having for my horses the arrangements I wanted and had agreed and of being treated as a second class citizen rather than a valued client. At the end of the day, if someone says one thing and then does another then you can't trust them and you need a yard owner you can trust!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

They sound like massive control freaks I think I would struggle to stay and put up with it but it might be your only option at the moment.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If the other mare will be out for no more than 3 hours, why can't yours be out for 5 hours? I couldn't do with this nonsense tbh and would have to move all 3.

 

[Arzada]

Are you not able to move your mare to your small field at home?

 

[Caol Ila]

That level of control would drive me crazy. It's frustratingly common. In my last Great Yard Hunt, I ran away from a place which detailed in the contract how you were to provide medical care for your horse (you must try alternative medicines before resorting to stuff like, say, Danilon), and, among other things, stated that you must notify YO whenever you had a visitor, and if someone else was taking care of your horse, you had to prove to YO that they were "experienced." But at least it was in the contract, so I dodged that bullet.

The YO of an ex-yard once gave me a bollocking for taking my horse to a two-day clinic. I'd planned on trailering the horse home overnight, as the clinic wasn't far away and I thought I could save stabling costs. But horse had other views and it took two hours to get her into the trailer that morning. Not wanting to go through that again, I decided to use the clinic yard's stabling. Texted YO immediately to tell him that. When I nipped back to my yard later in the evening to grab feed and a rug, the YO lit into me with guns blazing: "You said she was coming back!" I did, but you witnessed the epic trailer fight. "But you said she was coming back!" I changed my mind. "You'd better hope all those horses are vaccinated! She better not be stabled near anything!" I'm not an idiot. She's not sharing feed or water or in contact with any other horse.

 

[milliepops]

In fairness, lots of people are very lax or clueless about biosecurity.

At an old yard they had visiting people for overnighters doing a camp with a resident bhsai, that were in super close, nose sniffing contact all night with a yard full of regular liveries. No one bat an eyelid . There was a strangles scare a few weeks later ?

I wouldn't expect to be quizzed on my travel plans unless it was related to an ongoing outbreak tho.

 

[ApacheWarrior1]

Hi Guys ,

Just wanted to have a mild moan and see if I am overreacting. So I moved my horse not long ago two went together and one joined later. The first two settled amazing no issues just the usual stuff getting in a routine with yard . It’s expensive but I think it’s been worth the money. My last horse moved about a week ago . She has issues but she settled fab. Originally when we went to view we discussed her medical issues yard said all fine. We arranged for her to go out on a sand paddock in the summer all day minimum of 8 hours in good weather. Although now as the horse in the other sand paddock got stuck in the electric fence it’s been removed to make one massive paddock . Which means she only getting 3 hours and the fence isn’t going back up. Which means I have had to pay extra for her to be hand walked in a morning as otherwise she stood to long. Then Monday I was approached by the yard owner . Who said my livery for my mare would be going up £1 a day for her in addition to her additional hand walking. Which means I am now paying and additional £21 for my mare . That is unexpected . As she’s requiring more care than they thought legs bandaged and medication syringed. I explained all this to her when I viewed the yard which they said would be included . They also said I could use who I wanted vet , dentist and physio wise . I told them my physio was coming next week and they ask who it was. Once I told them they said I don’t like her and can you get someone else . She the only one I have issue with she said and I will not allow her on the yard . In my case she’s the only one who can keep my mare sound which I explained. She won’t budge which means my physio who I have had for 9 years who kept my mare sound can’t come . This is supposed to be a temporary yard move until we buy a house with more land than our current place . Hopefully 6-12 months but I just feel now I have more stress and cost again. Do I just shut up and put up . I will have to decrease my lessons on my other horses to cover my mares extras . I used to have two lessons a week per horse at a minimum . Due to the price of the lessons at the new yard being almost double the last place . I am having one a week per horse. With the extra i can only really do one horse per week which is annoying. My bill for the horses has already gone up £140 a week plus lessons and other bits.

Hi Guys ,

Just wanted to have a mild moan and see if I am overreacting. So I moved my horse not long ago two went together and one joined later. The first two settled amazing no issues just the usual stuff getting in a routine with yard . It’s expensive but I think it’s been worth the money. My last horse moved about a week ago . She has issues but she settled fab. Originally when we went to view we discussed her medical issues yard said all fine. We arranged for her to go out on a sand paddock in the summer all day minimum of 8 hours in good weather. Although now as the horse in the other sand paddock got stuck in the electric fence it’s been removed to make one massive paddock . Which means she only getting 3 hours and the fence isn’t going back up. Which means I have had to pay extra for her to be hand walked in a morning as otherwise she stood to long. Then Monday I was approached by the yard owner . Who said my livery for my mare would be going up £1 a day for her in addition to her additional hand walking. Which means I am now paying and additional £21 for my mare . That is unexpected . As she’s requiring more care than they thought legs bandaged and medication syringed. I explained all this to her when I viewed the yard which they said would be included . They also said I could use who I wanted vet , dentist and physio wise . I told them my physio was coming next week and they ask who it was. Once I told them they said I don’t like her and can you get someone else . She the only one I have issue with she said and I will not allow her on the yard . In my case she’s the only one who can keep my mare sound which I explained. She won’t budge which means my physio who I have had for 9 years who kept my mare sound can’t come . This is supposed to be a temporary yard move until we buy a house with more land than our current place . Hopefully 6-12 months but I just feel now I have more stress and cost again. Do I just shut up and put up . I will have to decrease my lessons on my other horses to cover my mares extras . I used to have two lessons a week per horse at a minimum . Due to the price of the lessons at the new yard being almost double the last place . I am having one a week per horse. With the extra i can only really do one horse per week which is annoying. My bill for the horses has already gone up £140 a week plus lessons and other bits.

Ii certainly don't think that is an acceptable situation - sounds like you need to move again - trauma that it is I know - to somewhere that will genuinely offer what they say they will offer...

 

[Frumpoon]

That level of control would drive me crazy. It's frustratingly common. In my last Great Yard Hunt, I ran away from a place which detailed in the contract how you were to provide medical care for your horse (you must try alternative medicines before resorting to stuff like, say, Danilon), and, among other things, stated that you must notify YO whenever you had a visitor, and if someone else was taking care of your horse, you had to prove to YO that they were "experienced." But at least it was in the contract, so I dodged that bullet.

The YO of an ex-yard once gave me a bollocking for taking my horse to a two-day clinic. I'd planned on trailering the horse home overnight, as the clinic wasn't far away and I thought I could save stabling costs. But horse had other views and it took two hours to get her into the trailer that morning. Not wanting to go through that again, I decided to use the clinic yard's stabling. Texted YO immediately to tell him that. When I nipped back to my yard later in the evening to grab feed and a rug, the YO lit into me with guns blazing: "You said she was coming back!" I did, but you witnessed the epic trailer fight. "But you said she was coming back!" I changed my mind. "You'd better hope all those horses are vaccinated! She better not be stabled near anything!" I'm not an idiot. She's not sharing feed or water or in contact with any other horse.

I literally can't think of another industry where this would be an acceptable way to behave towards a client

 

[Caol Ila]

I literally can't think of another industry where this would be an acceptable way to behave towards a client

Gotta love the horse industry. Professionalism = not a thing.

 

[windand rain]

Crazy as it is they have you over a barrel as they just say "dont like it on your bike" its not easy. I rent a field for mine but am ever conscious its not mine and they could dcide to downsize leaving us out on a limb. However I do not have yo/ym issues because I look after my own and the livery. I do sometimes feel like a naughty kid if we burn old stuff and I get told off not by the landlord but the flipping neighbours complaining but we cannot complain about their ruddy fireworks and barbeques

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I'm a YO (albeit a mere DIY one) and can understand where both parties are coming from.

Taking on a horse with medical issues at a yard is never going to be straightforward as things can change by the day and both the client and the YO can't ever hope to possibly predict what for e.g. a vet or other professional may prescribe in the way of aftercare; so I think you may have to accept the way things are with this regard. Pay up and look sweet might be what you will have to do.

Re. the refusal to allow your chosen physio on the yard; there may be all sorts of reasons for this - it could just be down to a personality-clash, or there may have been a professional opinion and/or treatment that was disagreed with and the issue was never resolved. The problem is, you might not know all the gory details! What you have been told might be (and probably is) one-sided. I think that again, whilst this is hugely annoying (and some would regard it as childish even) there is nothing you can do other than try to perhaps source a "neutral" venue where your horse could be treated by this particular physio. All I would say is that sometimes a YO needs to act in a protective role to protect both clients and their horses; for instance there is a certain "saddle fitter" (and I use the term guardedly as they're about as honest as a weasel) who I would never in a million years have anywhere near my yard due to the fact that they not only thoroughly fleeced me but also my then-time livery client and they are thoroughly unreliable and unpleasant people to deal with to boot. So there may be more to the dispute than you are aware of........

I really feel you would be best advised to seek alternative livery as soon as possible; you are obviously not happy and no YO wants that.

 

[Melody Grey]

Sorry, but restricting your choice of professionals either on the yard (or travelling to them) is totally unreasonable. They don’t deserve your custom.

 

[magicmoments]

As it's relatively short term and your are happy on the whole I would suck it up. I would ask if the hand walking could be done for free as the agreed time out has been drastically reduced. If 8hrs out had been stuck too, the hand walking would be unnecessary.

 

[Chianti]

I literally can't think of another industry where this would be an acceptable way to behave towards a client

I always say that the livery business hasn't moved into the 20th century never mind the 21st. Where else would you be told 'If you don't like it you can always go' ?

 

[Leandy]

I'm a YO (albeit a mere DIY one) and can understand where both parties are coming from.

Taking on a horse with medical issues at a yard is never going to be straightforward as things can change by the day and both the client and the YO can't ever hope to possibly predict what for e.g. a vet or other professional may prescribe in the way of aftercare; so I think you may have to accept the way things are with this regard. Pay up and look sweet might be what you will have to do.

Re. the refusal to allow your chosen physio on the yard; there may be all sorts of reasons for this - it could just be down to a personality-clash, or there may have been a professional opinion and/or treatment that was disagreed with and the issue was never resolved. The problem is, you might not know all the gory details! What you have been told might be (and probably is) one-sided. I think that again, whilst this is hugely annoying (and some would regard it as childish even) there is nothing you can do other than try to perhaps source a "neutral" venue where your horse could be treated by this particular physio. All I would say is that sometimes a YO needs to act in a protective role to protect both clients and their horses; for instance there is a certain "saddle fitter" (and I use the term guardedly as they're about as honest as a weasel) who I would never in a million years have anywhere near my yard due to the fact that they not only thoroughly fleeced me but also my then-time livery client and they are thoroughly unreliable and unpleasant people to deal with to boot. So there may be more to the dispute than you are aware of........

I really feel you would be best advised to seek alternative livery as soon as possible; you are obviously not happy and no YO wants that.

Of course these are perfectly valid points to make from the YO perspective. The point in the OP however was that it isn't the required care of the horse which has changed, it is the service the yard had agreed to provide. On the physio point, it would have been very helpful if the YO, knowing that they had an issue with certain people, had actually said so in advance and checked that it wasn't going to cause a problem. It is the YO's inconsistent messaging here which appears to be the cause of the issues, not the requests of the client.

 

[milliepops]

I always say that the livery business hasn't moved into the 20th century never mind the 21st. Where else would you be told 'If you don't like it you can always go' ?

if livery moved into the 21st century many of us would be priced out, DIY is ridiculously cheap in most areas and if yards moved with the times we'd probably be paying what the OP is just for a stable and some turnout!

 

[Winters100]

The physio thing sounds really odd to me. I could understand if YO did not want to deal with them and asked you to attend, but to refuse to allow you to use your chosen physio seems a very strange way for an adult to behave!

 

[[142807]]

Hi Guys ,

Just wanted to have a mild moan and see if I am overreacting. So I moved my horse not long ago two went together and one joined later. The first two settled amazing no issues just the usual stuff getting in a routine with yard . It’s expensive but I think it’s been worth the money. My last horse moved about a week ago . She has issues but she settled fab. Originally when we went to view we discussed her medical issues yard said all fine. We arranged for her to go out on a sand paddock in the summer all day minimum of 8 hours in good weather. Although now as the horse in the other sand paddock got stuck in the electric fence it’s been removed to make one massive paddock . Which means she only getting 3 hours and the fence isn’t going back up. Which means I have had to pay extra for her to be hand walked in a morning as otherwise she stood to long. Then Monday I was approached by the yard owner . Who said my livery for my mare would be going up £1 a day for her in addition to her additional hand walking. Which means I am now paying and additional £21 for my mare . That is unexpected . As she’s requiring more care than they thought legs bandaged and medication syringed. I explained all this to her when I viewed the yard which they said would be included . They also said I could use who I wanted vet , dentist and physio wise . I told them my physio was coming next week and they ask who it was. Once I told them they said I don’t like her and can you get someone else . She the only one I have issue with she said and I will not allow her on the yard . In my case she’s the only one who can keep my mare sound which I explained. She won’t budge which means my physio who I have had for 9 years who kept my mare sound can’t come . This is supposed to be a temporary yard move until we buy a house with more land than our current place . Hopefully 6-12 months but I just feel now I have more stress and cost again. Do I just shut up and put up . I will have to decrease my lessons on my other horses to cover my mares extras . I used to have two lessons a week per horse at a minimum . Due to the price of the lessons at the new yard being almost double the last place . I am having one a week per horse. With the extra i can only really do one horse per week which is annoying. My bill for the horses has already gone up £140 a week plus lessons and other bits.

 

[[142807]]

That’s nothing, when we lived in the U.K. we were in a yard where on Christmas Day nothing was allowed to be turned out as the owners wanted to sit in having dinner with no liveries around. Happy sodding Christmas ?

 

[fidleyspromise]

The physio thing sounds really odd to me. I could understand if YO did not want to deal with them and asked you to attend, but to refuse to allow you to use your chosen physio seems a very strange way for an adult to behave!

I had this on one yard with a farrier. I struggled and phoned round so many farriers when I moved and this was the only one to have space but he warned me to speak to my YO as he was banned. She said no and had it just been the sensible horse I'd have met him at a nearby layby but the other one was not traffic proof.

 

[lilly1]

Honestly I would take all three horses and my £1800 a month elsewhere as a matter of urgency

This
I can understand your frustration and would be looking to move if it was me. That's a serious amount of money to be paying out a month. The significantly decreased turnout, and inability to use your own physio would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Could you box her to the physios

 

[Frumpoon]

That’s nothing, when we lived in the U.K. we were in a yard where on Christmas Day nothing was allowed to be turned out as the owners wanted to sit in having dinner with no liveries around. Happy sodding Christmas ?

I know a place that chucked everyone off the week before Christmas for the same reason

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I know a place that chucked everyone off the week before Christmas for the same reason

I sincerely hope all the liveries found new places elsewhere and never went back? Jaysus!

 

[SantaVera]

could the mare with the medical issues be moved to a track livery?there are several around. full livery. there tends to average £400ish month. infact if theres a good local one move all of them to track livery.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have come to the conclusion that the horse world is full of crazy people it’s the only explanation.

 

[zandp]

I've met a lot of crazy YO's since moving to Somerset but no-one's stopped me having who I wanted on the yard to treat my horses. The worst type of moving the goalposts was also upping the price after I moved on, that YO also turned out my elder mare in her Thermatex one November night as the other horse was calling (she had company). He was also the one who when I was suffering with flu and hadn't poo picked at night through the week told me to F off and find somewhere else - as I was catching up with the poo picking. He also used to complain when my head torch shining into his living room when I was poo picking at night. Years later a work colleague was on his yard and upset because he used to go into the barn and tip out her hay that was soaking as having it lying around was making the place untidy - he threw her partially soaked hay on the muck heap. He always has vacancies.