moving livery yards - what to till YO?

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tinker88

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Hi,

after a lot of lost sleep, ive decided to moce yards to a yard i once was at as a child - i still have loads of friends there, teach there too.

but i dont want to anger our current YO - i like them!!!!!

we are basically moving due to me getting SAD or so i think, every winter for the past few years i feel pants, im struggling to balance, work, home life, and horses along with riding, and getting up at 5.30am, running a business and well the tought makes me cringe - but i wouldnt be without my 3 horses (2 and a foal) and my step daughter has a pony too.

the current yard is 8 miles from home, has nice people, is cheap (stabling) very expensive haylage & straw, and my stables dont even have a concrete floor!!!! otherwise we love it, but the livery services etc is provided by another livery who i just dont "click" with - sounds daft but i cringe at how they look after there own horses - not sure if its cos i teach that they avoid me (might think im critising them or something???? im just not sure) but ive tried to be nice, and friendly and after a few werid comments although we dont really see them much i just think they are a bit strange???


anyway so i dont want them dealing with my horses! and dont think they would cope with a nervy welsh, a colt foal etc.

so when i moved to this yard i thought great a nice yard where when im busy at work i can call up and get the horses brought in, fed etc.
but so far when they decided to let this livery do the services ive not used them one bit - and imn struggling TBH.

so after visiting lots of yards and many wont allow a colt faol, and dont have space for 4 horses , ive dropped on at the place i was for years (only moved cos i went to college etc etc)
and ok its more money but they feed, hay and water your horses, (almost full livery apart from the mucking out) its limited T/O and they have 2 schooling paddocks - not arenas, but they hold up pretty much in winter,
so ive said yes we will move.

but what to tell our current YO, who is nice and a great family!!
do i tell the truth about the strange girl doing the services? or shall i just say ive found somewhere more suitable to want i need right now?

also at the new yard my step daughter will have loads of kids to hack and ride with etc.

i WISH it had good arenas but hey, something will have to give and i always coped b4.
It will work out at £140 per week (3 horses - 1 foal) at the new place inc all feed/hay etc - and they feed and hay them for you too. (yes - i can have a lie in!!!)
at teh current place i pay £60 a week, and £35 bale of haylage & £3 small straw - you can imagine what i use with 4 mouths to feed too - and the field is BAD, the arena churns up, and a dirt floor in the stables!!

Am i doing the right thing????
what do i tell the old YO? and there is no contract to what noitice i give so what is accpetable? (ive paid 1 month in front - but need to pay for my haylage/straw so maybe i could say use some of that money from my livery to pay for it?) i want to move asap!

cheers
 
If the person doing the livery services at the current yard was better, would you stay?

I would be honest.
I would tell current YO that you're just not happy with this girl. You might not be the only one who's unhappy!

Or..
Is the new place closer to home? You could use that as an excuse to be moving. And also the company for your step daughter.
 
The one month's livery upfront sounds reasonable in terms of notice - I guess it doesn't matter when you actually leave so long as they have the money.

I would just explain that due to personal circumstances you need to move somewhere that offers a formal full livery arrangement. Thank her for her support and professionalism over the years, and leave it at that.

Good luck, I hope the new place works out better for you.
 
Out or courtesy I would always give a months notice (especially if you pay monthly). If you want to leave before the month is up, that is up to you, but I would still pay for the whole month.

Tell the YO the truth - I had to do this once (although I sugar coated the fact I had seen YO's son in an intimate position with another livery in the haybarn! - I was quite friendly with son's wife at the time! - I told YO I had inreconsilable differences with another livery and that I wasn't going to make her choose between the two of us, I would leave, and perhaps return in the future).

If it is the person looking after your horse that is the problem, tell YO that you are not happy with the care, and although you love the yard and atmosphere, you feel the need to move them somewhere else.
 
Steorra said:
I would just explain that due to personal circumstances you need to move somewhere that offers a formal full livery arrangement. Thank her for her support and professionalism over the years, and leave it at that.
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This. Keep it nice, simple and straightforward. Be pleasant and happy, I would blame it on health reasons, people are often very understanding.

I know how you feel, same sort of problems myself, hope it all gets easier for you and the new yard works out as well as you hope xxxxxxxxxxx
 
Having read zoeshiloh's very reasonable comments, I wanted to add that if it was a groom empolyed by the YO I wasn't happy with then I would give that as the reason, because it would be something she needed to know. However, if it's another livery whose work she has no say over, I wouldn't mention it :)
 
I'd blame your daughter needing mates of her age. Wouldn't get into talking about the other girl - just because you did not get on with her does not mean you have to rubbish her then leave YO to sort her out.

If you feel strongly about this person looking after your horses and you wanted to stay then yes I would say something.
 
I agree with Steorra. There is no need for any explanation othere than a change in your circumstances.

Leave the way open in case (at some time in the future) you want to return to the current yard.
 
I would say a month's notice would be polite, and be more or less truthful. Buy some flowers or chocs as a thank you, and say you hope that you can still be friends. There really shouldn't be any problems.
 
Flummoxed said:
I agree with Steorra. There is no need for any explanation othere than a change in your circumstances.

Leave the way open in case (at some time in the future) you want to return to the current yard.
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Absolutely. As a YO, I don't expect Owners to tell me everything, I accept that there are reasons for moving and just wish them well and get on with life, no hard feelings. As far as I am concerned there will always be more Boarders around the corner. I would like to know though, if there was something that I could have been doing that I haven't, but otherwise I don't need explanations.

There are two specific reasons you quoted that I could fully empathise with, the SAD, because I used to give up by the end of January and turn my horses away because I couldn't cope any more, and your step-daughter having more company. Either of those would be perfectly valid and understandable to me.

Good Luck, and don't feel guilty, there is no need.
At the end of the day it is only a business arrangement.

If you have no notice agreement, but have paid a month in advance you could use that money to pay what you owe for forage etc and as lieu of notice, and just go when it is convenient for you to do so, or, you can choose to give the months notice to enable the YO a chance to refill your stables. It is very much up to you, personally, I think, out of decency and because you are friendly, I'd give the months notice, you don't actually have to stay for the month.
 
As a YO myself, people do come and go, its always a sad day when a nice livery moves to pastures new but i always think that different yards suit at different times.
ie - as a teen my horses had very little grazing (if you could even call it that) but i had 3 big schools, close to competition venue etc...
a few years later, i thought 'forget the riding' i'm doing my A levels, i want my horses out so i went to a yard with grazing but a tiny school which you couldnt do much in.

Definatley leave it on good terms then you can go back, if the YO is funny with you - then you know you have done nothing wrong and have somewhere nice to go.

i always tend to be told why people are leaving my yard, the majority have been moving to the other side of the country (we are next to an army camp), others it has been closer to home, or they have been fully turned out for health, finance reasons etc. when i think back, there has never really been anything negative in the 9 years we've had the yard. Just the above and then liveries falling out with each other - and then the few thrown off for causing trouble, bouncing cheques etc!

I think though as a YO i would like to know how you feel about the girl currently doing the extra services. I wouldnt use it as your reason, but try and get it in somehow that you appreciate they are no longer undertaking the extra services themselves and you have a colt who at some point is going to try it on and you have to feel fully confident... thats just 'another plus' at the new yard, make out its in hindsight or something.

Hope the move goes well and it sounds as if your doing the right thing IMO.
 
My yard owner is a friend, we go on holidays together, have meals round each other houses, go to festivals etc etc but our school is unridable due to no maintenance. We have told him time and time again. I use the school most days but now won't go in for more than 20 mins. I have spoken to him and given a months notice UNLESS he sorts the school. Ive explained my situation and how its nothing personal and purely for my horse. He appreciates the honesty and has said he will do it before xmas (which xmas is anyones guess) I have a yard to go to which is a mates so no pressure but just be honest and up front with your current YO. I ve been at my current yard for just over 4 yrs having been there 8 yrs ago and leaving after 3 then going back.
 
thanks everyone,

i went to visit the new yard again last night, and got to know all the details.

it is the right move,

I went to see the current YO and expalined that things have changed, i need more help, and emily more friends so she isnt relying on me to hack etc.
She also understood its not the closest place.

Weve argreed on a 2 week notice (she was actually quite please cos he stallion is getting a bit giddy round the mares (hes young) so she is going to put her mares in my boxes asap.

I was panicking soooooo much about telling her and gald its off my chest.
Today i feel a whole lot lighter, and cant wait.

Also the new place will muck out for £1 per day !!!!! i may even end up with a day off as a treat once a week!!! heheeee

Thanks
xxx
 
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