New born foals and grass livery prices

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superniky

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Hi my mare is due to foal within the next few weeks and the livery owner has just informed me that when the foal is born I will be due to pay grass livery for it the same amount as I pay for mum! I have always been under the impression that a foal was not counted as a livery until it is weaned??
 
I'm at livery with an in-foal mare and my arrangement with the yo is that the first three months I don't pay anything then after 3 months I think we went with £10 a week or something as it will be eating grass then. We're on DIY stable/field livery
 
when on DIY I never paid for foals until they were weaned.
I was lucky and liveried on a stud so they had a good set up, maybe if you are getting a separate field they think you should pay more?
 
whilst it's a nice notion that foals are not paid for at a yard and i understand that most yards don't charge (mine don't), it's not the yard that choose to have the foal so i think that the owner should be prepared to pay for it, possibly at a reduced rate
 
As my mare is in a paddock about 1 acre max with my gelding and very little grass, dreadful fencing it is old wire that has snapped and electric tape tied round wooden fence posts so I have had to electrify the inside of the fence to make it safe for my animals, and if I want to take them out of the paddock I have to negotiate the yo 4 or 5 large horses who are allowed to wander all over the rest of the field and the field gate area is about 1 foot deep in mud I feel that they are being a little mean charging for a foal from birth.
 
but surely you knew the field situation before you moved/ put her in foal. If your not prepared to pay move them. No amount of anyone on here telling you you shouldn't have to pay is going to make your YO not charge you!
 
Move, sounds like an accident waiting to happen. Sorry to say, but if that is your facilities, then maybe you should have thought twice about breeding in the first place...
 
Sounds terrible conditions and i wouldnt want my foal there TBH.

Equally i had it on agreement that i wouldnt have to pay until weaning
 
We had no option but to move as we lost our grazing last year and this was the only yard available in the area.
Also I did not put my mare in foal I bought her as an underweight neglected animal from a dealer only to find out later that she was in foal and I could not have sent her back there!
I disagree with breeding in the current climate.
I am prepared to pay full grass livery for the foal but was shocked that a newborn is classed as a livery.
Yes the yard is a joke, the yo knowing nothing about running a yard or field maintenance but in the area where we live there is nothing else available:mad:

But we are looking for suitable grazing/own yard to rent and have been for a while!
 
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Well it sounds like you'll have to suck it up then. If I were in the same situation, I'd move the mare and foal to a better yard, further away if need be, even if it meant I could only see them once a week (somewhere obviously where the YO or YM will check them twice a day etc). Your current yard sound awful.
 
superniky said:
As my mare is in a paddock about 1 acre max with my gelding and very little grass, dreadful fencing it is old wire that has snapped and electric tape tied round wooden fence posts so I have had to electrify the inside of the fence to make it safe for my animals, and if I want to take them out of the paddock I have to negotiate the yo 4 or 5 large horses who are allowed to wander all over the rest of the field and the field gate area is about 1 foot deep in mud I feel that they are being a little mean charging for a foal from birth.
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And you're putting a foal (or any animal for that matter) in that??

Be prepared for a very short lived baby horse experience.......:(

I'd be moving the mare to a stud pdq.
 
I hope this is a wind up, having a foal on (what sounds like) a totally unsuitable yard with an inexpereienced (in foaling) YO- TBH a few £'s a week extra grass livery absolutely the least of your worries!

I know nothing about foals at all but for example
Do you have
1) a extra large suitable foaling box
2) 24 hour supervision/ CCTV so you can carefully monitor her in her last week or so
3) a back up plan for if there are problems with the foaling and you need to help it feed/ have vet often - I'm assuming you can easily have several weeks off work at short notice if the YO isn't knowledgable.
4) separate turn out for mare and foal away from anything else for a while that is very safe and no mud while they are unsteady on their feet
5) other youngsters for the foal to be weaned with/ grow up with
 
Polos Mum said:
I hope this is a wind up, having a foal on (what sounds like) a totally unsuitable yard with an inexpereienced (in foaling) YO- TBH a few £'s a week extra grass livery absolutely the least of your worries!

I know nothing about foals at all but for example
Do you have
1) a extra large suitable foaling box
2) 24 hour supervision/ CCTV so you can carefully monitor her in her last week or so
3) a back up plan for if there are problems with the foaling and you need to help it feed/ have vet often - I'm assuming you can easily have several weeks off work at short notice if the YO isn't knowledgable.
4) separate turn out for mare and foal away from anything else for a while that is very safe and no mud while they are unsteady on their feet
5) other youngsters for the foal to be weaned with/ grow up with
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A little over the top??
 
I have had foals before, never went out of my way to breed but have bought a few mares in foal all foaled outside as all native types with no problems but that was at my own place with over 12 acres of decent grass etc and each mare had 3 acres plus of grazing well fenced. This is just a very sad situation that we are in.
I just wanted to know if it was correct that a livery owner should charge for a foal from the minute it was born or not. i do understand that it is up to individual people to decide if they are money grabbers or no.
I myself when I had my own yard would never think of charging for a foal until it was at least 6 months.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Well it sounds like you'll have to suck it up then. If I were in the same situation, I'd move the mare and foal to a better yard, further away if need be, even if it meant I could only see them once a week (somewhere obviously where the YO or YM will check them twice a day etc). Your current yard sound awful.
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Er weren't you having a nervous breakdown over being in a very similar situation not that long ago and got lots of support and advice?!

I do agree op you must move.
 
Dry Rot said:
A little over the top??
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Sorry OP I didn't mean to be rude, it's just that a foal/ foaling could need lots of support/ facilities and it doesn't sound like you could get that at your current yard.
I'd get your cheque book out and call round stud farms (there must be loads in Cambridshire) until you find one that can take her - as asap as I guess you can't travel her very late on.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Er weren't you having a nervous breakdown over being in a very similar situation not that long ago and got lots of support and advice?!

I do agree op you must move.
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Er, no, hardly a nervous breakdown. What a strange response! The difference here is that the OP is putting an issue forward, getting some suggestions of what to do but then batting them straight back with, no can't do that, not possible. So where do you go from there then, other, well, get on with it then.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Er, no, hardly a nervous breakdown. What a strange response! The difference here is that the OP is putting an issue forward, getting some suggestions of what to do but then batting them straight back with, no can't do that, not possible. So where do you go from there then, other, well, get on with it then.
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Well you certainly posted about it plenty of times and worried about what you were going to do. I don't recall any one telling you to "suck it up". What a horrible thing to say to anyone.
 
I'd try and find grazing for her at a stud before she gives birth. Even if you have to travel a lot further you'll feel better to have her in a situation where they are used to mares and foals and have suitable fencing etc. for them. If it's further away and you can't get there as often it will be worth it if you know there are always experienced people keeping an eye on them. Foals are so good at getting injured even in the most ideal situation so you don't want to bring it into the world somewhere unsuitable or there's a good chance you'll end up spending anything you've saved at the vets.
 
Polos Mum said:
I hope this is a wind up, having a foal on (what sounds like) a totally unsuitable yard with an inexpereienced (in foaling) YO- TBH a few £'s a week extra grass livery absolutely the least of your worries!

I know nothing about foals at all but for example
Do you have
1) a extra large suitable foaling box
2) 24 hour supervision/ CCTV so you can carefully monitor her in her last week or so
3) a back up plan for if there are problems with the foaling and you need to help it feed/ have vet often - I'm assuming you can easily have several weeks off work at short notice if the YO isn't knowledgable.
4) separate turn out for mare and foal away from anything else for a while that is very safe and no mud while they are unsteady on their feet
5) other youngsters for the foal to be weaned with/ grow up with
Click to expand...
Never had 1, or 2 before and depending on time of year we have some mud (never as much is at main field entrance here though) all foals born and grew up healthy and I do not rely on yo for anything just pay her the monthly livery and we look after all our animals ourselves, my friend is a vet so on call to help if need be.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Well you certainly posted about it plenty of times and worried about what you were going to do. I don't recall any one telling you to "suck it up". What a horrible thing to say to anyone.
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Ok, so have you just read the Ops latest response? She isn't going to do anything about the situation. Fair enough, her prerogative. You're right, suck it up does sound abrupt but let's see how this thread evolves hey.
 
OP you cannot expect people not to comment on the truly dire sounding conditions the foal will be living in. That to me overrides any concerns re paying livery charges.
 
superniky said:
Never had 1, or 2 before and depending on time of year we have some mud (never as much is at main field entrance here though) all foals born and grew up healthy and I do not rely on yo for anything just pay her the monthly livery and we look after all our animals ourselves, my friend is a vet so on call to help if need be.
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Sorry OP from your first few posts I didn't realise you were experienced at breeding foals. I hope it goes well for you.

If there is nowhere else you can keep your mare you'll have to pay whatever the YO wants whether it is reasonable or not - he has you over a barrel
 
In answer to your original question, I wouldn't automatically assume free livery for foal - I'd have checked out the T&Cs in advance. A friend of mine charges 50% from birth to weaning
 
People always say 'there's nowhere else'... If you lived in central Manchester I might believe you, but I live in cambridgeshire too and last time I went outside it was a sight of much agricultural land, grazing included.

So if you tell me whereabouts I could try to help you find somewhere?

No I don't think you should be paying until the foal is weaned, but that is exacerbated by the fact you have poor facilities.

If you are going to be paying for two maybe it would work out not too bad to move her to a stud or somewhere to start with. I am sure she doesn't need all the top facilities and CCTV but just a nice safe paddock and people who know what they're doing (in addition to you, I mean) would be good.
 
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