Night Checks

[Birker2020]

I wouldn't feel happy about that.

The one yard did a late night check and hay over the door hung up at 11.30pm when the YO was back from the pub!
Another yard had people living on site but no one there to do a late night check but most of the liveries worked FT so it didn't matter, there were people around till about 8pm at night.
Another yard the YO would check about 7pm
And the one I've been on for the past nearly 18 years the YO do hay over the door at around 9pm so can see if a horse doesn't look well.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

I’ve been on “peopled” yards…am on one now…no one does late night checks…not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Sparkeyboy]

When I used to be on DIY livery the yard owners fed and left for around 6pm, other liveries came after to do theirs but there was no one on site after around 9pm until 7am the next day.

Mine are at home now and I feed around 8pm and then leave them until 6am the next morning, I don't like to disturb them once evening buckets are given. I sleep 30 seconds away from the stables but there's been numerous times i've woke up in the morning to an escapee in the front garden.

If the yard is secure I wouldn't be concerned, as someone said above, camera is a good idea to give you peace of mind. If the yard ticks all the other boxes I wouldn't discount it.

 

[Sparkeyboy]

It is a dealbreaker - have sat and thought about it and I won’t be going.

The camera is a good idea but this yard is a good 40mins drive away, if I saw an issue on the camera, I couldn’t be there quickly.

Also, this is full/part livery. It’s expensive and I certainly do expect night checks for the amount I’d be paying.

Thanks for everyone’s input

Sorry, posted a reply before seeing your response

 

[Fransurrey]

The last yard I was on had the owner living on site, but if my pony got out or was ill, she never noticed anyway. Wouldn't be a deal breaker for me as long as I had access when I wanted it. I'm there every day for mine and normally pick up if one is off colour, so go up myself later in the evening. Experience has taught me that nobody knows my horses like me and even experienced owners have missed subtle signs of illness with mine in the past when I've been away (that rapidly escalated to serious situations).

 

[PapaverFollis]

Most DIY yards I've been on had one or two liveries who were there late who would look round the yard to make sure everyone was OK... and/or owners on site who would do the same. The part/full livery yard had proper night checks, hays, skip out done by the owner.

The last DIY yard I was on was a bit more... I don't know the word. I wasn't as happy relying on other people's eyes there I suppose, there wasnt as much consistency as to who was there when. After I lost Granny Horse to colic I started doing my own 10pm visit on The Beast. Not because anyone had missed anything with Granny (she started colicking while I was there) but because I don't think anyone else would have seen the colic... it was quite subtle. And I think losing her really affected me and made me very fearful and paranoid. I was driving about 20 minutes to the yard too, so it was quite a high level of worry to mean I was prepared to do that.

Now they are at home I see them at 10pm if they are stabled and either last light or whenever I chuck them out into the dark if they are living out.

I wouldn't pay full livery for a yard that didn't do a late night check on stabled horses I don't think. Depending on other options I suppose.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

When I was on DIY then there were no night checks and no one living on site. The yard I am at now only the horses in during the night get checked (water and hay).

 

[Fieldlife]

It doesn't. There is a reasonable expectation that your horse receives a certain level of care when you're paying to have it looked after

I guess it depends if we are talking about full livery or part livery. I have done part livery with YO / Staff on site, and people on site (but not staff) at night. Some did night checks and some didnt.

I'm struggling with why if I am DIY and horses not at home, twice a day is fine, but if I am paying for part livery services a night check should be included. Surely it depends on the price, what you are paying for, the set up and the location etc.

Not sure it should be a deal breaker, if you are someone that would be happy with your horse checked twice a day on DIY?

 

[Dave's Mam]

It would be a deal breaker for me. What if a horse 'breaks out' of its stable in the night and scoffs the morning feeds? or horse gets itself cast, or someone enters the property and has all night to steal everything not bolted down (read horseboxes / trailers / tack). And if the horses are out, one gets kicked and goes all night without treatment.
I would walk away.

At what point do you draw the line though, we can't watch them 24 / 7?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

TBH I wouldn't be happy with a yard where they'd be left for so long without ANYONE checking; coz horses-being-horses you know what it's like, YO turns their back and rocks out the yard and that's exactly when something gets its leg through a rug-strap, someone gets kicked, someone cuts themselves, someone develops colic, The Shitland decides to escape etc etc.

I'm a YO with just a couple of DIY liveries and live on-site. I always do a late check, usually around 10pm, both summer and winter. Went down one night and my own old gal had started colicking. Vet job. Another time it was a livery's horse and another vet job. I stayed around the yard all night (all right so yep it was the owner's responsibility and yep I know I shouldn't have but can't help it coz am soft in the head). If there'd been no-one around till the morning we might have lost one of these, or both of them.

 

[Fieldlife]

TBH I wouldn't be happy with a yard where they'd be left for so long without ANYONE checking; coz horses-being-horses you know what it's like, YO turns their back and rocks out the yard and that's exactly when something gets its leg through a rug-strap, someone gets kicked, someone cuts themselves, someone develops colic, The Shitland decides to escape etc etc.

I'm a YO with just a couple of DIY liveries and live on-site. I always do a late check, usually around 10pm, both summer and winter. Went down one night and my own old gal had started colicking. Vet job. Another time it was a livery's horse and another vet job. I stayed around the yard all night (all right so yep it was the owner's responsibility and yep I know I shouldn't have but can't help it coz am soft in the head). If there'd been no-one around till the morning we might have lost one of these, or both of them.

So should owners that keep horses DIY away from home, and check their horses before work and after work not have horses on that basis?