Not Much For Full Livery

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Mithras

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Following my post about the late night text I had from my new livery yard owner about "upsetting" her neighbour 1/4 miles away due to the sound of my horses' hoofbeats at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, she has changed the goalposts again. By announcing that changing from turnout to stable rugs and back will cost an extra £7 a week, or £30 a month. She wants my horse to stay in her turn out rug all the time, reason given is that it takes too much time to change all the liveries' rugs and its a fad that one horse owners have and not really necessary as winter rugs are so good nowadays.

Any thoughts? I had to bit my tongue not to say that I have my horse on full livery to have these little luxuries and I wonder what my boss at work would say if I decided not to do part of my job because I couldnt basically be bothered and didnt think it necessary.

I am biting my tongue an awful lot. I made the decision to move to that yard because it was £85 a week for full livery. (although if the price of hay and straw go up, I will be charged extra). But it doesnt seem a very full full livery to me! All I basically get is turn out, turn in and mucking out. And the bed is only a tiny corner of straw on mats, how long does it take to muck out that? It doesnt even include any hard feed - that however seems to be the norm up here in Aberdeen, though I must admit I was pretty surprised as previously I'd never come across full livery that didnt include hard feed.

So I guess if paid for the rug changing as well, I'd be paying £93 per week for full livery, in a remote part of Aberdeenshire, with no indoor school, no gallops and grouchy neighbours. That of course doesnt include riding, grooming, picking out feet, skipping out if your horses is in, cleaning tack or anything. And I end up bringing my horse in most days to ride. I get charged extra for holding for the farrier too.

I'm beginning to feel annoyed every time I go up there. Annoyed when I see the tiny bed, annoyed at the mud, annoyed when I think I better not do this in case I upset someone, annoyed at what change will be introduced next. I want to give it 3 months at least because quite often you take time to settle in, but honestly!
 
It sounds more like part livery to me... I'd stop biting my tongue if I were u!!
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Do you have a contract? If so, I'd check and see what's in it. rug changing is a fundamental part of full livery IMO. Thats like saying you arent' going to give hay in the evenings! If you haven't got a contract, I suggest you get her to do one!
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Sounds like YO is taking the P*ss, there's no way I would stand for that!!!
Is she the sort of person to try it on and if she gets away with it then'great thats one less job to do', esp if you're new?? Maybe she's seeing how she can push you? Maybe you should stop bitting your tongue and be straight with her, its your money and your horse!!
Not much help to you but I wouldn't have a tongue left if I was you and would certainly be looking for alternative accommodation or having a meeting with her?!!
 
This is Aberdeen, they are *ahem* somewhat fiesty up here. Question or argue with them in any way and you get quickly told to sling your hook. The thing is, the YO is a sublime rider and the best trainer I have ever found, which is the only reason I am still staying. Argue and leave and I will lose that. If I stick it out a couple of months and get the benefits of her training and occasional schooling of my horse it might be worth it.

Oh, but I feel bugged every time I go up though! I'm very polite and expect others to be and not take the pi** but you can only push me so far and then I explode.

Do have contract but it doesnt describe what is done for the money, only the obligations the owner ie what I should and shouldnt do. Is new yard so I expect YO is just realising what a lot of work she has let herself in for and is not paying any attention as to whether the liveries are happy.
 
sounds to me as if yo is having a 'can't be bothered 'cos it's winter' mode and the deal you have for 'full' livery without feed is rubbish

get out
 
Good grief where on earth are you in Aberdeen!So I can avoid it if I ever move!!As you can guess am from there
Will say in Aberdeen you don't get a lot for your money but have never been on yard like that,they have all had pjs on at night unless owner says otherwise.
And annoying neighbours with hoofbeats at 3pm!Eh!!
Would definitely be moving yards I'm afraid!
 
ifs she not changing rugs ask her to reflect this in the price (discount), and is she proposing to leave horses in soaking wet rugs when they come in!
 
You don't need to have an arguement with her, just explain what your expectations are and what you are expecting for the money you are paying!
Fair enough if she thinks that t/o rugs are ok to be left on all the time (we are all entitled to our own opinions, or quirks!) but at the end of the day you are paying for your horse to be cared for as you would care for it yourself so she should respect that?
It sounds to me like she's taken on more than she thought. Surely the other liveries are not happy with the level of service??
 
Very expensive for what you are getting. Either your horse is looked after "completely" which includes rugs, holding for the farrier and any other little extras she is adding, or he is on part livery which should be one hell of a lot cheaper and you can pick and choose which services are provided. Ridiculous.
 
My part livery at a yard in Aberdeen provided more than that(went there for short time) - turned out/took in,skipped out box and put up haynet for horse coming in but tbh bed was pretty clean for skip out,use of indoor and outdoor school (when no shows etc on)used my own feed and bedding,haylage was included in price and was between 250 and 300 per month.
Can't believe what you are getting charged.
Wonder why yo took on liveries if doesn't really want to do it??
 
That is way too expensive for Scotland, IMHO. We have a livery yard and a full livery who is on the livery that you describe, ie the owner buys in her food but out of choice. Her horse is skipped out if she has to come in early in bad weather, has her feet picked twice a day and rugs changed to whatever is appropriate for the weather plus stables and nz's changed. Her hay is soaked, feeds made and groomed and she gets all this and free trailer storage oh and free storage for 3 tonnes of hay for £60/week.
 
PM me with where you're liverying. Ive not heard anything that its the norm that things are excluded for full livery up here in Aberdeenshire! Maybe you need to look for a different yard again as this one sounds c*ap! There ARE good ones out there, have you tried some of the bigger places? They have more of a reputation to depend on.
 
I don't know about prices up in Aberdeen, but what you are getting is NOT full livery. It sounds like it's barely even part livery - more like 'assisted DIY' and bloody expensive at that price!
 
I think she's taking the p... BUT... If you have modern, breathable rugs like Fal Pro for example then it might not be such a bad idea. Any rug can get a bit damp around the edges with the sort of weather we are having, but these rugs are breathable, so if you leave them on your warm horse they dry really quickly when the horse comes in. So you nice warm horse stays in his nice warm rug.
What we normally do each morning is take off their snuggly stable rug and put on the rather chilly damp object that has been hanging on a rail all night. No wonder some of them pull faces.
For this reason, my horse went to bed with his outdoor rug on today, and by the time I left about half an hour later the rug was dry on the outside, and even the damp bit on the inside where the rain had been blowing up his bum (!) was nearly dry.
I used to have horses coming in to stables with outdoor pens attached, they always wore Fal Pro rugs and kept them on. Obviously you need to re-seat the rug, but there's no harm leaving it on.
 
Susitoo you are so naughty. First you are seen cantering along the verges upsetting horses within a mile radius, but now you have been so bad as to disturb the neighbour by riding at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. How could you? You are a terrible terrible person...

I appreciate what you are saying about YO being such a good trainer etc but you need to get out of there and fast before they make you completely and utterly paranoid. Sounds like the yard from hell quite honestly.
 
Susitoo - you need to move!! PRONTO! You can get a LOT better than what you are getting for £93 a month!! FOr LESS than that where I am u get indoor school, outdoor, another sand arena bit (small but ok for lunging/pottering) short offroad hacking track, rugs changed, morning adn evening feeds MADE AND GIVEN - actually feed not included though but can be provided. and they do BIG straw beds and I mean BIG like up to my KNEE big!
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Sounds like where u are the lady has overinflated ideas of herself!
 
Seems to be par for the course up here, not including hard feed in full livery. I must say I had never come across it before I moved here, and was pretty astonished. For me, full livery is where they do everything except ride, and you could literally not go up for a long time, rest assured your horse was being looked after.

It was the same (re hard feed) at my last yard, which was near Cults, which the ABerdonians think is the equivalent of Knightsbridge or something. But at least they did a flippin rug change. I moved because they woudl not restrict the grazing and it was ridiculous having a 16.2 showjumper wearing a grazing muzzle 7 months of the year, also the school was too small and couldnt get a decent farrier to come to the yard due to arguments.

OK, so her thinking is wet rugs dry quicker on the horse, but I have loads of rugs, and I pay for full livery so my horse can have the luxury of having rugs changed. Its not like shes offering a discount if I dont get it!

Trouble is, this changing of the gateposts once you have moved there. I am not happy at YO for luring me there on the basis of certain expectations and then changing it once I am there. There are only about 4 liveries and I never see the others so I dont know what they think.

Oh, and I have to pay extra for trailer parking as well. I really expected more of this YO than this, but I guess she just views me as a cash cow.

I find they are keen enough to take your money but not so keen on working for it. I dont just think I need to change yards, I think I need to get away from this place, its driving me mad.
 
I agree that is an awful lot of money for what you are getting! (or not getting) as the case maybe!
No hard feed either!
I would look at your contract if you have one at see what is says, I would hate for my boy to come in and have to stand in a cold wet rug or night...he needs his pj's
You wouldnt go to bed in your wet coat, why should he!
YO is taking the pi$$ would defo look for another yard!
 
It's up to you whether you leave or not. Rug changes do take time and maybe she hadn't accounted for this originally, not that it's right to change things as and when she fancies. Perhaps she could have explained it better.
The thing I would be furious with is not picking feet out. That is all part of bringing a horse in, you sort it out so that it is made comfortable in it's stable. What if the horse had a stone lodged and as you are on full livery you didn't get down for a couple of days? That's bad in my book.
 
I think most horsey Aberdonians realise exactly what yard in cult/beildside and all the rest are like but tbh its sometimes having to do the best with what you've got!There is a lot of money in Aberdeen but it is all on one side so to speak and it is expensive for the normal joe bloggs in the street.If your on a good wage its ok.
Agree full livery up here is rarely full livery really.
Can't answer bout farrier as all yards have been on have been quite happy for me to use my own farrier.
If your not happy at yard I would move.
Alan Spalding in Durris was advertising for full liveries a couple of months ago.He competes so would have an understanding of your horses needs and will say his horses NEVER look scruffy or poorly fed etc great hacking too.
 
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- that however seems to be the norm up here in Aberdeen, though I must admit I was pretty surprised as previously I'd never come across full livery that didnt include hard feed

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Which yard? PM me if you'd prefer. Is it one that begins with S? If so, I thought they had an indoor?

I've been thinking about moving back home to Aberdeen.
 
Snowhawk think you could be right if we are thinking same yard.Remember hearing they could be funny regarding certain farriers and tbh sure some farriers won't go there.
If same yard yes they do have school but it's a bit littler than an average school if I remember correctly probably one decent jump size(well maybe two)The one at the back of cults?????
Good grief does anyone think of that as similiar to Knightbridge !!!!!!
 
No it hasn't.New owners of daughters pony were there so was there visiting earlier this year but no in all yrs hasn't changed that I can see.
Rumour had it Mr M was a hard taskmaster and not all together reasonable at times but as I say this was rumour.
We were just along the road at Oldfold.
 
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