Paying someone to poo pick (freelance)...any experience?

[jaffa2311]

When I move to my new yard, it is required of me to poo pick my individual paddock in order to maintain it.

I will be commuting half an hour to get to the yard and working a demanding job and therefore do not want to poo pick particularly as I want to use my free time at the yard to ride my horse.

I am planning on paying somebody to poo pick for me once a week. The yard do not cover poo picking on the livery services but are happy for me to bring someone in to do it.

I have advertised for this job on a website this evening and already had response.

Does anyone do this? What do you charge? Do you stipulate any rules?

Are people reliable and do they do the job adequately?

Seeing as it is a small, flat, topped paddock, with just the one horse in it, who is only out day OR night, it is a very easy job. The field is directly opposite (2 metres) the stables and therefore no arduous walking with heavy barrows etc.

I was going to charge £5 a week, does that seem an okay amount?

This job is really aimed at young teens who want some extra pocket money however I do not want people who are going to turn up inconsistently/not do the job properly. How did you know the person you picked is reliable (I've never employed someone!!) ?

I know I could do it myself as it is really a very easy task however I don't really want the chore and want to use my precious free time to spend doing things with my horse. I'm too used to not doing it to come to terms with doing it again and really struggled to find the time when I did have to do it three years ago.

 

[pookie]

Presumably you mean you'll pay £5 a week, not charge? If I were you I'd probably do it myself for a couple of weeks to see how long it took each time and use that to work out an hourly rate.

 

[teasle]

It may build up over a whole week in a small paddock. I dont think that 5 pounds is enough if someone has to travel to do it. Maybe a teenager at your yard may do it for that. I find that I just go and get a couple of barrows while my horse eats his breakfast.

 

[labruyere]

well at min wage that's about 45 mins for a weeks worth of poo?

and unless they're based at the yard, they'll have travel time and expenses too...

I think you'll get precisely what you pay for...

IMO bugger all!

 

[nickyb]

I do mine every day, takes 10 mins max.....

 

[planete]

As already said, doing it yourself at least once will give you an idea of how long the job will take. You can then decide how much to pay per hour. If you get somebody conscientious and reliable, you may have to add petrol/travelling time to make it worth their while as well. I also give a Christmas 'bonus' slipped into their Christmas card but do not expect them to work on Bank holidays. You know the saying: "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"! And teenagers deserve a fair wage for a job well done, otherwise it is exploitation.

 

[HazyXmas]

I agree that it would probably be best to find someone that was already at the yard or it's not going to be worthwhile for anybody to come & do it.

I have a local lady that does mine twice aweek, it takes about an hour & i pay her £7 each time. She also does some riding for me so i usually give her £28-£35 each week.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I agree that it would probably be best to find someone that was already at the yard or it's not going to be worthwhile for anybody to come & do it.

I have a local lady that does mine twice aweek, it takes about an hour & i pay her £7 each time. She also does some riding for me so i usually give her £28-£35 each week.

I turn a friends horse out every morning and she poo picks my feild......saves her using the assisted diy and i dont have to pay anyone to do it.

 

[Mongoose11]

One horse who is out for 12 hours a day will take you 15 minutes to poo pick - as you said it's a very easy job. No £5 isn't an acceptable payment. If you wanted someone to travel there 2-3 times a week to stay on top of it then I would say you need to pay at least £15 pounds!

 

[pottamus]

When I go on holiday I pay someone to put a bucket of food down and check my horse, do water twice per day. It takes her a lot less time than poo picking one and I happily pay her £15 per day to do it. You have to consider the time it will take and the travelling costs too. It takes me about 10 mins a day to do my one horse, so I would be looking at paying someone £15 - £20 ish per week.

 

[AmyMay]

Ooo pick daily. It will only take 10 mins.

 

[AmyMay]

Poo.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I have help and she poo picks for me and tops up hay - she does this twice a week for an hour each day and I pay her £7.50 ph - so £15 for the week. I depoo the rest of the time but tend to leave the paddocks the day before she is due. SHe is mature and will always utilises her time if she is done early - like reorganising my muck heap etc.
I get a barrow a day out of my WB's paddock - he is out 24/7. Best as someone else suggested that you do it yourself for a couple of week's and see how long it takes. I think £7.50 ph is the minimum you could pay as you must consider people need to travel to the yard and it's hardly worthwhile for £5 pw. Maybe you could get someone who would also turn out and feed that day too to save you one morning's journey and pay them £10.

 

[jaffa2311]

thanks for replies.

They will not b doing it until I start working in September and I am moving there in 3 weeks so will be doing it for a month at least before I ask anyone else to.

I guess I can work out how long it is going to take then.

 

[katymay]

I poo pick daily before I bring him in, only takes 10 minutes and believe me he poo's a lot! at least 2/3rd wheelbarrow worth, I use rubber gloves as find it quicker to just scoop it up and chuck it in the wheelbarrow rather than faffing with trying to balance it on a shovel!

 

[AmyMay]

I poo pick daily before I bring him in, only takes 10 minutes and believe me he poo's a lot! at least 2/3rd wheelbarrow worth, I use rubber gloves as find it quicker to just scoop it up and chuck it in the wheelbarrow rather than faffing with trying to balance it on a shovel!

ditto.

 

[Patterdale]

Think of it this way - would you drive to someone else's place and do a weeks worth of poo-picking for £5??

Probably not!

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

At our yard, the DIY people have to poo pick their paddocks, and the part and full liveries have their fields done for them. DIY's at our yard can have their paddocks poo picked by the yard staff for £5 per week.

If you are bringing in someone to do it. I would estimate that it would probably take around an hour to clear weeks worth, depending on size of field, how long the grass is and how far away the muck heap is, etc, so you'd need to pay minimum wage and probably travel expenses to make it worth someones while.

 

[Boxers]

I have one horse out 24/7 and I poo pick once a week and it takes about 30 mins. it fills the back of the Kubota.

I would say £5 is no where near enough. Once you move to the yard there will no doubt be a teen there who owuld like the extra money and who will be at the yard anyway.

 

[jaffa2311]

I don't think £5 PER HALF HOUR is a bad rate that is akin to £10 an hour!

Having just done a degree and entering a graduate job, that is not far below what my salary would work out as!!

I have also stated on the advert £5 per half hour, with more if it takes longer/weather is awful.

I haven't poo picked in so long so do not really know the going rate.

Like an above poster said, my old yard used to charge me £5 a week to do it for me so I was just basing it on that.

Apparently another livery pays somebody outside of the yard to do it for them once a week, maybe I will ask them how much they charge.

I am not a slave driver and would have appreciated a job like that if I were a teen. I did a paper round which took an hour and was bloody hard work and got paid £6.40 a week and that was only 6 years ago!

 

[Patterdale]

You didn't say £5 per half hour, you just said £5.
Which would have been too low.

Plus, if you are at a job 8 hours a day and getting minimum wage, that's one thing, but to go somewhere specially for 1 hours minimum wage (for example) is not enough.

Like I said - would YOU do it for someone else's horse for that amount?

I used to be a full time freelance, mostly riding and teaching but some yard work too. It used to infuriate me that people would expect you to clean up after their horses for a pittance and be grateful for it. I certainly wouldn't.

So I stand by what I said - £5 for the job, which is what your OP said, wouldn't be enough.

 

[Fidgety]

Probably ask yourself what *you* would be prepared to do it for somebody else for, and then offer that?

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

The person who poo picks for the other livery might want the job of doing yours too. IME people get bored of poo picking jobs and quickly resign or become unreliable.

 

[FreddiesGal]

A fiver sounds a bit stingy to me! I'd expect that every time I did it.

 

[jaffa2311]

I have stated in the advert that it is predominantly aimed at young teens who obviously could do with the money but can't get a 'proper' job (shop/hospital/supermarket).

Like I said before, I used to deliver heavy, Sunday papers to about 30 houses, in two trips, in a shoulder bag whilst riding my bike which took me an hour. I was grateful for the money! At my age now, I wouldn't do it again as I need more money for my time in order to make ends meet.

I have also stated that they need to live locally as I do not want people going out of their way for a small job.

I'm guessing by the interest that I have had in the 22 hours it has been up that I am not a slave driver and it seems a relatively normal job. I want it to be a nice job for someone, it is a lovely yard, a nice field with a lovely horse in it with money incentive. Maybe if they rub off well then an opportunity to do stable duties/holiday cover/free supervised rides/space in a lorry for their pony to go out places or maybe even let them show mine inhand etc.

I will be doing it myself and decide what I think it is worth. I guess it is purely hypothetical until I have actually done it and experience for myself the timings/effort it takes although it seems an easy job that I would have done whilst at school.

 

[Rueysmum]

I count my horses' poos because they have to be monitored due to their (my) idiosynchrasies).

The old TB does about 10 in total over 24 hours and the ID/TB does about 7 (he is fed less as he is compromised in the leg department and is a more stocky individual in any case).

Crikey, OP. The most you would have to pick up is 3 to 5 per day if your horse is in at night. Much fun, and you would even get to evaluate the texture as well, although it wouldn't take you long, ten minutes at the most.

Don't waste your money. My two are both retired and I love picking up their poos. Much cheaper than going to the gym.

I'm a very sad person though.........

 

[jaffa2311]

ha ha! that made me laugh.

Maybe I'd even enjoy it! :O

I really do visualise myself being very short for time though unfortunately, especially in the Winter when it is dark early, which will mean I won't be able to do it in the evenings.

My job is very demanding and I will be on my feet the entire time (NHS, you know how it is- not enough staff and lots of patients!).

Who knows, maybe it will be so quick that I will be able to manage and get my 8 hours sleep at night still but I have a feeling I will need some help!

 

[Tickles]

Two potentially overly geeky legal type things...

* you can't usually state an age on a job advert (age discrimination, although you aren't likely to be picked up on this)
* you should probably check your public liability insurance covers you to employ minors (at whatever wage) because if your horse is out when picker is there and stands on their toe/whatever their parents may wish to sue big-stylee...

You *might* find it easier to get someone who will ride in return for poo-picking and has their own insurance.

 

[Fidgety]

ha ha! that made me laugh.

Maybe I'd even enjoy it! :O

I really do visualise myself being very short for time though unfortunately, especially in the Winter when it is dark early, which will mean I won't be able to do it in the evenings.

My job is very demanding and I will be on my feet the entire time (NHS, you know how it is- not enough staff and lots of patients!).

Who knows, maybe it will be so quick that I will be able to manage and get my 8 hours sleep at night still but I have a feeling I will need some help!

Most people who work full time find juggling their jobs and their horses demanding. Most people who have full time jobs only have daylight hours during the winter at the weekends in order to cram everything else in. If you're really worried about your sleep, why not enter into some sort of a rota with your fellow liveries?

 

[jaffa2311]

That's a good idea Fidgety and something worth thinking about.

Everything else (stable duties wise) has been negotiated with the YO with regards to an assisted DIY/part livery type thing but they are unable to incorporate poo picking due to their time constraints.

I guess it is something to see when I get there.

You have a good point about the legal points you made but my ad does not state an age merely suggests it would be 'ideal for a young teen'.

Your other point is also something important I need to think about. I will enquire with yard owner and the other lady who pays someone as to what they do. A contract signed by the parent could be utilised perhaps.