Please help, yard dilemna!

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I_Need_Help

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Hi, I'm not really a new user but need some anonymous advice!

I'm having a dilemna with regards where to keep my horses. I have two and currently they are on DIY livery at a yard that is nice, it has good grazing, outdoor and indoor schools and is within hacking distance of local competition centres and very good local hacking. Bad points are you have to hack along main road to get to hacking or comp centres (one of my horses is not great in traffic), stables are a bit small, horses can only go out in daytime year round and it is quite expensive.

I work as a groom and have been offered by a lady I work for to take them to her yard and keep them there free of charge in exchange for looking after her two (soon to be three) horses. It is a lovely yard, lots of good grazing so horses could live out 24/7 in summer, nice big stables, one outdoor school (no indoor), but next door to offroad hacking (no roadwork needed), initial hack not as good as current yard though you could hack further afield to reach better hacking (which I don't mind doing).

It sounds like a great opportunity, my main worry though is that I would be looking after her three horses as well as my own two (so five) every day and it could get quite tiring! I know this probably sounds a bit pathetic but I have worked seven day a week jobs before and you do just burn out after awhile. She says this wouldn't happen and she would only make me do six days which is ok but still quite a big commitment. (I also find it hard to trust people having had a number of employers let me down previously). Other tha this reason there are only a few minor ones that put me off, this yard is a bit in the middle of nowhere so not so easy to hack to show centres though possibly with the money I save I could save up to get own transport. I feel like if I say no I will be missing what could be a really good opportunity and I know that many people would probably jump at the chance. Yet I have a nagging worry that it could all go wrong! Can anyone offer any advice to help me make up my mind.

Thankyou
 
It does sound good, does the lady herself have transport perhaps you could share a lift to shows if she does. But I would say if you go ahead to have a contract stating what hours/days you will be working etc. :)
 
I suppose that I can only recommend that you obtain a written contract of employment stating your duties and the hours of work expected of you at the new place.


Do people really work 6 day weeks? Sorry if I'm not in touch with the real world, but I work in a commercial environment and have no knowledge of a horsy working life.
 
I know someone who did exactly this, it lasted a summer.

basically the work load increased after she moved and she found that she was always babysitting the owner or her children when riding so was having to ride twice to keep her horses fit enough for eventing.

She also ended up maintaining the yard and grazing which takes lots of time.

If you can get everything in writing and agreed before hand then it would have a better chance, unfortunately my friend didnt and it left her horses without a home and her without a job.

on the plus, I have a lad who looks after my horses in exchange for livery and it works great but he has the option to stop anytime and go back to paying livery.
 
ldlp111, thanks, I will definately draw up a contract, have said to the lady we will need to discuss it so we each know where we stand. She doesn't have transport sadly :(

Flummoxed, sadly yes in the horse world it's not uncommon to work 6 or even 7 day weeks ( I have had two jobs that were 7 days a week, needless to say I didn't stay too mong as much as I enjoyed them I just ended up knackered and getting ill from being so exhausted all the time, hence my worries about this one!)
 
I have been in a simalar postion before, I took on a 7 day/365 job looking after other peoples horses, it was great for the first year and I saved loads of money, but I got to resent the fact that those 'others' had holidays and weekend lay in's while I was doing their horses ...so I stopped doing it (although I still look after two) if I did it again I would only do it for 5 days a week and I would make sure I had two weeks off in the summer and two in the winter.

I think I would do it if I was you, just say up front what days you want off, make it VERY clear that you don't want to be taken the p** out off :)
 
I_Need_Help said:
Flummoxed, sadly yes in the horse world it's not uncommon to work 6 or even 7 day weeks ( I have had two jobs that were 7 days a week, needless to say I didn't stay too mong as much as I enjoyed them I just ended up knackered and getting ill from being so exhausted all the time, hence my worries about this one!)
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Suddenly my work doesn't seem so bad!
 
I currently muck out and poo pick for her, I work as a freelance groom so her yard is just one of a few that I go to each day. I think the theory is that I would continue doing this and instead of her paying me (as she does now) I would get to keep my horses there for free instead. I do sometimes do extra jobs like extra yard maintenance etc which I get paid extra for and would continue to be paid extra in future if I did more than the agreed amount.
 
I think the theory is that I would continue doing this and instead of her paying me
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Then I would say no - don't move. I would guess that she is (or should be) paying you considerably more than it costs to keep you two horses on DIY livery. So she would be quids in - and you out of pocket.
 
I'm not sure how you would have time to look after 5 horses and work at other yards as well. It sounds good but if you're not 100 % I wouldn't do it, I made that mistake and moved back to the yard I moved from after 2 months. On the day of leaving I had doubts and realised after I should have listened to my instinct.

On the other hand keeping 2 horses for free is good.................its a dilema
 
You'd think so Amymay but actually this is not the case. I only charge by the hour and it doesn't take me long to do the jobs at her yard, and my DIY yard is quite expensive so I would be saving money if I moved to her place. It is more the time thing that I concerned about, I like to be able to choose what I do at weekends, I'm not sure I'd be happy having three extra horses to muck out, turnout, bring in etc on what are meant to be my days off.
 
Oh dear, now I'm even more confused! I was just about ready to say yes this morning though I admit I do have doubts. I'm sure I would have time to look after them all as well as work at other yards, I am quite a fast worker, it might get tiring though. I am thinking of maybe trialing it for a bit to see how it goes, only problem is I would risk losing my place at current yard and if I decide it doesn't work I might lose te employment from her too as she might not want me around anymore :(
 
I would consider it as you already do it as part of your job so time wise it will be no different. Do the sums add up, as in, does the amount she pays you work out about the same as what you are paying for livery elsewhere.
A big downside would be for me anyway..... you will be alone with no one else to ride with apart from her. Im in this position at the moment and sometimes wish I had others to ride with, go to shows etc etc as my horse isnt the easiest.
 
I wouldn't do it. Say if you were ill or wanted a holiday, would you be able to find someone to look after all 5? You could end up being a 24/7 slave to her horses, that would be my worry. If you have all these extra things to do with her horses, will you have time for your own?
 
i think you'd need to draw up the contract, that your horse's keep = approx x hours of work for her a week, and that that is what you would be prepared to do.
i know someone who got stung like this too... suddenly additional horses appeared that they were expected to do, etc etc.
 
:eek::eek:Alarm bells started ringing as soon as I read this.... isnt it funny how the nicest of people change when they have you by the short and curleys! Now I know nothing has happened yet....... and yes I am a cynic but.....
She has your horses on her yard rent free, suddenly come the winter your horses are eating too much hay, too much hard feed, getting through too much bedding. She wants you to do more with hers as yours are on her land so when will you have time to ride yours?
These things all sound so good at the start but can turn sour so quickly, when she decides she has a more or less permenent groom on site who she can ring at a drop of a hat to get her horses in because she is shopping etc. Of course you do it for her, why wouldnt you its a one off after all,
but then it goes on and on and on and on....
 
If you can get a very clear agreement which you're both happy with and you both stick too I'd do it. I worked as a groom for someone on a yard I liveried at a while ago and because things weren't clear and she couldn't communicate it all went wrong. However the next groom she had did ensure that everything was agreed clearly and it worked much better for them. I have 2 and having free livery for them would be a godsend.
 
NO too much work. I would tell her you will do them 5 days a week and every 4th weekend off. It might seem cheeky BUT it is what you need in order for it to last.
also make sure she knows that it only includes xyz not field work or poo picking, of pulling manes (whatever) other wise you will find you are doing more and more, then she will get another horse, maybe to sell on later (cos you look after HER horses)

Be very careful hun

As for trial is there anyway you could pay a holding fee or even full price while you go and try, you are currently paying anyway, might be worth it rather than just lose you place?
 
If she wants you and your horses there maybe sugest that you'd feel much happier if she continued to pay you for the freelance work you do for her and that you would pay her livery for your two horses? What do you pay for your livery currently? knock a bit off due to less facilities...

That way it is cut and dry. You still charge her for the work you do and she gets money in her pocket for your two being there. That way she has no call on how many days off you have etc etc- you tell her.

Sounds like her yard is better suited to you on a number of levels the only drawback being its location in relation to comp centres...?
 
It sounds like you like your current yard and also having your independance to choose what you do. I would be careful because of the reasons the others have already stated, also if you lose your place at your current yard, what will you do if it doesn't work out?
 
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