POO PICKING

[horselover3107]

My field has 4 horses, 7 loaners / helpers. Poo picking barely gets done. Last time somebody mentioned it, all of the helpers were very annoyed at the person saying they have jobs and no time. If you have a horse, then you sign up for that responsibility. Has anybody else had this issue.

 

[fidleyspromise]

What is the arrangement? Who owns the horses? Who is responsible for the field?

I've seen where wveryone is expected to do obese wheelbarrow per day and if they don't then are charged for however many days they miss.

 

[smolmaus]

Hmm. We do week by week, and yes there was one person where you expected the paddock to look grim. The only consequence was that your paddock buddies thought you were a lazy asshole tho, which for some is easy to accept.

If its multiple people, I don't know what the solution is here other than the owner/ manager stepping, in as fidleyspromise says, to impose some consequences.

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

I’ve been on yards where it’s done differently. One yard was 3 heaped barrows per person per week. One yard was just you must do it, but then it was usually left to 1-2 people who genuinely did it, and another yard everyone takes turns weekly, so one week the field had to be entirely cleared by one person, the next week another person etc…
The last method was the only way that seemed to work to make sure everyone did their part and ensure the fields where cleared. Might work best for you too, as if it’s a lack of time then they only need to do it for 1 in every 7 weeks… and if they do a couple barrows a day it shouldn’t be too hard for 4 horses

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Do it and charge them. Keep charging them until they get the message. If they don’t pay or whinge get rid of them.

You gotta do the gotta do’s before you do the wanna do’s.

 

[ponynutz]

Do it and charge them. Keep charging them until they get the message. If they don’t pay or whinge get rid of them.

You gotta do the gotta do’s before you do the wanna do’s.

This!

Or alternatively don't do it until they do... they won't last very long if they care about their horse. Keep repeating that until they get the message.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My field has 4 horses, 7 loaners / helpers. Poo picking barely gets done. Last time somebody mentioned it, all of the helpers were very annoyed at the person saying they have jobs and no time. If you have a horse, then you sign up for that responsibility. Has anybody else had this issue.

I'm with you that it needs doing.

Are you the YO? Who 'mentioned' the poo picking issue before, did they have any authority to enforce poo picking?

 

[asmp]

I’ve been on yards where it’s done differently. One yard was 3 heaped barrows per person per week. One yard was just you must do it, but then it was usually left to 1-2 people who genuinely did it, and another yard everyone takes turns weekly, so one week the field had to be entirely cleared by one person, the next week another person etc…
The last method was the only way that seemed to work to make sure everyone did their part and ensure the fields where cleared. Might work best for you too, as if it’s a lack of time then they only need to do it for 1 in every 7 weeks… and if they do a couple barrows a day it shouldn’t be too hard for 4 horses

Think it depends of number of horses not people. It would be fairer that way. Therefore a four week rota. It would be up to the people who share a horse to work out who does it when in their week.

 

[spotty_pony]

I’d make it an agreement that they need to do at least a barrow every time they come up or something similar. If they all come up everyday then a bit of a rota would probably work but it does need doing and between 7 people that shouldn’t be too difficult!

 

[HashRouge]

It's a bit hard to answer this one without knowing more context. Are you the YO? What exactly are the yard rules regarding poo picking? Some yard owners don't care about it, so if you are not the YO and there is no rule stating fields have to be poo picked, you can't really make other liveries do it! You specifically mention loaners/ helpers and say that the "helpers" were annoyed about being asked to poo pick. What about the actual owners of the horses, are they not poo picking? You also can't tell someone else's sharer that they ought to be poo picking, because you have no idea what their arrangement is with the owner of the horse. They might pay x amount per week, but have been told they won't need to do any chores by the owner. In which case, of course they won't want to poo pick.

 

[rextherobber]

Can't everyone agree to do a barrow a day? Doesn't take long, and would clear the field ( unless your horses are super productive!) A yard I used to be on didn't care if you poo picked or not, but were ok about people swapping fields, so you could share with fellow poo pickers, maybe you could try that ( horses getting along, of course)

 

[Fieldlife]

I know a yard where field divided into quadrants and each person clears their area at least weekly.

 

[Sandstone1]

If done every day it doesnt take long. A rota so everyone does a day each?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

It isn't clear OP what your status is on the yard.

If people are not poo-picking then (presuming you are NOT the YO) you need to mention this to the YO. If I was the YO I'd then start getting tough and saying that if people don't do their share and let the pastures get poo-burdened then there's the gate and take a hike kind-of-talk.

 

[Ratface]

Our fields are fully cleared of poo, ragwort etc, every single day. Fences checked, water troughs, gates, hedges, everything. We are fortunate to have an old-fashioned ("my way or the highway ") yard owner/manager. This person can be a shade "difficult" at times, but I'd 1000% rather have "difficult" than put up with the alternative.
At our previous yard, poo-picking rotas didn't work, arguments were rife. People using the school didn't clear poo up afterwards. I ended up doing a great deal of both. I left as soon as a space became available at the yard where we are now.
I miss the lovely hacking and some of the people, but not barrowing all those piles of poo!

 

[PurBee]

You gotta do the gotta do’s before you do the wanna do’s.

I love that statement BA…it sums up horse owning to a T! ?

In this scenario there’s more people than horses - surely if everyone grabbed a barrow for 15 mins every other day the field would remain clean?

Rough estimate - my 2 horses produce a full barrow daily - so half a barrow per horse.
4 horses = 2 barrows daily. Effectively a rota of 2 people per day would mean each person would only have to poopick once every 3 days. The 7th person can be added on 1 of the days.

It depends on the fields/horses - i know someone whose horses on small fields poop in a neat corner of the field, nowhere else - so quick to go to that spot and fill the barrow within 15mins.

My horses are on 7 acres and poop in some favoured spots but there’s plenty of random poops, just walking a zig-zag over each of the fields takes time, aside from picking up the poops. So i rota myself sections, rather than do the whole lot daily.

 

[only_me]

If the field is large you could suggest everyone paying to get it harrowed if no one is willing to poo pick.
The prospect of potentially paying for something that can be done for free is a great motivator to make people work lol

 

[MuddyMonster]

I know a yard where field divided into quadrants and each person clears their area at least weekly.

This is what I've done on three yards, including current yard. Each strip gets rotated each week so works really well!

 

[skint1]

In my time at my yard having shared with various other owners in a small herds (between 2-5 horses) I've done quadrants, days and barrows. I think barrows is the most problematic system in my lived experenice. I was at a friend's yard for a few months, there were 7 horses in a massive field 3 belonged to YO, 4 to individual liveries. We were each supposed to do a barrow a day. It was hard to do more because you had to brig it up to the yard and it was a trek. We did ours, don't know whether the others did or not, but it clearly wasn't enough because every couple of weeks she'd lose her head over it and demand that we all give up our Saturday morning to clear the field into the bucket of her husband's JCB and it was endless, we never ever cleared that field.

Later when I moved to my current yard another friend put 2 of her horses in a field with our gelding and another horse and implemented a barrow system, again, the field was never clear. Maybe her formula didn't take into account that barrows are different sizes or that horses poo at different rates, I don't know, but the barrow counting system is not for me!

I'd suggest either quadrants/sections or a rota.

 

[Ali27]

I seriously don’t get how anyone doesn’t poo pick! I poo pick every day, even in Winter and by head torch

 

[maya2008]

If small field, pick for them and charge for their share of your time? If large, a harrow is only about £200 second hand. Could you all chip in if someone has a 4x4 to tow it with? Solves the problem for most of the year.