Re our liveries using Holly...

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Lill

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I've said to them twice (both times it was ignored) that it would be best their son doesn't use Holly for his lesson. Or to ride her generally.

BUT they don't seem to understand plain english.... SO after Holly's awful performance when i rode her Sunday i took her tack home with me as i am so sick of them using her regardless.

Apparently they seemed rather surprised yesterday to not find her tack in the tack room when they went to use her.
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Unfortunately though it got taken out on B's wife as i wasn't there yesterday.
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Which isn't what i wanted but i didn't have much choice.
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Rather than saying 'it's best not to ride.....' Why can't you say 'You can't use the pony any more'?

Making yourself clear means that there is no room for mis-interpretation...
 
I will when i see them next.

She is not a beginners pony, and she picks up bad habits very quickly which has been driving me nuts as everytime their son rode her she got bad habits and as fast as myself and E were/are correcting them, he was riding her again and she was just getting worse and worse!!
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All our hard work with her was just flying out the window so to speak and instead of progressing Holly was going backwards.
 
ditto Amy but also, if they ignore you so blatantly, what's to stop them using some other tack on her which probably wouldn't fit her anyway, they seem the type who wouldn't worry about something like that?

Stand up to them and be firm, tell them 'no, you bloody well can't ride my horse ever' so they have absolutely no chance of misunderstanding whatsoever.

Go on, you can do it; think of your pony even if you don't like telling people possibly older than you what they can and can't do.
 
These are the same two i have had to tell to sweep up after themselves and only the other week to pick up their horses poo out the arena after they ride.

They won't want to hear it from me, they want to hear it from B as Holly is mainly B's but i know B and his OH won't want to get involved and just want an easy life - hence its been me thats said about sweeping up and picking droppings up.

Only its not doing Holly any good at all.

Their son needs to go to a proper riding school and learn to ride on a horse that is used to beginners, a ploddy easy type. Only that will cost them around £40 an hour not the freebie lesson or £10 lesson that its costing him/them at the moment using Holly.
 
Also they seem to have adopted our old dales mare, who is 25yo who they claimed couldn't cope with an hours lesson a week.... now she is stiff but this is just walking and trotting so am just going to suggest they go back to using her! ?
 
I dont know the arrangement you have with these people or the pony , but if "holly" is in mainly your care at the present minute and time then plainly say ... "Im sorry but I really dont want you riding holly , I just dont think your capable enough to ride her " very blunt I know but what your saying to them doesnt seem to be getting through .
 
Hun, why do they need to use any of your horses at all?? There are liveries at the end of the day and your not a riding school...

If i were you, i'd suggest to them that the establishment is a livery yard, not a freebie riding school and if they want lessons they either buy another horse or go to another place. Just seems silly to me....dont let them walk all over you...
 
I think you have to be blunt and to the point with them, B's hints about sweeping the yard and poo picking the arena didn't work so i said to them straight to the point about both matters and they are better now.

Looks like i'll have to be the same with Holly later tonight as no doubt they will be waiting for me when i get to the yard.

Just drives me mad, just because they don't want the hassle of correcting any problems with their own horses they think its better to use someone elses horse and then the problem is not for them to sort out. This is a fully grown man in his 30's we are talking about who has the lessons on her, why, she's a 14hh Welsh D and not a particularly stocky one at that!
 
Its hard though because i don't want to get on the wrong side of B and his OH (who want an easy life and don't seem to understand the extent of problems this is causing Holly) but at the same time i can't sit back and let this go on with Holly.
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Yes and No they just pay him for field livery for their two horses.

But pay an instructor (£10 ish or less) for their son to have lesson on Holly each week.

B just wants easy life though and doesn't do arguments or sorting things out, he just hints a bit which doesn't achieve anything with them, as i said earlier it was only after i said bluntly to them about sweeping up and poo picking that they did anything because B would just hint it and not get any results.

I spoke with B and his wife on sunday and said i was taking her tack home and said of the problems i've been having with Holly and they agreed but again they'd rather not be involved in having to tell the liveries something they don't want to hear.
 
Who does holly belong to? do you own her? have her on full loan? pay her bills?
Not sure I'm quite understanding the situation.
 
She belongs on paper to B but i've always had her on full loan as it were ever since we got her. B intends to drive her this summer though. No bills as shes at B's private yard on his land.

B said liveries could use her to begin with as i have been doing less with her lately, but i don't think quite foresaw all the problems and bad habits she would get from it.

I am just worried she is going to go back to how she was as a 4yo where when she didn't get her way she would rear and i really cannot stand rearers and so am dreading her going back to this.
 
Thats more tricky then as given you aren't actually paying anything for her I presume you don't have a loan contract. Therefore B can let whoever they like ride the pony
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Yes tricky and i don't want to upset B but its wrecking everything i've ever achieved with Holly, B said a few years ago our then livery could use Holly for lessons, and she just went backwards then too and in the end that livery left our yard because of upsets over it all among other things.

Thing is though i don't want current liveries to leave they are very nice people, i just don't want them using Holly! It just makes me feel like every time i ride Holly it is pointless because anything i achieve will be gone by the next time i ride her as she will fall back into her bad habits again.
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Why don't you ask for an official loan then and cover her costs. That way you do have the power to stop other people riding her
 
Have you told B that Holly is getting worse since the liveries started using him? And if B doesn't want them using him anymore could you not just tell the liveries this on B's behalf?
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Surely if B wants to use Holly for driving later in the year then he wouldn't her regressing to the way she used to be...
 
I discussed it with B only Sunday and said she is getting much worse. To emphasise my point i said it was like someone using Monty (his horse) twice, three times a week and then whenever he rides Monty he spends all the time correcting the bad habits Monty would have got from the other person and never moving forwards, and he said he understood where i was coming from with Holly then.

Well yes it won't do to have a rearing protesting pony when trying to break her to drive will it!
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you are running a severe risk of being sued for any injuries for a lot of money

I assume you are not registered for riding lessons and nor are you insured for same ?

these days you need a riding school license to even give pony rides for charity for one day let alone taking any money at all for lessons when someone could potentially be injured

this is a 'stop riding my horse(s) NOW immediately' issue and you also need to consider your insurance cover for continuing to teach anyone on any horse at all.
 
Back to this again, i still have her tack and the liveries have text B asking where it is and B just said 'i don't know'. See what i mean?

He does know that i have it but won't say anything leaving that to me!

Also wouldn't her tack not being there tell you something ?!

Stupid.....
 
lol B's given liveries my number now so they can text me and ask me.... they won't get much in reply as i want to speak to them face to face and not by text!

Very pushy aren't they? Considering Holly isn't their horse?!
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Sounds to me as if they aren't getting a clear message from anyone. So I think that speaking to them face to face is a very sensible thing to do.
 
One option is that you draw up an agreement that has the "i am not responsible" disclaimer and also that they would pay to have the horse reschooled if the owners deam their actions have made the horse unrideable. because as Renold has said it is leaving all of you open for leagal action if the rider falls off.... get your backs covered quick!!
 
Who is giving these lessons?

As the owners, B and OH need to tell them
"Holly is on loan to Lill now, so is not available for your son to ride, you could borrow Dales Mare for a steady half hour"

Her behaviour during or after the lesson it not the point, its them assuming they can use her that is the problem.
 
Ha read my other post....

B and OH won't say anything to them though thats half the problem, they've just given said liveries my phone number and denied all knowledge of where the tack is and said to ask me!
 
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