Rules... livery yards

[Hormonal Filly]

These are all previous yards but had to share, mind not as great as some but at the time it really irrtated me!

- After moving, I found out hose pipes were not allowed and she got seriously funny if you used buckets to bath your horse once a year or before a competition. Difficult when I own a mostly white piebald, had to box him to a friends yard to bath him same as others done. YET the YO herself had a removable hosepipe she used to bath her horses every other day in summer but no one else was allowed - just her. We paid close to a small fortune to be there!
- If your horse pooed on the drive you should immediately pick it up, even if you were riding or hacking out you should get off, walk back to the yard and get a scoop.
- Old yard had american stables, all horses were only allowed in one end. However people would tie up outside stables making it impossible to put your horses in their box as it was so narrow (specially if you were at the other end!) You had to wait for anything up to 10 horses to be moved or get shouted at, there was no where else to tie so people didn't have a choice. Mind the other entry point to the barn was exact the same as the other end, symmetrical, just only people allowed in that entrance and my stable was 2ft from that entrance! When I was on my way to work early that was irritating.

Sure i'll think of some more..

 

[milliepops]

Also I've got a question; how do you post a thread- joined today and I need to ask a question

Thanks!

the top of every main board page has a Post Thread button.
it's at the top right if you're using the desktop view.

 

[Orchard14]

Thankfully I am on a lovely yard now which has a relaxed YO and standard rules - if you make a mess clear it up before you go, no dogs, no children, horses are not allowed to be loose on the yard, horses must be seen to by 9am in winter and checked at least every 24 hours in summer, no horses to be turned out/left out on their own, no clutter outside stables, flu vaccinations are required every 6 months and regular vet/dental checks and farrier visits, horseboxes and trailers must have an annual service and are free to store on the yard. I'm very happy where I am now and agree with all the rules but my god I have just left a yard with the most bizarre/frustrating rules - most of which they only tell you AFTER you have moved in.

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about the fact that our YO would not allow you to keep hitch or wheel locks on your trailer essentially leaving it open to thieves and invalidating your insurance policy - I tried to give him my spare lock keys so he could move the trailer if he needed to but I was told the trailer locks needed to come off or the trailer would have to go, in the winter horses must be brought in by 2pm (which is super handy when you work office hours ) but above all of that, by far the most stupid rule is that it is written in the contract for this yard is that liveries must club together and sort the YO's 26 horses for him over Christmas/New Year and pay full livery price for the privilege...


I lasted little over a month at this place...

 

[Frumpoon]

Thankfully I am on a lovely yard now which has a relaxed YO and standard rules - if you make a mess clear it up before you go, no dogs, no children, horses are not allowed to be loose on the yard, horses must be seen to by 9am in winter and checked at least every 24 hours in summer, no horses to be turned out/left out on their own, no clutter outside stables, flu vaccinations are required every 6 months and regular vet/dental checks and farrier visits, horseboxes and trailers must have an annual service and are free to store on the yard. I'm very happy where I am now and agree with all the rules but my god I have just left a yard with the most bizarre/frustrating rules - most of which they only tell you AFTER you have moved in.

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about the fact that our YO would not allow you to keep hitch or wheel locks on your trailer essentially leaving it open to thieves and invalidating your insurance policy - I tried to give him my spare lock keys so he could move the trailer if he needed to but I was told the trailer locks needed to come off or the trailer would have to go, in the winter horses must be brought in by 2pm (which is super handy when you work office hours ) but above all of that, by far the most stupid rule is that it is written in the contract for this yard is that liveries must club together and sort the YO's 26 horses for him over Christmas/New Year and pay full livery price for the privilege...


I lasted little over a month at this place...

That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?

 

[Abi90]

That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?

The no dogs I get as quite a few yards have that, I dislike children but wouldn’t think it was fair to stop people bringing well behaved ones up, vaccs every 6 months is still extreme to enforce despite the flu outbreak.

Whilst I agree that trailers should be serviced regularly I don’t understand why that is a yard rule as when the trailer is at the yard then it won’t be being used and will only have an issue off the yard?? I understand a YO suggesting it might be a sensible idea but enforcing it seems odd

 

[JFTDWS]

I think no dogs and no kids sounds very relaxing! I like taking my dog up the yard but only because I have a completely separate set up and he can't get near anyone else - it's not relaxing keeping an eye on your dog around other people /dogs / horses, or worse, keeping an eye out for everyone else's!

Vaccs every 6 months / servicing rules are unusual but I suppose would deter the more feckless owners?!

 

[{138171}]

I would never be on a no dogs or no kids yard, how archaic! Vaccinations should be owners choice, not forced by yard rules, same with rugs, hosepipes etc. Luckily my yard manager is easygoing as is the farmer that owns the land. Inwork for her too and she is a brilliant boss.

 

[conniegirl]

I would never be on a no dogs or no kids yard, how archaic! Vaccinations should be owners choice, not forced by yard rules, same with rugs, hosepipes etc. Luckily my yard manager is easygoing as is the farmer that owns the land. Inwork for her too and she is a brilliant boss.

There are plenty of people (myself included) who would jump at a no child yard. Its not archaic to want an adult only space, to not be constantly bothered by a child asking 10000 questions and not to have to worry about a child doing something stupid like hugging the back leg of my 4yr old who was eating his tea at the time.
I agree that rugs should be owners choice but disagree with vaccinations not being compulsory. If your horse is in a public place then it should be vaccinated, livery yards count as a public place to me and it will be the poor livery yard owner who cops the flack if an irresponsible horse owner brings something nasty back and infects other horsss

 

[SEL]

I think no dogs and no children sounds great! I love well behaved versions of both but my opinion of well behaved doesn't always agree with the owner / parent.

 

[pippixox]

No kids or dogs is acceptable to me as long as you know about it! Before I had kids I sometimes just wanted to get to with things and would be pestered by them! First yard a mum would try and just drop off her 6 & 8 yo until yo noticed so she then sent them with a nanny who knew nothing about horses so I was always helping them. Even now it sounds like a nice idea but I don’t have child care twice a day!
My yard is an old farm with building and gardening businesses now, all three main horse owners have kids so therefore we even have a play area in the hay barn and kids cycle around the place. But we are all in the same boat and we all help watch the kids.

Our only rule is just to pay the landlord and we sort everything ourselves. I have to pay to weedkill this year as docks took over last year. Will cost a lot but my annual rent is a pittance.

Previous livery yard was lovely and just had sensible rules!

 

[Orchard14]

That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?

It actually is a very relaxed yard and bar those rules pretty much anything goes so long as your horse gets looked after properly - no set yard opening times, very social, horses go out as much as you want, and totally free access to water - I even wash my car up there sometimes!.
The no dogs/children rule is a huge bonus for me! I don't want small things running around my feet making noise thank you very much, I get enough of that at home! And this rule was set due to livery feedback of what they want/don't want on the yard.
The BHS have set the rules on 6 monthly vaccinations and as a BHS approved yard we have to adhere to that alongside other rules such as hard hats, insurance etc. - not owners choice.
The servicing is a rule as YO is actually an ex-firefighter and has had to cut several horses out of dodgy horseboxes and trailers over the years and he just doesn't want that happening to any of us. The liveries book the service and YO makes sure he is there to pay and take trailer locks on and off for you so you don't even need to take the time off work. I would also argue that if you are only using your trailer a few times a year and it's sitting still the other 360 days it needs servicing just as much if not more than if you were using it every weekend!

I personally feel very privileged to be on a yard where the YO cares about your horses welfare as much as you do. The rules are there to enforce what you SHOULD be doing anyway, nothing else is added. I was on the yard for 12 years before leaving in February for more facilities and being closer to my new job but realised I made a mistake and asked to come back luckily before my stables had been given away. The yard has been full for those 12 years so he's obviously doing something right!

 

[Chippers1]

My yard is pretty relaxed compared to these, just mainly to be tidy and clean up after yourself - although even that seems difficult to some liveries! We're not allowed to use hose pipes to wash (pain as it's much quicker) but it's a rule so I follow it and if we have to leave early for a show it's courtesy to let the yard know you're coming in for the key to the gates early but that's about it really. Luckily most people are well behaved on there

Probably the main unspoken rule is not to leave any feed/human food at floor level or the giant pet sheep gets it

 

[Leo Walker]

I lasted little over a month at this place...

I lasted 3 days at a yard once and that was mainly due to having to find somewhere else so you did well!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I'm a YO (DIY, one livery) so not in the same league (thank goodness) as some of the yards mentioned on here.

But please do remember that a "rule" is there, probably because someone, somewhere back in the dim and distant past, took the Yellow Liquid big-time and/or didn't pull their weight and was a lazy so-and-so, and so the YO then had to make a ruling about it.

I have one anal fetish basically and it concerns gates: I ask that the gates of the yard are kept closed, simply because I live on-site and (a) I don't want the dogs getting on the road outside; and (b) if I'm handling horses I'm much happier doing it behind a closed gate..........

 

[Ceifer]

I moved to a yard that imposed a rule that horses could not be turned out in the rain. Any form of rain -spitting or heavy. Then of course the fields were ‘too wet’ to use.
They did this whilst I was away for a week. Didn’t tell me and didn’t offer any alternative. So my horse was stabled for the week. I moved within a week of returning and lost 2 weeks livery and didn’t get my deposit back either.

 

[9tails]

It actually is a very relaxed yard and bar those rules pretty much anything goes so long as your horse gets looked after properly - no set yard opening times, very social, horses go out as much as you want, and totally free access to water - I even wash my car up there sometimes!.

You actually wash your car at the yard? There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.

 

[Orchard14]

There are plenty of people (myself included) who would jump at a no child yard. Its not archaic to want an adult only space, to not be constantly bothered by a child asking 10000 questions and not to have to worry about a child doing something stupid like hugging the back leg of my 4yr old who was eating his tea at the time.

It is bliss! We can move the horses around without worrying about what or who they might step on, plus we are free to swear and drink wine as much as we like

You actually wash your car at the yard? There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.

And yes I wash the car with bucket and sponge, have done for years - YO doesn't care, in fact he frequently jokes (so frequently that it's no longer comical) that I 'missed a bit' besides I use far less water than horse owners do the night before a show!

 

[bouncing_ball]

You actually wash your car at the yard? There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.

Surely it is all about reading the mood music as to whether yard is concerned about water usage and occupying space? Some are and some aren't depending on whether metered or not, and how they view water useage and costs, and how busy yard is etc.

I've washed my car at yards, and not done so at others. I don't have an outside tap near the road at home. But I tend to use a car wash anyway.

I have been at a yard that didn't mind cold hosing legs / washing horses / but liked you to only fill water buckets fresh alternate days so as not to use too much water. Washing my car there would have been a bad idea! And the yard was far to busy with horse traffic, and use of the hose to be sensible.

 

[Hollychops]

I went to see someone about renting a stable and field to be told i wasnt allowed on the yard before 9am and had to be gone by 5, including weekends! As i worked 8-5 at the time i didnt think there was any point in moving my horse there.

 

[Pippity]

The BHS have set the rules on 6 monthly vaccinations and as a BHS approved yard we have to adhere to that alongside other rules such as hard hats, insurance etc. - not owners choice.

My yard is also BHS-approved (had its inspection last week), and is happy with annual vaccinations. I can't find anything that says the BHS insists on six-monthly flu vaccs?

 

[Orchard14]

My yard is also BHS-approved (had its inspection last week), and is happy with annual vaccinations. I can't find anything that says the BHS insists on six-monthly flu vaccs?

Interesting Pippity...I haven't actually seen evidence of this rule myself, only emails from YO following the recent outbreak which said something along the lines of updated advice from the BEF/vets RE recent flu outbreak and needing to follow this advice as a BHS yard. It doesn't bother me regardless - my horses are FEI registered and so have been vaccinated every 6 months anyway, plus a large majority of competition venues now insist on it so this rule makes no difference to us.

 

[Pippity]

Interesting Pippity...I haven't actually seen evidence of this rule myself, only emails from YO following the recent outbreak which said something along the lines of updated advice from the BEF/vets RE recent flu outbreak and needing to follow this advice as a BHS yard. It doesn't bother me regardless - my horses are FEI registered and so have to be vaccinated every 6 months anyway, plus a large majority of competition venues now insist on it so this rule makes no difference to us.

My yard's advised we have six-monthly flu vaccs with the current outbreak - and YO organised having a vet come out to do everyone who wanted it, saving on the callout fees - but it was just advice.

Mine started a new course of vaccs when I bought her, so will be getting another shot at six months anyway.

 

[SEL]

I have one anal fetish basically and it concerns gates: I ask that the gates of the yard are kept closed, simply because I live on-site and (a) I don't want the dogs getting on the road outside; and (b) if I'm handling horses I'm much happier doing it behind a closed gate..........

Having accidentally let 30+ horses out from a field once I'm all in favour of gates to the road being shut!!

 

[Fluffypiglet]

I spent a lot of time looking at yards and one i discounted due to rules. I'm clean, tidy and respectful but this lady seemed to have an issue over hay. They had to have hay nets no other options acceptable and she warned me that she wouldn't tolerate hay being dragged into beds. Beds were about 2-3inches of wood pellets and she had a special sieve thing for mucking out. Not a single strand of hay out of place or left. Given my horse needs adlib hay I asked whether I could pay more so that it was adlib hay and was told no. She also had strict "opening hours" which we subsequently found out were strictly enforced when she locked the gates on a previous livery who was delayed at a show by about half an hour after closing time. She refused to allow them in so they had to find somewhere else to stable overnight. They moved unsurprisingly! I decided it wasn't the yard for me. At least she was upfront about it.

 

[Floxie]

I have one anal fetish basically

I do not think these terms mean quite what you intend to convey...

I'm afraid I prefer a yard without kids, although I've never been on one where it's the rule. Thankfully my yard now is mostly adults. I can be quite anxious and liverying at a riding school frayed my nerves - kids tend to shriek, and I spent half my time on high alert thinking there was an issue or somebody had been hurt

I wish our yard would ban the owner's dogs It's like the Crystal Maze avoiding the dog poo.

 

[Auslander]

I do not think these terms mean quite what you intend to convey...

Dammit Floxie! I've been sitting on my hands ever since I read that!

 

[Floxie]

Dammit Floxie! I've been sitting on my hands ever since I read that!

Guess she's not the only one then..!

 

[Auslander]

Guess she's not the only one then..!

Snorts! I just choked on my lunch!

 

[kc921]

The yard I was at, the owners were just plain crazy.

Before I came to this yard I told them about my work hours as I work until 7pm sometimes which mean't I would get up there late. They said its fine and that I could have flexibility with the times to be on and off the yard. As soon as I got there they had no recollection of this and stated I had to be Off the yard by 8pm and was not allowed on the yard any earlier than 8am.

Week days you could not be on the yard before 8am, if you were you were not allowed to leave your car until it turned 8am, but your horse HAD to be out in its field by 8:15, otherwise they would put it out and charge you for it!
Many times I got there at 8:20 and they were just turning out my horse and I stopped them! They didn't even let him finish his breakfast the poor sod!
I was told the horses were allowed to be out until 7:30pm as the yard closed at 8pm and you HAD to be off the yard by then. I got there at 7:20pm and they had brought him in already, was told by the other livery up there they had brought him in at 4pm and hadn't given him water or hay and they put it on my charge list!!

Another time, was also at work and they texted me saying they were bringing all the horses in at 2PM as it was starting rain! Again I couldn't get there till after work and they had given him no hay or water!
The next week we had heavy snow, luckily my car could make it up the hill to get to the yard, only to get there and everything was already done, they just assumed everyone wasn't coming up and again they charged me for it.

I regularly got told I was "Crazy" for riding in the sandschool if the weather was slightly windy or if it was spitting.

I lasted less than a month there.

 

[WelshCManiac]

I lasted 3 days at a yard once and that was mainly due to having to find somewhere else so you did well!

Yes I lasted 3 days at my first ever yard because they only let you turn out for 1 hour( in the British heat waves but also any other weather) and didn't let you our out any jumps what so ever