Should full livery be charging this?

[Autumn30]

Hello,

I am wondering if this is normal?

I am on full livery and have been for over a year- I’ve never not had extra costs for anything other than bedding.
However, I have recently received a bill to hold my horse to receive the flu jab.
Was charged £25. Which is very steep for something that takes a second.
There’s nothing in the contract that states these extra costs- and for previous vet days I’ve never noticed this.
I thought the whole point of full livery was they care for your horse like you would.
Thanks x

 

[Red-1]

I have never known full livery to include worming, vaccination, dentist, additional supplements (other than a broad spectrum vitamin), shoeing, lessons, travelling.

 

[teapot]

Yes to charging it - it may seem like a two second job (if your horse needed holding maybe it wasn't?) but they'll be paying someone to actually hold your horse (poss bring in/turn out for it too) who won't be £2.50 an hour It's on the higher side granted, but even so, every right to charge what it actually costs!

Should there be a list of extra costs, yes.

ETS: missed you were on full. Depends on what you're paying for I guess, what's in your contract?

 

[saddlesore]

Wow! I’ve never been on a yard where things like that are charged although I know some do. £25 seems nuts though! I would absolutely query it.

 

[BeansNsausages]

It seems excessive.

 

[[59668]]

What does your contract say?

 

[Muddywellies]

I'm on full livery and work full time but always book vet and farrier for when I'm there. Full livery in my mind is just paying someone to do the basics for me. £25 does seem a lot but did they have to go to the field and get him in for the vet, then put him back out ? I wonder if they charge quite a lot for this service to encourage people to be there themselves rather than rely on yard staff to do it ?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

It should be on a list of additional charges.
Most full livery yards round here include hold for vet, present for farrier (extra if needing held through shoeing process) etc.
Biggest pricey one includes winter monthly clipping, wash off, worming, just about everything you can think of for full livery.

 

[spotty_pony]

Yes it should be charged separately unless specified on your contract that it is included. It’s not just holding your horse for two seconds. It’s being available for when the Vet is able to come. It’s planning your day around the Vet coming. It’s being flexible in case the times changed. The list goes on…

 

[Sussexbythesea]

On full livery or rather part-livery I was never charged extra for dealing with the farrier or vet and that wasn’t even proper full-livery. If you’re truly full livery then I wouldn’t expect additional charge. Ultimately though it depends on the contract. £25 seems excessive.

 

[Trinket12]

I pay extra for worming, I'm always there for vet stuff.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I pay extra for worming, I'm always there for vet stuff.

I always paid extra for the wormer but not the worming.

 

[Trinket12]

I always paid extra for the wormer but not the worming.

This was at my last place, not sure how we'll do it in our current place. But I paid about 10 pounds (give or take, I'm in Canada). so didn't break the bank. Even if I couldn't be there for injections my coach would be and she doesn't charge me.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Bring in, be ready for the vet, vet isn't spot on time, horse bit fidgety, job done turn back out again. All use up a staff member for time.
I think it's about £10 all in on my yard.

 

[Starzaan]

This depends what is included and what your definition of full livery is.
My full livery package includes ALL daily care, grooming, tack cleaning, and six days of exercise a week. Trimming and clipping is also included so I would not add this charge on. It does seem odd to add it on if not specified previously.
However, people seem to forget how a yard runs, and that we have more than one horse to do. My routine is feed, turnout, muck out, exercise, lunch, tack cleaning, catch in and groom, finish up. If I need to bring a horse in early and wait for a vet, that is a groom who isn’t riding, or an extra hour taken out of their day. This adds up very quickly!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Bring in, be ready for the vet, vet isn't spot on time, horse bit fidgety, job done turn back out again. All use up a staff member for time.
I think it's about £10 all in on my yard.

£10 seems reasonable as an extra charge as long as not already included in the contract. My two were vaccinated and my oldie had blood taken for a Cushings test the vet was there less than 15 minutes including updating their passports. They were in but it takes about 5 minutes to get in. My old yard had clinic days as it was so big. Horses were left in and turned put after or brought in early for the vet and left in after so there wasn’t an extra turn out or bring in just the one which you’d already paid for anyway. There were staff around all day so no particular effort was needed to hold a horse for a couple of minutes.

 

[SO1]

I am on part livery and being there for vet, farrier, dentist etc is included in the cost.

I think it depends on the yard.

 

[millitiger]

I wouldn’t expect to be charged on full livery for holding a horse.
Yes would expect it on part or DIY.

 

[SBJT]

This was at my last place, not sure how we'll do it in our current place. But I paid about 10 pounds (give or take, I'm in Canada). so didn't break the bank. Even if I couldn't be there for injections my coach would be and she doesn't charge me.

Same with me, on full livery and they just implemented this. It’s a $10 CAD charge but only for the vet as they still hold for the farrier free. I just make sure that I’m there for the vet. Truthfully I think they implemented for the vet as they believe an owner should be there for the vet. Which I kind of agree with anyway.

 

[laura_nash]

To me full livery meant full. You never needed to come to the yard unless you wanted to, everything was done for you (including exercising, clipping etc) and included in the, pretty high, price. All you had on top of the livery was vets fees, medication costs and insurance.

People call all sorts full livery now though, so who knows. It seems wrong to me, but I guess it depends what was agreed.

 

[Uliy]

I do not pay for the staff to attend my vet or farrier appointments, but my horse would always have to be kept in that day until the appointment - they wouldn’t get them from the field etc!

 

[Flying_Form]

Hello,

I am wondering if this is normal?

I am on full livery and have been for over a year- I’ve never not had extra costs for anything other than bedding.
However, I have recently received a bill to hold my horse to receive the flu jab.
Was charged £25. Which is very steep for something that takes a second.
There’s nothing in the contract that states these extra costs- and for previous vet days I’ve never noticed this.
I thought the whole point of full livery was they care for your horse like you would.
Thanks x

it may seem like a two second job but it’s actually not. Vet costs to come out and administer the jab, someone has to be paid to move their whole day around and wait a few hours for the vet to come, and to hold your horse. Your horse might be okay to give an injection to hut to others not so much but you can’t charge one person more than another as there would absolutely be uproar even though it doesn’t seem fair. Was there a contract you signed that states the fees that weren’t included and gave a fee with it? Usually our contracts may have Farrier - £70, dentist - £80, clipping - £40, and there might be a sign on a notice board, etc. If not, that seems a bit unusual and maybe just ask about it. All livery yards are different though so the advice you get on here isn’t really set in stone.

 

[honetpot]

I think it all depends on what sort of contract you have and what sort of yard. I used to work on a yard that did full livery, it had two full time grooms, and we did everything, so the vet, farrier would be booked in, and we would plan the work around them. I know some racing yards employ people to hold horses for shoeing. If getting the horse in, or keeping in and mucking out after takes extra time or work, I could imagine some would want to charge, it's not just the actual time of holding the horse. Most people do not really charge enough if they worked out all the costs.

 

[Auslander]

Think I'm missing a trick! I don't charge for anything like that, as I look on it as part of daily care. The only extra I charge for is mucking out grass liveries if they're stabled overnight for any reason.
Mind you, I'm the sucker who is currently mucking out a 5 day part livery at weekends because the owner makes such a terrible mess of my lovely beds if she does it!

 

[bouncing_ball]

Full livery has always included the option of yard staff holding for routine vet / farrier / physio stuff on all the yards I’ve ever been on. Part livery has varied depending on what’s in contract.

Full livery, IME, in SE typically means full care, as in all care horse needs. With owner paying for any extra costs of raw materials / professionals but yard holding horse etc.

 

[Goldenstar]

It is normal on some yards .
£25 seems a lot for a jab
You need to talk to them .
What full livery comprises does vary a lot .

 

[Leandy]

It all depends what the contract says. Personally I would expect "full" livery to include routine things such as attending jabs, farrier etc but it doesn't have to if that is not the agreement. It is of course good practice if extras are to be charged for this to be properly documented and a charge list notified so you can decide whether to pay the yard to do it or do it yourself and not pay the charge. A good yard with good client service will be clear, it saves misunderstandings and confusion and hence bad feeling. Some yards will reserve the right to charge but not do so unless the effort is onerous eg the vet being delayed and arriving after hours so staff need paying to stay late, or a horse which is a nightmare to jab and needs experienced handling rather just pointing the vet at the horse in stable and its passport for a 2 minute job.

 

[eggs]

It will partly depend on what your definition of full livery is. If they have previously manged your horse for vet visits with no charge and have not advised you that you will now have to pay then you could probably refuse to pay or at least negotiate a discounted rate. £25 does seem a bit steep. Other than that I agree with what Leandy wrote.

 

[Birker2020]

£5 on our yard to hold a horse for the vet/farrier.

But most peoples vets/farriers help themselves to the horses they need to see unless its a new horse in which case you would expect the owner to be there the first time.

 

[Autumn30]

To me full livery meant full. You never needed to come to the yard unless you wanted to, everything was done for you (including exercising, clipping etc) and included in the, pretty high, price. All you had on top of the livery was vets fees, medication costs and insurance.

People call all sorts full livery now though, so who knows. It seems wrong to me, but I guess it depends what was agreed.

This is what my understanding always has been.
I will query this as there’s nothing stated in the contract.