Should YO be responsible for rugging...

Phoebe

Phoebe

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Should the horses comfort ultimately rest with the YO? After all we don't leave digs in hot cars...do what about over rugging (I'm talking about a rise in temp when owner might be at work)

Would you argue? Be offended?

Thoughts :)
 
Depends on whether its DIY, part assisted or full. As a DIY I wouldn't expect it although i did have a friend who would check and change if necessary. Our current YO is not horsey so I'd prefer him not to. Just have to become an avid weather forecast watcher.
 
It is possible for the owner to reasnobly predict the daytime temperatures from following bbc weather/met office etc, freakish weather excepted! I would rather have mine on the cooler side when I turn out, knowing that if I rugged for the morning temps, I would be cooking them by lunch time. Just an owner judgement I would have said, unless on full livery in which case I would expect the yard to deal with that with the morning turnout routine.

I don't know what responsibility YO have with regards to welfare, either way you could reasnobly argue that the owner that picks rugs that cook the horse should take that decision! It is fairly established that the temp goes up during the day lol!

I would be annoyed if the YO messed with pretty much any of my choices (we are on DIY), she has my mobile number so if she had concerns I would expect a call, not meddling on my belhalf - emergency excepted obv!
 
Depends on how conscientious / experienced / lazy YO is. I have been on yards where I am happy for YO/staff to decide as they are the one there- and I trusted them to do the right thing - other yards not so happy as would do easiest thing not right thing.
 
If it's DIY then no it should be down to the horse owner to make arrangements IMO. I think it should be down to every horse owner to be aware of weather changes and rug appropriately before it gets to the stage where the horse is over heating. I saw the weather was going to heat up a lot so took my horse's rug off. It won't harm her to be cold for a couple of hours (not that I believe she would be anyway) but it will harm for her to over heat.
 
:D The chap who owns my field's a farmer... I don't think he'd be too impressed if I expected him to pop round and check my boys weren't over heating..
 
Hmmm... I mean from a legal perspective of welfare... as in regardless of whether you are on DIY/Part/Full whether the YO should legally be expected to monitor the horses welfare on their land... (hyperthetically speaking :D )
 
im a YM and was having this discussion with the YO today. Our guys are all pretty much working liveries, except a couple who are DIY. We didnt remove the DIY's rugs as we dont know what the owners wanted, i dont want to be receiving stick from the owners for trying to help so i just leave it now. The working livery guys are quite happy for us to make the decision.

So, it is ultimately down to the owners but the YO's need to be aware of the welfare of the horses. If it was seriously hot today, i would have taken the DIY's rugs off.
 
Phoebe said:
Hmmm... I mean from a legal perspective of welfare... as in regardless of whether you are on DIY/Part/Full whether the YO should legally be expected to monitor the horses welfare on their land... (hyperthetically speaking :D )
Click to expand...

hypothetically speaking.

And yes and no. If a horse is clearly ill, severely malnourished (in either extreme) etc, maybe. If a horse is slightly over-rugged during natural daily flux, no I don't think it is a serious welfare issue and I don't think that the YO should be expected to do anythign about it, legally :rolleyes:
 
Depends on the yard owner and how well they know the horses. If it suddenly heats up at lunch time then I dont think any one would object to them whipping rugs off but if the owner has made a choice based on their horse and the weather then I think its best left well alone unless the horse is sweating or shivvering. My old YO used to regularly replace the yellow ones fly mask of a morning when she walked the dogs round and made sure all the horses had 4 working legs, he would take great pleasure in removing it by the time I got down but that was his choice.

ETA he has always been on DIY
 
Phoebe said:
Hmmm... I mean from a legal perspective of welfare... as in regardless of whether you are on DIY/Part/Full whether the YO should legally be expected to monitor the horses welfare on their land... (hyperthetically speaking :D )
Click to expand...

No from a legal perspective the YO would not be expected to run round checking whether your horse was too hot. Being to hot for a few hours would be unpleasant for the horse but would not have a long term effect on the horses welfare .
The yard owners duty of care is a boarder view they are not expected to micro
Manage the care unless the horse is on full livery then it depend what had been agreed that full livery covered.
I do know of a situation on a DIY yard where a owner persistently over rugged her horse ( and over fed too ) yard owner tried to advise but got no where then just served notice on the owner as it was causing an atmosphere on the yard.
I personally would always sort out a horse that looked uncomfortable when I ran a yard but some owners always take stuff like that the wrong way so sometimes you can't do right for doing wrong but YO are not tied to yard they are allowed a life.
 
I think it depends on the YO, Type of Livery, the Horse Owner, and of course the horse.

There's too many variables for it to be a simple yes or no for welfare reasons!
One of the other liveries was too hot today, and while I have informed a livery of this previously, this horse has to come in to have its rug changed. One of mine simply won't wear a rug (though we have been working on it).

I've previously been berated for not rugging my two in horrendous weather - BUT when I went up, my 2 were both toasty warm so I'd be aggrieved if YO took it upon themselves to decide to rug mine. I am on DIY for a reason and don't like others messing about with my ponies, so for me it's up to the horse owner to make arrangements for horses rugs etc to be changed. Although I'm not averse to YO, checking with HO, letting them know their horse is too hot and DO they want their rugs changed?
 
DIY means do it yourself. If I suspect my horse maybe too hot due to a sudden change in temperature, I'd make the journey over as soon as I could or ask another livery to help out. Have done a 20 mile round trip to do that in the past.

In exceptional circumastances where the horse was very sweaty, I'd be very grateful to have a rug removed, but ultimately, its my responsibility.

I can imagine some liveries complaining if the YO took a rug off and then it started raining heavily before the owner arrived in the evening. Most YO's are not available 24/7.
 
If strictly DIY then no.

If assisted or full then yes.

My yard offers all 3, I am DIY, most of the time. But pay for the odd jobs to be done. I asked my YO to take Rubys rug off earlier. So I am likely to have a small charge on my bill. But if I hadn't asked her, I wouldn't be mad if she left rug on. As its my choice.
 
Like the others, I wouldn't expect a YO to change a rug on a DIY's horse without a request.

Today I hadn't checked the forecast & got worried about lunchtime that mine were too hot. My lovely yo was still at the yard do checked them & looked after them for me! In fact, if she'd done it without asking me, I'd have still been grateful, but then she always puts the horses first ;)
 
Had something similar today. Livery asked me to do ful livery on our DIY yard and as it has been really mild and forecast is mild overnight I did all the jobs, brought them in took off rugs felt skin a bit warm for me but I text the owner and asked her wether she wanted them to be rugged up or not said Id left mine "naked" so to speak but she wanted them to be rugged so did, if in doubt just ask then youre not second guessing it is their horses and no one know their horse like them owner just make sure they have plenty of water to drink whilst owner arrives later.
 
As others have said, as a manner of speaking it depends on the type of livery as with DIY livery the owner is responsible for changing rugs. I am Manager at a Livery Yard which offers Part/Full Livery and I rug the horses up according to the weather as I would hate for them to get too hot/cold although I know other people who just do whatever is easiest regardless on the temperature. (I.e rug up at lunchtime for the night because they can't be bothered to change rugs later on.) I always put on top rugs last thing etc - I am a bit precise lol! ;) :p
 
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