Time limit to visit horses in DIY livery

I used to be on a yard that would be open 6.30 am until 9 am, close until 12 then open 12 to 2 then shut until 4.30pm to close again at 7pm!!

They used to lock the gate the hours they were shut...this even included weekends!!

All vet, farrier, dentist etc appointments had to be within their opening times...honestly it was nuts.

I appreciate that it's their home but if your going to be that strict/put out that people want to see their horses during the day then don't run a livery yard from home.

I was only there a month until I found another yard.

The yard I'm on now is open 6am until 9pm 7 days a week however if you let them know you'll be there outside of those hours then they are fine. It's partly to do with security as well as needing personal time. On a yard with 80 horses I'd want to know that after 9pm I could put my PJs on and open the wine without someone knocking on the door asking about hay, turnout or if they dan use the horse walker!!
 
jirist said:
I was thinking ... if you rent your own place for your horses, you cannot ride at all ?
Because i don't think you have an arena ? and with lights ?
Click to expand...

You are right I don't ride and I don't have an arena but have managed to get and keep my pony fit and work him without an arena no problems. Many people my age in the UK (mid thirties) will remember competing their horses from a very similar set up when they were younger, its only really in the last fifteen years or so that livery has boomed and arenas are commonplace

If you want the facilities you have to accept that all yards have rules - some will suit and some will not. Your next yard will maybe offer access at all hours but make you buy hay or feed from them, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of all of the options
 
Last edited:
to be fair I do think 11 pm is very late to be still there without the courtesy of mentioning it to the owner - it is certainly past my bedtime and YO/I do like to make sure lights off/alarm on when we go to bed, presumably you rode in those 2.5 hours? Are you that late back regularly enough that you need to spend that long on the yard when you are late at work or could you not ride those nights? at least while you find somewhere more suitable.
 
WelshD said:
Many people my age in the UK (mid thirties) will remember competing their horses from a very similar set up when they were younger, its only really in the last fifteen years or so that livery has boomed and arenas are commonplace

If you want the facilities you have to accept that all yards have rules - some will suit and some will not. Your next yard will maybe offer access at all hours but make you buy hay or feed from them, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of all of the options
Click to expand...

grew up with no arena, hacking to rent the nearest indoor with showjumps was a big event in itself and a 16 mile round road hack.

anyway, not sure if anyone mentioned-apart from planning and light considerations etc but what about accidents? I used to sublet 1/2 a yard and the other owner was usually up there until 9pm which was fine. I would do late night hay and checks at 10/10.30. If I had had a livery who was there riding until 11pm I would feel that I had an obligation that they weren't lying unconscious somewhere all night. And I like to be in bed by 10.30 ish as am up very early.
 
ester said:
to be fair I do think 11 pm is very late to be still there without the courtesy of mentioning it to the owner - it is certainly past my bedtime and YO/I do like to make sure lights off/alarm on when we go to bed, presumably you rode in those 2.5 hours? Are you that late back regularly enough that you need to spend that long on the yard when you are late at work or could you not ride those nights? at least while you find somewhere more suitable.
Click to expand...


I said 2.30 when i am riding, but it is 1.20 without riding.
or 1.40 for lungeing.

just notice that i didn't ride last week when i had lot of work, and did 2 lungeing, that's all
Left work at 19.00-19.30, 20 maximum, so left stables around 21.30 - maybe 22 maximum
 
RunToEarth said:
I like routine, having a slightly neurotic ex racer who gets lit up like a beam at sparrows fart, I prefer to manage down time down to a T - as soon as he picks up on any movement on the yard he is box walking, weaving and crapping for England. As much as I do it for his peace of mind to have a few hours of genuine peace - it also means it does not take me an hour to sort his bed out each morning.

Horses are all individual and of course there are a good many who do not care what you are doing and at what time - but I wouldn't be having liveries on a yard at 11pm unless there was genuine cause.
Click to expand...

Your yard, your rules :) If I ran a yard with liveries, I would be more inclined to tell them all to sod off before midday as I don't like interacting with other people in the mornings :p (This is one of many reasons why I will never run a yard!)

That horse of yours sounds particularly prone to stressing out and probably better suited to a quiet yard where there are fewer people coming and going, regardless of what time they're around (not that it's any of my business how you manage him, I'm merely speculating hypothetically). Conceivably you could have middle of the day "down time" for him instead, if it suited your situation better?

I find it a little unfair that people often accept owners at stupid times of the morning (threads in the past where people have said they're on the yard around 4am) daily) because of work, but when you work late, it's suddenly unacceptable for the horses that you're around at a non-peak time.

I agree that it's unacceptable to disturb the YO, but to my mind, that applies whether you're on early or late, and which would be worse for the YO depends on their routine (if they aren't horsey or farmer-types, they may find early mornings worse).

Obviously in the OP's case, the owner doesn't like it, so it's just tough to the OP. That's how livery yards work, pretty much!
 
We don't have strict opening hours per say. The electric gates open automatically between 6am-10pm as far as I can remember. Though there is a code we can use outside of those hours so never locked out. YO lives on site but is not horsey, he can see the yard from his house but not hear/see what's going on so wouldn't affect him unless arena lights went on. I'm usually first one up weekdays at 6.45am and last person usually leaves before 8pm but there are a few that push it and arrive at 11pm at night. YO doesn't seem to have a problem with it. It would be a different story if being on the yard affected him though I suppose.
 
How on earth do people compete regularly at evening dressage and showjumping we were at dressage until 11pm one night and showjumping well up to midnight especially if they were busy shows
 
at the yard where i work all the liveries just have to drop me a text, as they are their horses so YO does believe they should be able to see their own horses when they see fit, the only rule is that they cant use the arena lights at silly hours, as previous liveries did at 4am and woke the whole family much to YOs wifes dismay!

a few of our liveries used to be on a previous yard where their ponies were on working livery and they were given very very strict times of when they could ride their own ponies, some of the YOs pupils were riding the ponies more than the girls themselves, all of these liveries were 1st time owners and same for the parents so they didnt know any different.... these poor people were also paying extortionate prices in the area of £100 pw and were also expected to muck out 4 stables on sunday and saturday(these stables were the YOs horses stables)!! needless to say it didnt work out and they are happily paying less for full livery at a much better yard!... i literally think that is the maddest thing i've ever heard!
 
OK.... as a YM, I have set hours in the contract, summer/winter hours. I am however, pretty relaxed on them - winter hours are no later than 8pm, but one girl works til 8 so isn't here til 8.30 and leaves around 9-9.30pm. She discussed this with me before signing contracts; deal is, I do last rounds at 8pm. If she wants to come up after then, she is responsible for shutting draught doors, locking up feed/tack room and wrapping the tap in freezing weather. She is very good at doing everything needed, so I've no qualms.
Summer is til 10pm, and hardly anyone stays that late, out of need and/or courtesy.

The main reason I have set hours is so that I don't go running out at 4am/midnight in my jammies brandishing a baseball bat at the arrival of an unexpected vehicle.

All my liveries have to do is drop me a text if they're going to be here before 7am/after 8pm. It is my home too, I want to feel safe, and know that my liveries (horses/tack) are safe too. But if someone made it routine to arrive before 5am, or stay later than 10pm, we'd be in serious need of a chat. These IMO are 'unsociable hours' (hence having set hours in the contract), so if you can't see to your horse during these hours you either afford to pay for full livery, or rent your own land/stables so you can do your horses at whatever hour you please. When you take on livery at a yard, you do it depending on the yard's own policy - if you're not happy with that yard's policy, don't sign the contract.
 
OP I wonder how much of your problem is that fact that despite the fact you know the YO doesn't want you up too late, you fail to give her notice that you will be up after hours? Because personally, that would annoy me more than the late hours you keep.

I used to do my horses between 10.30 pm and midnight, 4 days a week when I was on DIY. I did ask the YO and he said it was fine as he shot deer/rabbits so was generally around at that time anyway. I think that YO has a right to impose reasonable restrictions on opening hours, especially if they live on site/have neighbours, and if liveries aren't happy with that then they can vote with their feet. Obviously there are exceptions - sick horse, late back from a show etc - but regularly ignoring the YO's preferred hours is really rude IMO. Luckily my current yard is in the middle of nowhere, without the YO living on site so I can go up late if I so choose.
 
Yes I do think it is yard owner's perogative, although 8pm would be too early for me even though I usually finish work at 5 15 mins away and I'd hate to be rushing when the horse is down time.. obviously as it wouldn't suit me I would find a different yard.
 
Our yard is positively humming at 6am as most people are already giving breakfasts and turning out by then. YO is usually out around 7am and goes in doors at 5pm. We're adults and manage not to leave doors open and lights on when we leave.
On summer evenings, everyone is riding when its cool or grooming and the yard is still full of life until 10pm. During the hottest days of summer, horses get exercised either very early in the morning or after 6pm to avoid the heat. If yards have restrictive opening times, do people have to choose between riding or doing yard jobs -or leave things undone before the curfew ?
Why would a YO have a DIY yard if owners were excluded for 12-13 hours a day ? Do they check the horses and top up hay/water if needed ?
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Our yard is positively humming at 6am as most people are already giving breakfasts and turning out by then. YO is usually out around 7am and goes in doors at 5pm. We're adults and manage not to leave doors open and lights on when we leave.
On summer evenings, everyone is riding when its cool or grooming and the yard is still full of life until 10pm. During the hottest days of summer, horses get exercised either very early in the morning or after 6pm to avoid the heat. If yards have restrictive opening times, do people have to choose between riding or doing yard jobs -or leave things undone before the curfew ?
Why would a YO have a DIY yard if owners were excluded for 12-13 hours a day ? Do they check the horses and top up hay/water if needed ?
Click to expand...

This is pretty much what my yard is like. The horses are fed by their owners or co-feeder, so they only get excited when their person comes up, rest of the time they ignore other owners. It is impossible to arrive on the yard without someone knowing I am there as my horse is whiffling away when he hears my car. When I'd gone out hunting the other day, I went up at 9pm just to check he was comfortable in his rugs and had enough water. None of the other horses bothered with me. It's DIY, it's my responsibility to check him, no one elses.
 
I don't do DIY or any other livery anymore, but would always top up waters (and hay if the horse had nothing) and check horses for the liveries when I checked my own at 11pm.
 
We only do Full Livery which helps.
Opening hours are 7.30am to 9.30pm week days. 7.30am to 7pm weekends.
Obvoiusly sensible exceptions apply - shows, training, ill horse etc etc.
But WE always close up and do final checks.
We try to avoid anyone else being on the yard following final checks.
Why:
1. Safety is an absolute first priority. We would never leave the yard unsupervised if someone was riding in the event of an accident. We may not have eyes on someone all of the time in the event that they did fall off it would not be 8 hours until they were found! Which could happen if someone was riding very late.
I am surprised that this has not come up before as a primary concern???

2. Security. We check all stables are locked, all horses are where they should be and wearing what they should be. Tack doors locked, all lights off and Gates closed.

3. Arena lights on either very late or very early could negatively affect our neighbours. Although we are rural and do not have restrictions everyone needs to operate within reasonable condition and mutual respect.

3. Routine. The horses are disturbed when disrupted from the course of their routine. Again this is more particular to a Full livery yard. The horses know that anyone they hear first thing in the morning = food. They also expect their late night hay and lights out for the night. If they don't get what they expect at the expected time they grumble very loudly.

But back to the beginning no.1 is definitely the safety of the person on the yard. I shiver at the thought of someone being hurt, injured and helpless the entire night.
 
Last edited:
I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...
 
I only have a small yard, Its my home also and the stables only about 30 feet from my kitchen door; So, I do like my privacy at some point, and ask liveries to have left by 7pm and 9pm during the summer unless prior notice given.

Morinings, I'm quite happy for them to come anytime ( I am always out for 6am ) hate the horses in with no food, and as they are completely diy I'm not getting into that "can you feed him" etc etc .
 
Fides said:
I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...
Click to expand...

what staff are on a DIY livery yard?
 
I think the issue here is not so much whether yards SHOULD have opening closing hours, but whether having them (and what they are) is reasonable. In your case, OP, I don't think your YO is being particularly unreasonable and in your shoes, I would consider finding another yard or renting your own field/shelter.

Every yard I've been on has had time restrictions - some more strict than others - but it in all cases the YO and family lived on-site and time restrictions were really designed to give them some privacy and peace and ensure the security of the yard.

Current yard is the most relaxed . . . it's not really a yard - it's a private house and a fellow livery and I rent a stable and a field from the owner. There are only four stabled horses (including YO's daughter's two BSJA ponies), we all get along/respect each other/help each other out and because YO is often out competing and coming and going at odd hours, she is very amenable when we do the same. We are, however, very conscious of being as quiet as possible in the early (or late) hours, keep lights to a minimum, etc. We have codes for both gates so can let ourselves in and out whenever we need to, but we are careful about which gate we use to limit disruption to other family members (there are about four generations of family spread about the whole farm).

As others have said, it's just common sense and courtesy really :).

P
 
Fides said:
I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...
Click to expand...



And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.

I really think to be not a so bad livery. I keep all my areas clean, i don't ask anything to anybody, don't make noise, switch off all the lights, check if the gates are locked, just want to take care of my horses.
Ok if i don't have to put the arena lights in late evenings i could come. But to not be allowed to be there, even if i inform her .... No.
Her house, is not directly at the same place. The stables are behind her house, direction the fields, with separated access.

So yes, for me, i will change if the YO don't allow me to see them.
I work very hard to be able to get them in England, so sorry, no, i am not very rich to put them in a full livery as i am new starter. But it is out of question to sell them, after 13 years spent with them.

No worry i will find an other solution.


(And there is NO STAFF at all there).
 
twiggy2 said:
what staff are on a DIY livery yard?
Click to expand...

Most of the yards round here anyway are mixed diy/full/part or a sort of managed diy where there is still a ym and services offered. Maybe because people working or living in London, only want to visit at one end of the day so prefer yards that also offer services.

Having said on these yards they often don't have staff around past 5 or 6 o clock so either the owner if they are on site does a late check or last livery on the yard locks up. If staff live on site they are officially off duty however they probably keeping half an eye on the fact that there are still people around and can't fully relax till they know the last person is gone.
 
jirist said:
And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.
Click to expand...

I very much disagree. Personally I think before 5am or after 10pm is unsociable hours, and it is fair enough if those are your hours but you can't complain if others don't like it, especially at their home. Yes, the stables aren't right next to the house, but noise of cars, shod feet on gravel/concrete/bricks, lights etc would definitely wake me up even from a distance - were used to no noise or light at all at night so this would defo wake me. And being up to do horses at 5am before work reasonably regularly I am in bed at 9pm!!!!

I think it is totally fine for you to want those hours, but then rent your own field or find somewhere that prefers late nights to early mornings. I've always liveried at very horsy/farm liveries so regular late nights were frowned upon whilst early mornings not a problem - I bet there are places the other way round.

It's not your YOs fault she doesn't like late nights, and sounds like you didn't strictly tell her you'd be there til 10/1030 regularly, and even later some nights.

Just rent your own field, and then you can keep whatever unsociable hours you like, OP.
 
jirist said:
And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.
Click to expand...

The only way you are going to get unlimited visiting hours without annoying people is to rent or buy your own yard - most small DIY livery yards are some poor person's home - you either learn to respect that or leave.
 
khalswitz said:
It's not your YOs fault she doesn't like late nights, and sounds like you didn't strictly tell her you'd be there til 10/1030 regularly, and even later some nights.
Click to expand...


Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.
 
My contract says leave by 9pm. But no one ever checks in fact as it's a college none of the bosses are even around at that time. Plus it's a competition yard so often competitors there until 11pm (not by our stable block tho)

I couldn't go anywhere with time restrictions it would drive me nuts. Anywhere between 6am and 10pm would be what I need
 
Lark said:
1. Safety is an absolute first priority. We would never leave the yard unsupervised if someone was riding in the event of an accident. We may not have eyes on someone all of the time in the event that they did fall off it would not be 8 hours until they were found! Which could happen if someone was riding very late.
I am surprised that this has not come up before as a primary concern???
Click to expand...

Because we're not primary school kids and most of us would ride with a mobile phone in our pocket. Is anybody allowed to hack out alone from your yard? Your concern is admirable but horse riding IS a risk at any time.
 
jirist said:
Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.
Click to expand...

From your early posts on this thread I got the impression that this happened quite regularly, I didn't realise it was just occasionally.

I do think that if you're coming up at 9.30 its unreasonable to ride, you should just quickly get you jobs done and leave - you could do two horses in less than an hour..

If your hours at work can change suddenly, or you're travelling, I personally think you need someone to cover your horses. What if you didn't get home at all because of a cancelled flight (has happened to me a few times)?
 
jirist said:
Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you need to have a big think over the weekend and hopefully a calm chat with the YO where you can explain your unusual work situation this week with the 40 hours in four days and the boss who asks you to stay late. If you look at it from the YO's point of view, she was expecting a "normal" DIY livery who would be finished usually by 9pm, and suddenly she has experienced four late nights in succession and she is obviously worried that this will become a habit which may affect her enjoyment of her evenings in her own home.

You, on the other hand, expect to be able to see your horses whenever you want, which is a perfectly reasonable request. However, you have chosen to place your horses in a private yard at the YO's own home, so the YO is allowed to set whatever rules she wishes as she owns the property. If you had chosen a larger livery yard, run on a more commercial basis, you might find more of the flexibility that you require with more people coming and going all day, and back-up staff available to assist if your flight is delayed for example.

Maybe you even need to speak to your boss to say that you have a responsibility to your horses and you would appreciate it if you could leave work by a regular time to care for your horses. You can explain that you are always happy to help with extra tasks if they can be done from home perhaps, or finished the next day, but your boss needs to understand that you have a life outside work too.

Then you need to have a big think about future contingency plans for your horses if you are unable to get there because of a delayed flight or other unforeseen event. I would be incredibly stressed if I was on a delayed flight and knew that I had horses relying on me to be there for them, if I did not have a back-up plan. If you really like your current yard, then you need to get the YO on your side and perhaps ask her to be your back-up plan for additional payment in times of extreme stress. You need to build a good relationship with her by pointing out that you pay on time, leave the yard tidy, look after your horse well, provide extra security by being there in the evenings etc etc - think of all the good points about yourself or offer to do a late night check for her/ hang extra haynets for her horse and generally sell yourself as the perfect livery!

Good luck with it all and I hope you manage to get past the current stress of everyone's expectations (yours, the YO's and your boss') not being met!
 
Honey08 said:
From your early posts on this thread I got the impression that this happened quite regularly, I didn't realise it was just occasionally.

I do think that if you're coming up at 9.30 its unreasonable to ride, you should just quickly get you jobs done and leave - you could do two horses in less than an hour..

If your hours at work can change suddenly, or you're travelling, I personally think you need someone to cover your horses. What if you didn't get home at all because of a cancelled flight (has happened to me a few times)?
Click to expand...

Four days in a row to me as a YO would look like you're making it a regular thing tbh!!!

If that's not the case then fine, let her know that. But to me an odd occasion is just that - not four nights in a row.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top