Time limit to visit horses in DIY livery

jirist

jirist

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Hello everybody,

I am wondering if you have a time limit to take care of your horse in a DIY livery.
If yes, what it your time limit ?
Is it everywhere the same ?

Thank you

Alex
 
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My yard opens whenever the first person gets there in the morning, some come as early as 4.30am. It closes at 9pm sharp during winter, 9.30pm in summer.
 
In that case, no, we don't have opening hours. I wouldn't be on a yard which out and out prevented me from going before work, or early/ late for competitions, lessons away from home, hunting etc. Sometimes I need to be there early (think 4.45am to get to Solihull ODE last year... :-S) and sometimes I need to be there late, if I am late back from a competition or lesson etc. Not every day, and I wouldn't want to be at YO's home every day at 5am, and again at 9pm. But they are relaxed about people going up early/ late. If it's going to be particularly early or late then I just always let them know.

I knew of one livery yard which refused to let liveries on the yard before 8am any day (meaning you can't do your horse yourself before work and had to pay them to do it), and which was closed on a Monday "because Monday is the horse's day off". This wasn't a riding school either, it was a large-ish livery yard.
 
9tails said:
My yard opens whenever the first person gets there in the morning, some come as early as 4.30am. It closes at 9pm sharp during winter, 9.30pm in summer.
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What happens if you have been somewhere in the lorry, say a long drive to a competition with late times, and don't get back until afterwards? Will they allow it occasionally if unavoidable?
 
Our yard has "opening hours" which I fully respect as it is also our YO's family home. She's perfectly reasonable about out of hours things like leaving early for a competition or being back late.
 
Sorry op, having a little difficulty following you - but will take a stab in the dark.

Common arrival time in the morning on my yard is from about 6.45am. There's no restriction on this, however anyone planning on arriving earlier would let YO know as a courtesy the day before.

The same applies for the evening. In the winter if someone is planning on arriving after 7.00pm they will let the YO know. All horses have to be in before dark at this time of year also. A service is available to bring in (and turn out).

The summer is different, obviously. Most horses are out 24/7, and the longer days mean that people may be on the yard until 9.00 at the height of the summer.
 
chestnut cob said:
What happens if you have been somewhere in the lorry, say a long drive to a competition with late times, and don't get back until afterwards? Will they allow it occasionally if unavoidable?
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Of course! You're not left out in the road all night. A text to the YO is all that's needed and we all know the gate combination. There may be a request to let them know next time if you haven't done so, but nobody has waltzed on the yard after 9pm without letting the YO know to my knowledge. I've also done 2 hourly visits all night when my horse was poorly, no problem as I'd let the YO know. Another woman has slept there and let the YO know. The closing time is rarely broken, Ive been called once in 6 years as I was faffing for no reason and didn't realise the time.
 
Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc.
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.
 
fliffkins said:
Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc.
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.
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You must be a full livery yard then? Or at least part - where horses are fed, watered & hayed before the yard opens?
 
fliffkins said:
Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc.
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.
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Nightmare.
 
Fliffkins that sounds far too strict! I'm all for yard owners having limits and respect for the fact that their business is also their home, but there has to be some give!

When I was on DIY the yard was unlocked at about 7am and locked again at about 9pm (there was a side gate for pedestrians if you needed to get in, you just couldn't drive in or lead a horse in or out). If you were competing you could let them know that you would be leaving early or returning late (with a guesstimate of times) and they would arrange gate keys etc.
 
So it looks common in UK, as i read, closing time at 8pm - 9pm.

The thing is that i have 2 horses. And i need 2 hours every day to clean, feed, ride ... etc.
And a very busy work, for example it is possible i finish work at 8.30 and even 10pm sometimes.

The owner, has her house, behind the stables (50 meters maybe) these are small private stables, just 4 horses in diy.

When i come i don't make noise, and switch off the lights when i leave.

But she could ask me to not come after an hour ?
 
That's really restictive if you have set times. Mind you my yard is not attached to a personal property, the YO's house is at the bottom of the fields.

We can come and go as we please, though the last time I needed to pop over at 11pm (colic check) I did send the YO a text first so there was no panic at the lights going on.

With lessons going on until 7 or 8pm during the week, then socialising afterwards, even in winter we don't often leave until 9 or 10pm. In summer it can be considerably later, especially if we order pizza in!
 
Not that I know of but I'm never there before 8am in the morning and gone by 8pm so not sure it would apply to me anyway :) think as long as you're quiet as to not disturb the neighbours if you're there early/late
 
My yard has opening times
Generally it is 7.30 am - 8pm
However they aren't tyrants about it - they like to stick to 8pm as much as possible but if you are away competing they are fine about you being back late .
The mornings they adhere less too, 7am is frequently okay and obviously if going to a show crack of dawn is fine.
It's more about being sensible/considerate that a blanket non access.
 
They do feed and Hay Monday to Saturday, and Feed T/O in Summer, sadly you have to make sure there is enough water for them till you arrive (after 5pm in my cause due to work) and they don't do rug changes.
We are looking for somewhere else as i prefer to get my mucking out done in the morning before work, trying to find somewhere is proving a bit of a nightmare!
 
Nope, no time limits, can go at midnight if I fancy it which I do love about the place. I'm sure it'd be a different story if the YO lived onsite though.
 
amymay said:
Of course. But equally may not be bothered.

All you have to do is chat with them......
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Yes, exactly this. This is the sort of thing you set down before you go onto a yard..

We used to do DIY and had a combination lock on the drive to the stables, so didn't have set hours as long as everything was left locked, but our stables are a little way away from the house so we'd not be disturbed.

TBH, if the stables were near my house, like OP's scenario, I wouldn't particularly want people mucking out at 10pm. I like the horses to have some quiet time and me too!
 
No time limit, the yard is not that close to the house so people just quietly going about their business would not really disturb anyone- in fact the more liveries are there the better security.
 
jirist said:
But to go to the stables, it is a private access.
We don't go by / through / in front of her house.
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Sorry, you've lost me.

Have you spoken to them? Do you actually have a problem with accessing your horses whenever you want, for however long you want??
 
amymay said:
Sorry, you've lost me.

Have you spoken to them? Do you actually have a problem with accessing your horses whenever you want, for however long you want??
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Not yet, tonight.

She texts me "Just wondered why u were up so late last nite doing your horses"
I replied i finished work late, so at the stables between 8.30 to 11pm
and her answer : "I'm sorry we will need to have a chat"

So i will know tonight.
Just wanted to know how it works in UK usually, before talking to her.
 
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