Unnecessary stuff that people do on yards

I work at a yard and it bugs me to hell when kids don't sweep up as they go along at the weekend when they're helping out. I have pointed out that if they do it as they go along they don't have to spend 20 mins sweeping it again later but it falls on deaf ears. Also bugs me when people don't muck out properly everyday. Takes ten minutes tops and keeps you on top of your stable. Used to part loan a horse who only got mucked out on a saturday so it was just a messy horrible straw bed, not deep litter. Yuck.
 
People who 'borrow' things without asking, people who interfere and try to tell you how to look after/ride your horse, people who wash their horse's legs every day. Oh, and as I work at a livery yard - I find it slightly annoying when I have just swept up and somebody walks across the yard with an armful of hay and drops it everywhere!
 
I'm one of the people that takes ages to muck out but that's cause I hate messy beds and I think keeping it clean makes it easier to do in the long run. And also I sweep the floor in the stable and brush it up in a dustpan, I must look like a crazy person, because I don't think anyone else does it for my share horse and the dust in a stable is bad for him.

I try and do things in a logical way and not make more work for myself but I can be a bit special so you never know what I might end up doing!
 
I cant be doing with constant leg washing. I was on a yard where this one girl would wash her horses legs with shampoo or fairy liquid every day after they'd been out. I prefer to let it dry and brush it off.

Rinsing wheelbarrows!! That really baffles me, my mum does it :P But theyre only going to get covered in poo again!!

People who bath in winter and let their poor clipped horse shiver with no rug on tied up on the yard. Makes me livid!

Also people who tie their horses to the tie ring and not baler twine
 
People who constantly shout at their horses really irritate me - all this "show them who is boss" lark with constant "BACK, BACK!!! I SAID BACK!!!" - the horses become immune to it after a while and it doesn't cure whatever they were supposed to be doing wrong.
 
Toast said:
I cant be doing with constant leg washing. I was on a yard where this one girl would wash her horses legs with shampoo or fairy liquid every day after they'd been out. I prefer to let it dry and brush it off.
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I don't do it everyday but if I want to hack out after my horse has been turned out I wash her legs off so I can then put her boots on, I won't put her boots on over muddy legs.
The mud here is a pain in the ass to get off, washing is the only way. Luckily the field isn't too muddy so its only a short period in the winter where she gets muddy.
 
Waffles said:
People who constantly shout at their horses really irritate me - all this "show them who is boss" lark with constant "BACK, BACK!!! I SAID BACK!!!" - the horses become immune to it after a while and it doesn't cure whatever they were supposed to be doing wrong.
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Oh we have one of those, funny thing is their poor old horses are the most saintly, quiet things on the yard, not sure where she's learnt it from but just putting them into the stable she's shouting 'get in GET IN THERE NOW', erm, just lead the horse in? Odd people, not sure why you'd want such a relationship with your horse.
 
There's a woman on my yard who tried to get her horse to stand still while she ineptly flops herself on from the mounting block (no wonder he tries to walk away) anyway she shouted the other day "STAND STILL OR I WILL DO YOUR NOSEBAND UP EVEN TIGHTER".
 
People who are obsessed with sweeping up and spend hours picking up every...little...last...microscopic.......teeny weeny.....almost invisible to the naked eye....bit...of ...hay. Or poo. Or feed. What makes me smile about that is that it's really a ploy to not go home and face the boring reality of having to go home and face the washing up and hoovering. Which is totally understandable..
 
I must admit that I speak firmly to Hippo sometimes...but then I dislike having her knock me over and prefer to prevent it with a sharp word!

Agree with the washing legs part...my previous YO insisted that ALL horses legs had to be hosed down when they were brought in if the weather was mucky...:confused: Not a rule in the dry weather, oddly enough!

I used to just rinse her hooves quickly and then use a towel to dry them off. I let the mud dry in and brushed it off her legs the next day. Or else I would wash them properly with warm soapy water and sponge, rinse by hand with clean warm water, towel dry and apply barrier cream.

I tend to potter about the yard a fair bit, but I'm either doing stuff to do with Hippo or waiting to speak to someone who is currently busy. I usually try to find myself a job to do...today I was naughty and sat and ate a Kitkat:o
 
Waffles said:
People who constantly shout at their horses really irritate me - all this "show them who is boss" lark with constant "BACK, BACK!!! I SAID BACK!!!" - the horses become immune to it after a while and it doesn't cure whatever they were supposed to be doing wrong.
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That's actually good horsemanship..just expecting good manners is vital with some horses and they are trained to voice no problem, doesn't have to be shouted
 
I'm always a bit surprised at how long some people take to get their horses ready to ride. An hour or more seems a bit excessive for a horse thats already in the stable when they arrive. So in that vein, I would include excessively slow grooming removing every bit of mud and tangle and decoration of the horse in head to toe high viz including all round bandages when they are only going to ride in the school (decoration with bandages is one of my pet hates anyway) and exercise sheet. I don't think I would buy a horse for use by an amateur rider if it had such defective action that it required all four legs to be booted or bandaged every time it was ridden, often its simply a dressage fashion thats caught on.
 
People who spend ages flattening their bed down so that it is all level, and then have to have a perfect straight line at the front.

I have been trained out of it ;)
 
OH flattens the bed and puts a straight line in :eek:, if I do it it's given a quick plump up n sweep. I have to admit to looking at some White training wraps :eek: never thought I would see the day but with a new black (dark bay really) horse I just can't resist!
 
People who "borrow" your stuff never to be seen again. People who scream at their horses all the time. Watching folks in the school with spurs on who clearly have not a clue what their lower leg is doing , dunting the poor horse to death. Dumping their stuff in a heap and not keeping the place tidy, those who have millions of boxes / rugs etc and don't think about other liveries or new people arriving and hog all the space for themselfs - selfish..!!
 
Persephone said:
People who spend ages flattening their bed down so that it is all level, and then have to have a perfect straight line at the front.

I have been trained out of it ;)
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I do this:o But Hippo likes her bed right up to the door. I also tidy the banks each day...well, not any more as she's out at grass now!
 
littlelegs said:
Mozlar- agree entirely on the constant leg washing. Not because I think its unnecessary but more because like you I think it increases the likelihood of mudrash.
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Agree! also a huge waste of water if your on a meter. I wash mine now and then but quite rarely tbh.

In reply to Op question and this one really used to flummox me! A lady at a previous yard would bring her horse in every night. Remove his full sets of boots- carefully clean them (i know this is fair enough to avoid rubs etc) but then EVERYDAY his turn out rug would be scrubbed clean :-@ I mean why??? Madness. Although there is something lovely about clean rugs id never ever go this far!
 
Waffles said:
There's a woman on my yard who tried to get her horse to stand still while she ineptly flops herself on from the mounting block (no wonder he tries to walk away) anyway she shouted the other day "STAND STILL OR I WILL DO YOUR NOSEBAND UP EVEN TIGHTER".
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He he, this made me giggle!

Talking of washing off legs, couple of years ago when moved to current yard on part livery, they bring in for me, pick out feet, change rugs etc. Been there a couple of days and having realised they were washing off their legs every night thought must say to them not to bother as don't like it being done every day. Next day, without me having said anything, legs had not been done, YO appears apologising like mad saying my big lad had absolutely refused to go anywhere near the washing area :rolleyes: Bless him, he was obviously not impressed with freezing cold water every day!!
 
LouS said:
Do you mean things that others do that you wouldn't sort of thing?

There is one lady who washes the floor with a bucket and brush and then washes her wheelbarrow every single day, where do they find the time?!
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I wash my wheelbarrow every day!!! After I've mucked out, I wash out my barrow because I then transport 100 tonnes (it feels that heavy) of soaked hay with it. My horses wouldn't appreciate pooey hay I'm sure :D
 
People who sweep up till their section is spotless, THEN pick their horses feet out onto the floor, and have to sweep up again, then lug 4 haynets to their spot and have to sweep up again and on and on ad infinitum....oh wait, that's me.

People who manage to make it take a whole hour to muck out ONE stable.....wait...me again.

People who take ages with a dandy brush getting the bits of shavings out of their horses mane and tail, only to put said ned straight back in the stable, where it immediately rolls and gets covered in shavings again....oh...yeah that's me again.

I'm often the first one to arrive at the yard and the last to leave. There are people who do THREE in a third of the time it takes me to do one!! I've only been doing this stuff a month though. Hopefully I'll learn!

On a serious note....do people REALLY not wash their horse's feed things (buckets, stirrers, rolly ball things, etc) after each use??
 
My YO always laughs at me for this, but when feeding at night, I have to wait til she is finished then remove the bucket from her stable. I hate leaving it in the stable with her. I am the only person on the yard who does this. Everyone else, feeds last thing at night and takes the bucket out the next morning.

Theres a guy at my yard, who washes the wheelbarrows out. I can understand if he uses it to move fresh hay around etc and doesn't want it getting dirty. But he has a seperate barrow for that :o
 
Mythical said:
People who sweep up till their section is spotless, THEN pick their horses feet out onto the floor, and have to sweep up again, then lug 4 haynets to their spot and have to sweep up again and on and on ad infinitum....oh wait, that's me.

People who manage to make it take a whole hour to muck out ONE stable.....wait...me again.

People who take ages with a dandy brush getting the bits of shavings out of their horses mane and tail, only to put said ned straight back in the stable, where it immediately rolls and gets covered in shavings again....oh...yeah that's me again.

I'm often the first one to arrive at the yard and the last to leave. There are people who do THREE in a third of the time it takes me to do one!! I've only been doing this stuff a month though. Hopefully I'll learn!

On a serious note....do people REALLY not wash their horse's feed things (buckets, stirrers, rolly ball things, etc) after each use??
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Not every use, only when it needs doing. I do them about 3-4 times a week.
 
I cannot believe how judgemental everyone is over how other people care for their horses. On our yard, I would NEVER frown upon anything anyone did with their horses as we are all competitent and proficient enough to make sensible decisions for the best of our horses. FWIW my horse get his legs washed every day without fail, would NEVER go out with bedding in his tail and is immaculately turned out 90% of the time but I would never think less of any of my fellow liveries for not doing this - in fact I wouldnt even mind if they thought I was barking ;) I am a little bit!!
 
It winds me up when people don't ride and their horse is perfectly lovely and sound. But its their horse! I used to love this sort of person as a horseless youngster, as it meant I got to ride them :)
 
Oh but that's more what people don't do. I Gues there are lots of things that are done I would deem unnecessary, but if that's what someone else wants to do, who am I to judge!
 
smokey said:
Putting rugs on fat cobs in 17degree heat. spending hours debating if said cob will be warm enough without his hood. Bringing cob in to change rug to full neck as "it looks a bit cloudy" Hanging about yard waiting for vet on emergency call out for lamanitic cob.
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Wow - we have one of those too!!

Oh and the other thing that really gets me with some people is simply the fact that they exist ;)
 
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