Where are all the good liveries? Rant!!

ImmyS

ImmyS

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My partner runs a small livery yard and seems impossible to find any decently liveries these days, either they don't pay or they pay but don't see their horse or poo pick etc without being chased endlessly. Nobody seems to ride or do anything with their horses.. it just baffles me!

Seems to be a common occurrence where we are. Sorry, rant over!
 
are these DIYers or full? If I ran another yard, I would only run a full livery yard these days- DIYers are just messers half the time, and I would like horses on my yard to be looked after properly.
 
I have given up taking them - they want everything done for them and the yard to be run as they want it, but don't want to pay. Nightmare
 
I'd like to think that I am a very good DIY livery. Always pay on time, would never dream of not turning up to do the ponies, ride regularly, poo pick and keep my field free from ragwort. Pretty much everyone who's on our yard is the same, don't know if our YO is really lucky or you've been unlucky.
 
I can never understand why YO care whether horses are ridden or not - what has it got to do with YO? Would you not take mini owners as customers. So long as horse has all it needs by way of care surely that is all that matters. And as for poo picking, why doesn't YO invest in a Field Vac - more efficient, less hassle than chasing liveries round to do the job and YO knows that their land is being looked after.
Having said that I wouldn't have a livery on my yard ever again.
 
Hipo said:
I'd like to think that I am a very good DIY livery. Always pay on time, would never dream of not turning up to do the ponies, ride regularly, poo pick and keep my field free from ragwort. Pretty much everyone who's on our yard is the same, don't know if our YO is really lucky or you've been unlucky.
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me too, everyone on my yard toes the line as well
 
KittenInTheTree said:
For the record, I've yet to encounter a full livery service that provides even adequate care for the horses in its charge. Hence why I am staunchly DIY. At least that way my horses are never left hungry, thirsty or standing in filth!
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This!
I'm DIY, pay on time every month and poo pick regularly. I don't trust full livery, every time I've had a horse on full livery the horse has either lost weight, been stood in filth, been left out alone for hours, been on a bed that was so thin it may as well not be there or I've had to muck out when I get there as the bed was horrific.

That said I've found a yard where the yard owner is brilliant and I've been there nearly 3 years now with no intention of moving.
If you can't attract liveries or you have a high turn over of liveries you need to look at the service you offer first and foremost
 
I know there are good ones out there. I'm one them! Always pay and attend to my horse religiously and I know others like me. Guess we've just been unlucky.

He only has Diys as runs the livery as a side business to the farm.
 
it's a shame that more yards are moving to just full livery, as a DIYer I really like looking after my horses, that's half the reason I have them. I wouldn't want to pay someone else to do it for me :(
 
Ours is a diy yard. Fields are poo picked every day, horses looked after, concrete swept, immaculate beds. Some horses ridden, some rarely ridden, but happy and healthy.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I can never understand why YO care whether horses are ridden or not - what has it got to do with YO? Would you not take mini owners as customers. So long as horse has all it needs by way of care surely that is all that matters. And as for poo picking, why doesn't YO invest in a Field Vac - more efficient, less hassle than chasing liveries round to do the job and YO knows that their land is being looked after.
Having said that I wouldn't have a livery on my yard ever again.
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The yard owner doesn't care whether people ride or not. That's just me more wondering as a fellow horse owner, I just don't understand why people own horses but do nothing with them but that's their choice I suppose it just baffles me.
 
I had 2 on diy. I went up several times a day. Horses were always mucked out, poor picked daily, every need catered for. Unfortunately it also meant I had to harrow the school, maintain fencing at my expense, top the fields. Because we were conscientious they knew if they left it we would do it. Comments were made about weeds around the farm???? What have the weeds got to do with us?? Got fed up after 12 years and moved on. All yard duties are now shared. So even if diy liveries try their best and pay on time YO are still not happy! !
 
Charlie007 said:
I had 2 on diy. I went up several times a day. Horses were always mucked out, poor picked daily, every need catered for. Unfortunately it also meant I had to harrow the school, maintain fencing at my expense, top the fields. Because we were conscientious they knew if they left it we would do it. Comments were made about weeds around the farm???? What have the weeds got to do with us?? Got fed up after 12 years and moved on. All yard duties are now shared. So even if diy liveries try their best and pay on time YO are still not happy! !
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It's a shame that both parties seem to take liberties in many situations. We're very simple here, as long as horses basic needs are met and people pay on time we don't expect any more than that.
 
We've had a few bad eggs at the yard where I am a diy livery (also a side business for a farm) but these days things are much improved. We even have contracts now. No one likes to see a horse being neglected or people shirking the chores, but as for whether a horse is ridden or not, I don't really see that as a problem. There are liveries on all yards who will comment on such things, what it is to be perfect I guess.
 
Hipo said:
I'd like to think that I am a very good DIY livery. Always pay on time, would never dream of not turning up to do the ponies, ride regularly, poo pick and keep my field free from ragwort. Pretty much everyone who's on our yard is the same, don't know if our YO is really lucky or you've been unlucky.
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This. I've always been DIY and have never been on a yard where horses were not well cared for. Ridden or not (does it really matter....?)

Land was wonderfully maintained by the YO. And the only poo picking requirements were in the small 'sick' paddocks and obviously the school. Fields were harrowed, rolled and rested. Fencing well maintained.

But most importantly the yards were very well managed. And that's the bottom line. Choose your liveries carefully and rule with an iron rod. Simple.
 
Are small yard is DIY, all horses well looked after, fields poo picked daily, yard kept clean and bills paid. I think its down to the YO picking her liveries carefully !
 
Yards need managing. It's a job. Organising payment from customers is just part of it, just like if you were a builder or a plumber. No different, you get good customers and bad. Such is life.
 
Wow....as a DIYer I can honestly say this makes me cringe to read, we're not all like that, I'm sorry you've been made to feel this way as it's just not true...!!
My mum and I keep our field clear of poo (no easy task considering we have 5 horses, particularly in winter doing it by the puny light from a head torch!), ragwort and weed it by hand ourselves, and more often than not maintain it ourselves as the land owners can't be arsed; we don't look to be doing a lot with our horses but Alfie's been injured pretty much permanently since we got him (ahh the joy of TBs) but Diva is being worked most days. The others are retired due to their age (youngest si 17, oldest is 27, not sure it's fair to expect them to work lol!). I've had quite a bad loss of confidence recently so don't ride much because of that - but my eventual goal is to go out and do endurance and go on lots of looooong hacks.

We like doing things ourselves with our own horses and Rosie in particular would not cope on a large livery yard being cared for by many different people. I like to have a bond with my horses and do the majority of the work myself - let's face it, only about 5% of owning horses is actually riding. 90% of my time is spent picking up their **** to be honest! But it's so satisfying to go up and know when I shout that they will all come trotting or cantering over to see their "mummy".

But I can't understand people who pay others to look after their horses for them to be honest, surely 'owning a horse' is about, y'know, doing it yourself. But maybe that's just me, I don't know, I hate it when people even offer to help me do anything. (I do everything myself - I've been seen pushing a wheel barrow and leading a jumpy mare before lol).

That being said, before it was just us on the land, there was one woman who would come up in winter, through a chunk of hay and a bucket of feed over the fence and drive off. We ended up breaking her poor horse's water because he was licking the ice to try and get a drink poor lad. Some people are just lazy I think.
 
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Diva&Rosie'sMum said:
Wow....as a DIYer I can honestly say this makes me cringe to read, we're not all like that, I'm sorry you've been made to feel this way as it's just not true...!!
My mum and I keep our field clear of poo (no easy task considering we have 5 horses, particularly in winter doing it by the puny light from a head torch!), ragwort and weed it by hand ourselves, and more often than not maintain it ourselves as the land owners can't be arsed; we don't look to be doing a lot with our horses but Alfie's been injured pretty much permanently since we got him (ahh the joy of TBs) but Diva is being worked most days. The others are retired due to their age (youngest si 17, oldest is 27, not sure it's fair to expect them to work lol!). I've had quite a bad loss of confidence recently so don't ride much because of that - but my eventual goal is to go out and do endurance and go on lots of looooong hacks.

We like doing things ourselves with our own horses and Rosie in particular would not cope on a large livery yard being cared for by many different people. I like to have a bond with my horses and do the majority of the work myself - let's face it, only about 5% of owning horses is actually riding. 90% of my time is spent picking up their **** to be honest! But it's so satisfying to go up and know when I shout that they will all come trotting or cantering over to see their "mummy".

But I can't understand people who pay others to look after their horses for them to be honest, surely 'owning a horse' is about, y'know, doing it yourself. But maybe that's just me, I don't know, I hate it when people even offer to help me do anything. (I do everything myself - I've been seen pushing a wheel barrow and leading a jumpy mare before lol).
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I'm exactly the same, love doing everything with the horses myself. Don't get my wrong some people are brilliant and there is one fantastic livery here -they just seem to be few and far between x
 
I really don't understand how people think it's acceptable to pay bills late. I used to pay in cash, and would therefore need to go to the bank as was £270p/m, I would be so stressed if it gotten to the 2nd of the month even and I hadn't seen the YO to pay.

I also have stress dreams and wake up all in a sweat where I get to the yard and realise I haven't been up to do my horse in a couple of days. Awful dreams, and can't believe that this is some people's reality. Honestly baffles me.

There are good liveries out there, just the luck of the draw and a gut feeling I suppose.
 
If I were to ever have liveries, they would be retirement only-paid by DD and I'd never have to see the owners. saying that, I have been doing stable chores a long time and would have no qualms about paying someone else to do mine (horses are at home) so that I would have more time to ride. and no one could pay me enough to bloody poo pick these days.

as for ridden horses, they make look a convenient shape but they aren't here solely for us to ride. of course there are issues for non-ridden horses (adequate exercise for those kept on such small fields that they need poo picking-and long term prospects) but if all that is sorted, so what.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
If I were to ever have liveries, they would be retirement only-paid by DD and I'd never have to see the owners. saying that, I have been doing stable chores a long time and would have no qualms about paying someone else to do mine (horses are at home) so that I would have more time to ride. and no one could pay me enough to bloody poo pick these days.

as for ridden horses, they make look a convenient shape but they aren't here solely for us to ride. of course there are issues for non-ridden horses (adequate exercise for those kept on such small fields that they need poo picking-and long term prospects) but if all that is sorted, so what.
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I don't understand why YOs don't ask for all payments by standing order or bank transfer. Makes it much easier for the livery to pay and on time. The best managed and most professional ones I have been on all required standing orders and payment of extras by bank transfer or cash with receipt.
 
I used to be a livery... now have a livery yard so know both sides.
Couldn't give a monkey if they ride or not. Most of my liveries are great and are no bother.
However there is always one.... the one who hasn't been to their horses today at all (and regularly doesn't show up in the summer), only comes up once a day in winter, leaves a mess, uses my stuff (including my feed and my trailer!!!!, and not mucked it out out afterwards too), uses other liveries stuff, moves stuff that's not theirs, doesn't muck out stables for weeks on end, leaves a mess everywhere, never poo picks, moans all the time, very demanding, turns out in whatever field they like, rings at 9pm at night asking if i could do their horses... now, moans about worming or doing worm counts, stores loads of stuff here and leaves it everywhere,leaves poo on the yard and walk ways, gets involved with everyone elses horses...
Ok... think I need to breathe!!!
 
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I keep my pony on 7 day part livery at a friend's yard. Been there two years now and I love knowing that she looks after all the horses there to the same, very high, standard.

I would love to have the time to do him myself but my current situation means I'm working a 50 hour week and don't get to ride more than once a week. I always pay on time via BACs - tbh given today ease of banking electronically there is really no excuse for paying late.
 
You also forget the liveries who lie about their horse or willingly not saying what their horse is like with others just so they get into a yard. Then you find out it is a kicker, a biter, hogs the gate stopping you get your horse in, stands in front of the trough not allowing others to drink. (Till a friend of mine chased so called horse away allowing mine to drink). Horse deliberately targets yours and kicks yours and another in the same place causing you a vet bill and other owner, then shows no sympathy to your horses dilemma. Horse was nasty in stable, biting and kicking, thank god they decided to move on leaving us all on tender hooks every time a new one comes in as we have had a runs of 3 bad kickers/ bullying others in a row.
 
ILuvCowparsely said:
You also forget the liveries who lie about their horse or willingly not saying what their horse is like with others just so they get into a yard. Then you find out it is a kicker, a biter, hogs the gate stopping you get your horse in, stands in front of the trough not allowing others to drink. (Till a friend of mine chased so called horse away allowing mine to drink). Horse deliberately targets yours and kicks yours and another in the same place causing you a vet bill and other owner, then shows no sympathy to your horses dilemma. Horse was nasty in stable, biting and kicking, thank god they decided to move on leaving us all on tender hooks every time a new one comes in as we have had a runs of 3 bad kickers/ bullying others in a row.
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That is why a good YO will always have an isolation paddock so they can assess any new horses and introduce them into a suitable paddock so the risk of bullying and kicking is reduced, generally horses settle without too much drama if introductions are done under supervision, often an owner will not know how a horse will behave in a new yard, there are the odd few that are nasty but in my experience they are rare and of the last 3 arrivals here all have been no problem settling within a few hours as if they have been here years.

As for the OP I think part of the problem is running it as a sideline, if the YO thinks of it as that then it can attract owners who have a similar casual attitude, not saying your OH is casual but it may come across that he thinks of it as just a bit of extra cash so they treat the place as they like, starting off with a clear contract, stating some basic yard rules and payment directly into an account each month may make people take him more seriously, possibly time for a new start before winter sets in.
 
be positive said:
That is why a good YO will always have an isolation paddock so they can assess any new horses and introduce them into a suitable paddock so the risk of bullying and kicking is reduced, generally horses settle without too much drama if introductions are done under supervision, often an owner will not know how a horse will behave in a new yard, there are the odd few that are nasty but in my experience they are rare and of the last 3 arrivals here all have been no problem settling within a few hours as if they have been here years.

As for the OP I think part of the problem is running it as a sideline, if the YO thinks of it as that then it can attract owners who have a similar casual attitude, not saying your OH is casual but it may come across that he thinks of it as just a bit of extra cash so they treat the place as they like, starting off with a clear contract, stating some basic yard rules and payment directly into an account each month may make people take him more seriously, possibly time for a new start before winter sets in.
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They are not as rare as you think.

You are assuming all yards can have multiple fields to choose from, but in reality they don't if they are looking after their land correctly and resting some land while 2 or three in use.

That is precisely what is done at this yard, new horses go under strict separation and only join or start to join the existing horses after that time. It is then found out through the grape vine that they are known to be problems. Then true colours are shown, horses coming in with kick marks and one had it's pelvis badly injured.

Often some owners are oblivious to how their horses act, as they don't come up during coming in time or they are in denial even when other liveries tell them how the horse was with their personal ones.
 
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dominobrown said:
I used to be a livery... now have a livery yard so know both sides.
Couldn't give a monkey if they ride or not. Most of my liveries are great and are no bother.
However there is always one.... the one who hasn't been to their horses today at all (and regularly doesn't show up in the summer), only comes up once a day in winter, leaves a mess, uses my stuff (including my feed and my trailer!!!!, and not mucked it out out afterwards too), uses other liveries stuff, moves stuff that's not theirs, doesn't muck out stables for weeks on end, leaves a mess everywhere, never poo picks, moans all the time, very demanding, turns out in whatever field they like, rings at 9pm at night asking if i could do their horses... now, moans about worming or doing worm counts, stores loads of stuff here and leaves it everywhere,leaves poo on the yard and walk ways, gets involved with everyone elses horses...
Ok... think I need to breathe!!!
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More fool you for not giving them notice.
 
dominobrown said:
I used to be a livery... now have a livery yard so know both sides.
Couldn't give a monkey if they ride or not. Most of my liveries are great and are no bother.
However there is always one.... the one who hasn't been to their horses today at all (and regularly doesn't show up in the summer), only comes up once a day in winter, leaves a mess, uses my stuff (including my feed and my trailer!!!!, and not mucked it out out afterwards too), uses other liveries stuff, moves stuff that's not theirs, doesn't muck out stables for weeks on end, leaves a mess everywhere, never poo picks, moans all the time, very demanding, turns out in whatever field they like, rings at 9pm at night asking if i could do their horses... now, moans about worming or doing worm counts, stores loads of stuff here and leaves it everywhere,leaves poo on the yard and walk ways, gets involved with everyone elses horses...
Ok... think I need to breathe!!!
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I also couldn't give a monkeys if people ride or not plus I probably wouldn't notice if they did or didn't

Your one weird livery will probably pull your yard down and make the good ones move on eventually the weird ones are the sort who really create bad feelings and probably cause you a headache every time you see them, life is far too short to tolerate that sort of rubbish in your life
 
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