nessie19
Member
Hi everyone,
This is my first post, so apologies if it's in the wrong place!
Ive ridden for many years but Ive recently become a first time owner when I bought my lovely warmblood mare. Im having some problems with the yard though, and I was wondering if anyone can let me know if Im overreacting?
The horse is at a yard thats primarily a riding school, which is how I found her. I rode her for about 3 months before purchasing her and the YO agreed that she would stay on working livery. Im fine with this because generally its only experienced riders that can ride her and the instructors are really great and I know shes in good hands. These are my problems:
1) I got my working livery contract yesterday after chasing for 3 weeks. The contract was £50 more per month than wed previously agreed. YO says that because my horse is big (16hh) she cant possibly do it for less than the new amount. Which is weird because its not like my horse grew overnight or is a new addition.
2) The contract doesnt have anything in it about how many hours she needs to do in order to earn her keep. When I ask they just say oh, well work with you but wont give me an idea of hours and refuse to put it in the contract
3) My lessons dont count towards the earning her keep quota even though I pay the same for my lessons as non horse owners
4) One of the staff does lessons on the horse. Im happy with this because the staff member is a great rider and its good training for the horse BUT YO says that the staff members lessons dont count towards her working livery quota because the lessons are free and in exchange for the staff member schooling other horses - not even my horse!
5) The rules of the yard arent prominently displayed anywhere and you have to just guess them. When you do something wrong, although the staff are wonderful, the YO holds a grudge for ages, making it really difficult to be there.
6) Ive arrived twice to ride at pre-agreed times only to find her being used in the riding school either directly before me or right after me.
7) The YO is not approachable to talk to about these problems. She waves her hands, says shes never fallen out with anyone and just dismisses me, its really frustrating.
8) Theres nothing in the contract about turn out, and she currently gets 10 minutes a day, even if the weather is nice (!!!!)
Im looking at moving her onto full livery. The cost of full livery at that yard is the same as other yards with better facilities, year-round turnout and YOs that seem a lot more professional. I just really want the use of my horse to be clear rather than vague and well work with you.
Am I being unreasonable with any of these points? I know all yards have problems and theres no perfect yard, but I expect there to be a basic level of understanding and expectations - is that reasonable?
Thanks so much!
This is my first post, so apologies if it's in the wrong place!
Ive ridden for many years but Ive recently become a first time owner when I bought my lovely warmblood mare. Im having some problems with the yard though, and I was wondering if anyone can let me know if Im overreacting?
The horse is at a yard thats primarily a riding school, which is how I found her. I rode her for about 3 months before purchasing her and the YO agreed that she would stay on working livery. Im fine with this because generally its only experienced riders that can ride her and the instructors are really great and I know shes in good hands. These are my problems:
1) I got my working livery contract yesterday after chasing for 3 weeks. The contract was £50 more per month than wed previously agreed. YO says that because my horse is big (16hh) she cant possibly do it for less than the new amount. Which is weird because its not like my horse grew overnight or is a new addition.
2) The contract doesnt have anything in it about how many hours she needs to do in order to earn her keep. When I ask they just say oh, well work with you but wont give me an idea of hours and refuse to put it in the contract
3) My lessons dont count towards the earning her keep quota even though I pay the same for my lessons as non horse owners
4) One of the staff does lessons on the horse. Im happy with this because the staff member is a great rider and its good training for the horse BUT YO says that the staff members lessons dont count towards her working livery quota because the lessons are free and in exchange for the staff member schooling other horses - not even my horse!
5) The rules of the yard arent prominently displayed anywhere and you have to just guess them. When you do something wrong, although the staff are wonderful, the YO holds a grudge for ages, making it really difficult to be there.
6) Ive arrived twice to ride at pre-agreed times only to find her being used in the riding school either directly before me or right after me.
7) The YO is not approachable to talk to about these problems. She waves her hands, says shes never fallen out with anyone and just dismisses me, its really frustrating.
8) Theres nothing in the contract about turn out, and she currently gets 10 minutes a day, even if the weather is nice (!!!!)
Im looking at moving her onto full livery. The cost of full livery at that yard is the same as other yards with better facilities, year-round turnout and YOs that seem a lot more professional. I just really want the use of my horse to be clear rather than vague and well work with you.
Am I being unreasonable with any of these points? I know all yards have problems and theres no perfect yard, but I expect there to be a basic level of understanding and expectations - is that reasonable?
Thanks so much!