WWYD ?

DJ

DJ

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I have moved my horses to an amazing place. Really nice in so many ways. But (isn`t there always a but lol) ..... The place has large gates that are locked when the owners aren`t on site working in it. They are planning on living there (eventually) but no one lives on site (yet or for the forseeable).

I went at the weekend to drop my horse box off, and no one was on site (they had taken the day off to go somewhere else) but when i called them, they said they`d be back in an hour or so, which was fine, thankfully there is another wonderfully kind neighbour who`s house backs onto the yard, and she let me duck through her garden/fence so i can still sort mine out (poo-pick/feed/waters etc).

Now, having nearly lost my big lad last year after a freak accident (nearly 4 weeks in the vets and a 3K vet bill), and losing my youngster to colic/twisted gut just 4 months ago, naturally it is all still very fresh in my mind that time is of the essence when these things happen, and horses have a habit of trying to die on you "out of hours" (naturally as the call out is more). So my mind turned to thinking that should an emergency arise and i needed to get either of mine to the vets quickly, both my trailer and horses would be behind locked gates, and getting them out would be dependent on one of the owners answering their phones, and being able to come and open up for me.

So I mentioned could it be possible to maybe have a combination lock, or me maybe having a key (that went down like a sack of the proverbial) as unbeknown to me, the last liveries had caused MAJOR problems (for the same reasons, wanting a key). But as this place offers storage, they are adamant they can`t give a key out to EVERYONE ... My argument was that the people with things in storage don`t need a key as *stuff* in storage isn`t living and breathing, and can`t have an emergency and DIE like my horses potentially could (obviously i hope it never happens to be again, but it is still fresh in my mind).


Now the neighbour used to have a key in times gone by, and they have the same problem as their horse transport is kept here too ..... I`m not sure why they don`t have a key anymore, but i would be happy even if they just had the key, so at least someone living there (and who is horsey and understands) would at least be able to open the gates for me in the worst case scenario.

Cookies, ice cream and wine for all who get to the end of this ...... But am i in the right expecting to be able to get my horse/trailer in or out in an emergency? ... It has left me feeling quiet upset if i`m honest because 1 of the YO was really harsh about it ... the other YO was lovely and gave me a bit more info as to why, but even so, i`m still none the wiser or closer to a solution ... WWYD?
 
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Surely before you went there you checked out access? Personally, if I couldn't get to my horse in an emergency then I would move
 
i agree you need a key or combination lock, it is not safe like you say. I do know yards which shut at certain times, but have an owner/ manager living on or next to site. my old yard had combination locks so you could always get in. how many people are there? don't see why as someone with animals there you cant get one!
 
If there is no one permanently on site you really must be able to have access to your horse at any time within reason, if you needed the vet, him ducking through a neighbours fence to get in to treat the horse is hardly acceptable.
They may only be at the end of the phone but there may be times you want to get in or out that are not reasonable, to go to a show or running late one evening, are they going to come out every time to open up rather than give you a key?
 
I can always get in to them (and a vet if needs be), that isn`t the problem, it`s getting the horse/trailer out that could be a potential problem. After leaving my last place due to 2 thefts 3 weeks apart, taking fencing units/batteries/rugs/head collars/leadropes etc, then the thought of my things being "safe" was a welcome relief. I`d just assumed they would give me a key at some point, and up until that weekend when the gates were locked it hadn`t been a problem and i hadn`t really thought about it.
 
Lol ... lots of replies, sorry .... yes they would rather me call whenever and them come and open up for me, than me have a key.
 
and the daft thing is, i`m not bothered for a key for myself, just as long as the other horsey lady can have one (the neighbour), i`d be more than happy as she has horses too.
 
If they cannot trust you with a key they shouldn't have you as a livery imo. It's a very risky situation and I wouldn't want my horses left locked in somewhere.
 
What a ridiculous situation, if i couldnt get in and out as and when i needed then it would be enough to be a deal breaker for me. Imagine needing to get the vet in ,who wants transfer to horsepital immediately and you need to wait half an hour or so till you get a get open, aye right, thats not worth it for me. or someone has an accident, the abulance gets there quickly but cant get in until someone opens the gate, or heaven forbid a fire and the keyholder is nowhere to be found !!
Not a good situation, dangerous and unsafe imo, id never have moved to this.
 
Queenbee said:
I too wouldn't be there unless they provided me with a key for access.
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We aren`t exactly flooded with places to keep our horses where we are, so it`s either find a way round this, or go back to the place i kept getting things stolen from. I don`t want to leave here, as it is an amazing place set in brilliant hacking and fantastic in every other way.

MrsElle said:
What would happen if they went on holiday? If they were a few hours away visiting friends or family?
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They have a big enough extended family that there will always be "someone" to get in touch with when others are away.

YasandCrystal said:
If they cannot trust you with a key they shouldn't have you as a livery imo. It's a very risky situation and I wouldn't want my horses left locked in somewhere.
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They do trust me, it`s just they don`t trust every last person who has storage and would be then free to come and go as they pleased, and they don`t think they should make "exceptions" to the rule for me ..... hence why i`m trying to find ways round it. :)
 
YasandCrystal said:
If they cannot trust you with a key they shouldn't have you as a livery imo. It's a very risky situation and I wouldn't want my horses left locked in somewhere.
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Quite. You are supposed to trust that they would be available in an emergency? Hhmm just think what could happened to your horse in the hour you had to wait??
There has to be trust on both sides or you need to move.
 
What about suggesting a box fixed to a wall that has a combination code to access it (diy shops do them), with a key in to the gate, then in an emergancy the owners can give you the code to the box? You won;t have free access that they aren't keen on but might work?
 
Polos Mum said:
What about suggesting a box fixed to a wall that has a combination code to access it (diy shops do them), with a key in to the gate, then in an emergancy the owners can give you the code to the box? You won;t have free access that they aren't keen on but might work?
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Brilliant idea, they may well go for something like this, as they could change the code each time if it worried them that much ...... Thank you xx
 
Polos Mum said:
What about suggesting a box fixed to a wall that has a combination code to access it (diy shops do them), with a key in to the gate, then in an emergancy the owners can give you the code to the box? You won;t have free access that they aren't keen on but might work?
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Brilliant idea!
 
It's not just the horse, what if you had an accident and needed an ambulance? It would be a deal breaker for me, I've needed to take my horse to the vets at 11pm so would never keep them somewhere where I didn't have access to get my horse out to the vets or an ambulance in.
 
I can`t and won`t move. That just isn`t an option for me. So I need to find a way of keeping us all happy. This place is 2 mins away from home, with lovely people, great hacking, very secure, a good price and much much more, and eventually there will be some one living on site permanently.

Paramedics would be able to get in if needed in an emergency through the neighbours yard, and i don`t ride when there isn`t anyone there, in fact it is very very rare i am there when they aren`t, and even when they haven`t been there, the neighbours have been and i always knock and let them know i`m there when i bob through their yard ..... The other thing i am thinking is keeping my Trailer elsewhere, as if push came to shove i could bring any poorly horse out through the neigbours yard, with some dismantling of electric fencing (It`s complicated to explain, we couldn`t get a horsebox or trailer out, but can get directly from the horses fields once we`ve changed the fencing a bit). We were contemplating making a gateway through anyway (Neighbours suggestion) as they had kindly offered us use of their yard to tack up etc, as i will be riding out with them anyway .... so this could be another option too. I will just have to make it a priority to get this part of the fencing done and changed ASAP, and see where else i can store my trailer where i will always have access to it.
 
We have a keybox and padlock like the one mentioned and it works brilliantly. I would really worry if I couldn't get my horse out - apart from the major reasons (colic, getting to vets), what about being able to go for a hack? As I see it, it's like renting a house - you expect free access at all times as you are paying for stable rental. The owners are treating you as if you are there to pay the bills but actually getting to your horse is more than you should expect... how ridiculous.
 
LynH said:
It's not just the horse, what if you had an accident and needed an ambulance? It would be a deal breaker for me, I've needed to take my horse to the vets at 11pm so would never keep them somewhere where I didn't have access to get my horse out to the vets or an ambulance in.
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Totally this, if you need an ambulance to drive to you on the yard, you would be screwed. Once I sat down after my little ding, I couldn't have got back up to walk anywhere.

Could you offer this solution: you give them a deposit and they give you a key? We had electronic tags at one of my yards, it was £50 which was returned when we left. We couldn't have got in or put of the yard without opening the main gate, the only other access was across the fields.
 
What happens even if you have a dressage time of 8.30 at a show 2 hours away? are they going to be there to let you out at 5.30am on a Sunday morning? I do see that they have other concerns and don't want people potentially coming and going at all hours, potentially not locking up properly, etc - but a horse isn't like a lot of stuff locked up in storage!!
 
I know it doesn't solve the problem but if the gates are hung without turning the top hinge upside down in the event of an emergency someone could lift the gate off its hinges.

It would really worry and frustrate me not having a key to access my items, also of anything went wrong between you and the yo they have your trailer locked away with out your access to it.
 
It`s field livery, with a field shelter, well away from any buildings, so if anything burnt down it wouldn`t affect me or the horses.
 
Polos Mum said:
What about suggesting a box fixed to a wall that has a combination code to access it (diy shops do them), with a key in to the gate, then in an emergancy the owners can give you the code to the box? You won;t have free access that they aren't keen on but might work?
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But surely this presents a similar problem - if the OP can't get hold of the YO then he/she can't get the code to the box? Seems like a bit of a tricky situation. Try phoning the BHS helpline or CAB and see if they can shed any light onto the legalities behind this.
 
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