Y/O's with DIY liveries

R2R

R2R

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Hello

Just checking - one of my liveries left her 2 horses in for the past week - one is on box rest but the other isnt and it has been stabled 24 hours a day save a 20 min walk out in the evening. It has issues with its legs anyway and is very stiff becasue it is being kept in.

I told her yesterday I wasnt happy with the either horse being in for that length of time without being mucked out (they went from 7.30pm -7.30pm without a skip out) and to sort something out. I also said the sound horse with leg issues needed to have more than a 20 minute walk out, and she is welcome to turn out in one of my paddocks if needs be (my paddocks are by the yard, liveries get good grass at the back)

Was I wrong? I feel like I was 100% right, however should I have just put up and shut up becasue she is a DIY?
 
! think you were right seen as you are the yard owner and tbh you set the rules not her! i totally agree though a sound horse should not be in for that length of time.
A horse at my yard has an injury and gets checked by the vet daily but has been in for 2 months :O although thank god he is now allowed out! Unless the vet has told her that the horse HAS to stay in i can see no other reason for it ! :)
 
You are correct.

Both horses should be mucked out a minimum of twice a day - and whilst I appreciate the box rested horse may need company - to keep the other horse in because she's a lazy cow is unacceptable.
 
Im not a YO but i would say you have done the right thing. As a YO you have a responsibility for the welfare of all the horses you have on your yard and it sounds to me like these horses are not getting the care they need and it needs to be sorted out
 
Thank you Amymay. Thats what I thought! She claims they will miss each other - I told her to get over it last night and that if I could manage to wean youngsters at the yard her 2 would get over it. It is not like it isnt an open yard - the mare on b/r can see everything, even the front paddocks.

Well I suppse she can only leave, but dont know another Y/O in the area who would tolerate her!!
 
No I don't think you were wrong. I would say something too - although they probably will take umbridge at it!

DIYs can be very difficult. We did it for about 18 months. We had one like the above, very lazy - even rode it home lame one day - because its not very lame and its a long way to walk! When it snowed we never saw her - ended up doing full livery even though she managed to get to work - the road she drove past on route to work was a five minute walk away from the yard. The other livery was the oposite, and terrified of her horse (but unaware she was!). I've never seen someone come back from a ride in tears so often, and we ended up having to escort her all the time. Life is so much easier now its just us on the yard! What we made from DIY, we saved by swapping our horses from shavings to straw, and not having to repair the damage that DIYs did to our fences/ ponies!
 
This is always a difficult one. I'm a yard owner who has DIY's and for three months last year had a youngster in on box rest. Nobody's fault I hasten to add, but they were out at work all day and didn't see how restless the poor horse got, and how bored. Then you get all the habits like cribbing and banging feet on the door, rubbing, all that sort of thing, which you as YO can't just ignore if its there in your face.

Personally I don't like confrontation and all that sort of stuff, BUT we've all had to do it and sometimes people take the P**s knowing you'll take it and not make a fuss.

If the welfare of the horse is being compromised then personally I would feel I had a duty of care and would have to say something. Not mucking/skipping out for that length of time is unacceptable and compromises welfare. Its the thin end of the wedge really, if you let people get away with it they'll only think you're there to be taken the P out of and do it again, and so will the others.

If you say something and she decides to take her arse in her hand and go up the road then so be it, she's no loss if that's how she treats her horse.
 
Actually I kind of disagree with you. If her horse is on box rest because of vets orders and it would get stressed if it was seperated from her other horse then I can understand her not turning the other one out although it should be walked in the morning as well and ideally at lunchtime and turned out for even 30 mins when she is there mucking out etc so she can keep an eye on her other one. Also I can see that if she has a full time job she might not be able to skip out in the middle of the day although ideally she should arrange for someone else to do it in the middle of the day for her when they are on box rest. I don't know this livery at all or the full situation so maybe she is just a lazy so and so, but maybe she is just in a difficult situation but yes she could be dealing with it slightly better but she could be struggling on her own.

If the horse is on box rest for alot longer then I guess the seperation problems need to be dealt with sooner rather than later but if it is a week or two then I would wait and deal with it after.
 
Not a YO but am a DIY livery. Please don't tar us all with the same brush. She's being lazy and not thinking of her horses at all!!! IMO they'll end up picking up some other infection from standing in dirty bedding.

I'm just recovering from having my horse on BR. I had to get up super early and ended up staying up really late for 6 weeks. I did this so she could be mucked 2x per day and have hay in small doses instead of all at once and stand with nothing. I also made sure I actually spent time with her grooming and fussing her so that she didn't feel abandonned. When allowed I walked her to graze in hand for an hour every day and as we moved very slowly back to work I also had to include this in her routine. As a result she wasn't at all stressed and didn't suffer from being kept in all that time. I was utterly exhausted and my lfie was on hold for the whole time but I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Throughout this I was aware the YO was watching over my shoulder and also took on any of her suggestions to ensure the process was best for the horse. She has now bent over backwards to help with bringing the horse back to the field and reintroduce her to her herd.
 
OK I feel better now. I usually try to help all of my liveries but this one can be very difficult. Fortunately this is the first time I have had to stamp my feet a bit, but knowing her I full expect a notice letter on Saturday!
 
Maybe she is not able to come up at lunch time to skip out or walk the sound horse out - some people just do not have the flexibity at work - so it may not be deliberate neglect - could you offer to help her out and charge her she might herself be aware that the situation is not idea and be grateful for the help.
 
There are two separate issues; one that both horses are being kept in and secondly that mucking out is not happening often enough and I think it is important not to roll them in together.

It is up to her whether she keeps her horses in or not, as long as she isn't incurring costs above her livery allowance in hay and bedding. Keeping one in as company for the other is very valid.

The mucking out is a different issue - this does need to happen twice a day and that should be pointed out to her. But it isn't a real welfare issue that could cause problems for the yard, just a management issue.
 
Also I can see that if she has a full time job she might not be able to skip out in the middle of the day
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No, but she could do the morning, and pay YO to skip out during the day.

If you can't manage your horse on DIY you get assistance or go full livery.

It's not rocket science.....................
 
I have a yard full of DIY liveries and I wont tar them with the same brush. I was a DIY livery before I had a yard for 20 years...so I know how hard it is. I think my point is that we have all had horses on box rest, we all work full time (the yard is my 'hobby' and I work F/T as well) but we all work around it - she isnt and needs too. There are 2 people at the yard who work part time for me and will do freelance for the other liveries and a charge list on the board, and when I am at work my Mum runs the yard and would be happy to arrange someone to do it for her. We have all had to arrange something - and she is not the first DIY to have a broken horse!

I have no issue with the sound mare being in, if she was skipped out twice and mucked out once, and turned out for an hour in the morning and afternoon, but she is just left.
 
It's the leaving the horses for 24hrs between visits that I can't get my head around. Surely they need to eat, have fresh water and the sound but stiff one needs more than one trip out of the stable a day!!!

If she hands in her notice - sigh with relief!
 
Horses all get fed in the morning by first one up - though I am not sure she has ever fed! She leaves full haynets which get tied up for her, and we check their waters.... so she only comes up to give them dinner and muck out.
 
Sorry I read it as 7.30 am -7.30pm first time round :confused: and so yes I do think that it is unacceptable for them not to be atleast skipped out in this time and as there is someone who could walk/skip out for her then I think that you were right to talk to her and she sounds difficult and so if she does move then it is no loss to you so I wouldn't worry about that.
 
If there are services and she is not using them and you presume it is not because she is ignorant (sometimes having horses is a learning curve and she may not realise what she is doing is not in the horses' best interests) and she refuses to change her ways then there is not much you can do other than ask her to leave and perhaps put something in your yard rules about horses on box rest needing to be seen to at least twice a day.

I am DIY grass livery and can't go up at lunch time and one of my conditions of choosing a yard was that there would be someone there during the day who could do services so if my pony was on box rest he could be fed extra hay at lunch time and mucked out and given an extra groom or some attention during the day whilst I am work.
 
It's a tricky one but at the end of the day, it's your yard, you get to set the rules and I think expecting that horses stabled 24/7 are tended to at least twice a day is not at all unacceptable!
 
Even worse if there are services she could buy into while she's not there!! I do agree having a horse is a constant learning curve but you can only learn if you listen. I wouldn't take on everthing I hear but I do listen to the YO.

If she doesn't listen to you then wave goodbye.
 
You absolutely did the right thing imo. Shame there are not more knowledgeable owners who have the horses best interests at heart.
 
Could it be that owner cannot afford services? Even if this is so, surely there is a kind livery that would help her.
I do agree its unacceptable to leave 2nd horse in with just a 20min walk out in hand. And not to skip out for 12 hours is disgusting!!
I think its been said - Your yard, your rules - end of.
 
Does she not usually turn her horses out in the mornings anyway?

Our yard has a rule that all horses HAVE to be checked twice a day. I don't think making her come up twice a day is unreasonable at all.
 
amymay said:
You are correct.

Both horses should be mucked out a minimum of twice a day - and whilst I appreciate the box rested horse may need company - to keep the other horse in because she's a lazy cow is unacceptable.
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^^^^^^^

Agree with this!
 
Just rad back - one visit a day at 7.30pm?

That is NOT acceptable. If she can't make it in the mornings she should have to pay someone to feed/skip/turn out.

If she can;t afford it well sorry, she shouldn't have them.

I can't believe someone on DIY would only go once a day??!! And keep them in!!
 
i think you're 100% in the right and have been too kind to her haha!
she's clearly not looking after her horse properly and like already said she should be going to the yard at least twice a day if she has a full time job (although i still don't think that's enough if they are in 24/7)
twice a day and a full time job is easily done!! get up there at 5am (or earlier) if need be and stay there after work until as late as needed!

if she can't get up there (aka she is lazy) she should pay someone else to, why should you as the y/o do it for her for free!?

and then if she can't afford to pay someone to do it to keep her horses in an adequate condition, she should sell them... simple! :cool:
 
I'm not a YO but a DIY also. We have DIY's, Part and Full Liveries in our yard. Most of us understand the YO has the welfare of the horses at heart and I know I personally listen and accept advise in all equine aspects, after all my YO has eons of experience much more than me. Don't worry R2R you are doing the right thing.
 
Thank you. Sometimes when you question your judgement you start to think you have somehow done something wrong - even if you havent. I did not say it to be a bitch nor did I 'have a word' for my own good, it is all for her neddies benefit :D
 
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