Yard Feeding Regime, Fair??

[Ranyhyn]

We have that rule on my yard. I always thanked the person who did it - however, no way was I getting up to feed my horse at 5.30 in order to be there before him at 5.45am! Just because his work demanded he got there at that time, it's a hugely early time to get up and not within the norm. So yes he did the lions share but it was also HIS choice to come to that yard with those rules, knowing within reason it would always be him doing that job!

Luckilly he never complained and always said "its hardly hard throwing the buckets in is it?"

 

[Spring Feather]

I don't understand why everyone doesn't feed their own horses, it all sounds terribly complicated and like there is a lot of bad feeling at your yard.

How many horses are there in a block? When first reading your post I was imagining 20 or 30 horses per block but then you said the YM has 3 horses in her block and you later said you'd feed your block of your 2 horses plus another one It can't take very long to feed just 3 or 6 or 9 horses can it?

 

[kizzywiz]

I don't understand why everyone doesn't feed their own horses, it all sounds terribly complicated and like there is a lot of bad feeling at your yard.

How many horses are there in a block? When first reading your post I was imagining 20 or 30 horses per block but then you said the YM has 3 horses in her block and you later said you'd feed your block of your 2 horses plus another one It can't take very long to feed just 3 or 6 or 9 horses can it?

I don't understand why we can't just feed our own either! This is what I would prefer. Its not a big yard, 10 horses, so you are right doesn't take long, but on a show day/Christmas day/weekend/work day perhaps one of the possible 6 other people could just make the effort instead of taking it for granted.

 

[Ranyhyn]

On our yard the rule is so you don't get other horses leaning, door banging and creating because they are seeing others eating.

 

[Always Henesy]

I am always the first one up at our yard (only 3 of us altogether), 4 horses (2 are mine).
I feed and turn out every morning just because I am there first (6.15am)
The other 2 ladies have a rota for the evening shift so I only have to go up in the mornings.
However, we are all flexible and lean on each other accordingly.
I am mindful of the fact that I have 2 horses and they only have one each, so don't feel hard done by at doing 7 mornings a week.
However, I keep mine at a friends house, not a livery yard as such.
I hate yard politics. Personally if I were you, I would just feed my own horses.
If everyone else is too lazy/indisposed to feed their own then they shouldn't have horses or they should have them on part livery.

 

[Spring Feather]

I don't understand why we can't just feed our own either! This is what I would prefer. Its not a big yard, 10 horses, so you are right doesn't take long, but on a show day/Christmas day/weekend/work day perhaps one of the possible 6 other people could just make the effort instead of taking it for granted.

I agree with you. I realise that these (what I'd call silly) rules are made up because on paper perhaps they make things sound easier/better but all they seem to do is cause dissention on livery yards. I'm always reading stuff on this forum about people complaining that others don't pull their weight on livery yards or people having trouble dealing with others horses etc. If I was unfortunate enough to have to be on a livery yard I'd be bringing in/turning out/feeding my own horses only

 

[sandi_84]

Yes that does seem a little unfair to me, especially if you don't actually work there/help out officially. I'd just be inclined to feed my own if no one was going to help out in return.
Our yard now has 4 blocks - 1 of 3 stables, 1 of 4 stables, 1 of 8 and the new one will have 11 stables (only 4 occupied atm).
The 2 smaller blocks are grouped by horses owned by 2 of the liveries so they feed their own. The group of 8 stables are the yard horses and a few liveries so whichever of the owners is working feeds breakfast/dinner or if I'm helping out on weekends I do feeds. The biggest block with 4 occupied stables are 2 liveries and my boy and my mum's mare and we all feed ours ourselves although I wouldn't mind helping out with the other 2 and I'm sure they would repay the kindness. But we have a nice yard full of lovely people which is lucky for me!

 

[Leg_end]

We have the same rule on our yard and have done t the last few I was on too. At one yard I was never on the yard first but bought the girl who did it a box of chocs and some wine. At current yard I'm normally the one who does them in the week but I don't mind.

 

[HarlequinSeren]

If its DIY then IMO that's what it should be. I would do my own only. Yes it isn't a lot of effort just to throw the buckets in, but you're not paid to do this for them either in money or favours and I dont see why you should have to to be honest. Unless the horses are complete stress-heads that kick up a huge fuss if they can see others eating then I don't see why they all need to be fed at the same time.

 

[lauraandjack]

What's the obsession about feeding all horses at the same time?

My yard is totally DIY. Horses are fed when their individual owners feed them. Some (shock horror) do not get hard feed at all. None seem bothered when you feed their next door neighbour (especially if you don't make a fuss and just put the bucket quietly in the stable.

It's just a case of what they are used to. If they aren't used to getting fed at the same time as the neighbour they don't expect to be!

I wouldn't want to be expected to feed all the horses on the yard. If I ride before work I am the first one up in the morning, and I do not have time to be feeding 20 horses as well as sorting out my own!

 

[aintgotnohay]

Well nobody has answered the question as yet.Why should liveries feed other peeps horses in the morning???

 

[madeleine1]

Well nobody has answered the question as yet.Why should liveries feed other peeps horses in the morning???

i dont understand this either. i would like the luxerary of a lay in but i wouldnt feel confortable with someone else checkin my horse assuming that someone who is chucking the field over the door is checking the horse( no offence ment to the op this is a general point). and my mare is now on a diy livery yard where we all feed at totally differant times and turn out at differant times. we all do things for each other that are needed eg someone brought mine in and changed her rug for me the other day and i have turned hers out for her on new years and she wanted to stay in bed with hang over. this is fine but the horses never fuss about being fed seperately and people do respect each other. why would you do something for people who dont appreciate it or pay you back for it.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I have.

 

[NicoleS_007]

Our yard goes by the first up feeds all malarky, so its usually me who feeds mon-fri! It takes me 40mins to get to work in the morning so if im due in at 9 then I have to be at the yard for 7.30am at the very latest so im usually first up. I dont mind doing it during the week as someone else feeds mine lunch but it gets rather annoying when you have to do the weekend aswell because no one else can be bothered to get out of there bed!! The only time I wont feed the rest is if im running late so just do my own. At our old yard we had a rota so you had to take your turn otherwise you were chucked off the rota and your horse wasnt feed unless you done it yourself, I much prefer a rota!!

 

[Ranyhyn]

I think the real issue here is people going to yards where they know the rules and then complaining because the rules weren't made to suit them personally.
I don't get to the yard before anyone else, principally because I AM up early (no "can't be bothered to get out of bed for me!") however I have 3 dogs to walk, 32 sheep to feed and my horses at home.
So I get to my horse when I want and if the other liveries on the yard - the yard that makes the rules - don't like it, well it certainly isn't MY fault (because I didn't make the rules) its the YO (I'd love anyone to challenge my YO on her rules!).

It's like I sweep the walker. My horse used it one week in four. Sweeping the walker was part of the yard rules. No point complaining about it, or saying how unfair it was - I either had the choice to move or get on with it that's the principle I think most people would be better off with rather than upsetting themselves with complaining about rules!

 

[MizzPurpleKitten]

I have to say this, I don't really understand what the fuss is about? Is it really that much of a hardship to chuck buckets over doors? On every yard I've ever been on it's been an unwritten rule that first up feeds all horses and it's never a problem, feeds are left outside the stables of horses who actually have a feed and the first person up just puts them in, there's 26 horses on our yard and to put all the feeds in it takes me less than 2 mins.

 

[wtdnh131]

no i dont think thats fair they should at least pay you!! at my yard most of the horses go out first thing, we pay one person to turn out and feed but she does not mind and we do pay her, we are only a small yard though so it only takes her about 10 mins

 

[Misog2000]

I don't understand the fuss either? It takes a few minutes to go round and put buckets over doors....by the time it's done, mine has finished her feed and is ready to go out. It is usually me or one other person up first due to work - and we feed round a yard of 30 odd. It's nothing to do with people getting a lay in, or being lazy - it's that the others door bang and create if you feed one and not all....mine is one of the most stressy about this so I wouldn't dream of leaving someone else's. Every yard is different but this works for us, we don't really have rules as its a cattle farm, it's just something we have always done.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

i think the term DIY is perfectly decribed. diy livery is do it yourself,.... yes do it yourself unless you and other diy ers get together to SHARE the load and share any lie ins. this is one of the reasons why i dont do diy.......

 

[Spotsrock]

We just feed our own unless arrangements are made on a day by day basis among friends. It's the only way to avoid hard feelings. Let them all know u can't do it anymore due to change in routine and then just do ur own horse. I'd be a bit peeved if u always fed mine without being asked and never mentioned it then stopped with no mention, but then i'd be a bit peeved if mine were fed without my knowledge in first place!

 

[Holly Hocks]

Someone asked why liveries feed other peoples horses. It's probably because when you turn up first in the morning there are one or two on our yard make a commotion kicking the doors and shouting - I can't stand the noise first thing in a morning, so I will put haynets over the doors which the owners have left which are ready just to fling over the door. The only thing that annoys me on my yard is that I am not in the main block - I am separate down the side - so whilst I have to go into their block to put the lights on in the feed room and get my water and invariably put nets in for the ones that are creating a commotion, nobody would dream of coming to my block to ever check on mine and that they were ok. So a few days between Xmas and New Year when everyone was off work, when I was first there I just left the kicking and screaming ones to get on with it. There are a couple of people on my yard that I will help, but I'm now at the stage where as far as I'm concerned the others can Foxtrot Oscar. I used to help everyone out and when I was off work on leave in December I once got three texts within 5 minutes from different people wanting me to turn out/bring in. I'm still waiting for those favours to be returned.....

 

[Alfiem]

I'd feed my own and sod everyone else. Sounds harsh but the other liveries are taking the pi$$. Most people on my yard feed their own we don't have problems with horses banging or getting upset as they each know their own person.

 

[Alfiem]

Well nobody has answered the question as yet.Why should liveries feed other peeps horses in the morning???

They shouldn't!! I DO NOT want mine fed by someone else in the morning as I may want to ride and it would piss me right off if I'd got there to find him fed.

 

[Spring Feather]

Well I would not want my horses being fed by someone else and I would not want my made-up feeds lying out all night and getting soggy, stale and encouraging rats/mice. I think it's grim I keep all my horses at home and I have tons of them! Some of them get hard feed, some of them don't. The ones that aren't fed know they dont' get fed so they don't look for it. The ones that do get fed stand quietly and wait their turn. Some get fed am and pm, some only am, some not at all. All of them know what they get and what they don't get and I don't have all this trouble with arguing/upset horses like others on here seem to have

 

[Echo Bravo]

Well I think YO is taking the P$$$, free labour, just do your block, also I don't like making up their short feeds and leaving overnight, as you would be surprised how many rats and squirrels there are around horses.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I have been on yards where this has happened. The more you do to help other liveries, the more they expect you to do & they don't expect it to cost them anything. You will always find that it will be the same people that arrive first & feed the horses, others will always turn up much later & feel it's a right to have their horses fed for them before they arrive. They will mention lame excuses but basically they would rather have a lie in.

These people really P me off..... the something for nothing brigade. You'll find that if you mention you're going for feed they will want you to pick up something for them & likewise if you're going to the tack shop. However they will never volunteer to go themselves to help you out. Many won't even give you the money to go with & you'll be chasing them for it later.

It's DIY, that's DO IT YOURSELF, look after your own horse/s, & let them look after theirs & only enter into arrangements with a trusted friend who will shoulder the work equally with you.

I am now on a small yard (5 horses) & everything works really smoothly & everyone is happy fortunately we don't have these issues.

 

[hackedoff]

All the diy yards in the past that I have been on were exactly that, you did your own and maybe mates and that was it. Current yard is fab as y/o put hay and feed in each morning including christmas day, its diy with the option of paying for assistance. If imn up before y/o I do the ones in my block as its a narrow corrider and can't get my old boy through which needs to be slowly done as recovering from leg injury unless other horses are occupied with nets etc!

I did used to do them for a while before mine started to have leg problems. Then I came up one day to find a lady in the block up before me. She had only fed her own and said no one else bothered so why should she. This turned out to be the general attitude on the yard so I stopped feeding them all.

I am astounded that people can do 28 horses in 2 mins, it took me ten minutes to do 10 horses this morning due to the numerous bolts, chains across doors, wierd knots to haynets to wrestle with!
I think if you move on a yard and are told by y/o ex rule applies such as first up feeds, no horse left out alone then fair enough and you should abide by it. Otherwise if Diy then it is as it says on the tin!

 

[luckilotti]

I'll fully read all the replies tomorrow but i am having this same problem on my yard! throwing feeds in is being left down to a few individuals and its not fair at all, however - other liveries wont come down in the morning! (this is a yard whereby its DIY or pay 50p a day for YO/me to pop feeds in) but they decided between themselves that 1st on the block would throw them all in..... it's not working this year at all!

On another note - when you feed on the yard - do you mean JUST hard feeds over or nets also put in... as it seems to be the nets mainly causing issues on my yard - they take the time and yet if one isnt put in (say if the horse already has a load on the floor/in the previous nights net) then one or two liveries have been reported to have called the livery who fed and complained about them not putting a net in.

i will def come back tomorrow and fully read all of the replies

 

[jeeve]

I think you are being taken advantage of, as you sound like you are ALWAYS the first one to the yard. It would possibily be different if some days others were there first. It means less time for you, and little or no thanks. I would also advise that others either need to take their turn feeding up, (being first to yard), or that you can only feed your own horse.

I really do not see why you need to feed their horses.

 

[milesjess]

I used to do this on my old small yard, but it worked well as the first down would feed and there were no issues.

However, if I was in your situation I'd just feed my own and no one else's or your own block. If anyone on your block doesn't like it then they should sort themselves out.

As said by others it's DIY, and people really shouldn't be moaning because they aren't in a position to!

I don't get involved with other liveries for this reason unless an emergency. The more you help the more people take you for granted and abuse your help.

Maybe speak to the YO or pull all the liveries together to address it but the easier solution would just be to sort your own horse.

Good luck!