Yard Feeding Regime, Fair??

[kizzywiz]

Thanks everyone, crikey I never expected this amount of replies! Ok today I arrived at my usual time, fed my 2 & the other pony in my block, no one else was banging or running around stressed, so I just carried on with my routine. About 10/15 mins later the lady with the new job arrived, I greeted her cheerily & said "I've not been here long, they were all fine" She said "oh thats fine" & just fed her block & carried on, so this will now be my new regime. Sometimes the YM does one of the horses in that block in the mornings, so if need be she can feed them & I guess charge accordingly!

I completely agree with everyone who says they don't understand why they all need to be fed together, we never did for many years until new liveries with new ideas arrived, strangely these are the ones whose horses "MUST" be fed, but are never actually there to do it, one girl actually burst into tears & said its not fair on ****** WTF!

To whoever said the problem is where people move to yards & then complain about the rules, this is not the case here with myself, I've been there since it opened virtually, it is people coming in from other yards that have wanted to change things, which is fine if everyone works together.

To the poster asking if we put nets in, no, we did have some people wanting hay in a few winters ago, this was when the other usual first lady & me said we were just doing our own blocks.

To the people saying they wouldn't want their horses fed without being asked, or wanting to ride, I completely agree, but this lot leave the feeds in position, some will say "Are you ok for the morning?" but most just roll up expecting it will be done.

So thanks everyone for your sound advice, I felt much calmer this morning & in control of the situation.

 

[Gingerwitch]

I always used to get really upset by the idol git brigade, but its only after years of getting all worked up and stressed that i now keep a dim looking smile on my face and just say cheery hellos and goodbyes.

I honestly have been where you are, being taken for the pratt that feeds the yard - 30 plus horses, and even being shouted at like i was the village idiot as i had fed one horse at 7.15 when I SHOULD HAVE KNOW SHE WAS HAVING AN EARLY LESSON, AND WHY DID I NOT FEED AT 6AM LIKE I SHOULD HAVE ! - she nearly got the snow shovel as an answer to that.

The horses will soon get used to who feeds them - for example, i feed the 10 in my block every morn, but if someone else does feed them, when i get to the yard mine look for there breakfast even though they may have just had it.

glad you feel a little bit better today, but its often you as an individual that is too concerned for others when tbh they do not give a flying about you, your feelings, your time or your horse.

 

[CBFan]

I HATE it when new liveries come in and think it is their place to change things like this.

Our yard is DIY. Always has been, always will be. There are a few people who help eachother out but other than that, everyone does their own... or that was until one person turned up and decided they would feed the whole yard in the morning. All fine until they are no longer the first one up in the morning.

I decided to stay out of it from the start and as a result my boy is PERFECTLY happy to stand and wait for me to turn up with his breakie in the morning. I don't have the worry that he might have been fed late and therefore I am unable to ride before work and I don't have him banging on the door or screaming his head off until he gets fed. Other horses on the yard know I don't feed them and so after an initial door bang or scream they shut up too!

I personally would say that you don't want to get involved in this anymore and just turn up and feed your own. It can take a little while for all involved to get used to it but they will.

 

[.Redmerl]

Would just feed your own, it's DIY

 

[LaurenBay]

We don't have this rule at my yard. But we do it anyway. There are only 3 of us though. My YO feeds mine on the weekdays at around 6AM. On the weekends I feed at around 8ish. I don't have to, but do like to do this so my YO can have a break from early mornings! The other livery, has one Horse. His feed is always made, so it's quite easy to chuck his in too. Even though his owner never feeds ours. None of ours are stressy, they are used to being fed dinner at different times. So If I was in a rush one morning, and only fed mine. It wouldn't matter.

 

[muffinino]

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!

This, exactly. I've been on four yards and in general horses do not make a fuss about me feeding just mine as they do not expect to be fed by me. I find a well aimed brush usually solves the problem if they do If I'm working/hunting/going to a show, I don't have time to fanny around with other people's horses. It is a case of being to lazy to get out of bed most of the time and people will take advantage. My horses are right next to the feed room and don't kick the door or stress as they know they won't be fed. If they did start creating, which they won't as they know that's against the law, others are welcome to bang the door back to make them shut up

 

[AdorableAlice]

I am astounded by some of the replies on this thread.

Horses that have been left alone for often more than 12 hours overnight should never have a 'bucket of feed chucked over the door' by someone who does not own or know them well.

I have run a small yard for years, work fulltime and am always short of time, but my horses have the lights put on and all heads over the door long before any feed is about.

A most basic early morning check should be done before feeding - have they drank normally overnight, finished their tea, produced the normal muck etc.

We all know horses become ill for fun, often overnight. If you choose to own them you also choose to care for them properly.

 

[little_critter]

I'm glad we don't have this rule at my yard.
I am always first on the yard and arrive at a time which means I can get all my stuff done and away to work on time. Why should I then have to get up another 15 minutes earlier to feel all the others just because I appear to be the only person on the yard who works 'normal' hours?
Also I doubt anyone else would be happy feeding my mare because she has Fast fibre so it's not just a case of chucking it over the door - you have to soak it for a few minutes first.

 

[skint1]

Yeah, we feed our own on our yard too, that is the nature of DIY imho, it doesn't seem to cause any alarm to the horses. Also, I wouldn't feel comfortable feeding horses I didn't know in case I got it wrong for some reason (in the case of soaking feeds)

 

[miss_c]

At ours it's a case of you feed your own horses. We're all in different barns (9 where mine are, 2 of which are mine) with some out 24/7/365. I'm usually first on the yard and really wouldn't be happy feeding everyone's horses, especially as my two (shock horror!) do not get 'breakfast'. None of the others bang the doors or get stressy as they don't expect to be fed.

 

[aintgotnohay]

Perhaps there should be a rule first one down mucks everyone elses horses out PMSL

 

[JennBags]

We have this rule on my yard, and tbh, although it only takes me a few minutes, it irritates me - I am nearly always first on the yard - the other DIY's rarely even get there before 9am, and the YO/grooms never get there before 7.

I have had one or two of the DIY's thank me - once - for feeding their horses every day. I also feed the full liveries - this is a fairly new thing, the YO started leaving a feed for one of the full livery horses out, then 2, then the whole yard. There are 16 on my block in total, so it takes me about 5 minutes - OK, not long, and not hard work, but when you're rushing at 5am, it does seem like quite a long time

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.

I wish you were on my yard

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

When I was first DIY, I didn't feed the others - and it caused a lot of friction with the YO - funnily enough, it was fine at first, but then she got a new groom who used to complain about it Not worth the hassle, so I started feeding - at the time though, it was just the DIY's so about 8 horses. Now it's 16, I am fairly fed up with it.

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.

Agree, but I am at the yard at 5am when I'm working so a rota is never going to work on our yard. As above, it caused too much friction when I just fed my own. The horses were all fine though - it was their routine, they weren't used to me feeding so they weren't bothered.

What really p's me off is that I don't get any "favours" in return for this. For example, my 2 are on services this evening - I've just had a call from my YO saying she's already brought them in, as she's brought in all the horses early. Do I want them skipped out & re-hayed or will I do them when I get there at 8pm? Well, if I say yes, please skip out, then she will charge me an extra £3.50/horse on top of the bring-in Yesterday morning, the groom didn't even arrive until 8.30 - if I hadn't fed at 6.30 their beds would have been totally trashed, and I never get a thank you

I like an awful lot about my yard, but there are a few things that really irritate me, and this is one of them

 

[miss_c]

Perhaps there should be a rule first one down mucks everyone elses horses out PMSL

Please no!!!! Hehe!

 

[Fahrenheit]

tbh this has been the thing on most yards i've been on in the past, first one down drops the breakfasts in, breakfasts were left outside the stable with a slice of hay on top and just dropped over the door, there was 21 stables on the last yard i was on that did this (got own place now) it never bothered me, even though I was first almost all the time, by the time I walked round the yard and dropped all the breakfasts over my first horse had eaten up and was ready to go out. I worked up central london so was on the yard a 4.50am, feeding them breakfast at the same time avoids anyone starting to bang the door and people say that if the horses aren't fed together they get use to it and aren't worried if they aren't fed at the same time, i've always found that their is one or two that do bang if they see someone else getting fed even if they know its not their person and they never fed them. I can tell you if I had only fed my own and someone else had started banging, i would not have been popular with the people living in the house at 4.50am! I'd be on the train to london just after 7am, 2 horses out, 1 horse in, 3 stables mucked out and showered so I didn't smell of horse

 

[M_G]

I have always been on DIY where each owner feeds their own horses & there has never been any problems

 

[Ranyhyn]

FF your yard sounds much like mine, the YO lives on site and even one horse door banging is enough to drive her potty, which is understandable!

 

[Fahrenheit]

FF your yard sounds much like mine, the YO lives on site and even one horse door banging is enough to drive her potty, which is understandable!

especially at that time in the morning

Having my own place now, I appreciate how noisy a door banger can be too, had a horse in earlier in the year and no word of a lie it started banging the door for breakfast at dawn, even though the horses are never fed here before 7.30am most days, was driving me nuts in the summer... 4.30am BANG BANG BANG!! and my bedroom is on the opposite side of the house to the yard, was so glad when he got sold!

 

[Ranyhyn]

there'd be other types of bang banging going on round here!!

Our YO can and will water squirt our horses in the face if they bang or lean! She simply wont tolerate it. However like you, having my own yard - I appreciate it's live with the rules or elf-off!

 

[Fahrenheit]

or elf-off!

lmao!

 

[Sunshine]

I too have been on one of the DIY yards where nobody else ever gets there first. Luckily it didn't have the first person feeds all rule as I certainly would not have been happy because not a single one of the other liveries ever turned up before 10am except on show days, when they would obviously(!) not have time to feed anyone else's horse. I was lucky enough to have one livery in my block who worked late shifts so we shared jobs -I fed and turned out early and had her horse as company for mine in the field, she would skip out for me and fill waters, leaving everything ready for her horse to come in with mine. I think this works best as we knew each horse's routine and behaviour so could tell if anything was wrong.
I remember being the first one down one Sunday and trying desperately to sort out another mare I discovered with terrible (fatal) colic (with my vet in attendance) for over an hour - the owner wasnt answering phone and none of the other liveries arrived during all that time.

Think the OP was really most put out that over the holiday period when most people are off work all the other liveries seemed to take it for granted that they could have a lie-in, knowing full well that someone would do their horse. I'd be getting the YO to make the rule that all horses have to be fed by 8:30/9am or it would be done by her on a payable fee. At least you could relax yourself and know that if you were paying for the privilege then they would be too.

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

I am on a small diy livery yard and we have the 1st up feeds all thing too. Its not a problem for me, there are just 5 horses to feed, the buckets are all outside their doors and there are no haynets to hang up. To be fair YO normally beats me to feeding during the week, they are fed at 6am and I get down there at 6.10am, at the weekend YO will feed at 7am if no one else is up and fed them. I like it and I am grateful that she does it. I can get down at the weekend, muck out and then still be out riding by 8.30am knowing that she has long since had her breakfast. For our yard it works well. If you want someone to put your horse to bed though you do have to ask, no one ever says no though! think that I am lucky to have such a friendly yard!