Yard hopper

[ILuvCowparsely]

It makes me wonder what's wrong with the yard to have yard hoppers be enough of an issue to state it on your advert...

That is a bit harsh.
Ever though it is the individual that is the problem, why a livery gets kicked out 6 yards in 1 year.

Makes me wonder whats wrong with liveries and the right they have moving yards to evade payment.


Makes me laugh on here why people obviously a livery - jump straight onto a yard owner/ manager and never think we owner's, get a large number of problem liveries. It is the livery who is the problem we all try to run a safe, happy environment, for our customers, and it comes with backlash.

 

[ponyparty]

I could probably be called a yard hopper, eek... I've owned my horse 1 year 9 months and we're on our 4th yard that comment would make me wonder why people keep "hopping" off the yard tbh!

In my defence...
Nov 17-May 18 Yard 1 - moved from here mainly because I needed part livery as pregnant (plus crap flooded school and horses knee deep in mud all day every day with no rested fields to move onto for summer)
May 18-Jul 18 Yard 2 - LOVED this yard but there was so much grass (even in that hot summer, all fields thick lush green grass!) and no option to track/strip graze, horse nearly got lami, diagnosed EMS, and had to stay stabled 23 hours per day with 1 hr turnout in muzzle. No life for a horse.
Jul 18-Feb 19 Yard 3 - moved here as they have hardstanding turnout pens so he could go out still but not be on grass, plus small, not too rich grass turnout in summer months. Worked great in summer, but didn't realise how bonkers only having a small hardstanding pen would send him in winter; he became a dangerous nightmare to handle. I had to move him for our safety, but it had to be to somewhere I could control his grazing... Enter Yard 4!
Feb 19-now Yard 4 - a friend and I rent a stable block and field, which is split in half, so one can always be rested. We've set up a track, he's turned out with two other geldings and he's so much more settled in himself there. OK, we have to run a petrol generator for electricity and we have no toilet there, and it is strictly DIY - but the positives outweigh the negatives, for now. I am worried about wintering there, especially being back at work, moving house to further away from the yard, and with baby too - but will just have to see how it goes. Friend and I help each other out (she does more than me but is cool with that!) and she's said she can do my horse when I'm back at work.... so fingers crossed it'll work out OK.

 

[exracehorse]

I know of 2 yard hoppers. They have had their Horse 10 years plus and never stay on a yard for more then a year.

Yep. I know of mother and daughter who are usually told to leave. Think the shortest was one week. Usually a year. The horse is constantly being moved. And they are going to livery yards further afield as they are well known

 

[Sussexbythesea]

That is a bit harsh.
Ever though it is the individual that is the problem, why a livery gets kicked out 6 yards in 1 year.

Makes me wonder whats wrong with liveries and the right they have moving yards to evade payment.


Makes me laugh on here why people obviously a livery - jump straight onto a yard owner/ manager and never think we owner's, get a large number of problem liveries. It is the livery who is the problem we all try to run a safe, happy environment, for our customers, and it comes with backlash.

Any yard can get one but if it’s a big enough issue for that yard to mention it then that potentially indicates that lots of people don’t stay there long and that means it could be the yard itself that’s the problem. Generally decent people know when they’ve got a good deal and don’t move their horses on a whim. We’ve only had one what I would call a yard hopper in 9 years and that’s because the yard is good and people only leave when they absolutely have to like moving away from the area. They never advertise.

 

[Nasicus]

That is a bit harsh.
Ever though it is the individual that is the problem, why a livery gets kicked out 6 yards in 1 year.

Makes me wonder whats wrong with liveries and the right they have moving yards to evade payment.


Makes me laugh on here why people obviously a livery - jump straight onto a yard owner/ manager and never think we owner's, get a large number of problem liveries. It is the livery who is the problem we all try to run a safe, happy environment, for our customers, and it comes with backlash.

I'm not saying that IS the problem. I'm saying that if I, as a potential customer, saw that on an advert, it would make me think twice. Tells me that if I went to the yard, and found it lacking, rules suddenly changing or having stretched the truth on something ('Oh yes, year round turnout!' which turns out to be an hour every other day in winter on some hardstanding) and decided to move, I'd be labelled as a Yard Hopper. Similar to when people write 'no time wasters' on a for sale ad, makes me feel like I'd be labelled as a time waster if I didn't end up buying the horse for whatever reason.

I can see you've taken it a bit personally, but it's a painful fact that a lot of yards promise the moon on a stick to potential clients, only for reality to be for from those promises. If you are honest and truthful about your yard and what you offer, then that's brilliant, and a quality more yard owners should possess.

 

[Meredith]

Careful observation over the years has left me with a sneaky theory that a few people yard hop because they really believe that THIS time, the magical new yard will change their riding overnight: they'll be able to hack out alone, whenever and wherever they choose ... their flatwork will suddenly come together in the new school and they'll discover their jumping brave-pants are hanging on their peg in the new tackroom, just waiting to help them effortlessly over that 1m track.

"This time next month, Rodney ..."

And if anyone ever finds such a magical yard, please do let me know. It'll save me a fortune in lessons ...

Sorry OP, couldn’t resist.
Now I know where I have been going wrong.
I have kept my horses at home for the last 30+ years.
I must start yard hopping to improve my riding.
😀

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I'm not saying that IS the problem. I'm saying that if I, as a potential customer, saw that on an advert, it would make me think twice. Tells me that if I went to the yard, and found it lacking, rules suddenly changing or having stretched the truth on something ('Oh yes, year round turnout!' which turns out to be an hour every other day in winter on some hardstanding) and decided to move, I'd be labelled as a Yard Hopper. Similar to when people write 'no time wasters' on a for sale ad, makes me feel like I'd be labelled as a time waster if I didn't end up buying the horse for whatever reason.

I can see you've taken it a bit personally, but it's a painful fact that a lot of yards promise the moon on a stick to potential clients, only for reality to be for from those promises. If you are honest and truthful about your yard and what you offer, then that's brilliant, and a quality more yard owners should possess.

Ah well that is different, if it is because they yard fell short, or did not go through with what it is included that is different. It should all be laid out in black and white what you get in your livery, and what is not included.


Over the past 30 odd years being a diy, working pupil, student, staff, and yard owner, I have seen customers, who leave yards for many reasons.

Some financially left because they fell short of paying the bill, then did a midnight flit
Some because they fell out with the yard owner
Some left because they got annoyed because their horse was a kicker, many injuries and they did not like the Y/O separating this horse from the rest
One left as they moved into a yard, fell behind straight away with rent, loads of excuses, then did a dissapearing act.
Another would not accept that their behaviour was not on and not acceptable for other liveries to put up with
One private yard had odd owners, who kept turning the light out on a livery ( me ) would keep doing it daily, would not let water be accessible from the tap in the garage, so water brought from home. Kids kept hitting the livery (me) with canes, saying * what you doing! and why!* day after day.
Yard owner, behaved badly as she did not like the horse owner, so got at the horse owner by reducing the horse feed to next to nothing etc etc.



What I am summing up is there is good and bad on both sides, and the blame should not always be on the Yard side. It could very well be a livery with a gripe on the yard who spreads malicious rumours about a yard. There are always 2 sides to everything.