Yard Owner after Giving Notice

[Toby_Zaphod]

I prefer yards that are not 'professional'. At our yard it works about alright. If we need something doing, i.e. horses bringing in then we always speak to the YO first. If she wants to do it then fine, if she doesn't we'll get a friend at the yard to do it. The trick is always ask the YO first! When we want worm tests done on the YO will arrange it or possibly I will. It's normally cheaper with the number of tests when to whole yard is done. Again always speak to the YO first. If you do this, it's common sense to always include the YOY. That way they always know what's happening on their yard and that is important. I've been at the currant yard for about 9 or 10 years & we don't have issues.

 

[Pinkvboots]

On the other scale I was at a yard where I left and went back a few years later, the yo had some over the top rules and he had a right temper on him, he had a reputation for being quite harsh and would scream and shout at people but I always got along fine with him and got my deposit back both times.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I can't believe this happens!

What do people without transport do?!

Ride them there have done that a few times just to get out

 

[expanding_horizon]

It seems odd to me as most people move for a reason so job move, needing different facilities, horse needing different facilities but things change and they burn their boats for that livery ever returning.

Absolutely. I have been a livery at one place 2-3 times (I had more than one horse, and had one on livery, left, horse back on grass livery, moved back with two horses, and left), and there is another local yard (different area now) that I've left on good terms I could move back to if I couldn't manage DIY anymore.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I worked at a yard once basically ran it for 5 years became really close to the couple who ran it we went out together rode together was really close.

I got another horse with my sister and kept him at a different yard as he was a 2 yo colt as the yard I ran just wouldn't work.

When I told the wife of the couple I worked for she went mental at me and was screaming at me on the yard saying how stupid I was buying such an unsuitable horse.

So I drove down to my friends yard up the road sorted out a stable and rode my mare there that evening and never went back.

Some people are just mental.

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

I was at a big livery yard for about 5 years, apart from keeping my horses there I also worked on and off for the owners at their B and B. Then I was offered the chance of my own little yard a few miles away and nearer home so I took it, the livery yard owner always knew it was something I'd like to try. My daughter was gong to continue to keep her pony at the big livery, so it was only me moving with my 2 as it wasn't big enough for 3.

The day I was moving I arrived at the livery yard to find the owner had thrown all of my tack, saddles, rugs and feed bins out into the middle of the yard in one big jumbled heap. She then accused me of not paying for a pony I'd bought from her and her sister a year previously (I most definitely had!). It was emotionally hurtful all round, we'd been good chums but I thought she'd understood my reason for moving.

Three years later circumstances changed, stuff happened. I had a very sick horse which I knew I couldn't care for without support. I bit the bullet, rang my old livery yard owner and asked if I could come back which probably was the hardest and most gulpy phone call I've ever made. She absolutely welcomed me with open arms, came and picked my horse up the next day and had already prepared a stable for us. I was blown away, it was as though all the previous nonsense hadn't happened. She was an absolute rock through my horse's illness, he survived and I couldn't have done it without her. Eternal gratitude!

 

[Ceifer]

Cos horse people are nuts .

I worked as a groom on a yard that had the best facilities in the area but the YO was nuts. If she didn’t agree with what you were doing with your horse she’d ask liveries to leave. I had several awkward moments with liveries crying as they thought she was their friend and then they were being booted off.

 

[Melody Grey]

There’s a yard local to me who advertise on Facebook that there are spaces available, often “due to absolute time wasters”….which confirms I need not even enquire. I’ll quit while I’m ahead thanks!

 

[Bellalily]

Our old yard is on the market. Our YO told us they were marketing it as a going concern and we could stay as long as they were there and hopefully beyond but 7 of the 10 of us were offered the chance to all go somewhere together (it wouldn't have suited the other three as their horses are retired). With the uncertainty around the old yard and being able to keep the herd (both equine and human) together and settled, it was a no brainer, though we were all sad to leave, especially my friend and me who had been there 20 years. YO was fantastic about it, despite losing 70% of her business in one go, we all had a goodbye meal, shed the odd tear as we left and still keep in touch. They don't have a buyer yet and we all know that we can go back there if we need to while they're still there. Fortunately new YO is also lovely so we don't need to. It's how things should be. The reasons for leaving are very rarely personal.

Absolutely. Mine isn’t, I’ve been struggling with the conditions and lack of grazing. Sprained one ankle twice, fallen over twice, as have others. I’m self employed and the thought of a more serious injury makes my blood run cold. No grazing nearer the yard has been offered despite my having a chat with her recently. I also can’t afford to be feeding hay in the field as well as nighttime. Just hasn’t worked out. C’est la vie.

 

[Landcruiser]

It's a real slog keeping (4) horses at home with no help - but boy, these posts remind me of some of the crazy YO's/unreasonable yard rules I encountered (which, along with lack of turnout, made me into a serial mover until we got our own place). The last place I was at I could happily have stayed, as it happened, and I still miss the wonderful hacking, but I do think it's pot luck with livery. The initial sell sometimes doesn't live up to expectations or promises, and then you can get these "difficulties" when you move on.

 

[Bobthecob15]

We are going through similar...i think half the problem is they are often blind to their own business and think they are offering something amazing with no knowledge of the competition.

Its a simple business transaction at the end of the day, they provide a service you no longer require as you have something suitable elsewhere.....its just never seen like that.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I feel really lucky i found non crazies as I've had to move numerous times for various reasons but I've stayed friends with them.

 

[Bellalily]

It's a real slog keeping (4) horses at home with no help - but boy, these posts remind me of some of the crazy YO's/unreasonable yard rules I encountered (which, along with lack of turnout, made me into a serial mover until we got our own place). The last place I was at I could happily have stayed, as it happened, and I still miss the wonderful hacking, but I do think it's pot luck with livery. The initial sell sometimes doesn't live up to expectations or promises, and then you can get these "difficulties" when you move on.

Totally get this. We had ours at home for seven wonderful years. Sadly exOH behaved like a tw@t and got sacked, so our lovely farm had to be sold.

 

[Bellalily]

We are going through similar...i think half the problem is they are often blind to their own business and think they are offering something amazing with no knowledge of the competition.

Its a simple business transaction at the end of the day, they provide a service you no longer require as you have something suitable elsewhere.....its just never seen like that.

This exactly. I had to have some more hay delivered yesterday and honest to god I really tried to be an adult over this, but I was wasting my time. She laughed in my face when I tried to be pleasant. Cannot wait for 27th to come around. She really does think that theirs is the best yard around. Funny that, cos other people think where I’m going is great.

 

[Bobthecob15]

This exactly. I had to have some more hay delivered yesterday and honest to god I really tried to be an adult over this, but I was wasting my time. She laughed in my face when I tried to be pleasant. Cannot wait for 27th to come around. She really does think that theirs is the best yard around. Funny that, cos other people think where I’m going is great.

They'll learn the hard way that their reputation will do them more damage in the long run. Ours has been advertising etc but not many takers....which is unheard of for January when people are really needing stables!

We are on our final countdown now, cannot wait! I hope yours goes quickly!

 

[Bobthecob15]

There’s a yard local to me who advertise on Facebook that there are spaces available, often “due to absolute time wasters”….which confirms I need not even enquire. I’ll quit while I’m ahead thanks!

according to someone who enquired about the one we are leaving has been told by the YO that several of us are going "due to bitchiness"....a) this is untrue, we all get on great! and b) would that not send alarm bells to you as a prospective customer?! So silly!

 

[Melody Grey]

according to someone who enquired about the one we are leaving has been told by the YO that several of us are going "due to bitchiness"....a) this is untrue, we all get on great! and b) would that not send alarm bells to you as a prospective customer?! So silly!

…yup- won’t be enquiring there either!!

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Adding to this…if you are leaving for reasons like mouldy hay and straw and you don’t have a contract but pay monthly, would you consider 2 weeks sufficient notice.

 

[Esmae]

The last time I was on livery and needed to move (25 years ago) gave my notice and YO was fine about it. We are close friends even to this day and she's helped me out since in difficult circumstances. Don't get why anyone would be unpleasant or difficult. Weird. I have a small yard now with 1 livery and we get on so well and share the work. Brilliant. I would be really sad if she moved on but wouldn't give her a hard time over it.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Adding to this…if you are leaving for reasons like mouldy hay and straw and you don’t have a contract but pay monthly, would you consider 2 weeks sufficient notice.

No if you pay monthly, and leaving is your choice, you are expected to give a months notice.

Though I have given less in one instance in last 20 years of being on livery.

In this case where yard were restricting and over grazing for my horses and not others. My horses were out at night, and not prone to running around, and could of used a wide choice of fields as about 6 of 35 horses went out at night.

The field my two horses were out in at night had three times as much use as many others (was grazed night and day by different horses when most other fields had one horse in some of the day OR night).

One of my horses was arthritic and the other had vet remedial shoes that did not cope with deep mud. Other horses on same livery had one paddock for one horse, that was either grazed day OR night.

And there were empty paddocks that were flat and full of grass (yard had separate summer grazing). When my horse lost a remedial shoe for the second time (each time involving 100 miles of specialist travel to replace) and the yard refused to consider moving to a less over grazed field, less poached field, I moved before the next months livery was due.

I understand if a horse damages a field there may not be another one. I understand if you graze summer fields in winter there will not be summer grazing. But I am not going to accept my horses being in overgrazed poached land as their field is grazed three fold to the fields of other comparable liveries on all sides, and there being lots of empty unused fields at night, when it causes repeated remedial shoe loss.

I had lost confidence in the yard manager to be professional and objective and to be reasonable about the care and consideration of my horses and to treat horses equally and felt unable to stay. And two horses on part / full livery (was a mix) in the South East, was more than I could afford to pay to an extra month when needing to leave ASAP.

Was a long time ago, but still rankles!

I guess it depends how strongly you feel, whether you think you might be taken to small claims court, whether you can afford to pay, whether you might ever want to come back, and what you think is morally right.

 

[splashgirl45]

I’ve given notice and not had a problem but when I had my first horse I was at a big yard and also worked there part time towards my livery cost. YO told me I had to move my horse to a different stable round the back of the indoor school which had no lights or water tap. As I worked in an office full time I needed lights as a minimum. I was half way through mucking out one of their horses when she told me, I left the stable as it was, phoned my friend to see if I could go to her place as a temp measure, put all my stuff in my car and locked it, tacked up and rode to my friends place and then came back to get my car. I was so angry at being treated as if I wasn’t a paying livery and gave no notice . I worked all day sat and all day Sunday and paid half livery in cash but they wanted my box as a chap with loads of money wanted to bring 2 horses and they only had 1 big box available so chucked me out … I was in my 20’s then and had a pretty short fuse..

 

[exracehorse]

I gave two weeks notice. I’d been there for four years. She locked my horse in the field. !!

 

[nagblagger]

I gave two weeks notice. I’d been there for four years. She locked my horse in the field. !!

What happened?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Why is it that some yard owners have such horrid attitudes when you decide to leave?
I would have thought they’d want you to remember it as a pleasant experience, not that it’s owned by a bitter old woman
Having been on both sides of the coin, if I had anyone leave, which usually was because they were short term anyway, I always made sure it was amicable.
Some people are determined to make sure you leave feeling like you’ve escaped.

Depends on the person and livery, I had one recently leave, I got funny after something she said she would do and repair, and when it didn't happen I casually asked about it and she snapped my head off, all she was one of the divide and conquer people. Who don't say why they left their previous yard. Then belittle me and a fellow livery and acted like a mother hen getting certain liveries round her like chicks, dividing the liveries up, silent chats and silence when others go in hearing range.

Was glad to see the back of her so was other liveries. Really two faced she was, and sorry I could not trust her or socialise with her after, I was pleasant and said hello etc.

Other liveries its been fine and friendly when they leave due to relocation etc.

 

[Ratface]

I was at a yard that had good grazing, excellent fencing and very cliquey owners. I didn't discover this until I'd been there for a couple of months. Apparently, I didn't fit in, as they said that I was "too upper class" and didn't want to go out hacking with them. True, as they didn't warm up or down either end of hacking or schooling and my then horse was a very sharp, onward bound sort, who didn't need any encouragement to go flat out everywhere.
I wasn't going to argue, as I had seen what they had done to others who had (stolen tack/rugs/feed etc), so I found another yard some distance away and began a very stealthy removal of all my kit. I met the owner of the new yard a couple of miles away, loaded into her box and disappeared. I left my feed and hay there, as I had been running it down from the start of the escape plan. I sent the previous YO a cheque for a month's livery and never heard from her again.
Later, I heard that her husband had divorced her and had closed the yard down. He was part of a well established local farming family and went on to remarry and have a happy family life.

 

[Lois Lame]

Too upper class

Sounds like they had too big a chip on their shoulders, not to mention ignorant. Not to mention crooks. Great post, Ratface.

 

[lauragreen85]

Maybe they are just hurt and dont no how to control their feelings or they are just damn right ignorant

 

[Bellalily]

Maybe they are just hurt and dont no how to control their feelings or they are just damn right ignorant

Most likely the latter. I didn’t hear the second half of the conversation that was directed at another girl, but when I asked her (I’m fairly hard of hearing) she said she was moaning about other liveries.

 

[exracehorse]

What happened?

She was such a witch. She wanted a one hundred pound release fee. I should have called the police. But I was unwell with cancer and hubby wasn’t horsey so he paid up. I sometimes see her in Sainsbury’s and she still gives me the shivers.