yard owner retaining tack

ihatework said:
If there was a post made by a yard owner along the lines of 'nightmare livery - badly behaved horses means I've been kicked - now they are leaving without paying their notice'

What do you think the response would be?

I do appreciate OP PoV but the horse world is small, just pay the 2 weeks extra you owe, retrieve your tack and leave on good terms.
You never know when things might bite you in the backside in future.
Click to expand...

This.
 
Lolabay said:
It always does when the unforeseen happens. When my horse was badly injured I travelled 45 minutes each way twice a day treating him instead of my usual 3 or 4 visits per week. It's something you just have to live with. For me this was short term until he healed and for you it is short tem because you are leaving.
Click to expand...
 
ycbm said:
Am I missing something?

The story as I understand it is that the OP contacted for a livery service at a price. As part of that contract she stipulated that the horse should be led out one at a time.

The yard staff attempted to lead the horses out together and a person was kicked because of their failure to follow safe procedures and the owners instructions.

The yard now refuses to honour their contract and the OP has been put to considerable trouble and expense to cover the service that they will not provide.

I can't see any reason in this situation why any notice is required at all???
Click to expand...

This!

Regardless of the age of the person leading the horses out a verbal contract was made.

At this point in time the YO cannot hold your tack because you haven't yet left and you have paid your rent to date. If you owed money then the YO does have the right to hold tack to the value of the livery bill.

The yard has broken the contract they had with you, inconveniencing you. You should in turn ask for a reduction in your livery fee as they are not giving the service you were paying for.

This may sort the problem.
 
You pay monthly so you should a months notice. This is the way it works in most livery yards and also how it works if you are renting a property. The horse world is small. Pay it, move on and move out. I suspect that as she is older she probably knows a fair few people in the area and could potentially cause some issues of you wanted to move elsewhere further down the line. (If she could be bothered)
 
Lolabay said:
Just another point to make.I pay monthly.however had only been there 2 weeks when my horse kicked her.
I did query why she took 2 at a time
there was no verbal agreement regarding a months notice
the only agreement verbally we had was that she would feed and turn out
The other thing in my horses defence is according to quite a few witnesses it wasn't the horses fault.as the horse didn't deliberately kick her.it was as the horse cantered off bucking that this women got kicked
I don't blame her for refusing to turn them out.however she does have a son who could turn out. It's cost me a lot in fuel and time the last 2wks
Click to expand...

So no verbal agreement that they would be led to turn out one at a time?
 
Am I the only one a bit confused by all this?

If you gave notice 2 weeks ago and you're not moving for another 2 weeks, surely you've given a month's notice? Do they want any extra or are you refusing to pay for the time you're there?

How long had the horse been there before you gave notice and how long had you paid for up until that point?
I'm reading it as you've been there 6 weeks and set to leave in 2 weeks? In that case horses will have been there 8 weeks by the time they leave.(and you gave notice after 4 weeks) How many weeks have you paid for (I know you pay monthly) and how many weeks' payment are they looking for?
 
annagain said:
Am I the only one a bit confused by all this?

If you gave notice 2 weeks ago and you're not moving for another 2 weeks, surely you've given a month's notice? Do they want any extra or are you refusing to pay for the time you're there?

How long had the horse been there before you gave notice and how long had you paid for up until that point?
I'm reading it as you've been there 6 weeks and set to leave in 2 weeks? In that case horses will have been there 8 weeks by the time they leave.(and you gave notice after 4 weeks) How many weeks have you paid for (I know you pay monthly) and how many weeks' payment are they looking for?
Click to expand...

I read it that she gave notice that she was leaving in two weeks time a fortnight ago - so not a months notice.
 
Lolabay said:
Just another point to make.I pay monthly.however had only been there 2 weeks when my horse kicked her.
I did query why she took 2 at a time
there was no verbal agreement regarding a months notice
the only agreement verbally we had was that she would feed and turn out
The other thing in my horses defence is according to quite a few witnesses it wasn't the horses fault.as the horse didn't deliberately kick her.it was as the horse cantered off bucking that this women got kicked
I don't blame her for refusing to turn them out.however she does have a son who could turn out. It's cost me a lot in fuel and time the last 2wks
Click to expand...


My horse was kept 17 miles from home and a further 9 miles from work. My petrol bill was £65 a week and I spent 3 hours a day driving. Every day of the week. Horses eat your money, and that's a fact. Pay the bill, leave and learn from your experience. What people say they will do and what they actually do can be very different. You can't argue with it in black and white.
 
I'm confused too lol

OP, how many weeks will you have you been there by the time you leave?

How many weeks have you paid for in total?

How much notice did you give in total?
 
Ive had a similar issue, and got the police involved they then say its a civil matter as its their land,
I was disputing the amount so let them take me to small claims as i was happy to pay what was rightfully owed but not more!

Am surprised at the amount of yards that dont take a month up front!
 
Lolabay said:
The yo is actually doing it for her son,and thats who I thought would be doing all the turning out.hence why im reluctant to pay the full month,when her son doesnt do anything to help
Click to expand...

Are we to assume that the portion you do not wish to pay is that which was originally agreed, verbally, for the service of feeding and turning out your horses, ie on top of the DIY livery price?
 
Personally, to save a lot of time, potential expense and aggro, I'd pay up and go. In my mind though, the issue of age is irrelevant. If the yard owner wasn't up to the job physically, or able to rely on someone else to fulfil the role, they shouldn't have been offering and accepting payment for the service. I'd find somewhere else and put it down to experience.
 
pixie said:
It's easy to ask for it up front, very difficult to actually make them pay though!
Click to expand...

but you don't let them move onto the yard until they have paid a month up front as deposit...

I'd see it as the contract has broken down, OP is not getting the service she arranged for because the YO specifically didn't follow an instruction. If they could not make multiple trips to the field they should not have offered the service so OP is free to leave whenever.

ETA with her tack!
 
pixie said:
It's easy to ask for it up front, very difficult to actually make them pay though!
Click to expand...

It's just the same as a residential let - almost a deposit on signing the contract. And quite honestly why anyone moves onto a yard without a written contract is beyond me. Yes, contracts don't have to be written, but trying to nail someone to something they said x amount of years ago is incredibly difficult and nobody wins. I deal with a lot of unwritten tenancies from circa 50years ago and no one wants to go through that rigmarole.
 
OP, I hope you pay.

My last livery gave notice on a Weds & went 3 days later on the Saturday. I've not been paid notice money, nor for the promised extras - I bent over backwards to help her when in a time of huge stress & got kicked in the teeth. I know her new YO V well (which livery still doesn't realise) and alerted her whilst livery was driving up her drive.

YO greeted her with the 'oh, you do need to pay 3 months in advance, then monthly as I keep 2 months in hand in case of liveries leaving suddenly'. Ex-livery (and now very ex-friend) apparently went v red & handed a cheque over. Didn't help me, but stopped another person being mugged.

I know thats not your position as you are having labour issues, but still - pay the YO what is due.

TFF, not ever taking another livery as long as she lives......
 
twiggy2 said:
this or expect a claim against you regarding being kicked-I would not expect a 76yr old to turn my horse out every day
Click to expand...

If she is offering this service then it shouldn't matter how old the YO is surely? She is getting paid for the service, not doing it for love after all. I have been very upset in the past when I have given a clear warning/request for a YO not to do something (learnt from bitter experience on my part) and they have totally disregarded me on more than one ocassion. Unbelievable. And when the accident happens its too late and you have lost your horse or it is injured beyond repair.

Common sense dictates that if a livery says something in warning to a YO about their horse as the OP did, it is the YO at fault if he/she chooses to disregard the warning although sadly its quite clearly the owners large mopping up of the mess then made.

I've known a YO bring four horses in from the field at the same time, one obviously got loose, someone went and caught it and got kicked and got a severe broken limb and claimed against the YO (negligent for bringing in four at a time). They got a large payout (they suffered loss of earnings as well as the person concerned having a large livery bill because they couldn't muck out their horse with a broken limb).

I personally prefer to have a livery contract. Having said that this is the only yard I've ever been at where I have one. My last yard (ten years) never had one, the one before that (four years) , and the one prior to that (five years) have never had any, most of whcih I left on good terms anyway.

She can't withhold your tack but I doubt the police would become involved as it would be classed as a civil matter.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
By the time I leave.I would've been there 6 weeks. I paid a months livery the day I arrived and then 2 weeks ago when I gave my notice I paid up to the day I leave.yard owner wants another 2wks from me.which is just around £400 For those who say why didn't I tell her when the accident happened and why wait 2wks.the reason is I wanted to find another livery yard first
 
So you pay your livery monthly, but are leaving halfway through a month? In that case I think the YO is well within their rights to ask for the further two weeks to make up the month.

I'd chalk it all upto experience, albeit an expensive one.
 
I think it's month 1 - fully paid

Then you gave notice so at that point you owed the one months notice of which you have paid 2 weeks worth

The fact you are choosing to leave 2 weeks early is not the YO's issue

Some people stay their whole notice some leave the day they give notice - departure timing is irrelevant - you owe one months notice and you've only paid 2 weeks worth of that.

Sorry
 
ycbm said:
Am I missing something?

The story as I understand it is that the OP contacted for a livery service at a price. As part of that contract she stipulated that the horse should be led out one at a time.

The yard staff attempted to lead the horses out together and a person was kicked because of their failure to follow safe procedures and the owners instructions.

The yard now refuses to honour their contract and the OP has been put to considerable trouble and expense to cover the service that they will not provide.

I can't see any reason in this situation why any notice is required at all???
Click to expand...

This!!! I was thinking the exactly the same. It's shocked me that people have been quite harsh, I've only experienced positive replies so far.
 
Polos Mum said:
I think it's month 1 - fully paid

Then you gave notice so at that point you owed the one months notice of which you have paid 2 weeks worth

The fact you are choosing to leave 2 weeks early is not the YO's issue

Some people stay their whole notice some leave the day they give notice - departure timing is irrelevant - you owe one months notice and you've only paid 2 weeks worth of that.

Sorry
Click to expand...

but the yard owner messed up which is her issue as she now refuses to provide the service at all so OP has to go elsewhere!
 
ester said:
but the yard owner messed up which is her issue as she now refuses to provide the service at all so OP has to go elsewhere!
Click to expand...

That is true - OP how about not confusing the two issues - on the notice period you probably do owe them for the 2 weeks but as correctly pointed out above they have not provided the services you are paying for so accept you owe them £400 but explain to them you are deducting the cost of services not provided

£2 turn out and £2 bring in per day per horse - for however long you've had to do it (and anything else they haven't done) - and if you've incurred costs finding a new yard (petrol maybe) then deduct that too.

The two things are separate and you might find them more amenable if you can justify not paying
 
It sounds to me like its roughly £100 per week per horse including morning jobs. I too would expect a reduction if I was having to turn out and do morning jobs and I'd previously agreed for it to be done. The age of the person who was kicked is irrelevant- the yard agreed to do livery and morning jobs in exchange for £100 per week per horse, they didn't follow instructions and have suffered because of it and now won't fullfil the contract- I twi would be pretty miffed to have to fork out another £400!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top