Yard owners own horses

SusieT

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 September 2009
Messages
5,933
Visit site
If a hotel owner lived next to his hotel in a swanky mansion would you complain that he was keeping the best for himself? if a yo chooses to designate part of their property for themselves and part for the livery i don't see the issue unless you were promised that land when you moved on?
 

Mossi

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 August 2012
Messages
97
Visit site
I think it is normal for people to want the best for their horses and yard owners who are horse owners of course will want the best for their horses it is only natural.

With regard to your situation ponies often do less damage to the fields than horses especially if they are quiet ponies who don't move around a great deal - you said your horse would be walking 20 miles a day if turned out, if this is the case it could really damage the fields if they are wet.

Our YO only lets ponies and quiet small cobs live out as they do less damage to the fields as they don't tend to run around so much, she does make an exception for herself and her big horses are also turned out with the livery ponies and cobs during the winter. I don't have any problem with this as it is much easier for her to be flexible with her big horses and bring them in if need be if she thinks there is not enough grass to support everyone than it would be for a livery who was on grass livery to do so. It also means that she can manage the grazing dependent on the weather so if there is too much grass her big horses can help eat it down and if there is not enough they can come in.

The horses that live in at night all have turnout every day. YO has the fields nearest to her house for her horses when they live in at night which is mostly in the summer but no-one complains about that as it is understandable as it is her yard.

The problem is with supply and demand there are enough people wanting cheap livery for yards in some areas to be fairly full even if things are not perfect. In some ways it is economically more viable to have lots of people paying not very much than a few people paying a lot as if someone leaves then you are only losing £35 a week which is easier to deal with than if someone is paying a £100 a week and then leaves.

I suggest if you are willing to pay whatever it costs to get adequate turn out for your horse and there are no suitable yards in your area then you look to move your horse further away on to a full livery yard outside your area which does have decent turnout.

I was speaking generally about horses living naturally in the wild walking around 20+ miles a day, grazing for around 20 hours a day, resting for around 2 hours a day and deep sleeping for a total of around 2 hours per day either standing up or lying down. I am considering moving further away for better facilities and better still, getting a place of my own as I've had enough of being under the control of poorly managed livery yards.
 
Last edited:

Mossi

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 August 2012
Messages
97
Visit site
If a hotel owner lived next to his hotel in a swanky mansion would you complain that he was keeping the best for himself? if a yo chooses to designate part of their property for themselves and part for the livery i don't see the issue unless you were promised that land when you moved on?

I'm not bothered by them using the best land themselves, its just that before I moved on I was told there would be daily winter turnout and that their ponies usually live out and mine could too if I wanted that, then more horses arrive and suddenly with very short notice the turnout is restricted drastically and the field shrunken dramatically for the liveries, making things more difficult for us and our horses, but they have not inflicted this upon themselves or their own ponies. Anyway, yes it is their land and they can do what they like but I still think its quite selfish when they have plenty of land for all.
 

AngieandBen

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 October 2009
Messages
1,809
Location
Leicestershire
Visit site
I sympathise with you OP. YOs can't have their cake and eat it. If they want the best facilities for themselves they should have a private yard with no clients, if they want the money from liveries they should cater to their needs. Imagine going to a hotel where the owners keep the biggest, brightest, best decorated rooms and give the guests the poky, crappy, dirty rooms!

You have to move though, otherwise you are paying for someone else to have fun with their horses at your expense.

Oh how I would love to charge hotel prices :D .......................£75 a night for your horses stable thank you very much :D

My horses are in the same field as my liveries ( only two ) they are out when they like how often they like, however this year has been awfully wet and the land has to preserved somehow.

My non horsey OH is stunned by how little it costs to keep a horse on livery, I certainly don't do it for the money!
 

PuzzlePiece

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 September 2012
Messages
169
Location
Cumbria
Visit site
Has anyone else experienced yard owners using the best grazing and giving all year turnout to their own horses, but restricting the livery horses to the rougher grazing and restricted winter turner, i.e alternate days or just a few hours a day or none at all?

I had this issue last winter and moved because of it. Issue was raised with YO during nearly 2 months of no turnout for liveries whilst hers went out everyday but nothing changed so there was only one option...
Thankfully now on a lovely yard with all year grazing.
 

Suzie G

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 March 2012
Messages
270
Visit site
We still have turnout at the yard I'm at but most of us choose not to turn out so as to not wreck the fields for spring.

Some people are still turning out and some are on grass livery and don't ave a choice.

My pony has never looked better and he has now been in for 6 weeks. He is exercised every day, a full ridden workout, lunging or just a lovely bonding walk in hand.
 

L&M

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 March 2008
Messages
6,378
Location
up a hill
Visit site
A tricky one....

I have a couple of liveries and give them the more fertile paddocks, which are also closer to the yard, whilst mine are chucked out on the rougher hill grazing behind.

However with the current weather, my field is fairing better as drains quicker, so mine can go out all day, whereas I have had to restrict the liveries to bringing in theirs for 2pm.

I do feel bad for that, but at the end of the day we have invested a lot of money into our property and if/when liveries leave, I do not want to be left with the legacy of trashed land.

As with all these posts, if you are not happy with the situation, find somewhere else.
 
Top