Yard Rant about Liveries!!!!!!!!!!

[eoe]

I was up at the crack of dawn did my three horses and a liveries two this morning before leaving at 7am to start the journey up to Olympia. Had a really good day.

Then had to go to yard on my way home to finish the horses off!!!!!

Thats when it all went wrong, no one had thrown their muck up on the muck heap, there were 3 poos left around the yard plus some in the indoor school and it looked like someone had dropped the entire contents of their wheelbarrow all the way down my yard.

Are us yard managers/owners not allowed to have a day out at olympia. God knows whats going to happen when I start competing again in the new year as due to work commitments and another new horse, I have not been out since June.

The rules are clearly posted on the noticeboard and they all have a yard contract.

I have sent a polite text message and guess what most of them have replied that it wasn't them, no surpise there.

What is it about liveries, or am I just unlucky that mine take the p**s when I am not around and have no pride in their yard.

 

[chestnut cob]

I was on a yard years ago with a YO who used to put extra charges on people's bills if she had to clean up after them. She would put £1 on your bill if she had to poo pick the school after a livery, charged 3 liveries £5 each once when they went to a fun ride and left poo and mess on the yard floor...they didn't do it again!

 

[Fantasy_World]

Nice one Chestnut cob that sounds a great idea to me. Personally it pses me off when people are untidy like that and leave a mess or are too lazy to use a brush or shovel and that applies to whether they are DIYers or liveries.
People should take pride in the yard they are on especially if the yard owners provide them with suitable amenities and a clean and tidy yard to keep their horse on.
It shouldn't be up to the few to maintain a clean and hygienic environment for the many as everyone should chip and do their part. If people don't play ball and are generally messy then they should be charged extra in my opinion. Hitting people with higher bills should soon get the message across.

 

[eoe]

Good thinking, I will sit down and put together a charges sheet. That should put the cat amongst the pigeon and as I have CCTV god help them.

 

[Natassia]

I'm not a YO, but I can totally see why you're angry, I would never do that on my yard and it must have been really annoying to see your yard in a mess when you came back, its like you can't trust them and it was disrespectful on their part. Charges are a good idea I think!

 

[Saf]

I went to a very posh yard yesterday for a lesson and was shocked that the person before me left their horses poo in the car park, before I left I picked up my horses and theirs

what is wrong with people, if the girls at home have swept I always make sure I leave the area tidy. My old boss always used to give me grief if even after 5 seconds I had not made my way towards a skip

 

[michaelj]

I think they are taking the piss tbh... Perhaps you should write another notice to go on the board!

 

[luckilotti]

I think most liveries tend to take advantage a bit if they know you are not going to be around - i try and keep weekends away etc rather hush hush ;-) (thankfully my mums around to deal with anything that may arise)
I know i got rather annoyed the other morning as my mum had swept the entire indoor yard, for a livery to take another liveries horse out to the field, and leave straw all over the yard, for some reason, even though she is turning other peoples horses out every morning - she doesnt seem to think its her job to clean up after them!

 

[lauraanddolly]

I am a livery on a yard full of slobs and the YO doesn't seem to care, its so frustrating. I agree why don't more people have pride in the place they keep their horses. I spend a lot of time there and I like it to be nice and clean and tidy - there are old rugs and headcollars hanging around the place, nobody admits to ever owning these items even though they all say they have been there years, so I'm clearing it slowly one item at a time to see if anyone notices, so far they haven't I'll have cleared it all to the tip soon!
I do hate having to do things like this so I can be on a nice yard, but for now its the best I have.
I dream of a YO like the OP that cares what there yard looks like!

 

[the watcher]

It works both ways, I have been on yards where the clients have had significantly higher standards than the YO when it come to tidiness and organisation, where we are now the YO is not on site so effectively we could all leave a mess ever day and nobody would comment - however the fact that we are all fanatically tidy means that it is one of the tidiest and cleanest yards I have ever been on, with everything being put in the proper place every day and sweeping done at least twice a day (usually more often at weekends) and the muck trailer stacked up.

Not all liveries are idle or take advantage

 

[maddielove]

On my old yard where you were required to poo pick after your horse, if it wasnt done then the school was closed!
Simple as really!

 

[eoe]

Well arrived at yard this morning and the only thing that had been done was that one poo had been cleared up so I have had to clear the other poos up and tidy up half the muck heap and sweep 1/3 of the yard which filled up one entire wheelbarrow, before I ran out of energy and enthusiasm, so will have to do the rest tomorrow and yes I am working on a charges list, might even do a rota for sweeping the yard and if its not done properly then they will get charged anyway.

 

[Naggette]

Oh at last I realise I am not a freak of nature/Adolf Hitler as I totally understand these situations! I see people drag their poor horses across the concrete and as the huge clumps of bed and last night's mud from the field fall out of their hooves and see the mess I think -
1. Who exactly do they think clears up that mess?;
2. How do they know their horses legs are ok as they clearly haven't touched them to feel for heat or swelling?
3. Am I wasting my time trying to run a nice tidy 'friendly' yard - 'friendly' is pretty tricky when you have to tell perfectly nice people to clear up their mess!

I try to see it from their perspective too - I used to be a customer on a yard once upon a time - so I realise time is short etc etc BUT the simple truth is if they can get away with it, they will.

I know if I leave a nice polite note or tell people face to face (not always easy as you can't be there to watch everyone bring in/out) they will make an effort for a day. However the most effective way, without a doubt, is the really TO THE POINT notice and charges on the bill.

This job is so difficult and I know people will say, 'well don't do it if you can't hack it' but the bottom line is most of us yard owners really really really just want our customers to all be happy but not be slobs!! oh dear, what a rant :O(

 

[eoe]

Obviously you and I come from the same school, which makes me feel better. They have even had letters with their livery bills asking them to pick out their horses feet before leaving the stable. Obviously they don't know what a hoof pick is. Oh well I have rest of yard to look forward to sweeping tomorrow and finishing tidying up the muck heap. Well it keeps me fit. Will let you know the reaction I have to charging them.

I did drop a hint to one of them today that thats what I was thinking of doing, so watch this space.

 

[Naggette]

I think how you word that letter will affect the result - write it out in draft, read it, run it by someone you trust (not a customer... they will warn the others!) and don't issue it until you know you are happy you have worded it the best way possible.

I often put an info section on my bills and it is usally a rant but I often find the first draft of anything is a real rant (like on here!!) but then you can go back and put some 'sugar' on it so they don't feel so bad reading it. (I am contradicting my earlier post here, as I said the nice wording fails!) however what I mean is there are good positive ways to say things and ways that sound catty and miss the point. I am going to try to go on a course that tells you how to do this if I ever find one!! I know a guy who runs a totally non horsey business but he encounters the same problems and he is GREAT at putting things across in a positive, contstructive way. Good luck!

 

[CrazyMare]

Just one note from a livery who always sweeps the yard, has the tack room organised into labelled boxes, rugs live in bags, folded with a label inside saying what it is etc etc.....my stable is on the route to the muck heap....I sweep outside my stable, the two others and the tack room twice a day, yet if you look 30mins after I'm done you would doubt it!!! lol

I would be put out if I was told off for not sweeping up! However I do appreciate that your situation may be different, but its just an example

 

[eoe]

God can I have you on my yard please, just one like you would put the others to shame and make them clear up after themselves.

 

[MrsMozart]

Don't know if this is an apt suggestion, and I don't know how much they are, but how about a yard vaccum cleaner thing (don't know the right name for it). A yard I once worked on had one and it's amazing how tidy the place was because everyone wanted to use it! Plus, when I had to do my area, it was so quick and easy I didn't mind if others had left a mess

 

[Tia]

My advice to Nagette and Eoe is be very careful how you deal with trivial situations like this. Presumably you don't want your liveries to leave, and you don't want them to feel uncomfortable at the place where they keep their horses. Yes a little bit of respect from both sides is acceptable but wielding a rod of iron is a sure-fire way to quickly find you have no liveries.

I've been a YO for 16/17 years now and I've found that liveries who don't always follow your ideas need to be handled carefully and with respect. I have always favoured directly speaking to people, I've never sent texts or written notes to my liveries for anything negative. Notes and texts are purely used to arrange rides, or get togethers etc. not to facilitate my running of the yard, and certainly not to tell people off for doing whatever. When you are discussing these sorts of things with people face to face, I think the results speak for themselves, it tends to sink in and without anyone getting the hump.

Now you guys obviously do things differently and if it works for you, then great, but if you come down too harshly or start appearing as a whinger, you might find that some liveries no longer feel content. Take a look in the New Lounge any week of the year and you will find liveries looking to move yards ... and they do! If they don't like where they are, or feel the YO is acting like a Hitler then they tend to speak with their feet.

I also would be incredibly careful with using this medium to air your complaints. Again, I wouldn't put down my liveries or moan about what they do or don't do, on a horse Internet forum ... LOTS of ears and eyes in the horse world and you may not know them, but they can quickly figure out whom you are and this could be bad for business if they feel that they have no privacy due to YO telling the world about things that go on at that yard.

Some counts I agree with you on, but to be honest as YO I take ultimate responsiblity for what my yard looks like. I don't ever recall any of my liveries picking up their horses poos, Lol! But then I am laid back and have no qualms about clearing up after my people - I am more interested in them enjoying their horses and their riding than whether they pick up a piece of poo or have left a bit of hay or straw on my driveway.

Good luck to you though and hope your liveries try to get themselves up to your expectations of them.

 

[MillionDollar]

I TOTALLY agree with Tia. I'm a YO and yes I want people to clear up after themselves (poos in the arena are my only MUST), but ultimately I think that they are paying to keep their horse at a yard so that they don't have to worry about the yard looking 'tidy'..........they come to ride and enjoy themselves.

I sweep the yard everyday weekdays, but not at the weekends............and TBTH the liveries are very good at sweeping outside their stables.

 

[Maizy]

Yes I agree with Tia too.

Over the years I've come down to several yards where the owners had left notes for all the liveries. It can really change the mood on a yard. Even if the YO then comes around and says 'I hope you don't think it's aimed at you, but I had to send it to everyone' your still feel tarred with the brush!

Whilst I am sure you want a clean yard surely happy liveries and a few poos are better than no liveries. Equally you don't want to tip toe around them, but I agree sending texts or notes is not the best medium....

I don't know what is tho sorry! Hope you enjoyed Olympia!

 

[Naggette]

My only qualm about their mess is that I can't afford to pay someone to clear up what would take them 5 mins each, with 30 horses, 30 x 5 mins = a big chunk of staff time. I'm not so fussy about every last crumb of mess, but I do think particularly the issue of picking out feet and checking legs is important.

You are very very lucky if you have time to clear up after your customers!

I think we all have our different levels of expectation - a basic standard of stable management is not too much to ask

We must be doing something right because we always have people waiting to come - but I don't rest on my laurels - there has to be a forward thinking attitude and the ability to admit when we get it wrong!

 

[Tiffany]

I would love to be on a livery yard that had some yard rules and liked things doing properly

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
You are very very lucky if you have time to clear up after your customers!


[/ QUOTE ]
Lucky? Luck has nothing to do with it, Lol! I work hard and I look after all of the horses here AND their owners. This is what I chose to do for my business and as such, I do it ... happily, and without whining about trivial issues

.

I understand that YOs all run their businesses differently - this fact is quite plain to see and I am very thankful that they do, otherwise I wouldn't have so many liveries here.

Running a livery yard is time consuming, I agree with that, but this is my job, so of course it will be. What do you find difficult about running a yard?

I find it very easy and incredibly enjoyable.

Liveries "waiting to come" are no indication whatsoever of a YO doing it right - Liveries who remain for years, are a far better way of figuring out if a YO is doing it right.

 

[Tiffany]

Christiamus maybe you come to our yard and give the YO some tips

She leaves notes on the board all the time, doesn't seem capable of discussing anything, is the most untidy person on the yard and everyone feels she is totally unapproachable

The only reason any of the liveries are there is because of the facilities although we are all (8) looking for somewhere else

 

[Tia]

Aw that's a shame that you are all unhappy and are looking to move

. Such a shame when you find somewhere that appears, on the face of things, to be perfect for you and your horses ... only to find out that it is run by someone incapable of doing the job properly. I think what YOs forget is that a fair proportion of the job is good PR skills. You cannot run any successful business without this, or without hiring someone to do it for you.

Running a yard is simple for someone like me. My rules are minimal however I do sometimes have to ask people to remember them once in a while. I listen to what they have to say and we discuss it together and voila! it's sorted; no big deal, nobody getting upset, nobody feeling maligned, just sorted and everyone stays sweet. Mind you there really isn't a whole lot that they do that could annoy me; I've met plenty of oddities in this business but then I like oddities. I'd never send them a text or write a teacher-type notice on the wipeboard because I SPEAK to people

.

 

[yeeharider]

i agree as a YO of 15years + I favour speaking to my liveries I HATE NOTICES it appears we are losing the art of conversation i think i am lucky my liveries are very tidy although so am i so set a good example for all

 

[bailey14]

Thats a real shame. Good on you for having a yard contract. None of us on our yard have a contract, and I hate the fact that you could just be kicked off with half a days notice. I don't think the yard owner would do that, but you never know and sometimes things are said which leave you reeling. We have the same problem at our yard with poos left around, mostly dog pooh in piles of hay/haylage - digusting. We also have a problem with poohs left in the menage and even notices on the board saying that the menage will be out of action for upto 48 hours to EVERYONE if there is any pooh left in there has no affect. Its a nightmare.

 

[Jingleballs]

Coming from the point of view of a livery I think it's important to get the balance right between expecting the liveries to take responsibility for clearing up for themselves and dictating what they must and must not do.

If a person is generally untidy can a Y/O really change this without causing issues or an atmosphere which may ultimately cause that livery to leave proclaiming their Y/O to be too strict?

 

[StaceyTanglewood]

Most of them are good at mine they occasionaly forget and a quick word in tehre ear normally works !

I think my biggest annoyance used to be the jumps being left out - so yes i asked nicely a few times they still did not do it !!!
SO ...

I chained them all together and took the key !! they have never done it since

another thing is taking extra hay or bedding - i dont mind i just feel a quick '' my horse is in early im going to give him another section '' would be nice !!