YO/YM what yard rules do you have??

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Hoofprints in the Snow

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I am interested to know what sort of yard rules you have in place. What rules are vital to keep a nice quiet, tidy and safe yard. Do you present liveries with a written contract or just tell them verbally and hope they keep to them.
 
Depends I think on what sort of yard it is....... i.e. run along commercial lines, all-singing & all-dancing -v- your DIY livery on a farm or sharing with owners horses. My yard is the latter.

My "rules" are simple:

No smoking or drinking

Horses to be seen to at least once a day

Horses to be wormed and vaccinated regularly plus feet/teeth etc

If anybody breaks it, they replace it.

Livery is responsible for supplying & maintaining their own electric fencing

Poo pick regularly

No-one under age of consent to be on the yard without an adult supervision

Yard gates to be kept shut at all times without fail

+ Euthanasea clause, i.e. if owner cannot be contacted vet will be called and if vet deems euthanasia for humane reasons etc etc (awful, but has to be thought about in ANY yard).

One months notice by mutual consent.

Owner (me!) is responsible for maintaining hedges/cutting; routine fencing maintenance, gates, stables & fixtures & fittings inc light bulbs. Also for maintaining water supply & electricity. As I live on-site I do keep an eye out for the horses, security etc., plus can be around to hold for vets/farriers etc if necessary (no charge). Livery parks her lorry on site but I don't charge, on the understanding it is at her own risk.
 
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when i moved to my new part livery yard we got a contract with all the rules in ie. tack room to be locked when not in use, sweep up/clean up after your horse, all extra services to be provided by yard. we also had to sign to say that if we cannot be contacted and vet advises pts we consent ect ect just general courtousy and yard opening times ect
 
Am not a yard owner, but yard has none. On a small yard of sensible adults and the rules are our own common sense. OP think yours are all sensible ones but we would have to empty the fridge of G and T!
 
Yard I'm at only seems to have couple of rules, be nice to each other & enjoy your horse.
Only been there 18 months, feels like home & wish I'd found it years ago.
Winter mornings before riding we are often treated to a baileys infused coffee before a ride & any time of year is an excuse for a ride to the pub. It's heaven.
 
Horses seen to by 9am in mornings
Sorted by 6 pm evenings.
Hay to be weighed
Feeds done at set time so no horses get stressed.
Tack room and office locked when no one on yard.
Feed and tack rooms brushed out
Hi vis when riding off yard
Yard to be left brushed and tidy at end of day
Barrows and skips left tidy
Muck heap thrown back daily
No horse to be left out on its own
School cleared of droppings after use.

Few other rules I can't remember,
 
ROMANY 1959 said:
Horses seen to by 9am in mornings
Sorted by 6 pm evenings.
Hay to be weighed
Feeds done at set time so no horses get stressed.
Tack room and office locked when no one on yard.
Feed and tack rooms brushed out
Hi vis when riding off yard
Yard to be left brushed and tidy at end of day
Barrows and skips left tidy
Muck heap thrown back daily
No horse to be left out on its own
School cleared of droppings after use.

Few other rules I can't remember,
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Can you not ride in the evenings Romany?? I would hate that!! I don't finish work until 5pm so no way could ride pm and I don't do morning riding!!

My yard has very few rules but most owners are sensible adults and use common sense, we come and go as we please, it's lovely there, been there 6 or 7 years now!!
 
Mine is a Part/Full Livery yard (me and my mum are the only DIYs!) so not too many rules. But:
- No smoking
- Horses must not be left in the field by themselves
- Owners are advised to wear a correctly fitted hat when turning out/bringing in )this is compulsory for under 16s)
- Remove droppings from school/wash box, etc after use
- Barrows emptied after use
- School rules to be followed when riding in the school
- One Month's notice is required to terminate the contract
 
Apart from a no smoking sign, we don't have any formal rules. Its a large professional yard with staff and, like other yards I've been on, we don't have contracts or rules.
Its very easy going and a lovely atmosphere. Novices are taken under YO's wing for guidance and everyone else knows how to behave on a yard, so it works pretty smoothly.
YO only takes nice people and gets rid of anyone who turns out to be a problem.
 
Thank you for your replies, keep them coming, I need help with this as feel the need to lay down afew rules to keep the yard organised enough to stop me going insane LOL, but don't want to go over the top. It is a couple of adults, but sometimes laziness creeps in re: not leaving stables clean when not in use, muck not quite reaching the heap, things moved and not put back. Minor things but it is then up to me to spend my time clearing up. I want the yard to be relaxed for the horses and owners to enjoy as well as me. So reluctantly afew little rules will have to be laid down I think.
 
dogatemysalad said:
Apart from a no smoking sign, we don't have any formal rules. Its a large professional yard with staff and, like other yards I've been on, we don't have contracts or rules.
Its very easy going and a lovely atmosphere. Novices are taken under YO's wing for guidance and everyone else knows how to behave on a yard, so it works pretty smoothly.
YO only takes nice people and gets rid of anyone who turns out to be a problem.
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This is the same as the yard I am on, works very well as the vast majority of people are courteous and respectful of each other.
 
Hoofprints in the Snow said:
I am interested to know what sort of yard rules you have in place. What rules are vital to keep a nice quiet, tidy and safe yard. Do you present liveries with a written contract or just tell them verbally and hope they keep to them.
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I am on a small DIY livery. All liveries are issued with a contract and set of rules when they join, here are the ones I can remember;

No loose schooling
Pick up poos from school after use
Sweep sand back into school after use
Use of school is limited to 20 mins - if you want to use for longer you have to arrange with YM
Poo pick (1 barrow per day)
Clear fields of ragwort
Clean up after yourself, sweep the area you have been working in
Curfew in summer is 6am - 10pm and 6am - 9pm in winter
All liveries must provide a copy of horses passport, public liability insurance documents and vaccination records
All liveries must follow the yard specified worming and wec programme
Must wear a helmet and suitable footwear when riding in and out of the yard
Feed/tack room to be kept clean and tidy at all times
No smoking on the yard. There are designated areas in the car park
YM must be informed prior to visitors coming on the yard i.e. family, friends etc

There are probably more but that's all I can think of just now! Our YM is quite strict but a lovey, fair lady who just wants to make sure all her liveries are safe and happy :)
 
Tayto said:
I am on a small DIY livery. All liveries are issued with a contract and set of rules when they join, here are the ones I can remember;

No loose schooling
Pick up poos from school after use
Sweep sand back into school after use
Use of school is limited to 20 mins - if you want to use for longer you have to arrange with YM
Poo pick (1 barrow per day)
Clear fields of ragwort
Clean up after yourself, sweep the area you have been working in
Curfew in summer is 6am - 10pm and 6am - 9pm in winter
All liveries must provide a copy of horses passport, public liability insurance documents and vaccination records
All liveries must follow the yard specified worming and wec programme
Must wear a helmet and suitable footwear when riding in and out of the yard
Feed/tack room to be kept clean and tidy at all times
No smoking on the yard. There are designated areas in the car park
YM must be informed prior to visitors coming on the yard i.e. family, friends etc

There are probably more but that's all I can think of just now! Our YM is quite strict but a lovey, fair lady who just wants to make sure all her liveries are safe and happy :)
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20 min only in the school! That would drive me mad lol, my warm up takes 15 min alone!

I couldn't do a yard with curfews either, I often ride at around 5am in summer.

Our yard has a few rules but they aren't written anywhere so can be a bit confusing. Mainly its;
Pick up dropping from school and wash box
step the muckheap
Must tidy jumps ECT away by Sunday night so school can be rolled
Dogs on lead
If you can to put up electric fencing in field (I.e section bits off) you need your own fencing and electricity source.
 
Pay on time. That's it. Come down when I want, if I wanted to sit on the yard and get drunk all night I could (not that I would!) be as messy as I like, my yard owner is real laid back.

So long as she gets her money and I don't decide to water all the fields with the hose pipe then all is well :-)
 
We have a yard curfew of 9 pm, which I sometimes wish we didn't have, but aside from that it's all common sense. Clearing up, that sort of thing. I haven't been told about poo picking school or field, but everyone seems to do it daily, which is what I do, anyway. We supply our own electric fencing if we want to divide up our paddock/s and it mustn't touch the YO's fencing (mains). I have noticed that a couple of people haven't picked up poo from the school, but I don't know who they are, as I've just found it in the school and left it (I don't do clearing up after others!), but assume we are supposed to take it out, which I do. Oh, no loose schooling, but I wasn't told that by YO, I just know from my previous YM that she doesn't like it, but I don't do it anyway. It's all pretty laid back, here. Previous YM was a bit of a clean freak and it did affect enjoyment of the yard, sometimes. She swept so much (as did everyone else), the concrete on the main yard was pitted, being worn away, after only one winter.
 
i couldnt live with the 20 minute rule.

i keep my ponies at my mums farm so the only rule is that if i want to see my ponies i have to chat to my mum for at least 2 hours too... which is sonetimes nice and some times a pita
 
No dogs.

In the barn and tie up areas, 'if it poops, scoop'

Do NOT use MY stables. I had one livery that would put her horses in my made up stables, that peed me off somewhat, I put her rent up.

If you don't like it, feel free to go.

I have no curfew times.

Most people smoke (we have 'butt stops' everyone uses them) and we frequently sit for hours out the back of the barns in the evenings with a beer.

Families come with picnics and spend hours here, we don't mind.
 
I have the usual Terms and Conditions which are focused on the well being of the horses (worming programme/euthanasia/ etc) but I don't really have any rules as such. Most are common sense things that I ask my clients to do, or not to do as the case may be.

Don't obstuct the driveways around the farm. Don't come bug me when I'm busy or in the house (emergencies accepted obviously). I think that's about it really.

I don't have opening or closing times; anyone is free to come and see their horse whenever they wish; having said that most of my clients come to see their horses once every few months and all of them email me first (not at my request, just because they are polite). My farm is a full care facility btw.

Reading some of the rules others have to live by, I can safely say I'm glad I don't have to board out my horses :smile3:
 
Agree with poster above: if you live on the premises its important to be able to keep your privacy:)

The livery I have at the moment is lovely, she's a real darling, so basically we don't have a "written down" contract (OK so I hear the shrieks of horror!!!:). And in the past we've had people in who we haven't had a written contract with either.

But these were people we knew and/or had dealt with before, or knew people we knew sort-of-thing, and it was by sort of mutual consent really that we didn't put anything in writing as such.

However, when we had a new livery, i.e. someone we didn't know, we did go through the list with them and made sure they understood that whilst we're very flexible and laid back, there are certain things that need to be thought about, like for instance visitors to the yard, i.e. notify YO - coz else you can have the situation where people are in the yard and you don't know who TF they are; important if you live on the place particularly. Also as YO I like to know for instance which farriers and vets are going to be around, coz you could get a situation where two are in the yard at the same time............ which causes a problem if they don't always agree!!!:)
 
Within reason I accomondate most requested from my 5/6 liveries.

No poo picking as I chain harrow.
No one lives on site so during the winter everyone is reasonable for 1 day week as all 12 horses live in a huge yarded area which needs clearing out daily.
Have fun and be safe
Hi-viz on road. Riding hats and boots when riding and body protectors for jumping.
You break it you fix it!

We have several BBQ evenings through summer, drink and camp there and have a yearly Firework party which is thoroughly enjoyed by all :)
 
I'd hate a curfew, I work stupid hours and OH is self employed so sometimes we come down at funny times.
I'm on my own yard by myself, the only 'rule' I shout at kids/OH for is making sure all the gates are shut! You open it, you go through it, you shut it again! It's not hard! I've also made my dad stand in the lane to smoke after asking him if he was planning on burning the yard to the ground with that fag.

I'm wayyyy too stressy to be a YO! Hats off to those who are!
 
There are a few where I am but they are mainly common sense, and mainly stem from the yard being a bit 'rough' (to say the least) a few years ago when owned by someone else.

- first person down feeds all
- use a wheelbarrow cover
- pick up after your horse
- put jumps away after you have ridden
- the fields shut at a different time every day, depending on the weather. Usually 7-ish in summer and about 3pm in winter
- HI-Vis must be worn when hacking
- hat and some kind of boots must be worn to ride

So not really a hard ship! Being in Greater London turn out is fairly limited, it's just something we have to deal with!
 
here are mine


yes they have a written contract - written details what they get for the livery what is included and they have to sign it. +

· N0 DOGS ALLOWED ON PREMISES

· NO SMOKING WITHIN xxxxx PREMISES

· PLEASE DO NOT HELP YOURSELF TO FEED OR HAY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

· PICK OUT HORSES FEET BEFORE LEADING THEM OUT OF THEIR STABLE

· NO ONE ON THE YARD BEFORE 7.30 AM OR AFTER 8.30 PM UNLESS PREVIOUSLY AGREED

· PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE SCHOOL LIGHTS ON WHEN NOT IN USE – SWITCH THEM OFF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER VACATING THE SCHOOL.

· PLEASE RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF THE OWNERS BYE ONLY CONTACTING THEM WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY OR IN EMERGENCY

· MESSAGES CAN BE LEFT IN THE FEED ROOM

· TACKROOM SHOULD BE LOCKED AND / OR ALARMED WHEN IN THE SCHOOLS OR OUT RIDING.

· DO NO LET ANY VISITORS SEE THE COMBINATION CODE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

· ONLY LIVERIES OR SHARERS / INSTRUCTRESSES ALOWED THE COMBINATION

· PICK UP DROPPINGS WHEN PASSED AND PUT IN BUCKETS / TRAILER.

· DROPPINGS PASSED IN OUTDOOR SCHOOL CAN BE PUT DIRECTLY ONTO MUCK HEAP BY FORK PROVIDED.

· DROPPINGS IN INDOOR SCHOOL CAN BE PLACED IN BUCKET PROVIDED

NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS ALLOWED TO ENTER THE CAT PENS

· PUT AWAY ALL JUMPS / POLES AFTER USE

· ALL VISITORS MUST ABIDE BY THE YARD RULES.

· ALL CHILDREN MUST BE SUPERVISED.

· GREEN AND YELLOW HOLE IS FOR WETTING SCHOOL AND FILLING WATER BUCKETS ONLY.

· ALL LIVERIES MUST CLEAR THE YARD AFTER THEMSELVES OF HAY- HAIR -AND MUD ETC DONT LEAVE IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO CLEAR UP.

Horse riding is a high risk sport and holds potential dangers. Horses may react unpredictably at times.

xxxxxxxx and its Owners accept no responsibility for injury to person(s) or damage to their property.

All persons involved with horse activities at the stables are strongly advised to get personal insurance to cover all horse riding and associated activities.
 
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Quite interested to see that some YO's make rules about wearing hi viz when out hacking. How can it be a rule when the owner and horse are not on the property ?

The rule stating BP's have to worn for jumping is another strange one. Really ? XC, maybe but jumping ?
 
Fair enough. It's what keeps people happy. As a client I chose a yard whose rules I can work with. So a curfew for me as I work full time or time restrictions on time in the school is a no go as is a no dogs rule. Things like clearing up after myself and alarming I take as read, ditto not sharing our security details or inviting strangers up with no notice. We have a LOT of dogs up at the yard but, with only one exception and she is pretty much the yard dog, owners take their dogs out when they can have them with them and put back when not. Used to be a little easier but we seem to have more and more dogs so care is needed! YO had to make it a rule grass liveries stopped coming into the barn to tie up their horses as it massively peed off the barn liveries (including me!) to find someone else's poo and general rubbish outside our boxes with the odd rug dragged on the floor.
 
At one yard:

Three hours a day to look after 2 horses (exercising not included)
No visitors/friends or such like without 7 days prior written permission to include names, addresses and car reg. number and how long visit would last.
Children to stay on specific part of yard unless turning out ponies.
No washing horses.........
I could go on, didn't stay there long!

Second yard:
No rules just pay livery on time!
Come and go as you please and that was it!
 
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