YOs/YMs - do you take the weekend off?

[PolarSkye]

. . . and, if so, do you make sure there is cover to do the essential jobs (e.g., empty muck wagon, sort out hay/straw for liveries, mend fences/other broken things, etc.)?

Our YM takes every weekend off . . . we don't see him from Friday midday until Monday morning and longer on Bank Holidays . . . but isn't generally terribly organized about getting everything done before he goes . . . and he doesn't have back up so if the muck trailer is full to overflowing (as it was on Saturday), or liveries have run out of hay (despite putting a request for hay down on the board earlier in the week), we're pretty much stuffed.

How do you handle weekends and holidays? Are you around and, if not, contactable?

Just wondering really. I get that YOs and YMs are entitled to a break/time off, but horses don't honour weekends .

P

 

[mynutmeg]

Our yo doesn't 'work' ie do any sort of livery on a sunday/christmas day type days. But they are about if there's not enough hay or something as they live on site.

 

[Wagtail]

Time off? What's that? I work every day of the year. All my liveries are either full or part livery. The part liveries muck out themselves at the weekend and so there are usually fewer horses for me to do, but I still do all the rest such as turning out, bringing in and rug changes, feeding etc. I still also have my own two and one other to muck out at weekends. In the summer, I do all the muck picking for seven horses at the weekends. In the winter I muck pick three times daily weekdays and weekends. I have it easier at the moment because the two livery horses that I also exercise are currently off work.

 

[martlin]

I don't take time off, barring exceptional circumstances, but even if I do, I make sure there is some staff cover, the horses are part and full liveries and they don't know if it Bank Holiday or not so there is always somebody around to do the yard and to answer queries.

 

[be positive]

Time off you never really have time off just the odd day when it fits in or any easy day where you do as much as possiblethe day before and suffer the next day.

Your YM sounds as if he does not understand the "manage" part of the job, if he was doing it well he should be on top of the jobs by the weekend and the yard could then run itself.
It sounds a very cushy number just 41/2 days a week working, not like most yard employees.

 

[AmyMay]

My YO is usually 'off' over the weekend. However is out and about because of his own horses.

If hay needs replacing (we use big round bales) then it's replaced. However, the muck wagon is emptied on a Friday.

 

[Spring Feather]

I kind of do. I still feed all the horses in the morning and do all the hay and any immediate jobs that need doing, and I am often out and about on the farm, however I do ask that clients don't come to the house if I am not outside unless it's an emergency or they really need help with something. So really it's not that I take the weekends off but I do run on half-steam and any less important farm jobs that will require doing can wait until during the week. I don't think it's healthy, especially if you have a lot of horses, to be working at full-pelt 365 days a year.

 

[Hackie]

Does your YM also own the yard?

If so, and he is employed to work during the week but not weekends, then surely the owner needs to ensure there is appropriate staff cover on the weekends, and/or ensures that he is doing his job properly before he leaves for the weekend so there are no outstanding issues. All the things you mention should be in hand all the time, including before he knocks off.

If he is the owner and the manager, he sounds unprofessional, but that makes it difficult as he obviously isn't concerned about providing a proper service.