wills
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 4,657
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Post by wills on Dec 6, 2012 19:10:50 GMT 1
You must have been really unlucky with diys Lisap. My horse is on full livery but I decide what shes fed & how shes rugged I wouldnt like YO to take total control of that.
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Amanda Seater
Grand Prix Poster
Listen to your horse you may be surprised what he may tell you about yourself
Posts: 3,866
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Post by Amanda Seater on Dec 6, 2012 19:22:17 GMT 1
I have to say it is the "can you just" thing that gets to me - there is a girl local to me that is all DIY she has no time for herself or her baby.
8pm get in , have a shower, phone goes " can you just" horses suffer if you don't "just"so you go and "just" possibly now for 2 get in, relax a bit then ready for bed - txt " I forgot/I'm delayed so sorry can you just"
Nope not for me. It wasn't so bad when we didn't have stables as to be honest the horses would be OK, but with stables and horses possibly in with no food etc - you can't just leave them.
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Post by cbc on Dec 6, 2012 19:33:22 GMT 1
I would stick to your guns, politely, even though you may feel you are sounding like a broken record. If full livery is how you want your yard, that is how it should stay
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Post by jill on Dec 6, 2012 19:34:32 GMT 1
If I have liveries (which TBH I only do to subsidise the rescues), the "can you just" get the answer "yes I can but it will cost you £x". They tend to stop asking then And I will not tolerate lots of the things Lisa mentioned - they have a "discussion" about their horse care if it is IMO not up to standard, and I "suggest" improvements. Better off without though, except financially
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Post by Mellymoo on Dec 6, 2012 20:33:33 GMT 1
Our yard only does full livery now, although we do have one part livery on too. The horses are all happy because they have a routine and are well cared for, and the owners are all happy because we know our horses have all their needs met and we can just turn up and ride! I would hate to go back to DIY - Jos would hate it because everyone would be on a different routine and I would hate to see horses suffering because of their owners.
Stick to your guns Amanda - can you drop a pricelist through their door stating that this is all you offer and that's the end of it. They sound like cruddy neighbours if they keep hassling you, I would have lost my temper by now!!
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Post by specialized on Dec 6, 2012 21:38:25 GMT 1
We do DIY only because I don't have time to be looking after other people's horses, we do not offer any additional 'services' and the liveries organise their own cover/rotas between themselves. We lay down basic ground rules and keep a general eye on condition of horses and maintain the facilities, but we must have a good bunch because we rarely have problems.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2012 21:50:42 GMT 1
DIY's only keep asking "can you just?" if you keep saying yes! One of my friends fell into this until I took her to meet the YO I worked for who told her to either say no, or put her "extras" prices up massively. She did both and wonder of all wonders the wasters bucked their ideas up or left, the majority were quite happy as they only did it in proper emergencies and my friend is happy to help because she's being adequately paid for it.
Like wills though, I don't view full or part livery as giving the YO the right to decide what they're fed or what rug they wear, those are my decisions.
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Post by clipclop on Dec 6, 2012 22:15:39 GMT 1
Ditto above.
I worked on a large yard which had all types of livery and had to run like clockwork to get everything done so being asked at last minute to do an extra really put us under strain. For example, an extra 2 to muck out in the mornings wasn't a problem. If however we were asked at lunchtime then it encroached on the bringing in, grooming, riding and tack cleaning.
Imposing the rule than less than 24hours notice would incur double the price for the extra services helped no end.
Sent from my ST18i using proboards
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Post by lisap on Dec 6, 2012 23:11:58 GMT 1
I think that DIY can work brilliantly if people get together and decide between them what is going to work best for the horses on the yard. I was a DIY'er for years and we did just that. First person down on the yard fed all of the horses. First 3 people turned all the horses out. Everyone mucked out their own stables unless they'd made an arrangement for one of the others to do it for them. All the horses were brought in at the same time in the afternoon/evening and all got their evening feeds together. This avoided most of the problems that crop up time and again on this board where horses are left on their own in fields/stables, get anxious because some horses are fed and others are not etc etc. But we all had our own feed preferences and made our own decisions as to tack/rugs/bedding etc etc. However, the DIY yards I was on were all very small with 5 or 6 horses tops. We didn't start Springfield as a livery yard, and it is still not a commercial livery yard, but a cooperative arrangement. We have clear ideas on how we like horses to be fed and managed, and if other people share those values then that's wonderful and we have 16 of us who very happily keep horses in the same manner. Anyone who wants a slightly different arrangement doesn't bring their horse to us in the first place and that's fine.
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lc
Olympic Poster
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Post by lc on Dec 6, 2012 23:34:09 GMT 1
Oh dear sounds like you have had some bad liveries. I on the other hand won't do full livery for almost the same reasons. Bad cheap unsuitable feed not enough hay, cheap bedding the list goes on. I turned up on day it was pouring and my horse was out as they couldn't be bothered to muck out and they had changed from full muck out to deep litter. I had a horse with COPD!!! Carrots cut up so they could choke, hay gone by 6pm and some had no water. I used to have to buy extra hay and go round filling water buckets of all the other horses before I left. One night I was worried about a horse so told the yo to check as thought she seemed a bit colicky. Vet was only called the next afternoon. Horses left to sweat in fields my list goes on to. This control freak does DIY only as we have very few good livery yards and the ones with good reputations have very limited turnout so no good for me :-(
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Post by mandal on Dec 6, 2012 23:46:14 GMT 1
lol Amanda, I suspected that wasn't your price for full livery. I do think liveries should try and work together as Lisap describes. I read so many stories about stressed horses and stressed owners left alone to cope with no one willing to amend their routines/work together to help cope with and resolve difficulties. Surely a problem affects the whole yard? It so often seems 'my' horse is the only one that matters... ps. I wouldn't get into a discussion with them, so don't give reasons just say no. ;D
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karin66
Elementary Poster
enjoying the sunshine but poo picking slipping!
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Post by karin66 on Dec 7, 2012 9:49:24 GMT 1
Point out yet again., that you only do full.livery but if minor miracle happens & you offer DIY, you'll contact THEM!
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Post by ladyndibs on Dec 7, 2012 10:08:43 GMT 1
I'd be tempted to say yes but that you only charge one price, the price for full livery
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Post by lisap on Dec 7, 2012 12:57:54 GMT 1
I'd like to make it clear that I have never had bad liveries, and the people who are at Springfield tend to be with us for the whole time they have horses, so some of our group have been together for 20 years now. But, I go to a lot of yards to teach clients and hear about their problems and see for myself the problems that others have. And i read this forum and read about the problems that people are having - on mostly DIY yards it must be said, although, of course there are plenty of 'livery' yards where there is very poor organisation on the behalf of the YO. But - and I won't be swayed from this - I think that many people and places are more concerned with what they want for themselves and their own horse rather than what is best for the horses on the yard. And if that means a bit of inconvenience or compromise on behalf of individuals to ensure that the *horses* are happy and settled, then that is how it should be. Sorry Amanda, I've hijacked your thread!!
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Post by zack&buffysmum on Dec 7, 2012 13:01:09 GMT 1
I found after getting Buffy last year that the 'normal' DIY livery which I'd kept Zack on didnt suit her at all. For virtually all her life she'd been kept on private, 'home' yards where all the horses ( 2 or 3 at most) had been stabled together, out together, fed at the same time etc and now she was on a fairly large, busy DIY yard where different horses went out at different times, were fed at different times and there was generaly just a lot going on and she simply could not cope. I found myself with a VERY stressed pony on my hands and helpfull suggestions like ' just leave her she'll get used to it' or ' why dont you get rid of her and get a more 'normal' one'?!! In the end I moved her to a different part of the same farm where there was a very large field, 2 field shelters/stables and got her a companion pony on loan and now she's very happy and chilled and I feel as though I've got the best of both worlds. I no longer have to worry about what time other people are feeding, putting out, bringing in etc, I just have my own routine that suits my ponies, the use of facilities (school and off road hacking etc) plus they are away from all the commings and goings on the main yard, but I still have people to hack with if I want to. I have in the relatively short time that i've had horses seen all the things other posters have mentioned about 'bad' DIY. I've sorted out rugs that have been hanging off, fly masks that have slipped and filled up water buckets that have been left empty, and also had periods of time when I've regularly turned horses out and/or brought in for people who work full time, and seem to have made myself very unpopular in the process! - usually with the people who advertise themselves as 'freelance grooms',and who would charge for their sevices. I saw it more as all helping each other but I seemed to be the one doing most of the helping...
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