The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: claire on December 03, 2010, 11:15:29 am
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are they all the same at the end of the day? or is it just about finding the best of a bad bunch?
earlier in the year I had a fencing problem, they said Abbey was the only pony getting out the fence(which they won't repair) so I had to go and buy electric fencing....Abbey is barefoot and there were a load of shod prints on the other side of the fence.......ho hum.
now they are saying they are not ordering in hay, it is up to everybody to get their own and they will not lend their trailer out for collecting it.
my car has not moved for a week due to the weather so I couldn't even collect four bales(I think I could squeeze four bales into it) if I needed to.
I have six bales of hay left which will do the pony about two weeks.
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I must have been lucky at Kenneth's. I can honestly say I didn't ahve any major problems when I was there and he was always very helpful - often beyond the call of duty.
Shame on the owners - can't everyone get together and get a big load? Even if they had told you in better time - not when there's snow on the ground.
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What terrible service. I hope you pointed out that your pony is unshod and the showed them the shoe prints on other side of fence!
Unfortunately livery yards do exactly what they want and you are held to ransome as you can't exactly pack your bag and go on the spot.
Suggest you do (quietly) look about though for another yard though.
Stand your ground firmly but nicely.
Best wishes.
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Because people kept making unreasonable complaints like wanting hay their horses would eat and a manege less like the sands at Morcambe Bay the yard we usedgave everyone notice to leave. Said it was too much trouble and was losing money.
It probably was too, but only because nothing was in writing and no-one knew quite what they paid for.
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Sent you a PM Claire
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having run a livery yard once, we closed it and ploughed up the 100 year old grass for crops.it was more profitable and far less hassle.I do sympathize though as we had a few lovely liveries who were penalized because of the majority of dreadful liveries.
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Our boys are now at home (so we now understand all the hassles of running a yard, buying feed and managing pasture) but we've hired the girl who used to run the livery yard and its working out really well for us but tough on the "good" liveries who have all had to move elsewhere
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I know someone said she would not ever get a horse till she had her own place , she was the groom after me at one place I worked 20 years ago. she said she could not put up with anything less than the best(thats as in care wise, not money wise, she doesn't have an arena or anything) she now has her horses at her own wee place.
recently I have begun to understand exactly what she means, because I used to enjoy yards and thought she was mad!!
I go up to see Abbey everyday, sometimes twice depending on my work. I help put out and bring in all the horses. I helped stack all the hay that was delivered, time after time. I fill water buckets, change rugs and help out as I do genuinely like being there around the horses.
the term for my current state of mind is "fair scunnered" and thats the polite version.
and this is one of the best available around here.
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You need to move up here and put her out with Bugsy, Smokey and Sheba ;) Real nice yard - owner's a bit of a pain but well intentioned :)
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You need to move up here and put her out with Bugsy, Smokey and Sheba ;) Real nice yard - owner's a bit of a pain but well intentioned :)
Offer Claire a caravan and a job and she'll be up like a flash - eh, Claire? ;) ;D
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I've already offered to move into Rosemarys caravan but she hasn't replied to my emails..........................lol
the yard owners now have bought some hay of which I got five bales and said they are getting more next week so I can get another five then.
that gives me a couple of weeks to sort out being able to get some hay myself. I would like to get together with some folks from the yard and order some all together...if I can get them to agree....hopefully.
feeling better anyway.
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I run a small livery yard, NFU advised us NOT to supply hay to our liveries, also I would say that lending the trailer would also be advised against, would you be able to replace it if you right it off, it is not a cheap piece of equipment. Having said that, if we are ordering hay we do check to see if anyone else needs any at the same time. You can get a good balance in a yard but it does mean both sides being fair and knowing where responsibilites begin and end for both parties.
We have replaced metres and metres of fencing in the last couple of years and I expect electric fence to be put up, horses will always have a sneaky rub or a cheeky nibble over the fence which loosens the fencing, if you are paddock sharing however it can be difficult and I do sympathise as people will always blame each other horses!!
I do hope that the situation improves or that you find somewhere more friendly, I am sure they are about maybe just few and far between!! :horse:
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thats what they have done up till now, said they are ordering and we all wrote on a list how many bales we wanted. I don't know why they've changed. maybe the hay is too hard to get. but I put down for ten bales two weeks ago and then to have them suddenly say on wednesday they are not getting it was a bit of a shocker.
but there I was today, helping stack their hay and bringing in horses and changing rugs..... and they picked me up and brought me home. everybody being nice.
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Offer Claire a caravan and a job and she'll be up like a flash - eh, Claire? ;) ;D
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I wish I could - can't afford her, though ;D
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having run a livery yard once, we closed it and ploughed up the 100 year old grass for crops.
That says it all really. >:(
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I do sympathize though as we had a few lovely liveries who were penalized because of the majority of dreadful liveries.
This isn't a pop at NLL.
But isn't this just a symptom of the "me, me, me " attitude that has become disturbingly prevalent? No concern for the common good, with tolerance of others' foibles and a bit of come and go, a bit of compromise. If I don't get what I want, I'm throwing MY toys out of the pram - regardless of the impact on others.
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the problems we got were as we got bigger.it started off really lovely, with bbqs and everyone helping each other.all liveries had their own paddocks and locked hay store.there was 4 per tack room with saddle locks all provided.running water in the fields and a free phone supplied for emergencies, which was never abused.
I supplied holiday relief foc and what did i get in return for the livery fee, complete stuppidity and abuse.one livery got so bad i gave her notice to leave and even found her somewhere to take her 2 horses, in return she broke my horses ribs,tornequed his throat and slashed his sides, great.rspca and police called in.
i didnt need it or the stress involved.I was always there for anyone vets visits etc and on hand to help
never again.
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The yard I used to be on had 40 looseboxes, all full and with a waiting list, plus some grass livery. Probably 30 owners and I can honestly say that it was a pretty happy place. There was the odd spat - handbags at dawn stuff, but everyone pretty much got along and helped each other out. The YO was very helpful if you needed something done (although there were a few that were more demanding than others, and a few who were downright odd) but for the most part we rubbed along pretty well. Sometimes, I do miss them all. But not enough to go back!!!
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I visit quite a lot of livery yards for one reason or another, and it's very difficult to find one which is ever-harmonious. However, there is one which seems to be close to that ideal, and here's one of the reasons why...the owner tells any enquirer in search of a place that he thinks there may be a vacany coming up, takes the details, and then asks his livery clientelle for their opinion on the enquirer. Their judgement stands, and the yard is generally trouble-free as a result.
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NLL, I am very sorry you put so much effort in to create a nice place and got nothing but grief from it.
Claire
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In 15 years we've been at five yards. They all had their good and bad points, but I think the livery mix may have been key
1 was working livery at a college. Wonderful facilities but the horse was too good and was overused by students which caused him major tendon trouble so we then had to move to
2 a dressage yard where the horse care was great but the paddocks were awful. The owner died in a car crash so
3 was a yard where the owner had brought in liveries to keep her horse company. Facilities were awful but the hacking was great and the people were nice. But we moved house and the horse went to
4 the oddest yard where the owner was convinced that geldings and mares could mix without problems. There were problems! so we went to
5 the yard with the best reputation locally, great hacking and great people. We had wonderful times. The people changed, got older etc and one day it just seemed to be an unhappy place. The owner was either too hands-off or too involved depending on what happened and eventually lost patience (and money) and closed it. The odd thing was that most of the yard could see the problems and wouldn't say anything while a few said far too much.
I don't believe that there's a perfect yard anywhere (or if there is then it's about to change) but only the first yard had a livery contract which set out what you got, what you paid, what you didn't get and how you were expected to do behave. It's a business and has to be run that way. But even as a business it needs people to get on with each other and pull together
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The first livery yard I was at only had five of us and a few rules. First there let the horses out....usually me! Last there put the horses in ...usually me. People got their timing right! One lady used to be proud of filling the nets up for nightime till she was found to be feeding my top hay to hers and feeding my horse her crap! etc etc. I soon moved to a private rented field which another girl joined later and it was perfect, we just did for each other whatever what was needed at the time... hay for each, waters for both and so on,both horses were treated the same ,never just do mine sod yours.I took time off work to be there when she had her horse put to sleep and she was their to load my horses for the long trip to Shetland while I was already here. A true horsey pal.
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having spent the last couple of weeks with just enough hay to last the yard has now decided they are ordening hay again for us.......
its very disconcerting.............
the yard is an ice rink, we had another burst pipe.....they are away on holiday for two weeks......
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You're lucky - neither of our local feed merchants has any hay, and both are struggling to source any. One has now run out of straw as well.
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There must be a local machinery ring in your area. It's like a co-op of farmers. They share machinery and resources. Phone the mart and ask for a contact number. The ring will be able to source fodder.
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No way. A small farmer round here has 2,000 acres and they don't do rings. My neighbour farming 1850 acres struggled to replace his combine, eventually writing a cheque for £104,000 on a trade-in on a discontinued but new one. He tried to do it jointly with another small neighbour but they couldn't agree.
He owns the local common and normally gets his annual hay needs (plus lots to sell) from one cut. This year he got 20% of normal, and the horses don't like it. We just have a hay shortage around here so prices have rocketed. The feed merchant with no hay or straw is the one my neighbour buys from.
Enjoy not being close to London!
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and it goes on and on............have officially started to phone round and look for somewhere else but its not a good time of year...folks are too busy to think!!
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The rug thing is just scandalous. I wish you were closer - it woudl be great to have you here. We think the same and Rebecca's just a sweetheart.
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People are odd!
No yard is perfect but most seem to have working compromises. We had our horses at a really lovely yard until we built our own yard and moved out earlier this year. We know all the liveries and the staff really well so we're astonished how the place imploded and has now closed.
Two liveries did it. One teenager took against the yard manager for trying to impose rules (no bareback riding in the yard, hard hats to be worn etc) and launched a campaign of anonymous text messages. She was asked to leave but the full story couldn't be told because the girl was a minor. The other liveries thought this unfair and a fairly destructive muttering started against the staff. People stopped letting the highly experienced yard manager get on with managing and started demanding special turnout times, exercise routines, feeds etc. and would go over her head to the owner.
Then a middle-aged livery had a row over something pretty trivial and reduced another staff member to tears. Which she followed-up by making more accusations plus some deeply personal abuse to anyone who would listen. The owner had had enough and gave everyone three months notice: he didn't want the hassle.
Most left quickly - a bonanza for the local yards - but one decided to hang in for the whole three months, using the sole remaining staff member as her personal groom via a torrent of texts. Both BHS qualified staff have now left the horse industry.
Because we'd already left the yard we've now heard the different stories from the liveries, the staff and the owner. We now have ambivalent feelings towards some of our friends. The moral of the story seems to be that a good yard only works if people make it work.
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There must be a local machinery ring in your area. It's like a co-op of farmers. They share machinery and resources. Phone the mart and ask for a contact number. The ring will be able to source fodder.
try ramsack
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Yard I was on downsouth, was, ok, if you could overlook the total lack of knowledge the YO had! There was an indoor and outdoor school but the indoor was too deep to use, the grazing was quite well rotated but the fences and security of gates was hideous.
Hay, she bought a load off the field once, my pal had also bought from the same field, paid £1.20 per bale for it (few yrs ago now) she also paid the same, then charged us £3.50 per bale, it was rank but we were not allowed to buy our own.
Then the yard started getting overcrowded, not with horses, although I have heard it is that way now, but, YO decided she wanted it to become a childrens livery yard, so as horses moved off, another little show/fun/games pony would move on, but what came with the ponies? The child, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and other extended families! You couldnt move, there was Yard Politics which we had managed to control but once you got to the stage where you couldnt get to your stable without standing on a child, or tie your horse up outside whilst mucking out in case said horse might move and inch and be deemed dangerous enough to, heaven forbid, kick, then it was getting quite stressful. Ok, kids should be able to enjoy their ponies but not treat the yard as a playground, whizzing round on bikes etc.
Final straw came for me when I noticed my horse would retreat to the back of his stable when anyone approached, at speed. Now he is better living out and is doing so now, but, if he saw me coming with his, or indeed, anyone with anyone elses feedbucket, he would tap the metal runner at the bottom of his door with his shoe, annoying I know. One day, I am approaching, vile little child who was way too cheeky for his own good is stood in the aisle, he picks up a broom, turns it upside down, runs at my horse and starts trying to hit him on the head, as my horse had retreated, he then continued to beat the bars of his monarch stable. I told him off and he said, 'well thats what my mum does when he does that!'
Cue, me finding private yard, rented with friend for several months before my move up here, we had fun,, we shared chores, ours horses were treated with respect and most interestingly, Odinn stopped banging the door and would stand happily, surveying his yard when stabled!
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ponyntrap.....that sounds like a living hell on earth!!!
and I would hate it.
I have edited this post as I was not meaning any offence to anybody, please accept my apologies and I did not mean it to have offended anyone.
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Good grief, that's appalling.
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Terrible yard. Poor horse. I hope you told as many people as possible about your experience ponyntrap, and how bad the yard is. Glad to read Odinn is doing well.
Here's a kiss for the lad :-*
PS: Not offended claire, I understand internet messages don't always read in the manner written :)
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sorry sorry!! I'm not meaning it was funny to be there!! please don't take offence.
I am only glad ponyntrap is not there and her horse is safely away from the madness....I am not the most wean orientated person and would die a living death being on a yard like that!!
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Odinn is perfectly happy now and doing really well. Yes I did tell people what had happened and confronted the mother of the child in question. All sorted now and to be honest, it would take an awful lot for me to now go back to livery, yes they can have their advantages but on the whole, I am better with my boys where they are.
Claire, I was looking at you pics on your posts, do you do HDT??
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Claire, I was looking at you pics on your posts, do you do HDT??
What's that? Love horses, but was never able to have one of my own so not in the 'horsey scene' Excuse my ignorance. ;D ;D
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er...whats HDT??
my wee picture beside my name is in 'profile' then 'forum profile information' then 'I will upload my own picture'
the nine box I 'made' in Photobucket and then its 'profile', forum profile information', then 'signature'
left to right, top to bottom are
Abbey, Abbey, Katie
Robbie, Abbey, Abbey
Abbey, Abbey, Smokey and Bugsy
only one of them owning me body and soul but they all share my heart.
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only one of them owning me body and soul but they all share my heart.
Ah, I love you. Get yourself up here.
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I'm trying Rosemary!! Abbey particularly wants to come and flirt with Bugsy, he is just her type!!
ponyntrap, blinding flash of the obvious and an ooops!!
Hunter Driving Trials?
ahh, nooo.....I thought it was some computery techno thing asking about my photos which I then tried to explain how to put them on your profile.
I love to drive, ride, play, sit and have coffee and cakes, but only been out in competitions as assistant and groom.
I am totally uncompetitive....except for being the best groom ever.......
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Horse Driving Trials ;)
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Yes, Horse Driving Trials!
Spotted the pic of horse in harness, looked like it was trials and thought, ooooooh! ;D
Thats still on my agenda to start up again, but up here there are very few competitions, but, once my house down south is sold, the a nice shiny trailer with carriage extension is on the shopping list, have horse trailer, will travel!!!!
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nice shiney horse retired from driving, his carriage - Bennington competition horse 15.2 to 17ish is up for sale....harness too, thought not sure of sizes for that 'full horse' at least, Robbie is 16.2 and a lot of him!!