# What are the barmiest yard rules you've had to put up with...



## Casey76 (19 August 2015)

... and how long did you stick it out for (or are you still eye rolling and putting up with)

just for fun... 

Fortunately my yard doesn't have anything too bizzare


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## MotherOfChickens (19 August 2015)

there was one where we weren't allowed to be on the yard past 8pm or before 8am. Made life with a 9-5 and a 45min one way commute interesting! But it was literally right next door to my house at the time. It wasnt the reason I left though, that would be down to the weird, passive aggressive YO and her staff. Really good hacking too, shame.


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## lewis2015 (19 August 2015)

Winter turnout only in paddocks the size of a very small garden - with 4 horses in! It was the sort of yard where rules changed on a daily basis at the whim of the owner, didn't apply to everyone (obviously her relatives that kept their horses there didn't have to follow same rules as everyone else!).

I think she would have quite liked to ban us from using turnout rugs as well as she always made remarks about them and preferred to keep hers 'au naturale' - because obviously turnout in tiny pens is natural...!


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## Flame_ (19 August 2015)

Farmer YO decided to make hay in one of the horse paddocks - Fine. Our horses were turned out in the paddock behind it with access through the first paddock. Farmer decided we couldn't go the direct way through the side of the hay paddock to the normal gate, we had to walk round three sides of a square around both paddocks to a gate, down a track, at the very back of the rear paddock, mainly via a single track, high hedged, lane, often in the blooming dark.


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## Mardy_Mare (19 August 2015)

I once had a horse on loan at a small livery yard. I texted the YO to tell her my horse's owner was coming up the following day to see her. She said this was fine. She then proceeded to have a complete fanny attack after a few weeks of ignoring me because I had let "strangers" on her yard and allowed them to turn my horse out. Yelled at me for being selfish and disrespectful. Safe to say I am no longer at said yard...


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## muckypony (19 August 2015)

All horses to be in by 5pm from October - April, because it's dangerous being out in the dark..... Even though during January its dark long before then....

Pretty sure most people have a job that finishes at 5pm so it was impossible!


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## sunshine100* (19 August 2015)

this post is brill!! so many stories to tell---had one yo who wanted to be yr friend one min and then slagged you off the next-criticizes what you did with the your own horse (told her no uncertain terms to keep her opinion to herself) another rule was stable doors must be kept open after turnout??? forgot one day as she yelled at me before I have even got into yard! i was out of there very quick!


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## Nativelover (19 August 2015)

This thread is amusing!!! Where do I start!!!!
How about a sweeping rota to clean outside other people's stables!!! 

No horses allowed to be tied up on yard

No horses to be fed before 8am at the earliest or 5 pm at the latest

Full livery where you have to do DIY when YO away (frequently!!!)


No turnout before 9.30am or after 3pm!!!

If I think of more I'll post them, these weren't ALL on the same yard but were/are genuine rules. Needless to say I'm not on any of them any more!!


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## AceAmara (19 August 2015)

how about a Y/O paid to feed my horse and refusing to add water to the feed!?  Said horse was a very good dooer and only on light chaff and balancer, YO was so lazy they wouldnt walk to a tap to put a splash of water in my horses&#8217;s feed , there was no tap in the feed room and all the horses got a scoop of wet sugar beet from a massive pre-soaked bin that was left for days and days on end. I of course did not want my horse having a scoop of sugar beet and ended up having to provide a water container with a tap on it, to sit next to my feed!


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## mytwofriends (19 August 2015)

No shampooing of tails on the yard, as the suds would make a mess.

Oh yes.


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## Janovich (19 August 2015)

YO absolutely off her rocker.... would change the rules like the days of the week.  Dependent upon how much you paid for your own particular livery, was also dependent upon how well you were treated!  All liveries had to skip out and turn out her own horses when it was 'turning out' time as she'd gone out for the afternoon. 

Allegedly poo picking was done for you, but this was definitely NOT the case as we all found out within a couple of weeks of being there.  Also you were expected to poo pick for the 'full/retirement livery horses too that were in with yours!!! (she was getting paid for doing this, but loaded the work onto the part liveries).

Would regularly have mornings in bed or disappear for the day, or announce she was having a weekend off.

Prices went up and up and services went down and down....so I got off there quick march.  She was and still is the most deceptive woman I've ever met involved in the horse livery industry.


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## Tiarella (19 August 2015)

Having to put up with another livery threatening to kill me quite often and the yard owner not wanting to get involved because she doesn't like confrontation - seems pretty barmy to me! 7 years later I'm still alive!


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## pixie (19 August 2015)

muckypony said:



			All horses to be in by 5pm from October - April, because it's dangerous being out in the dark..... Even though during January its dark long before then....

Pretty sure most people have a job that finishes at 5pm so it was impossible!
		
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My rule is that we will only bring in/turn out part-livery horses during daylight hours for safety and practicality reasons.  However I'm more than happy for DIY liveries to do so at whatever time suits them.


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## nato (19 August 2015)

The worst was the one that had no rules - as many people in the arena as felt like it, even when it was dangerous, YO standing there watching people come in and canter around the arena not observing left to left, outside track for faster paces etc and no comment made.

Kids on the yard until as late as 10.30pm at night unsupervised with no real time for adults to ride, the list goes on...


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## mega spoilt ponies (19 August 2015)

No leg straps on rugs - only fillet strings allowed.

And no double lock brushing boots for turnout.

The horses are on a production line and they only like to give them the bare minimum time and effort each.


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## Hoof_Prints (19 August 2015)

mega spoilt ponies said:



			No leg straps on rugs - only fillet strings allowed.
		
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If that is on part/assisted/full livery I can understand that, some horses kick when you go under their back legs so it is safer to use fillet strings and also much quicker. If it is your own horse though that you rug up yourself, seems unnecessary!

I have never liveried on a proper livery yard, always been DIY on a private yard but most of my horsey friends keep/kept theirs on livery, rules include not being able to feed your horse anything but the supplied competition mix or a basic cheap sugary chaff  even if you paid for it and put it in the feed room yourself. No visiting at all on a certain day of the week, the yard was shut. Turnout depended on your social standing, if the YO liked you then your horse got turnout, if they didn't then the poor thing was left in and the owners were told it was turned out (I heard them telling one of the favored liveries this!) they had limited and rotated turnout for the horses. (not a rule, but still barmy)
All horses had to wear shoes, no barefoot allowed.
Nobody was allowed to use the mounting block, ever ! it was there purely for display  

It's no wonder they are always moving yards.


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## mega spoilt ponies (19 August 2015)

Hoof_Prints said:



			If that is on part/assisted/full livery I can understand that, some horses kick when you go under their back legs so it is safer to use fillet strings and also much quicker. If it is your own horse though that you rug up yourself,ds.
		
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Full livery, and it has nothing to do with safety, they freely admit it is a time thing. I dont like the rules because i pay a considerable amount of money and dont appreciate somebody dictating to me what rugs and boots my horse can and cannot wear.

Pure laziness, and not the level of service i would offer my paying customers. Them over stocking and not having sufficient staff shouldnt mean my horse gets a lower standard of care.


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## Roody2 (19 August 2015)

mytwofriends said:



			No shampooing of tails on the yard, as the suds would make a mess.

Oh yes.
		
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Yup, had that one - even when it was raining...
No bed down during the afternoons, my horse is one of the odd ones who will only wee when the bedding was down - so he would have to wait every day until beds were put down for a wee.
No horses in the school when the instructor was teaching, but YO wouldn't give any warning to when the lessons were booked.
Farrier told to tie up somewhere different every time he visited, even if yard was empty.
Horse accused of being a rig because he squealed with other horses tied up outside his stable.
Staff would turn out 4 at a time per person - even though they frequently lost them or horses ended up in kicking matches..


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## Woolly Hat n Wellies (19 August 2015)

I'm glad I have mine at home and can make up all my own barmy rules! 

I think I shall keep my mounting block for display purposes, and only allow myself to mount from it on Wednesdays. I shall have turnout only between 6am and 7am and 10pm and 11pm, and I shall only wash tails if the moon is full and the wind is from the east. 

Having never been on a proper livery yard I've never had to deal with barmy rules, only difficulties with keeping him at a private yard where I would be informed that the farrier had been booked for me so I'd have to take the day off work (not happening), told one minute that the horses couldn't be out when it was even slightly wet, and the next that keeping them in when they were physically shivering with cold was 'mollycoddling' them, that he had to have a breakfast feed (which kept happening after I said no, using the feed and expensive supplements I'd paid for, in varying and unknown quantities). I suppose it was just differing opinions on horse care, but it really got under my skin at the time.


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## Possum (19 August 2015)

Ha, got a lot of these:
- No water to go down the drain unless through a sieve (under any circumstances)
- No rugging after 1 May
- No catching in on Mondays or before 8am
- No tieing up on the yard (we were grass liveries, no stables!) 
- One DIY yard, you had to choose a time to give your horse it's evening meal and if you weren't able to feed within an hour of this time they had to go without (apparently otherwise they will get colic from change of routine!)

Worryingly, this wasn't just one absolutely insane YO, just the highlights from the 5 or 6 yards I've been at.

Just thought of another one, looking around a prospective yard:
Me: so you mentioned I can bed on straw or shavings
YO: yes that's right, but we don't have many people using straw. We don't allow it on the muck heap so you have to take it home.  WTF??!


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## Illusion100 (19 August 2015)

To get fresh straw, you could not transport it in a wheelbarrow or a sack, you could only transport fresh straw if it was first put in a sack then the sack transported in the barrow. Dirty straw to transported in wheelbarrow...... I could never get my head around that one!


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## atlantis (19 August 2015)

We had to wash and scrub any areas where our horses did a no 2!! The yard was immaculate though which I liked. I would never had left if they hadn't sold it. We had a number of people come and go very quickly as they couldn't cope with YO's OCD. She'd have hoovered if she could. 

YO also moaned about leg straps and buckles. Tbh I think she had a point at times. Fair enough leg straps if you need them but clips on rugs are much quicker and easier in the cold. I choose the rugs I buy differently now. 

Nothing else banned though.


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## my bfg (19 August 2015)

Crikey have had a few mad YOs/YMs!
Some of the crazy rules I've had:

If you are the only adult on the yard you had to supervise any kids (don't have any myself but YO and her mate would bring theirs up then go for a hack leaving them behind!!)

Although I was on DIY I had to cover the YOs holidays and look after her horse and dog at the drop of a hat

YOs unclipped horse must always wear a rug, left it off one day as it was nearly 30 degrees and the poor thing was dripping with sweat and she went mental

When on DIY i had to rescue a horse from being attacked by another in the field then patch its ripped shoulder muscle up till the vet got there as YM didn't like blood and first aid "wasn't included on her working livery agreement"

YOs horse apparently only needed one small bucket of water a day when out and I would get shouted at if I topped up the empty bucket at lunchtime

When i asked if i could install rubber matting i was told if i wanted to use rubber floor matting I would have to also put it on the walls, then as i had to screw it to the wall which damages it i would have to leave both the wall and floor matting if i left

When I left a yard I was told I couldn't drive up the grass track access to get my hay from the barn as it may leave tyre tracks (was in summer) also I couldnt wheelbarrow it to the road as the (string tied) bakes may blow about and make a mess on the grass (drove the 4x4 and trailer up there anyway)

The whiteboard was a thing of horror and each day I would find something stupid/snotty written on it, I.E. "your horse snorted at mine over the fence today I find this very aggressive behaviour, this is my yard and I will not have my horse put at risk, you have to put another fence up 1m in from the boundary fence tonight or your horse will have to stay in until you do"


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## case895 (19 August 2015)

I know a yard where you can only have lessons from the YO. No other instructors allowed.

As a yard owner, I had to speak to a livery about her insane bedding. Deep litter meant knee high and she added and removed a builder's 1m cube sack per day. I was emptying the muck trailer twice as often for her 1 horse and the muck heap was out of control. Cue stomping off in a huff, hiring a 3.5T van to collect her horse and smashing one tail light on my flower planter. Schadenfreude...

In the end my wife got sick of having people traipsing in and out and we are now livery free for good.


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## lewis2015 (19 August 2015)

muckypony said:



			All horses to be in by 5pm from October - April, because it's dangerous being out in the dark..... Even though during January its dark long before then....

Pretty sure most people have a job that finishes at 5pm so it was impossible!
		
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Ridiculous! I think a lot of YOs forget that people actually have jobs. Like when ours said we could only turn out for 2 hours at a time - erm yes, so I'll just drive 13 miles back from work to bring him in in two hours!?


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## fredflop (19 August 2015)

I don't think the rule about tying up outside a stable is barmy, been on a yard that everyone did this and personally I thought it was dangerous


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## TelH (19 August 2015)

Mine are at home now but I remember many years ago going to look at a diy yard for my mare and they had a rule that everyone had to be off the yard by 4.30pm??!! Needless to say I did not move there and it was probably the reason that out of about 15 stables only 3 were taken.


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## Cheiro1 (19 August 2015)

case895 said:



			I know a yard where you can only have lessons from the YO. No other instructors allowed.
		
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We had this for a while, purely because YO's insurance company wanted to charge her nearly double for the privilege of allowing external instructors!! 

Absolutely none of us minded, we boxed out if we wanted to use someone different, I don't think that is that barmy :/


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## eggs (19 August 2015)

case895 said:



			I know a yard where you can only have lessons from the YO. No other instructors allowed.
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I've known a few yards with this rule.  Don't see it as a problem as long as you know before moving to the yard.  More often than not it is the lesson fees that provide a living wage to the YM.


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## alainax (19 August 2015)

There was a rule that I understood the reasoning behind, however it was completely impractical for me, on a yard I viewed but never chose.

Poo picking from the arena or tracks had to be done immediately, not after finished schooling. Fair enough except there was no poo bucket at the arena, so had to take the poo back to the yard... I don't like interrupting a schooling session anyway, but to dismount and walk the horse back to the yard, somehow tie up or tag along with you and the tools, then to restart... Seemed a bit mental.


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## Boulty (20 August 2015)

Oh lemme think... Erm bathing with buckets only absolutely no using the hosepipe even if you offer to pay for the water (but the trough in your field that's been leaking for a month and is creating its own bog in the middle of summer... yeah that's fine by us), no strip grazing even when grass is insanely lush,  all requests for services must be sent via text message. Went to view a few places where you must be able to fit in exactly with their routine or "it upsets the horses"  (I work frigging shifts goddam it!), no outside instructors was a rule at a few I went to as well.  Have also had a ban on bringing own feed on, an all feed must be bought from the yard rule.  Also had a rule against rubber matting at a few places... I think the one that tops them all is somewhere that I left after one day because they had a rule you couldn't turn out in the field when the ground was wet (not poached or boggy or underwater just wetness!)


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## JoshuaR97 (20 August 2015)

Thank god my horses are at home with me.. Couldn't cope with livery


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## shetland pony (20 August 2015)

Wow... I'm glad my horses are at home!


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## pippixox (20 August 2015)

i rent my own land and barn now- although do share some things with someone, but no crazy rules! 
my friend was at a yard where she would get told off if there was any hay sprinkled outside her horses stable- he was eating it from the hay net, then looking over his door and dropping a bit. she would sweep morning and evening, but did not live there! A little bit of hay is hardly unusual around horses!
because she was always first up and last up she was expected to sweep the yard! all of it! plus do all the feeds (granted in stable blocks it is better to feed all together so some dont get stoppy due to having to wait- but this yard had about 20) 
i was lucky that when i was at a livery yard they were flexible. when i changed jobs and was on DIY but needed to do horse at 6am i was allowed to unlock and do my horses, then lock up again.


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## aintgotnohay (20 August 2015)

'no pink wheel barrows allowed on the yard' after a certain livery (me) purchased one and apparantly mocked yo daughter as she was on the dole and wanted one

thats on another thread i did a few years ago lol.


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## MungoMadness (20 August 2015)

Think I've been pretty lucky with yards by the looks of things. I absolutely couldn't handle time restrictions.


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## Embo (20 August 2015)

How about this one;

No riding circles in the arena.


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## Casey76 (20 August 2015)

Embo said:



			How about this one;

No riding circles in the arena.
		
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Excellent!


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## Wimbles (20 August 2015)

One yard we went to look at would only take horses 10 years and older, the YO refused to entertain my 9 year old...............


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## Caol Ila (20 August 2015)

I once looked at a yard that closed at 7pm weekdays and 5pm on Sundays.  I don't think so.

Looked at another one which was closed Mondays.  No liveries allowed at the yard on that day.  Why?  "The horses need a day off."  Well, how about I give my horse days off when it suits *me.*

I did not move my horse to any of these places.

Then there was the crazy barn owner on Staten Island, NY, who had a barn rule that you must lead your horse in a stud chain.  No matter how well behaved it is to lead.  I asked why, my horse having super ground manners, and she said that if the horse spooked, the flat webbing halter wouldn't stop her.  I blew off that barn rule.


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## Annagain (20 August 2015)

The more threads like this I read, the more I love my yard. 

We don't have rules. We're relied on for being adults and having common sense. It works.


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## Anna2015 (20 August 2015)

More of a private yard which I ended up turning down after my visit. 

She likes horses turned out at the same time as hers which is bang on 7am. Once her horse is in the field other horses cannot enter as hers goes nuts and tries to attack. So YOU have to head collar hers and bring it out to put it back in with hers. No winter turn out what so ever (I know this is normal for some but shocking for me) No daytime summer turn out as HER horse hates flies. Don't carry treats in your pocket when going into the field as her horse smells them and will tear your pockets open.

Oh and a grass livery I was on and left had 6 horses on 5 acres so no grass what so ever. Had to pay and feed hay all through summer and I had to fill the trough for 6 horses every other day because if I didn't do it, they went with out water! No one poo picked so you can picture what the field was like and often the gate was wide open where people forgot to lock it and the wind blew it open!


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## alwaysbroke (20 August 2015)

Yard owner, non horsey has opened a cafe overlooking the school, the cafe customers like watching us ride.........have coped with the gradual way the cafe is taking presidence over the horses including the picnic tables complete with umbrellas around the edge of the school ( has made for some intresting schooling sessions ) 
But now we can't park near the stables, have to carry the tack a fair distance to the car as can't kerp it on site, the car park we used to use is for the cafe only and now has to be a complete horse free area health and safety.  Doesn't stop the cafe customers using our new parking area and using the walkway through the stables to get to the cafe, stopping of to fuss the horses on the way, not sure how this will work with health and safety if a horse gets loose!
Had enough now, a weeks notice is going in tonight we have been lucky enough to find a place for our six horses to go.  Can't wait


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## Anna2015 (20 August 2015)

alwaysbroke said:



			Yard owner, non horsey has opened a cafe overlooking the school, the cafe customers like watching us ride.........have coped with the gradual way the cafe is taking presidence over the horses including the picnic tables complete with umbrellas around the edge of the school ( has made for some intresting schooling sessions ) 
But now we can't park near the stables, have to carry the tack a fair distance to the car as can't kerp it on site, the car park we used to use is for the cafe only and now has to be a complete horse free area health and safety.  Doesn't stop the cafe customers using our new parking area and using the walkway through the stables to get to the cafe, stopping of to fuss the horses on the way, not sure how this will work with health and safety if a horse gets loose!
Had enough now, a weeks notice is going in tonight we have been lucky enough to find a place for our six horses to go.  Can't wait

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Oh god that would be horrible! I'm not very confident when riding and still learning! I would hate people sat watching me. but in a strange twist I would enjoy sitting down for breakfast watching people practice for a comp lol


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## palo1 (20 August 2015)

Oh yes, crazy yard rules...Years ago I was at a livery yard where the YO was gradually losing it to financial stress etc.  She would, for example, decide when horses would need rug changes ('for welfare reasons') and liveries would often find on their bill that they had been charged for 26 rug changes in one week (explanation 'Sun came out so rug off, then cloudy and possible rain so rug back on, then warm and sunny again...etc) so you would turn up to the yard to find your horse in exactly the same rug as you left him but apparently having had several changes of outfit which you had to pay £2.00 for each one! She would try this trick with 'bringing in for the farrier'- he turned up unexpectedly so your horse would be brought in then sadly farrier would not have time to shoe/trim so horse back out again: bingo - £4 please!!

The other thing that really cracked us up was the fact that the hosepipe (for the one yard tap located deep inside a narrow, horse un-enterable building) was kept in a cupboard on the yard.  To open the cupboard (or just look inside I guess) would cost 20p.  You had to pay an extra £1 to get the hosepipe out and that gave you a strictly timed 10 minutes worth of use. If Y/O not there you couldn't have the key to the blessed cupboard anyway and as she hated all of her liveries with a passion she would frequently not bother answering the door for any requests like this.  Sometimes, just to annoy the YO (a bit mean but we were well teed off) we would ask to just open the cupboard as many times as we could bear to, knowing that she probably wouldn't tot up all the different 20 pences that were owed.  

For any real purpose we all just used buckets and buckets of water.

Yard failed to thrive as a business...!!


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## Merrymoles (20 August 2015)

Was on one yard that did not allow tying up on the yard or using a hosepipe. Horses had to be washed using a bucket but could not be left unattended at all. Given that both the tap and the water tanks were in the yard but the only place we could tie up was a fair way around a corner, and that it took at least six buckets of water to get my horse's very thick tail even halfway clean, this was a royal PITA.

Everything kept moving around, so in the time I was there, the tack room, feed room, rug store and hay storage were all moved into vastly inferior spaces. 

There was a white board which contained the new rules set every ten minutes - such as no brushing your horse in the field - and drove everyone mad. I lasted six months and then left, as did all the other liveries...


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## fatpiggy (20 August 2015)

alwaysbroke said:



			Yard owner, non horsey has opened a cafe overlooking the school, the cafe customers like watching us ride.........have coped with the gradual way the cafe is taking presidence over the horses including the picnic tables complete with umbrellas around the edge of the school ( has made for some intresting schooling sessions ) 
But now we can't park near the stables, have to carry the tack a fair distance to the car as can't kerp it on site, the car park we used to use is for the cafe only and now has to be a complete horse free area health and safety.  Doesn't stop the cafe customers using our new parking area and using the walkway through the stables to get to the cafe, stopping of to fuss the horses on the way, not sure how this will work with health and safety if a horse gets loose!
Had enough now, a weeks notice is going in tonight we have been lucky enough to find a place for our six horses to go.  Can't wait

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Wonder if YO has the necessary food handling and hygiene certificates???


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## fatpiggy (20 August 2015)

moleskinsmum said:



			Was on one yard that did not allow tying up on the yard or using a hosepipe. Horses had to be washed using a bucket but could not be left unattended at all. Given that both the tap and the water tanks were in the yard but the only place we could tie up was a fair way around a corner, and that it took at least six buckets of water to get my horse's very thick tail even halfway clean, this was a royal PITA.

Everything kept moving around, so in the time I was there, the tack room, feed room, rug store and hay storage were all moved into vastly inferior spaces. 

There was a white board which contained the new rules set every ten minutes - such as no brushing your horse in the field - and drove everyone mad. I lasted six months and then left, as did all the other liveries...
		
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I do have some sympathies with the hosepipe ban.  Its amazing how some people cheerfully use enough water to fill an olympic sized pool to wash their horses, feed buckets, whatever.  My horse didn't like hosepipes so I would fill up two big black water containers, leave them in the sun to warm up then use a jug to add water to her.  If she still needed a bit more then she had to put up with a few jugs of cold water.  Where I work, I've lost count of the number of times I've gone into one of the bathrooms, or the kitchen on our floor and found a tap running at full blast.  How can you not notice?


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## dianchi (20 August 2015)

As DIY on a livery yard,
You got "free turnout" as part of DIY, but you had to pay to bring in, all horses had to be in by 3pm and no option of leaving the DIY horses (all in same field) out for owners to bring in.

Not allowed to bring in another persons horses as that was a cost livery yard could charge you for


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## Goldenstar (20 August 2015)

alwaysbroke said:



			Yard owner, non horsey has opened a cafe overlooking the school, the cafe customers like watching us ride.........have coped with the gradual way the cafe is taking presidence over the horses including the picnic tables complete with umbrellas around the edge of the school ( has made for some intresting schooling sessions ) 
But now we can't park near the stables, have to carry the tack a fair distance to the car as can't kerp it on site, the car park we used to use is for the cafe only and now has to be a complete horse free area health and safety.  Doesn't stop the cafe customers using our new parking area and using the walkway through the stables to get to the cafe, stopping of to fuss the horses on the way, not sure how this will work with health and safety if a horse gets loose!
Had enough now, a weeks notice is going in tonight we have been lucky enough to find a place for our six horses to go.  Can't wait

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I would love this , 
So good for the horses to learn to put up with stuff like this .


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## leflynn (20 August 2015)

DIY yard where all horses had to be brought in and turned out at the same time together, not allowed to hose muddy legs downs but were allowed to wash out buckets with the hose


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## Polar Bear9 (20 August 2015)

I was at a yard where the YO didn't ban hosepipes but just really didn't like us using them. So he'd go around and steal all the hosepipe connectors. The amount we spent on connectors before we realised what he was doing (and hid them instead) was astronomical.


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## Notimetoride (20 August 2015)

One YO I knew had her own curly hosepipe which liveries weren't allowed to use, and same YO told off the father of a livery for turning up at the yard with a 5 o clock shadow.  Another YO who was as mad as a box of frogs would feed apples to my horse then make ME get down on my hands and knees to scrub the slobber off the floor (????)


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## fattylumpkin (20 August 2015)

Wow, where to start with the old yard.

-Must ask advance permission from YO before putting on a rug of any kind, stable or turnout or sweatrug, failure to obtain permission meant she would remove the rug as soon as you left
-No hard feed on full livery
-ABSOLUTELY NO POO PICKING, manure was to be left to rot 'naturally'
-Concrete hard standing/tie up spot must be hosed after use

Needless to say, we're happier at the new yard which is run by a sane happy person.


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## Ddraig_wen (20 August 2015)

No one on yard before 8am - not possible if you want to go anywhere and only applied to people YO was being awkward with.

YO demanding keys to everyone's feed stores 

You must book the school (reasonable) - but anyone in YOs family who wants it can use it whether you've booked it or not and they will not share. So you never get the school.

Moans about a gelding mounting a tarty mare but insists they're turned out together.


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## CBAnglo (20 August 2015)

palo1 said:



			The other thing that really cracked us up was the fact that the hosepipe (for the one yard tap located deep inside a narrow, horse un-enterable building) was kept in a cupboard on the yard.  To open the cupboard (or just look inside I guess) would cost 20p.  You had to pay an extra £1 to get the hosepipe out and that gave you a strictly timed 10 minutes worth of use. If Y/O not there you couldn't have the key to the blessed cupboard anyway and as she hated all of her liveries with a passion she would frequently not bother answering the door for any requests like this.  Sometimes, just to annoy the YO (a bit mean but we were well teed off) we would ask to just open the cupboard as many times as we could bear to, knowing that she probably wouldn't tot up all the different 20 pences that were owed.
		
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This is my favourite.  20p to open a cupboard.  Could you not have brought your own hose?

Most "rules" have been, in my experience, just another way for the YO to make you pay for something else which normally should have been included in the livery.


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## iaej (20 August 2015)

I love reading all these posts about crazy yard rules!! Absolutely bonkers to me that there are people like this out there but at least I know some things to keep an eye out for when looking for a yard in future. Kudos to all of you who managed to put up with this for longer than a few weeks; I know I would not have been able to.


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## fidleyspromise (20 August 2015)

Roody2 said:



			Yup, had that one - even when it was raining...
No bed down during the afternoons, my horse is one of the odd ones who will only wee when the bedding was down - so he would have to wait every day until beds were put down for a wee.
No horses in the school when the instructor was teaching, but YO wouldn't give any warning to when the lessons were booked.
Farrier told to tie up somewhere different every time he visited, even if yard was empty.
Horse accused of being a rig because he squealed with other horses tied up outside his stable.
Staff would turn out 4 at a time per person - even though they frequently lost them or horses ended up in kicking matches..
		
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If my horse wants her bed down, she will just drag it down - would love to see how that YO would cope with that.

 The one yard I was on that did have times you weren't allowed on yard, you just had to let them know. ie. I'm working an early shift so this week I'll be down at 6am.  That's fine!



			
				Moleskinsmum said:
			
		


			There was a white board which contained the new rules set every ten minutes - such as no brushing your horse in the field - and drove everyone mad. I lasted six months and then left, as did all the other liveries
		
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Wow, and this one wouldn't cope with me and my pony either as I clip her in the field, never mind brushing.

I've not been on any yards where they were mad rules but I'm glad I know what to ask any prospective YO. 
-Is there a charge to open any cupboards?
-Am I allowed to use my own rugs?
-What day does my horse have off each week?
- Can I leave my horses dirty bedding on the muck heap?
-Does my wheelbarrow have to be a specific colour?
-Am I allowed to school and do circles in the arena?
-Will I need to hide my connector?


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## palo1 (20 August 2015)

Bring your own hose?  Certainly not!!  It was a shame really as the yard was really quite decent in terms of facilities and hacking out and one particularly lovely member of staff that always dealt with everything really well.  Just the Y/O who made things bad.  It was once I felt that welfare issues started arising that I fled and thankfully never looked back.  The yard no longer exists and the Y/O now longer has anything to do with horses.  Best outcome really.


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## 9tails (20 August 2015)

aintgotnohay said:



			'no pink wheel barrows allowed on the yard' after a certain livery (me) purchased one and apparantly mocked yo daughter as she was on the dole and wanted one

thats on another thread i did a few years ago lol.
		
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Was this the one where they put the wheelbarrow on the roof full of water and you got soaked retrieving it?


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## vam (20 August 2015)

I've been ok so far with yo, most haven't been the best people persons but good and fair with the rules and horses. Occasionally I might have raised an eyebrow over what they did but it never really affected me and my horse. I've been lucky that the last one sepecially was fab with my boy and couldn't have managed without her help.
That said I may have to go looking for a new yard if I get another and after reading all these I can't say I'm looking forward to it!


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## Piaffe123 (20 August 2015)

Wow - some of you have the patience of saints!!


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## puppystitch (20 August 2015)

At an old yard the arena was resurfaced with chopped up carpet, then signs went up all around the edge saying 'no riding on the track'....I just ignored them and nothing was ever said, but very odd nonetheless! The carpetty stuff was horrible too. We also had to poopick the arena with marigolds, which were never replaced even when they fell apart and the cuffs rotted.


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## Sherbie (20 August 2015)

Possum said:



			Just thought of another one, looking around a prospective yard:
Me: so you mentioned I can bed on straw or shavings
YO: yes that's right, but we don't have many people using straw. We don't allow it on the muck heap so you have to take it home.  WTF??!
		
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Hahaha! this is one of the best I have heard !! 
Im luck to be on a relaxed DIY yard where we just get on and do our own horses, liveries help each other out when needed and no taking our horses muck home


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## GemG (20 August 2015)

How about having perfectly normal and sensible rules (e.g. put jumps away after use,  sweep up after yourself etc) ... But they're never enforced and most don't take any notice of. 

The jumps have been up in the same place in the school so long now, weeds are growing around the bases (grr!). 

:-(


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## Barnacle (20 August 2015)

I'd kill for a cafe...


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## skint1 (20 August 2015)

Nooo  a cafe would be the worst thing to ever happen to me! I would get nothing done!
I love my yard, even more so after reading this thread!


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## Pixie88 (20 August 2015)

Wow... I love my yard. 

We have the standard rules, sweep up after yourself. If coming up the yard later then normal (especially in the winter when it is dark) text to let them know. If you bring your horse in and it leaves one horse in the field you must bring that horse in so it isn't alone. 

Thankfully we have a lovely yard owner and all the liveries are great.


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## Merrymoles (20 August 2015)

Current yard is great - no barmy rules


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## Sealine (20 August 2015)

When I moved to my current yard YO told me she doesn't like lots of rules and everyone just uses common sense.   The reality is that there are literally hundreds of rules.  You only find out what the rules are after you've broken one when the YO puts up a very rude/sarcastic/patronising and threatening note.  YO retains the right to change the rules on a per person basis depending upon whether she likes you/your horse etc. YO retains right to change the rules with no notice.   It's the notes that drive me mad, one day I will put an equally rude and sarcastic comment on one of them.

Over the years I've learnt:
Don't leave a wheelbarrow in the barn (it was OK for the first 8 years I was there!)
There are various places I can't park (changes frequently)
There is a maximum gap between parked cars
There is a specific piece of tarmac we can't walk across as we will damage it (OK for farmer to drive a tractor over it though!)
Take your bagged dog poo home don't put it in the bin. Liveries get blamed for all dog poo found on farmland despite the fact it is criss-crossed with footpaths/bridlepaths so it could be anyone.  
Horses can only be shod in shoeing area - this was a very strict rule until it was used to build two extra stables. We no longer have a shoeing area and strangely that rule disappeared.
I could go on and on!


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## Gottaloveaginger (20 August 2015)

MotherOfChickens said:



			there was one where we weren't allowed to be on the yard past 8pm or before 8am. Made life with a 9-5 and a 45min one way commute interesting! But it was literally right next door to my house at the time. It wasnt the reason I left though, that would be down to the weird, passive aggressive YO and her staff. Really good hacking too, shame.
		
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I was at a place like that with a "curfew"! And a yard owner with no social skills! They went mad when an owner stayed in her colicky horses stable one night! And no 24/7 turnout in the summer, I absolutely hated having to bring my horse in on a hot sunny June evening at 8:30pm!


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## Gottaloveaginger (20 August 2015)

Possum said:



			Ha, got a lot of these:
- No water to go down the drain unless through a sieve (under any circumstances)
- No rugging after 1 May
- No catching in on Mondays or before 8am
- No tieing up on the yard (we were grass liveries, no stables!) 
- One DIY yard, you had to choose a time to give your horse it's evening meal and if you weren't able to feed within an hour of this time they had to go without (apparently otherwise they will get colic from change of routine!)

Worryingly, this wasn't just one absolutely insane YO, just the highlights from the 5 or 6 yards I've been at.

Just thought of another one, looking around a prospective yard:
Me: so you mentioned I can bed on straw or shavings
YO: yes that's right, but we don't have many people using straw. We don't allow it on the muck heap so you have to take it home.  WTF??!
		
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This made me chuckle! Take it home! In what? Your handbag?! A tesco carrier bag? A suitcase? Seriously!


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## FinkleyAlex (20 August 2015)

I was on part livery Monday-Friday - horses MUST be mucked out by 10am at weekends. I wouldn't have minded if he was kept in, but I paid extra to have him turned out early on a weekend so that I could enjoy a lie in and go for breakfast with friends/family and enjoy my days off before going to the yard to sort my stable and bring him in!. 

Current yard is lovely but there have been two things that have surprised me. They provide electric fencing but we have to provide an energiser/battery (which is quite an expensive cost for something I'll never use again if I move!) and we have to take rubbish home (which is so inconvenient!).


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## Ali27 (20 August 2015)

I'm so glad that our yard has just common sense rules! Haha but I did make the rules! Luckily we have lovely people on our yard who use their common sense and lovely yard owners! It really does make me appreciate our lovely yard after reading this thread!


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## I*HM (20 August 2015)

A friend jeeps her horse at a very big, busy yard near home and the rules are gobsmacking! 
Fantastic hacking facilities but can only be used when hacking out with a member of yard staff. New horses on the yard aren't allowed in indoor school (ok if for quarantine but then horses are turned out with all the regular, long term liveries so shouldn't make any odds?). All horses to be mounted from mounting blocks. All horses must have martingale or at least a neck strap. Turn out for full liveries by members of staff only - my friend got told not to turn her own horse out as somebody else would do it? Plus she pays a blimmin' fortune for it!

My yard, back when I had horses of my own and when I didn't have stables at home, was thankfully very relaxed though there were a few questionable rules.
Mucking out in mornings only - if you where on DIY and wanted to muck out at 3pm, good luck! Everything was deep bedded but new straw was only allowed into stables on tuesdays and thursdays. No mucking out on Saturdays - skipping out only.

No riding/lunging other liveries horses, even if all parties have relevant insurance. All well and good til the yard staff and YO start asking liveries to ride the YO and RI's horses. Hacking out in groups of 3 or more only - though fine if you hack YO's horse out by yourself? Honestly don't mind rules like this but if they're no good for YO why should we put up with them?

My yard generally was ok on rules though


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## spotty_pony2 (20 August 2015)

Past Yards...

1 Nobody allowed on the yard before 8am or after 8pm
2. No turnout in winter unless ground was frozen
3. No loose schooling allowed either!

There were more but I can't think if them of the top of my head! Needless to say I am not at any of these yards anymore - at a lovely Private Yard now with all year round turnout and no ridiculous opening and closing times!


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## Woolly Hat n Wellies (20 August 2015)

I*HM said:



			... Fantastic hacking facilities but can only be used when hacking out with a member of yard staff... 

...Hacking out in groups of 3 or more only - though fine if you hack YO's horse out by yourself? ...
		
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Rules in an arena, or for riding in fields belonging to the yard I can understand, even if they're ridiculous rules. Their property, their rules. But rules for hacking out?!?! As in, on public roads and bridleways?!? What the actual fridge?!


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## Cheshire Chestnut (20 August 2015)

I was once on a yard many moons ago where if you were on holiday, the YO would decide who was to ride your horse in your absence - not you. 

She also didn't allow you to bring your horse in during its turnout time (9am - 4pm). You had to either request to keep it in all day or just ride outside of those times. 

Weird. Can safely say I moved.


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## Hoof_Prints (20 August 2015)

FinkleyAlex said:



			They provide electric fencing but we have to provide an energiser/battery (which is quite an expensive cost for something I'll never use again if I move!) .
		
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My friend owns a yard and does this with the energizers, because everyone kept nicking the ones she provided!


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## mynutmeg (20 August 2015)

Gottaloveaginger said:



			I was at a place like that with a "curfew"! And a yard owner with no social skills! They went mad when an owner stayed in her colicky horses stable one night! And no 24/7 turnout in the summer, I absolutely hated having to bring my horse in on a hot sunny June evening at 8:30pm!
		
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they wouldn't have liked me then - camped out in the next door box to my mare for 4 nights when she was due to foal, have spent several nights on the yard or going back every two hours to check a sick one etc


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## Little Rose Bud (20 August 2015)

Oh my goodness! I have loved reading these, what an eye opener! I had no idea livery could be so bad! My yard was the only one I looked at and it's great, no daft rules, everyone's friendly, we're all DIY so we all help each other out. I am never ever leaving and will be sure to give my YO a massive hug and thank you tomorrow lol


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## Ddraig_wen (21 August 2015)

You must poo pick a 10 acre field containing all bar one horses that are not your own and you will get nasty messages if you don't.  However feel free to just chuck ragwort in the hedge I don't want you taking it home...

We were bagging it up and putting it in the car


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## scotlass (21 August 2015)

Sherbie said:



			Hahaha! this is one of the best I have heard !! 
Im luck to be on a relaxed DIY yard where we just get on and do our own horses, liveries help each other out when needed and no taking our horses muck home 

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You should consider yourself very lucky.   Edinburgh is an area where the YOs mainly range from the insane to the downright dangerous


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## aintgotnohay (21 August 2015)

i wanted to delete this post its in wrong place.


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## aintgotnohay (21 August 2015)

9tails said:



			Was this the one where they put the wheelbarrow on the roof full of water and you got soaked retrieving it?
		
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yes it is lol.


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## Janovich (21 August 2015)

This thread is like 'therapy' for getting out all the niggles and knots we liveries endured at the hands of the Barmy Army YO's out there (and no, I don't tar every YO with the same brush!).

I have at long last found a yard where me and my boy are as happy as larry so to speak,...but boy oh boy have I been on some yards where the rules and regs (and charges too) where downright ludicrous to say the least.  

One YO tried to get all us liveries to bulk buy some bespoke minerals (which weren't cheap I can tell ya,...but good stuff nonetheless). What she didn't realise is that the 3 of us that were interested at the time worked out that what she was asking us to pay upfront,...actually included feeding her OWN horses (4 of them) for free!!!!! We broached the subject of what YO was paying for their own horses and...mmmm YO went all coy... Aha... been rumbled.

Suffice to say we turned her ever so tempting offer down and did the deal between the 3 of us.  She wasn't best pleased and turned nasty and out came the change of rules yet again,...just to make our livery lives a misery.  Nasty piece of work that one was...and still is.  Thing is this person thinks they are so blessed to be the provider of such great knowledge of all things equestrian, but the outside world know different!!! LOL


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## Rollin (21 August 2015)

Entertaining but very sad thread.  I never endured livery like described but was very happy when we were able to buy our own land.  Perhaps YO should undergo Personality Testing like Business?  A money earner for BHS?


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## misskk88 (21 August 2015)

For a little while I was chuckling away thinking I have never endured 'the crazy'. But I actually have, just in lesser doses.

- Horse was on working livery... for lessons... He easily earned his keep, and some. Turned up one day to find person riding said horse (clearly no lesson going on) to find that YO had said to a customer that they could loan my horse for 3 days a week. Permission was never sought from me! AND I often use to turn up to find that YO had said they could ride, even though they knew I was coming up and was then told 'oh your horse has worked quite hard, perhaps take it easy'. I never saw a discount in my livery bills BTW, and he was still doing the same amount of lessons. 

- Wasn't allowed to use own farrier. 

- Yard not open before 9.00am, closed at 7.30pm on weekdays and even earlier at weekends.


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## KautoStar1 (21 August 2015)

this thread is a reminder why it would be a very good idea for livery yards to be licensed in some way.  There are some people out there who just shouldn't be allowed to run this type of business.  I've met quite a lot over the years !!!


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## wyrdsister (21 August 2015)

Oh boy, I've been on some crackers! My favourite of the insane rules mostly belong to one place & either weren't declared at the outset or were brought in later.

- Not allowed to pay the farrier directly, must do it through the yard owner at a hiked up rate to cover his own horses too. (I didn't & theoretically left the place in debt as I'd never paid the owner for shoeing. My horse was barefoot & I paid the farrier myself).
- You must turn your horse out in the new fields that have been fenced. With ditches. Horses don't jump ditches. (I was doing low level 1 day events with mine. I refused).
- The deal breaker was no more ad hoc turnout, horses can only go out for 2 hours & must be brought in by the new YM. Not a chance. Don't want them standing in & I'd seen her idea of how to handle horses! 

There were more, but I think I've blotted them from my mind!


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## *Sahara (21 August 2015)

Thank. God. mine. are. at. home.


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## Annagain (21 August 2015)

Years ago we had a barmy, pretty aggressive male YO who decided that I hadn't cleared up my horse's poo from the yard and dumped it on my car bonnet. It wasn't mine and the other 3 piles of poo left by the alcoholic he was s***ing in lieu of livery were left well alone. When my friend and I told we were leaving, he got right in our faces and said we'd be begging to come back within a month and he would take great pleasure in telling us where to go. Funny how 15 years later I still haven't given going back a second thought.  And I was the one who took great pleasure in telling him where to go when I started working in the local pub while at uni and (with the landlord's permission) refused to serve him. He'd have to wait for one of the other staff to have his beer.


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## DD (21 August 2015)

awful tales on here. glad I have my own place.


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## PaulnasherryRocky (21 August 2015)

Only the owners of the horses are allowed to ride their horses in the school. (So if horse belongs to mother & daughter, only the mother can ride in the school!)

So on a yard with no hacking, your sharer would be pretty damn bored...


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## ShadowHunter (21 August 2015)

Crazy crazy tales on here, makes you wonder what goes through peoples minds. So glad i've mine at home!


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## npage123 (21 August 2015)

wyrdsister said:



			Oh boy, I've been on some crackers! My favourite of the insane rules mostly belong to one place & either weren't declared at the outset or were brought in later.

- Not allowed to pay the farrier directly, must do it through the yard owner at a hiked up rate to cover his own horses too. (I didn't & theoretically left the place in debt as I'd never paid the owner for shoeing. My horse was barefoot & I paid the farrier myself).
- You must turn your horse out in the new fields that have been fenced. With ditches. Horses don't jump ditches. (I was doing low level 1 day events with mine. I refused).
- The deal breaker was no more ad hoc turnout, horses can only go out for 2 hours & must be brought in by the new YM. Not a chance. Don't want them standing in & I'd seen her idea of how to handle horses! 

There were more, but I think I've blotted them from my mind!
		
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A field being fenced with ditches?  Seriously?  What were they thinking, other than saving money on proper fencing?!!


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## wyrdsister (21 August 2015)

That was all he was thinking of! He wasn't really a horsey man. He was stunned when two novices did put their ponies in the field & they hopped straight out! Pretty sure they ended up electric fencing it themselves :-/


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## Shantara (21 August 2015)

Wimbles said:



			One yard we went to look at would only take horses 10 years and older, the YO refused to entertain my 9 year old...............
		
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Pfftt, that's so silly! There was a 5yr old at my old yard and he was as steady as anything, so easy to deal with! Then my darling Ned, who is 16, can still act like a twit!!

Thankfully I don't have any where I am, it's so wonderful


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## SkewbyTwo (21 August 2015)

Cheiro1 said:



			We had this for a while, purely because YO's insurance company wanted to charge her nearly double for the privilege of allowing external instructors!!
		
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You were lied to...any instructor worth his or her salt comes insured up to the eyballs (it doesn't cost a prohibitive amount) and that can always be checked. The owner's insurance company would not care. And if for some reason they did, plenty others wouldn't.

This rule always comes from a YO who also 'teaches' and hasn't the ego to withstand their liveries choosing to be instructed by someone else.


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## alwaysbroke (21 August 2015)

Goldenstar said:



			I would love this , 
So good for the horses to learn to put up with stuff like this .
		
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It has been educaational for them but when my son got injured because a member of staff decided to take one of the large parasol umbrellas down when he was drawing level with it it was rather too much even for his saint of a pony to cope with. 9f course there is no accident book to fill in for ya4d use either. Its also a huge worry with competition horses with strangers alliwed to wander around the yard quite happily feeding the horses any thing they feel like.


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## xxcharlottexx (21 August 2015)

Boulty said:



			Oh lemme think... Erm bathing with buckets only absolutely no using the hosepipe
		
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I had this. Could only use the hose pipe on the horse if injured, otherwise you were stood next to the horse with a hose pipe filling a bucket to wash the horse, which wasted more water than using the hosepipe!

Had to feed yards mouldy haylage and even though horse was losing weight I was feeding too much and had to half the amount. Only 15lbs of haylage even though it was sopping wet was the same as 15lb of dry dusty rubbish.  Not allowed to buy own in.

Straw only yard as the muck heap removal won't take shavings even though they spread it/ dumped it on  their own land


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## Auslander (21 August 2015)

I only have two rules on my yard.

Do not bring your horse round to my house and let it do mad piaffe on my newly laid patio while you shout for me to come and examine a loose shoe
Do not walk into my house in muddy boots, and stand in the living room doorway staring at me while I am trying to talk to my mother on the phone!

Other than those - I'm pretty laid back, as long as everyone is sensible!


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## Tnavas (21 August 2015)

Illusion100 said:



			To get fresh straw, you could not transport it in a wheelbarrow or a sack, you could only transport fresh straw if it was first put in a sack then the sack transported in the barrow. Dirty straw to transported in wheelbarrow...... I could never get my head around that one!
		
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I do understand this one.

Clean, new straw slithers around, blows away easily so can be messy.

Dirty straw is more stable and more likely to stay in the barrow.

When I did my training many decades ago we were actually taught how to fill a wheel barrow to the maximum in a way that prevented muck falling off it.

I've torn my hair out at some places I've worked because of the mess people make when mucking out. Barns make some people lazy, no wind blowing straw around the place. You could always see the boxes Id mucked out as outside the door was still clean.


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## Boulty (21 August 2015)

Just to add that I'm now happy somewhere that the only daft rules are those enforced by the resident goats   (Ie all your food belongs to us and we WILL climb on your car roof to get to it.  Anyone eating anything WILL get mobbed!)


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## Cobbytype (21 August 2015)

Years ago I was on a yard that didn't allow me to ride my horse in the outdoor school because his feet were too big (apparently). He was allowed in the indoor school - presumably because we were hidden from sight and no-one could get distressed by the sight of his (apparently) big feet  Everyone called the place 'the funny farm' for some unknown reason


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## Cheiro1 (21 August 2015)

SkewbyTwo said:



			You were lied to...any instructor worth his or her salt comes insured up to the eyballs (it doesn't cost a prohibitive amount) and that can always be checked. The owner's insurance company would not care. And if for some reason they did, plenty others wouldn't.

This rule always comes from a YO who also 'teaches' and hasn't the ego to withstand their liveries choosing to be instructed by someone else.
		
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Nope I can assure you it wasn't a lie, it doesn't matter if an instructor has their own insurance, they can still turn around and sue the yard they are teaching on!! YO argued the case and we now DO have external instructors again (not that many people choose to, we have no need to!).

And FWIW YO is a BHSII who has evented to a high level and then more recently ridden and trained to Inter1 so no need for the "teaches" bit!!


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## Illusion100 (21 August 2015)

Tnavas said:



			I do understand this one.

Clean, new straw slithers around, blows away easily so can be messy.

Dirty straw is more stable and more likely to stay in the barrow.

When I did my training many decades ago we were actually taught how to fill a wheel barrow to the maximum in a way that prevented muck falling off it.

I've torn my hair out at some places I've worked because of the mess people make when mucking out. Barns make some people lazy, no wind blowing straw around the place. You could always see the boxes Id mucked out as outside the door was still clean.
		
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I was also taught as a child a method to stack high a wheelbarrow with muck without it falling out, it works, well unless the wind is high or you forget how to walk! 

I could understand the transporting of fresh straw in a sack rather than a wheelbarrow but both?!


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## Elsbells (22 August 2015)

Some of these, no nearly all of these yards sound horrendous! So Thankyou all that posted for reminding me of how lucky I am to keep my mare on an old ex dairy farm where I have a decent barn stable a good big field with a shelter and good fencing, an automatic trough and I don't poo pick if I don't want to. I come and go I please, use whatever I like when I like and live/work across the road. 
Nope, we don't have a school, a XC or decent off road hacking. There are no services and the retired dairy farmer knows zilch! But all I can say is.....praise the Lord!!&#128512;


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## Nativelover (22 August 2015)

Just thought of more!!
Banned from turning my horse out because he rolls and might make 'patches'!!!!

Only certain people have to fill field troughs, others don't!!

Actually thrown off one yard as my horse pulled a face at the YO!!!


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## Cinnamontoast (22 August 2015)

npage123 said:



			A field being fenced with ditches?  Seriously?  What were they thinking, other than saving money on proper fencing?!!
		
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My boy's field only had a 5 foot ditch on one side when we arrived. No-one else jumped out, just mine, repeatedly. I used to send the kids across but he had to cat leap back from a narrow footpath. Once that was fenced, he took to pushing through a hole surrounded by brambles and barbed wire. The YO suggested I leave off his rug so he'd stop pushing out because it would hurt. Or the fencing could be repaired. Hmm.


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## kamili (26 August 2015)

I'm loving this thread and only half way through. Thought I would add my own experience.

1) no supplements added to feed unless you paid a fee of £10 per supplement per feed
2) no riding on a Monday
3) No riding in the arena when lessons where on, which could start up when you were already in the arena in which case you had to leave. Happened regularly on weekends
4) No riding between lessons
5) Turnout only between 11am - 3pm on weekends. You have to turn your own animal out yourself. Penalty fee of £5 per 5 minute slots over the allocated time horse was over time in the field - field was 5 minute walk from the yard so YO had to walk to field to check who was out and wait to see who wasn't in for whatever length of time at the field gate
6) £5 fee for any skip out done above and beyond the YO muck out
7) £5 charge for any messages left without being cleaned up be it from a Dog or horse (understandable in a way)
8) £5 fee per rug change 
9) £10 fee for any horse that needed treatment for injury per treatment - such as cold hosing, bandages replaced or poultices etc.
10) £10 fee to hold horse for vet or farrier if owner can't make it
12) horses to be tubed no excuses for worms every three months
13) horses to be checked by a vet every three months for a fee of £50 per horse - not to include handling fee of £10 - sometimes this was not announced


Now you are probably thinking that this is a DIY yard, in which case then yes the above fees are understandable. But it was not it was full livery at over £540 a month per horse.  So full livery was advertised at £125 per week. Except there was some funny maths applied...

125 X 52 (52 weeks in a year)  = 6500 Fair enough
Except some months have 5 weeks so to accommodate that the following applied
6500 divided by 12 ( 12 months in the year)  = 541 per month which was then divided by 4 (most months had 4 weeks so why not use this number) so per week the fee was 135.41 (not the 125 advertised) Which you only got told about after signing the contract at 125 per week

You had to pay monthly only. Not per week

So instead of charging you for the extra week when it occurred, you got charged monthly for the extra weeks on the random few months that had it. Which aren't that many and TBH not many liveries ever got to stay for a month that had 5 weeks because they left when they got huge bills at the end of the month for extras, some of which they didn't even know existed and weren't declared!


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## Supertrooper (26 August 2015)

The first yard I had D on had the 8am till 8pm rule, all very well unless you actually work!!


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## Clydiegirl (26 August 2015)

I once had a phonecall complaining that my 5 horses were running in the field! Apparently if I put up a shelter that would stop them because they would stand in that all day instead. They were all babies, the oldest was only 3 so I don't think a shelter would have stopped them playing.


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## PolarSkye (26 August 2015)

Auslander said:



			I only have two rules on my yard.

Do not bring your horse round to my house and let it do mad piaffe on my newly laid patio while you shout for me to come and examine a loose shoe
Do not walk into my house in muddy boots, and stand in the living room doorway staring at me while I am trying to talk to my mother on the phone!

Other than those - I'm pretty laid back, as long as everyone is sensible!
		
Click to expand...

Chortles.  Now who on earth would do that?!

P


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## Caol Ila (26 August 2015)

kamili said:



			I'm loving this thread and only half way through. Thought I would add my own experience.

1) no supplements added to feed unless you paid a fee of £10 per supplement per feed
2) no riding on a Monday
3) No riding in the arena when lessons where on, which could start up when you were already in the arena in which case you had to leave. Happened regularly on weekends
4) No riding between lessons
5) Turnout only between 11am - 3pm on weekends. You have to turn your own animal out yourself. Penalty fee of £5 per 5 minute slots over the allocated time horse was over time in the field - field was 5 minute walk from the yard so YO had to walk to field to check who was out and wait to see who wasn't in for whatever length of time at the field gate
6) £5 fee for any skip out done above and beyond the YO muck out
7) £5 charge for any messages left without being cleaned up be it from a Dog or horse (understandable in a way)
8) £5 fee per rug change 
9) £10 fee for any horse that needed treatment for injury per treatment - such as cold hosing, bandages replaced or poultices etc.
10) £10 fee to hold horse for vet or farrier if owner can't make it
12) horses to be tubed no excuses for worms every three months
13) horses to be checked by a vet every three months for a fee of £50 per horse - not to include handling fee of £10 - sometimes this was not announced


Now you are probably thinking that this is a DIY yard, in which case then yes the above fees are understandable. But it was not it was full livery at over £540 a month per horse.  So full livery was advertised at £125 per week. Except there was some funny maths applied...

125 X 52 (52 weeks in a year)  = 6500 Fair enough
Except some months have 5 weeks so to accommodate that the following applied
6500 divided by 12 ( 12 months in the year)  = 541 per month which was then divided by 4 (most months had 4 weeks so why not use this number) so per week the fee was 135.41 (not the 125 advertised) Which you only got told about after signing the contract at 125 per week

You had to pay monthly only. Not per week

So instead of charging you for the extra week when it occurred, you got charged monthly for the extra weeks on the random few months that had it. Which aren't that many and TBH not many liveries ever got to stay for a month that had 5 weeks because they left when they got huge bills at the end of the month for extras, some of which they didn't even know existed and weren't declared!
		
Click to expand...

I think your (presumably ex) yard wins.


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## Lammy (30 August 2015)

I just noticed this on my Facebook news feed...

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/barmy-livery-yard-rules-507809

A lot of it shares a striking resemblance to what I've read in this thread, yet no credit! I hope they approached you all before using your hilarious anecdotes!
Tsk tsk if not HHO....


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## Michen (30 August 2015)

I saw that too!!!




Lammy said:



			I just noticed this on my Facebook news feed...

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/barmy-livery-yard-rules-507809

A lot of it shares a striking resemblance to what I've read in this thread, yet no credit! I hope they approached you all before using your hilarious anecdotes!
Tsk tsk if not HHO....
		
Click to expand...


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## Leo Walker (30 August 2015)

Me 3 and I was also a bit taken aback that they had pretty much copied and pasted forum posts, just with the odd bit changed to suit the article!


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## Caol Ila (30 August 2015)

That's a bit dodgy, to say the least!  If you change the odd word, you don't think people will notice?

I guess they are the benevolent overlords of this forum, so they can do what they like.  I think some of the original posts were better written, though.


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## Sleipnir (30 August 2015)

* No supplements, none, never, at all, because "horses are not pigs, they don't need to eat EVERYTHING". Yes, you read that right. I sneaked in supplements with cored apples, stuffed with the daily dose. It was for a horse I leased in that particular yard, then bought and ran for the hills with him to a place where supplements were not banned. 

* Never tell what goes on in the yard to "outsiders". Even if the "outsider" is an owner of a horse who lives at the yard while the owner is studying abroad. The YO was telling her sweet lies, while I contacted her and sent her pictures of the empty hayrack in her geldings' box at 8pm, and her leaser using a horribly unfitting saddle. She started asking questions and boy that upset the YO! Ran for the hills from this yard as well (the YO turned out to be completely mental!)

* At one yard, there was a great, big whiteboard on the stable wall on which the rules yard were written. They often changed without a notice, for example, boarders (full service at that!) were to rake the indoor school, because it was never dragged by the staff. The YO arranged when everyone was to do the duty without first talking over if and when anyone is available to do that, so anyone could suddenly get scolded for not having raked, although nobody had asked if they even could and if they had seen the whiteboard. No calling or even sending a text was ever done.

* Only the staff is to touch the hay, even if your horse is to get unlimited amount and he is standing in an empty stall, stressed because of the lack of food.

* You will be passively aggressively scolded for not letting your horse to be used in a tourist hacking tour because one of the YO's horses has become lame. You never applied to using your horse in these rides, you specifically stated it is not to be done, yet you are still to blame that the YO "HAD to put a lame horse into work" because of you after booking one too many riders.


So grateful to be on a quiet, very private yard now... With no rules, because we are all adults and no such nonsense ever happens.


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## Paint Me Proud (30 August 2015)

the horse and hound article just popped up on my facebook too - there i no way that the content wasnt lifted from this thread, lol.


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## sam72431 (31 August 2015)

Recently been told that all likits salt licks etc must be hung on baling twine despite the fact that they have been hung quite happily for past four years apparently now if a horse pulls hard it will pull whole barn down. Not allowed to leave feed buckets to soak by tap. My friend and I had our bikes at yard they were out of site and out of way in a barn and we were told we weren't allowed to keep them there not sure why? Always been rule that gates shut in courtyard area of yard in case horses escape today they have padlocked one of gates back so we can't shut it?! We are constantly told we are lazy liveries mainly because we don't clean out the drain at bottom of yard?! I was under impression DIY livery means you look after your own horse clear up your own mess etc not having to clean drains? But funnily enough it took them a month to fix my horses fence on her paddock when someone else's horse ran through it and broke it? We are constantly nagged about ragwort in our fields which we all constantly pull only to see that there is ragwort everywhere else?! Only allowed to use one side of lights in arena oh the list goes on no shavings unless you take shavings away with you or pay extra for different much trailer


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## sam72431 (31 August 2015)

Also been asked recently if we should do a fire drill and time how long it would take to turn all the horses out together in the sandschool (horses turned out individually so don't know each other) ok we will do that if your paying the vets bill &#128514;


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