# Rules... livery yards



## blitznbobs (30 March 2019)

So I am aware that livery yards need rules but what rules at your livery yard are good and are there any crazy weird rules?

The one at mine is that all jumps must be left up at 1m despite me never seeing them jumped at that height ... Iâ€™m sure there are people that do but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule!


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## vickie123 (30 March 2019)

Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me


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## JFTDWS (30 March 2019)

I once looked around a DIY yard (not an RS) where they wouldn't allow you to ride bareback because the YM had worked with horses professionally and seen terrible accidents, all caused by a lack of a saddle, apparently...  I remain unconvinced!

I haven't come across any weird rules on my current place.  The YM is as daft as I am


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## ihatework (30 March 2019)

Iâ€™ve been on a few different yards over the years but nothing really bizarre springs to mind.

Just one yard run by a very well meaning but exceedingly anally retentive YO, to the extent that if your horse shat on the yard you not only had to drop everything to sweep up immediately but also drag the fecking powerhose out to wash the yard. I lasted the most unrelaxing 4 months of my life!


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## Pc2003 (30 March 2019)

One I was at a while ago you had to muck out as soon as you turned your horse out and you couldnâ€™t leave it till the afternoon or after you had ridden etc and you werenâ€™t allowed to leave rugs over your stable door. Not even a sheet


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## milliepops (30 March 2019)

ihatework said:



			Iâ€™ve been on a few different yards over the years but nothing really bizarre springs to mind.

Just one yard run by a very well meaning but exceedingly anally retentive YO, to the extent that if your horse shat on the yard you not only had to drop everything to sweep up immediately but also drag the fecking powerhose out to wash the yard. I lasted the most unrelaxing 4 months of my life!
		
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Bloody nora, I was on one yard for 6 weeks who I thought took the biscuit for being unwelcoming, but that trumps mine! the place I was on, if your horse pooed on the drive on the way out for a hack you had to come back, put it back in stable, pick up dropping and could then set off again.  Bad luck if someone's horse did a second poo!  Some days it felt like you'd never get going, lol!

Last place had the most irritating rules, most appeared to be made up to suit whichever livery shouted the loudest (no lunging even for vet, jumps went up for half the week and could not be moved or altered, some bonkers and highly complicated rules about how you were allowed to book the school,  not allowed to wash horses outside stables because it made mud, but no hardstanding provided... um..)

Current yard just seems to have sensible rules, it costs double what I was paying before which is painful but worth it for the complete lack of nutters and nutty rules.


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## Starzaan (30 March 2019)

vickie123 said:



			Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me 

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As an ex yard owner who paid my lifeâ€™s savings to the people who built my school, I had this rule too for my liveries. 

Nobody messed with my surface. ðŸ™ˆ


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## Frumpoon (30 March 2019)

There's a yard on Cannock Chase where the rules run to something like 3 pages and include everyone must wear hi viz at all times, there is a one way system that everyone must abide by to walk round the yard and nobody is allowed to make eye contact with any horse other than their own


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## vickie123 (30 March 2019)

Starzaan said:



			As an ex yard owner who paid my lifeâ€™s savings to the people who built my school, I had this rule too for my liveries.

Nobody messed with my surface. ðŸ™ˆ
		
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 Well I just realised (reading a post above) that Iâ€™m guilty of asking my livery to clean up and wash down any poos on the yard ASAP. So I am myself anally retentive


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## Blazingsaddles (30 March 2019)

blitznbobs said:



			So I am aware that livery yards need rules but what rules at your livery yard are good and are there any crazy weird rules?

The one at mine is that all jumps must be left up at 1m despite me never seeing them jumped at that height ... Iâ€™m sure there are people that do but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule!
		
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The rules are that there are no rules. Which makes for an interesting experience..lol.


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## awelshandawarmblood (30 March 2019)

These are from a few different previous yards.....

No doing favours for friends - only allowed to deal with your own horse

Opening hours in summer 8am until 6pm so as to cut down on disturbing them in the house

No rugs over doors

No tying up horses anywhere but inside their own stable

Any fly spray to be applied in the stable & any rug changes to also be done there - not in the field

All horses to be fed from small holed haylage nets with the net ring drilled into the rear wall of the stable to minimise the chances of horses making a mess dropping strands over their door onto the yard

Very complicated booking rules for the school & a max of 30 mins per person per day even for lessons


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## Flicker (30 March 2019)

OMG some of these are so funny!  My yard is so laid back itâ€™s horizontal by comparison.  Just the usual, sensible rules about hats, hi vis, arena bookings and poo picking, thank god!


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## Nativelover (30 March 2019)

Ever changing rules according to the mood of the YO
I empathise with the above poster, if your horse shat on the yard drop everything to clean it up, including soaping and rinsing!
A sweeping rota that you were never told about when it was your turn, until the actual time you had to sweep.
Feeding rota that didnâ€™t include everyone.
Ever changing access to turnout.
Only allowed to buy feed and bedding from one place.
One yard had a fortnightly delivery day for hay/bedding. You were to put it all away in peoples bays in the feed shed, regardless of if it was yours or not. There were a few liveries who were always busy when the delivery came leaving it all up to the few idiots of us who were there, even if you hadnâ€™t ordered anything you had to put it away if you were there !!


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## Northern (30 March 2019)

vickie123 said:



			Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me 

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We have this for our indoor school. It actually makes sense - the office has a little bag of surface hanging on the wall with a small message explaining this was what was picked out of just 1 hoof. Imagine 20-30 horses a day walking out the surface and you would be replacing it quicksmart!


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## chocolategirl (30 March 2019)

vickie123 said:



			Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me 

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Ah well as someone who has just shelled out 60k on a new arena, I totally get this! My clients have to clean feet thoroughly before entering and pick the surface out before leaving. I think if you had made that sort of investment, especially in view of the fact you would never recoup it, you may not think that rule so anal!ðŸ¤¨


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## Lexi_ (30 March 2019)

I donâ€™t think weâ€™ve got any apart from poo pick your fields and donâ€™t leave crap lying around. The YO is lovely!


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## case895 (30 March 2019)

Frumpoon said:



			There's a yard on Cannock Chase where the rules run to something like 3 pages and include everyone must wear hi viz at all times, there is a one way system that everyone must abide by to walk round the yard and nobody is allowed to make eye contact with any horse other than their own
		
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I wear wrap around sunglasses all summer. How would they know?


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## Auslander (30 March 2019)

I'll hold my hands up to the poo on yard thing! I don't insist that it's picked up straight away - as long as it is picked up before the owner goes home. It makes me happy if they give it a quick blast with the hose, purely because my yard is very new, and all the concrete is lovely and clean. It makes me a bit sad when there's a big splodge of dried on poo welded to the ground! That said - I'm more than happy to do it myself if the liveries haven't.
I like the yard super clean and tidy - but I'm pretty sure that none of my liveries think that makes me a bad person!


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## Tihamandturkey (30 March 2019)

So lucky - zero rules - lovely small relaxed yard - mind you I'm really tidy/obsessive so I never leave a mess behind me ðŸ˜…


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## flying_high (30 March 2019)

I looked round a yard with the rule could only use school wearing a body protector?!?


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## merlo89 (30 March 2019)

My current yard has no rules.

Itâ€™s a nightmare, horses loose, liveryâ€™s shouting at each other, no respect for other people! 

It is a disaster waiting to happen...


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## Cinnamontoast (30 March 2019)

Just the usual, I think, but the cleaning out of feet makes perfect sense, especially having been on a yard where you could see and feel the concrete under the very thin surface (nothing above a walk for my horse in there!) then I agree! 

We have a lady with several horses who is a dragon with the kids, bloody brilliant! If anything looks odd, like a pony stood for no reason for ages on the yard, she will go and tell the relevant child to stop messing about and put the poor pony away!


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## Sandstone1 (30 March 2019)

Not allowed to soak hay.


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## scats (31 March 2019)

The yard I grew up on had a load of new American barns built many years ago.  The YO insisted that no rugs were hung up over doors or in stables and morning feeds could not be left on he floor outside, they had to be hung up.
You couldnâ€™t leave anything outside your stable, other than a hung up feed.  If you did, he came round in the morning and lobbed whatever it was into the stable with the horse...

Each stable came with the tiniest locker at the back and you had to squash everything in it- including your wheelbarrow.

My current yard has no rules other than look after the place.  Thereâ€™s only 4 of us there, weâ€™ve all known each other for 20+ years and get on fantastically.  The YO leaves us to it.


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## JennBags (31 March 2019)

scats said:



			The yard I grew up on had a load of new American barns built many years ago.  The YO insisted that no rugs were hung up over doors or in stables and morning feeds could not be left on he floor outside, they had to be hung up.
You couldnâ€™t leave anything outside your stable, other than a hung up feed.  If you did, he came round in the morning and lobbed whatever it was into the stable with the horse....
		
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These rules actually make perfect sense to me, feeds on the floors encourage rats and mice, and heavy rugs hanging on doors can pull them out of alignment (as well as looking scruffy!).
I also agree with the feet being picked out before using the school, keeps it nice.
The yard I was on generally had sensible rules but the annoying thing was one rule for one, and one for another. Also the rules would change or new ones suddenly be made up without anyone being told, so you could be told off for not following a rule that no-one knew even existed.


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## The-Bookworm (31 March 2019)

vickie123 said:



			Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me 

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Colleges tend to insist on that rule. Outside the arena is odd as feet would already be picked out.


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## The-Bookworm (31 March 2019)

Frumpoon said:



			There's a yard on Cannock Chase where the rules run to something like 3 pages and include everyone must wear hi viz at all times, there is a one way system that everyone must abide by to walk round the yard and nobody is allowed to make eye contact with any horse other than their own
		
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Sorry that last sentence made me laugh. 
I can't imagine the mayhem that would cause catching mine in a herd if I could see where the herd was fir fear of making eye contact with anyone else's horse. 
Are the people running yards actually safe to be around horses!


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## Slightlyconfused (31 March 2019)

One yard we had to hand rake the school after use. 

With the picking hooves one, mine get picked out when they come in from the feild before tacking up. So would they then need to be repicked out before going in the school?


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## Caol Ila (31 March 2019)

When I was doing my undergrad degree in the States, my horse lived at the campus barn.  Didn't have an equine-related degree course or anything, but the barn had about 30 lesson horses and 30 student and staff boarders.  Before my final year, our old barn manager, who was great, left and the university hired a new barn manager.  Right before the academic year started, new barn manager sent all the boarders a letter detailing the new regime of barn rules, most of which were pretty anal.  But the most draconian one ordered that all horses must look 'neat' (as per the barn manager's idea) and have their manes pulled.  At this point, I'd quit competing so my horse looked pretty feral, with feathers (she's half-Shire,a fter all) and a long mane.  When she asked me about it, I said, "I'm not going to cut or pull her mane or trim her feathers, sorry."  I took a gamble that she wouldn't kick me out of the barn, because it was would look pretty bad for the university when I went over her head, as that's what I would have done.  She asked me, "What do you compete in?"  I said I didn't, and she mumbled grudgingly,  "Well, I guess that's alright then."


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## DabDab (31 March 2019)

I don't think I've ever come across any particularly weird rules, just perfectly reasonable rules that seem to get bent to suit certain individuals. Like no dogs on the yard except for that one person, or restricted turnout except for that one horse who's owner proclaims that he's just too nuts to stay in, or one saddle per horse in the tack room except for that super important livery who has three competition horses don't you know, so absolutely needs to take over half the tack room....

The only frustrating time on a livery yard I had due to restrictions was a wet winter at one particular yard meaning the turnout was restricted to just a couple of hours here and there, and the yo then banned us all from using the school, which left those us of that worked traipsing around the yard hand walking our horses in the dark and the rain for weeks.


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## skint1 (31 March 2019)

I think having no rules can be as frustrating as too many rules and the worst is when rules are not applied fairly or are not fully communicated and change according to the social standing of the individual livery on the yard. Our yard is fairly relaxed, it's basically clear up after yourself/your horse/your dog/your child, always wear a hat when onboard, don't steal, if it's broken report it, don't waste haylage or straw, inform the yard of any visitors/sharers. 

I think if it were me I'd like to add a few around ensuring horses were seen to at regular intervals  but I accept these rules could be interpeted subjectively


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## Greylegs (31 March 2019)

All of this makes my current yard sound like a haven of peace and tranquility. We have very few rules, but YM manages the place with a great balance of strictness and fairness so everyone knows where they stand. If she has any issues with anyone, she'll have a quiet word and things get sorted. Also, we're a group of responsible adults who respect each other's horses and property, so we don't really need any hefty rules to keep things orderly.


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## PapaverFollis (31 March 2019)

I don't mind a slightly "over ruled" place... but soooooo many with lots of rules to start with are constantly changing the rules instead of just dealing with disrespectful liveries on a  case by case basis.   So someone doesn't clean up after tying horse on yard (breaking the rule about tidying up after yourself) and a new rule is introduced that you can't tie up on the yard... for example. Just deal with the primary rule breaker! Because guess what? Those people will still tie up on the yard and leave a mess and those of us who abide by rules are inconvenienced and pissed off!  Also rule changes usually take place via passive aggressive notices that you are never sure are aimed at you or not.

I was on a yard where you were in danger of being actually hung, drawn and quartered if even a single drop of pee drained from your stable (this in stables that had quite slopey floors as the original design was clearly to allow good drainage. And turnout was also beyond limited).  My horse knocked over his water bucket one day and I had a full on panic attack while cleaning it up out of pure fear that I had made the yard wet and what the consequences might be!  You don't realise how mad some situations are until you're out of them! I spent a lot of money on bedding that winter!


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## ycbm (31 March 2019)

blitznbobs said:



			So I am aware that livery yards need rules but what rules at your livery yard are good and are there any crazy weird rules?

The one at mine is that all jumps must be left up at 1m despite me never seeing them jumped at that height ... Iâ€™m sure there are people that do but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule!
		
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I hire arenas at your yard and that rule drives me absolutely crazy. The vast majority of hirers don't want to jump a metre, and having to put them where you want to at the start and then back to a metre when you've finished is a total waste of arena hire time! 

'All breakages must be paid for' also makes me cross. What about the people before me who have been whacking seven bells out of the stuff for years before I even got there?  Yet if it happens to break during my session, I have to pay for a new one?


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## joosie (31 March 2019)

Sandstone1 said:



			Not allowed to soak hay.
		
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I think that's become a more common one. 
You are not allowed to just tip waste water wherever you fancy. There are Environment Agency rules about waste water disposal that some yards can't meet. The general rule is that

"Run-off from manure heaps, contaminated yards, stable washings and hay soaking should not be allowed to enter surface waters or watercourses unless a written authorisation (a discharge consent) has been received from your Environmental Regulator." 

Some places can't get permission and some don't bother trying. 
Other yards may have the rule because hay-soaking makes such a mess!


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## Snowfilly (31 March 2019)

A yard in Devon my aunt kept her horse at had a blanket rugging rule. All horses on there had to be rugged from October 1st, regardless of age, type or clip. 

She owned an Irish bog horse who looked as though he was sired by a yak, and she could only ride at weekend due to work so he wasn't clipped at all. After the third official warning about having a horse without a rug, she moved him to a farmers field where he stayed fat, happy and naked!


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## little_critter (31 March 2019)

Snowfilly said:



			A yard in Devon my aunt kept her horse at had a blanket rugging rule. All horses on there had to be rugged from October 1st, regardless of age, type or clip.

She owned an Irish bog horse who looked as though he was sired by a yak, and she could only ride at weekend due to work so he wasn't clipped at all. After the third official warning about having a horse without a rug, she moved him to a farmers field where he stayed fat, happy and naked!
		
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Wow, Iâ€™d struggle with that one. I have to clip my hairy retired pony because through October (unless itâ€™s unseasonably cold) she is far too hot and Iâ€™ve found her clammy in her stable. She generally only gets rugged (even after clipping) if the temperature goes below freezing.


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## tankgirl1 (31 March 2019)

Not a rule, but I did have one YO who got grumpy with me for keeping my hairy cob mare unrugged and with plaits in her mane. 'It looks like there is a gypsy pony in my fields' Err well that'll be because there is a gypsy cob pony in your fields


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## The-Bookworm (31 March 2019)

tankgirl1 said:



			Not a rule, but I did have one YO who got grumpy with me for keeping my hairy cob mare unrugged and with plaits in her mane. 'It looks like there is a gypsy pony in my fields' Err well that'll be because there is a gypsy cob pony in your fields 

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The amount of people who would hog mine is unbelievable. To me if you want to clip it all off, get a pony without any hair. 
I think mine would look unfriendly hogged though she has a beefy neck.


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## Db312 (1 April 2019)

Frumpoon said:



			There's a yard on Cannock Chase where the rules run to something like 3 pages and include everyone must wear hi viz at all times, there is a one way system that everyone must abide by to walk round the yard and nobody is allowed to make eye contact with any horse other than their own
		
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Funny when you recognise a yard without question!

In fairness the one way system is only for when youâ€™re driving, but is completely unnecessary and an example of the YOâ€™s massive control issues.

The best bit is that the huge number of rules was developed and it became compulsory for all liveries to meet with the YO to go through them, which took 2 hrs. The day after this, a whole load of amendments appeared and additional rules. This is in addition to the 2 compulsory tidy-up days a year and if you canâ€™t go, you must send â€œa representativeâ€.  The place is truly bonkers.

One person got kicked off for parking in the wrong place and another for saying another yard was a good set up for her friend. 

Recently a horse had sustained a kick in the field and had to be walked to the yard, taking 2 hrs, because no one was allowed to take their transport down the track, which incidentally contains broken glass and other nasties causing regular abscesses.

The yard looks like heaven, but the turnover of liveries is very high due to the bonkers YO and changing rules all the time.  60+ horses and one school (which if you want it private for a lesson you have to pay YO a tenner for the privilege), totally inadequate hay storage, 2 yards a 20 minute walk apart but paying the same prices for little storage and no loo, an acre a horse grazing policy but vastly underestimated acreage for most fields, ridiculous poo skips with dangerous ramps to access, all combined with a bi-polar YO who likes to refer to clients using the C word. Delightful!


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## LaurenBay (2 April 2019)

Most yards I have been at have had sensible rules which makes sense.

I still cannot fathom out this rule where I keep my share Horse though. Big yard of 85 Horses, 1 indoor school and 2 outdoor schools. New Horses must go the quarantine stable block (fair enough) and can only be ridden in the outside schools, they are not allowed in the indoor school until they have been signed off by the YO. BUT the yard also has weekly dressage shows, loads of Horses travel from other yards to compete, they are mostly held in the indoor school. Makes zero sense.


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## Merrymoles (2 April 2019)

Was on one yard where you were not allowed to tie up anywhere except in your stable, apart from for the farrier.

You also could only wash your horse in your stable which, when you have one whose tail needs at least ten buckets of water to get half clean, was slightly impractical for me. 

You could only use the stinky water from the collecting butts for your water buckets as the yard was "on a meter" which was fine in the winter but absolutely minging in the summer.

No electric fencing allowed so bills for broken rails were common.

Now on a yard where the only real rules are to keep on top of the poo picking and tidy up after yourself. It's a small private yard with just seven horses so bliss in comparison.


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## ElectricChampagne (2 April 2019)

I've just left a yard (thank FUP) where it wasn't a rule, moreso an unwritten one, where the YO's Dog was permitted to chase and nip the horses feet while in the arena.
If you complained, the rule was - you know where the gate is.

If your horse pooped, of course it was cleaned up. But said dog constantly went into your newly mucked out stables and promptly sh4t all over it. Not to mention all over the yard and arena.

YO laughed constantly at this.


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## rabatsa (2 April 2019)

I know someone who got told to leave a yard because she told another livery that the yard owners dog was chasing their horse (the other livery's horse).  Several people had seen the dog chasing the horse on more than one occaision.


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## Nayumi1 (2 April 2019)

We had one where the stable pig had to be fed in the morning or afternoon otherwise he would scream the place down. 

Also you had to be at the yard 8am on a weekend for turning out but you had to wait for the pig to be fed and put away into his pen so stood around for a half hour. 

Had to sweep all traces of hay up after stripping a bale of hay and bag it up - we ran out one weekend and had no choice but to do it on a windy day. We were told that we needed to plan better.


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## ElectricChampagne (2 April 2019)

rabatsa said:



			I know someone who got told to leave a yard because she told another livery that the yard owners dog was chasing their horse (the other livery's horse).  Several people had seen the dog chasing the horse on more than one occaision.
		
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the same happened at this yard. Go figure.


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## Tarragon (2 April 2019)

After several years at various DIY liveries, some good and some bad, just trying to be that good livery who fits in and causes no fuss, I am just so glad I was brave enough to make the leap and now keep the ponies on a sheep farm to manage as I see fit.


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## 9tails (2 April 2019)

Some of these are quite eye opening.  We have a temperamental YO who likes to make up rules depending on their mood that day.  We found out that there was a rule that we couldn't canter a particular stretch of our farm ride, a stretch that had been cantered for 20 years previous.   If one person is lazy and abuses equipment, that equipment is out of bounds to us all.  If a poo is left in the school, the school gate is padlocked.   Blanket messages are sent to all liveries if one field isn't poopicked, stating that fields will be shut if it's not done.


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## hopscotch bandit (2 April 2019)

We don't have many rules at our yard as the Y.O doesn't much like them, she doesn't want to appear as a dictator which is understandable.  But when there are rules its sweeping up after yourself and keeping the tack rooms locked after use which are the norm anyway.

On the one yard I was at years ago all the horse had to be fed at a certain time.  If you were there you were expected to help with the other liveries feed preparation, i.e. add water and stir.  Then we all had to march out of the feedroom to the stables on the given command from the Y.O with our own horses bucket and a neighbours bucket of feed. If you set off even a couple of seconds before everyone else had finished preparing the feeds you were promptly told to return to the feed table to wait for the command for everyone to 'go together' to feed.  Used to drive me up the blo*dy wall, I used to find it so petty.  It was only because the Y.O had a horse who used to kick the sh*t out of the stable door if it was fed a nano second before anything else! If it had of been my horse I would have clobbered it for kicking the door until it had learned some manners instead of making everyone feel about six inches tall


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## hopscotch bandit (2 April 2019)

awelshandawarmblood said:



			any rug changes to also be done there - not in the field
		
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I wonder what the reasoning is behind that one!


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## little_critter (2 April 2019)

hopscotch bandit said:



			We don't have many rules at our yard as the Y.O doesn't much like them, she doesn't want to appear as a dictator which is understandable.  But when there are rules its sweeping up after yourself and keeping the tack rooms locked after use which are the norm anyway.

On the one yard I was at years ago all the horse had to be fed at a certain time.  If you were there you were expected to help with the other liveries feed preparation, i.e. add water and stir.  Then we all had to march out of the feedroom to the stables on the given command from the Y.O with our own horses bucket and a neighbours bucket of feed. If you set off even a couple of seconds before everyone else had finished preparing the feeds you were promptly told to return to the feed table to wait for the command for everyone to 'go together' to feed.  Used to drive me up the blo*dy wall, I used to find it so petty.  It was only because the Y.O had a horse who used to kick the sh*t out of the stable door if it was fed a nano second before anything else! If it had of been my horse I would have clobbered it for kicking the door until it had learned some manners instead of making everyone feel about six inches tall  

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We are all DIY, we all feed at different times. We have one horse that door kicked when he first arrived but soon got the idea that only HIS person fed him and is now pretty quiet when anyone else carries feed past his door.


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## hopscotch bandit (2 April 2019)

little_critter said:



			We are all DIY, we all feed at different times. We have one horse that door kicked when he first arrived but soon got the idea that only HIS person fed him and is now pretty quiet when anyone else carries feed past his door.
		
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We all feed at different times too on this yard.   The full liveries are mixed in with the DIY's and they are fed by staff at 5pm.  None of our DIY's kick the door because horses thrive on routine and no that sooner or later they will be fed at THEIR special time.  My horse wouldn't dream of being so rude! Even when I put mine on Full Day Care one day a week and she gets fed at the same time as the full liveries she won't then kick the door the following day when the staff walk past without stopping to give her a feed.


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## Lindylouanne (2 April 2019)

Private yard so no rules but we all sensible and keep the place neat and tidy. Winter fields are not poo picked because they are cross grazed with cattle but our summer field is done regularly. Last person out closes the gates, locks the tackroom and switches off the lights. I couldn't cope with a real DIY yard ðŸ¤£


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## Ambers Echo (2 April 2019)

Wow I've got off lightly. Some YO's are truly bonkers!!


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## Widgeon (2 April 2019)

Nayumi1 said:



			We had one where the stable pig had to be fed in the morning or afternoon otherwise he would scream the place down.

Also you had to be at the yard 8am on a weekend for turning out but you had to wait for the pig to be fed and put away into his pen so stood around for a half hour. .
		
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My favourite so far, I have never heard this one before!


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## chaps89 (2 April 2019)

I can understand picking feet out in the school. 
Also changing rugs in fields - I was once holding a horse in the field for a rug change, horse spooked and bolted. He literally ran over me and through 2 fences in blind panic. Spooky horse, windy day, rug change in the field was probably a bit of a bad idea really. On the yard which was sheltered and quiet we probably wouldn't have had a problem.
Not a rule as such but previous YO put livery up to cover the cost of a freelancer poo picking. Wouldn't have minded so much apart from me and the other livery were doing our poo picking, it was her who wasn't! She then had a hissy fit when the fields weren't clear - turned out she was only paying the freelancer for 8 barrows of muck a week - for 2 horses and 1 pony out 24/7 and another pony out 8 hours a day. But it became our problem. I was glad to leave there!
A friends yard no-one but the horses owner or yard staff can muck out. Found this out by mistake when I popped up to muck out for her after she helped me out one day. (I used to go to the yard to ride quite often anyway so was 'known' there as was effectively sharing the horses) Friend was DIY and would have done it herself had I not gone up so not like the yard missed out on Â£. I can see why the yard owner insists on it as it's an income for them but I do find not letting sharers muck out a bit bizarre when so many share arrangements ask for chores in return.


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## eggs (2 April 2019)

I keep my horses at home but have some rules for myself including picking feet out before leaving the school.  We put a new surface in so I know how much it cost and would rather keep it where it should be.

I do change rugs out in the field but my friend was changing her horses rug in the field some years ago (not at my yard fortunately) when the horse panicked and ended up running into and through the field gate breaking his leg in the process so I can see the sense in that rule.


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## Nayumi1 (2 April 2019)

Widgeon said:



			My favourite so far, I have never heard this one before!
		
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It was very interesting! I have since moved to another yard thankfully!


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## Winters100 (2 April 2019)

I am not in the UK and there are no rules that I know of at the yard. On the most part everyone is considerate and sensible and cleans up after themselves. The exception is poo picking in the paddocks. I am the only one of about 25 who does this and I cannot fathom why.  It is especially annoying when the paddock that you have used for a year and kept immaculate gets re-allocated to another horse and you get a new (I admit better) paddock, but one that looks as if no one has picked up anything in living memory.  I am not kidding when I say that it took about 100 hours to get it to good shape, and I do slightly resent that the teenager whose pony is turned out with mine does not help at all!  That having been said I like the pony so much as he is small, without back shoes and my mare is in love with him, so picking up his poo seems a small price to pay for a happy horse


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## WelshCManiac (2 April 2019)

So my old yard used to be... Interesting. Definitely not much compared to others, though.
You were not allowed to do anything for other people, only the yard owner can throw feeds in/muck out( and you had to pay!!!)
Throw your horse out for 1 hour max - and only when you're mucking out
You're only allowed to lesson at 7:00pm, even if all the liveries had cleared out of the school, and my instructor arrived at 6:15pm!
Current yard has a few silly rules such as only 1 head collar and rug out side your stable (and you had to have a rug rack for it!)


Also I've got a question; how do you post a thread- joined today and I need to ask a question

Thanks!


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## Hormonal Filly (2 April 2019)

These are all previous yards but had to share, mind not as great as some but at the time it really irrtated me!

- After moving, I found out hose pipes were not allowed and she got seriously funny if you used buckets to bath your horse once a year or before a competition. Difficult when I own a mostly white piebald, had to box him to a friends yard to bath him same as others done. YET the YO herself had a removable hosepipe she used to bath her horses every other day in summer but no one else was allowed - just her. We paid close to a small fortune to be there!
- If your horse pooed on the drive you should immediately pick it up, even if you were riding or hacking out you should get off, walk back to the yard and get a scoop.
- Old yard had american stables, all horses were only allowed in one end. However people would tie up outside stables making it impossible to put your horses in their box as it was so narrow (specially if you were at the other end!) You had to wait for anything up to 10 horses to be moved or get shouted at, there was no where else to tie so people didn't have a choice. Mind the other entry point to the barn was exact the same as the other end, symmetrical, just only people allowed in that entrance and my stable was 2ft from that entrance! When I was on my way to work early that was irritating.

Sure i'll think of some more..


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## milliepops (2 April 2019)

WelshCManiac said:



			Also I've got a question; how do you post a thread- joined today and I need to ask a question

Thanks!
		
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the top of every main board page has a Post Thread button.
it's at the top right if you're using the desktop view.


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## Orchard14 (2 April 2019)

Thankfully I am on a lovely yard now which has a relaxed YO and standard rules - if you make a mess clear it up before you go, no dogs, no children, horses are not allowed to be loose on the yard, horses must be seen to by 9am in winter and checked at least every 24 hours in summer, no horses to be turned out/left out on their own, no clutter outside stables, flu vaccinations are required every 6 months and regular vet/dental checks and farrier visits, horseboxes and trailers must have an annual service and are free to store on the yard. I'm very happy where I am now and agree with all the rules but my god I have just left a yard with the most bizarre/frustrating rules - most of which they only tell you AFTER you have moved in.

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about the fact that our YO would not allow you to keep hitch or wheel locks on your trailer essentially leaving it open to thieves and invalidating your insurance policy - I tried to give him my spare lock keys so he could move the trailer if he needed to but I was told the trailer locks needed to come off or the trailer would have to go, in the winter horses must be brought in by 2pm (which is super handy when you work office hours ) but above all of that, by far the most stupid rule is that it is written in the contract for this yard is that liveries must club together and sort the YO's 26 horses for him over Christmas/New Year and pay full livery price for the privilege...


I lasted little over a month at this place...


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## Frumpoon (2 April 2019)

Orchard14 said:



			Thankfully I am on a lovely yard now which has a relaxed YO and standard rules - if you make a mess clear it up before you go, no dogs, no children, horses are not allowed to be loose on the yard, horses must be seen to by 9am in winter and checked at least every 24 hours in summer, no horses to be turned out/left out on their own, no clutter outside stables, flu vaccinations are required every 6 months and regular vet/dental checks and farrier visits, horseboxes and trailers must have an annual service and are free to store on the yard. I'm very happy where I am now and agree with all the rules but my god I have just left a yard with the most bizarre/frustrating rules - most of which they only tell you AFTER you have moved in.

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about the fact that our YO would not allow you to keep hitch or wheel locks on your trailer essentially leaving it open to thieves and invalidating your insurance policy - I tried to give him my spare lock keys so he could move the trailer if he needed to but I was told the trailer locks needed to come off or the trailer would have to go, in the winter horses must be brought in by 2pm (which is super handy when you work office hours ) but above all of that, by far the most stupid rule is that it is written in the contract for this yard is that liveries must club together and sort the YO's 26 horses for him over Christmas/New Year and pay full livery price for the privilege...


I lasted little over a month at this place...
		
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That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?


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## Abi90 (2 April 2019)

Frumpoon said:



			That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?
		
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The no dogs I get as quite a few yards have that, I dislike children but wouldnâ€™t think it was fair to stop people bringing well behaved ones up, vaccs every 6 months is still extreme to enforce despite the flu outbreak.

Whilst I agree that trailers should be serviced regularly I donâ€™t understand why that is a yard rule as when the trailer is at the yard then it wonâ€™t be being used and will only have an issue off the yard?? I understand a YO suggesting it might be a sensible idea but enforcing it seems odd


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## JFTDWS (2 April 2019)

I think no dogs and no kids sounds very relaxing!  I like taking my dog up the yard but only because I have a completely separate set up and he can't get near anyone else - it's not relaxing keeping an eye on your dog around other people /dogs / horses, or worse, keeping an eye out for everyone else's!

Vaccs every 6 months / servicing rules are unusual but I suppose would deter the more feckless owners?!


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## {138171} (2 April 2019)

I would never be on a no dogs or no kids yard, how archaic! Vaccinations should  be owners choice, not forced by yard rules, same with rugs, hosepipes etc. Luckily my yard manager is easygoing as  is the farmer that owns the land. Inwork for her too and she is a brilliant boss.


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## conniegirl (3 April 2019)

FTB said:



			I would never be on a no dogs or no kids yard, how archaic! Vaccinations should  be owners choice, not forced by yard rules, same with rugs, hosepipes etc. Luckily my yard manager is easygoing as  is the farmer that owns the land. Inwork for her too and she is a brilliant boss.
		
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There are plenty of people (myself included) who would jump at a no child yard. Its not archaic to want an adult only space, to not be constantly bothered by a child asking 10000 questions and not to have to worry about a child doing something stupid like hugging the back leg of my 4yr old who was eating his tea at the time.
I agree that rugs should be owners choice but disagree with vaccinations not being compulsory. If your horse is in a public place then it should be vaccinated, livery yards count as a public place to me and it will be the poor livery yard owner who cops the flack if an irresponsible horse owner brings something nasty back and infects other horsss


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## SEL (3 April 2019)

I think no dogs and no children sounds great! I love well behaved versions of both but my opinion of well behaved doesn't always agree with the owner / parent.


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## pippixox (3 April 2019)

No kids or dogs is acceptable to me as long as you know about it! Before I had kids I sometimes just wanted to get to with things and would be pestered by them! First yard a mum would try and just drop off her 6 & 8 yo until yo noticed so she then sent them with a nanny who knew nothing about horses so I was always helping them. Even now it sounds like a nice idea but I donâ€™t have child care twice a day!
My yard is an old farm with building and gardening businesses now, all three main horse owners have kids so therefore we even have a play area in the hay barn and kids cycle around the place. But we are all in the same boat and we all help watch the kids.

Our only rule is just to pay the landlord and we sort everything ourselves. I have to pay to weedkill this year as docks took over last year. Will cost a lot but my annual rent is a pittance. 

Previous livery yard was lovely and just had sensible rules!


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## Orchard14 (3 April 2019)

Frumpoon said:



			That new yard does not sound at all relaxed...no dogs or children...vaccs every 6 months...trailers need an annual service regardless of use...is there something in the water down your way?
		
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It actually is a very relaxed yard and bar those rules pretty much anything goes so long as your horse gets looked after properly - no set yard opening times, very social, horses go out as much as you want, and totally free access to water - I even wash my car up there sometimes!.
The no dogs/children rule is a huge bonus for me! I don't want small things running around my feet making noise thank you very much, I get enough of that at home!  And this rule was set due to livery feedback of what they want/don't want on the yard.
The BHS have set the rules on 6 monthly vaccinations and as a BHS approved yard we have to adhere to that alongside other rules such as hard hats, insurance etc. - not owners choice.
The servicing is a rule as YO is actually an ex-firefighter and has had to cut several horses out of dodgy horseboxes and trailers over the years and he just doesn't want that happening to any of us. The liveries book the service and YO makes sure he is there to pay and take trailer locks on and off for you so you don't even need to take the time off work. I would also argue that if you are only using your trailer a few times a year and it's sitting still the other 360 days it needs servicing just as much if not more than if you were using it every weekend!

I personally feel very privileged to be on a yard where the YO cares about your horses welfare as much as you do. The rules are there to enforce what you SHOULD be doing anyway, nothing else is added. I was on the yard for 12 years before leaving in February for more facilities and being closer to my new job but realised I made a mistake and asked to come back luckily before my stables had been given away. The yard has been full for those 12 years so he's obviously doing something right!


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## Chippers1 (3 April 2019)

My yard is pretty relaxed compared to these, just mainly to be tidy and clean up after yourself - although even that seems difficult to some liveries! We're not allowed to use hose pipes to wash (pain as it's much quicker) but it's a rule so I follow it and if we have to leave early for a show it's courtesy to let the yard know you're coming in for the key to the gates early but that's about it really. Luckily most people are well behaved on there 

Probably the main unspoken rule is not to leave any feed/human food at floor level or the giant pet sheep gets it


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## Leo Walker (3 April 2019)

Orchard14 said:



			I lasted little over a month at this place...
		
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I lasted 3 days at a yard once and that was mainly due to having to find somewhere else so you did well!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (3 April 2019)

I'm a YO (DIY, one livery) so not in the same league (thank goodness) as some of the yards mentioned on here.

But please do remember that a "rule" is there, probably because someone, somewhere back in the dim and distant past, took the Yellow Liquid big-time and/or didn't pull their weight and was a lazy so-and-so, and so the YO then had to make a ruling about it.

I have one anal fetish basically and it concerns gates: I ask that the gates of the yard are kept closed, simply because I live on-site and (a) I don't want the dogs getting on the road outside; and (b) if I'm handling horses I'm much happier doing it behind a closed gate..........


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## Ceifer (3 April 2019)

I moved to a yard that imposed a rule that horses could not be turned out in the rain. Any form of rain -spitting or heavy. Then of course the fields were â€˜too wetâ€™ to use. 
They did this whilst I was away for a week. Didnâ€™t tell me and didnâ€™t offer any alternative. So my horse was stabled for the week. I moved within a week of returning and lost 2 weeks livery and didnâ€™t get my deposit back either.


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## 9tails (3 April 2019)

Orchard14 said:



			It actually is a very relaxed yard and bar those rules pretty much anything goes so long as your horse gets looked after properly - no set yard opening times, very social, horses go out as much as you want, and totally free access to water - I even wash my car up there sometimes!.
		
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You actually wash your car at the yard?  There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.


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## Orchard14 (3 April 2019)

conniegirl said:



			There are plenty of people (myself included) who would jump at a no child yard. Its not archaic to want an adult only space, to not be constantly bothered by a child asking 10000 questions and not to have to worry about a child doing something stupid like hugging the back leg of my 4yr old who was eating his tea at the time.
		
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It is bliss! We can move the horses around without worrying about what or who they might step on, plus we are free to swear and drink wine as much as we like 



9tails said:



			You actually wash your car at the yard?  There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.
		
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And yes I wash the car with bucket and sponge, have done for years - YO doesn't care, in fact he frequently jokes (so frequently that it's no longer comical) that I 'missed a bit' besides I use far less water than horse owners do the night before a show!


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## bouncing_ball (3 April 2019)

9tails said:



			You actually wash your car at the yard?  There may be free access to water, but doing something like this is usually the reason free access to water is rescinded.
		
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Surely it is all about reading the mood music as to whether yard is concerned about water usage and occupying space? Some are and some aren't depending on whether metered or not, and how they view water useage and costs, and how busy yard is etc.

I've washed my car at yards, and not done so at others. I don't have an outside tap near the road at home. But I tend to use a car wash anyway. 

I have been at a yard that didn't mind cold hosing legs / washing horses / but liked you to only fill water buckets fresh alternate days so as not to use too much water. Washing my car there would have been a bad idea! And the yard was far to busy with horse traffic, and use of the hose to be sensible.


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## Hollychops (3 April 2019)

I went to see someone about renting a stable and field to be told i wasnt allowed on the yard before 9am and had to be gone by 5, including weekends! As i worked 8-5 at the time i didnt think there was any point in moving my horse there.


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## Pippity (3 April 2019)

Orchard14 said:



			The BHS have set the rules on 6 monthly vaccinations and as a BHS approved yard we have to adhere to that alongside other rules such as hard hats, insurance etc. - not owners choice.
		
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My yard is also BHS-approved (had its inspection last week), and is happy with annual vaccinations. I can't find anything that says the BHS insists on six-monthly flu vaccs?


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## Orchard14 (3 April 2019)

Pippity said:



			My yard is also BHS-approved (had its inspection last week), and is happy with annual vaccinations. I can't find anything that says the BHS insists on six-monthly flu vaccs?
		
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Interesting Pippity...I haven't actually seen evidence of this rule myself, only emails from YO following the recent outbreak which said something along the lines of updated advice from the BEF/vets RE recent flu outbreak and needing to follow this advice as a BHS yard. It doesn't bother me regardless - my horses are FEI registered and so have been vaccinated every 6 months anyway, plus a large majority of competition venues now insist on it so this rule makes no difference to us.


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## Pippity (3 April 2019)

Orchard14 said:



			Interesting Pippity...I haven't actually seen evidence of this rule myself, only emails from YO following the recent outbreak which said something along the lines of updated advice from the BEF/vets RE recent flu outbreak and needing to follow this advice as a BHS yard. It doesn't bother me regardless - my horses are FEI registered and so have to be vaccinated every 6 months anyway, plus a large majority of competition venues now insist on it so this rule makes no difference to us.
		
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My yard's advised we have six-monthly flu vaccs with the current outbreak - and YO organised having a vet come out to do everyone who wanted it, saving on the callout fees - but it was just advice.

Mine started a new course of vaccs when I bought her, so will be getting another shot at six months anyway.


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## SEL (3 April 2019)

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:



			I have one anal fetish basically and it concerns gates: I ask that the gates of the yard are kept closed, simply because I live on-site and (a) I don't want the dogs getting on the road outside; and (b) if I'm handling horses I'm much happier doing it behind a closed gate..........
		
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Having accidentally let 30+ horses out from a field once I'm all in favour of gates to the road being shut!!


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## Fluffypiglet (3 April 2019)

I spent a lot of time looking at yards and one i discounted due to rules. I'm clean, tidy and respectful but this lady seemed to have an issue over hay. They had to have hay nets no other options acceptable and she warned me that she wouldn't tolerate hay being dragged into beds. Beds were about 2-3inches of wood pellets and she had a special sieve thing for mucking out. Not a single strand of hay out of place or left. Given my horse needs adlib hay I asked whether I could pay more so that it was adlib hay and was told no. She also had strict "opening hours" which we subsequently found out were strictly enforced when  she locked  the gates  on a  previous livery who was delayed at a show  by about half an hour after closing time. She refused to allow them in so they had to  find somewhere else to stable overnight. They moved unsurprisingly!  I decided it wasn't the yard for me. At least she was upfront about it.


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## Floxie (3 April 2019)

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:



			I have one anal fetish basically
		
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I do not think these terms mean quite what you intend to convey... 

I'm afraid I prefer a yard without kids, although I've never been on one where it's the rule. Thankfully my yard now is mostly adults. I can be quite anxious and liverying at a riding school frayed my nerves - kids tend to shriek, and I spent half my time on high alert thinking there was an issue or somebody had been hurt 

I wish our yard would ban the owner's dogs  It's like the Crystal Maze avoiding the dog poo.


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## Auslander (3 April 2019)

Floxie said:



			I do not think these terms mean quite what you intend to convey... 

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Dammit Floxie! I've been sitting on my hands ever since I read that!


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## Floxie (3 April 2019)

Auslander said:



			Dammit Floxie! I've been sitting on my hands ever since I read that!
		
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Guess she's not the only one then..!


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## Auslander (3 April 2019)

Floxie said:



			Guess she's not the only one then..! 

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Snorts! I just choked on my lunch!


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## kc921 (3 April 2019)

The yard I was at, the owners were just plain crazy.

Before I came to this yard I told them about my work hours as I work until 7pm sometimes which mean't I would get up there late. They said its fine and that I could have flexibility with the times to be on and off the yard. As soon as I got there they had no recollection of this and stated I had to be Off the yard by 8pm and was not allowed on the yard any earlier than 8am.

Week days you could not be on the yard before 8am, if you were you were not allowed to leave your car until it turned 8am, but your horse HAD to be out in its field by 8:15, otherwise they would put it out and charge you for it!
Many times I got there at 8:20 and they were just turning out my horse and I stopped them! They didn't even let him finish his breakfast the poor sod!
I was told the horses were allowed to be out until 7:30pm as the yard closed at 8pm and you HAD to be off the yard by then. I got there at 7:20pm and they had brought him in already, was told by the other livery up there they had brought him in at 4pm and hadn't given him water or hay and they put it on my charge list!!

Another time, was also at work and they texted me saying they were bringing all the horses in at 2PM as it was starting rain! Again I couldn't get there till after work and they had given him no hay or water!
The next week we had heavy snow, luckily my car could make it up the hill to get to the yard, only to get there and everything was already done, they just assumed everyone wasn't coming up and again they charged me for it.

I regularly got told I was "Crazy" for riding in the sandschool if the weather was slightly windy or if it was spitting.

I lasted less than a month there.


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## WelshCManiac (3 April 2019)

Leo Walker said:



			I lasted 3 days at a yard once and that was mainly due to having to find somewhere else so you did well!
		
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Yes I lasted 3 days at my first ever yard because they only let you turn out for 1 hour( in the British heat waves but also any other weather) and didn't let you our out *any *jumps what so ever


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## Ceifer (3 April 2019)

Wouldnâ€™t it be good if there was some kind of Trip advisor for yards 
Livery advisor ...

Some of these stories beat these


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## Caol Ila (3 April 2019)

So in some of my numerous yard hunting trips, I've found a yard that doesn't allow horse owners to come see their horses on Mondays. One that doesn't allow treed saddles or shod horses. One that only allows liveries to use the arena for like one hour a day (and tough sh1t if your job or other commitments don't fit that hour). 

As per my other thread, finding one less crazy than the current one is a difficult task.


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## Hollychops (4 April 2019)

I moved my horse to a yard to be advised when i got there that i could either turn out for the day or night and not both during summer. Owner looked quite shocked when i reiterated that i had specifically requested 24/7 turn out, 'Not going to happen' she said. She wasnt impressed when i got back in the box and took him back to his previous yard, fortunately the yard owner had transported him and were happy to have him back. He didnt even get off the box!


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## Orchard14 (4 April 2019)

HollyChops said:



			I moved my horse to a yard to be advised when i got there that i could either turn out for the day or night and not both during summer. Owner looked quite shocked when i reiterated that i had specifically requested 24/7 turn out, 'Not going to happen' she said. She wasnt impressed when i got back in the box and took him back to his previous yard, fortunately the yard owner had transported him and were happy to have him back. He didnt even get off the box!
		
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I don't blame you, I would be doing the exact same. 24/7 turnout for the summer is such a nice, well-needed break and probably the only thing that keeps me sane.


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## Morgan123 (4 April 2019)

I was on a dressage yard once with the concrete-washing thing, standard arena-is-too-nice-to-lunge-in, and you also had to wash wheelbarrows after using them. And the staff had to clean the stable walls with a cloth once a week to get off any grease/poo stains. 

But the worst bit for me was that my (field-kept) horses stopped being allowed to be tied up on the yard in case they made the (stabled) dressage horses neigh!! There had been no issues with any of them getting upset about seeing my horses or mine winding them up - and the dressage lot were competition horses who should be used to seeing different horses at competitions (which were also held on the yard!)! Very obtuse YM. I was mega glad to leave, despite the beautiful facilities.

I've also been on a DIY yard which had several teenage owners, and the YM there suddenly announced one day that nobody under 16 was allowed in the fields without an adult accompanying them, which caused a lot of problems for all the kids who'd been doing this for years (relatively responsibly I might add!).


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## milliepops (4 April 2019)

washing wheelbarrows?!


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## rabatsa (4 April 2019)

The son worked on a yard where the poo scoops were all washed every other day and he had to use a scrubbing brush not just a hose.


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## Pinkvboots (4 April 2019)

vickie123 said:



			Not sure if this one is weird but certainly seems a bit anally retentive.. my friend was on a yard that insisted you picked the horseâ€™s feet out by the entrance to the outdoor arena and then again when you left the arena. My friend forgot a couple of times and was chucked off because of it. Well thatâ€™s what she told me 

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I have been on a yard where this was one ridiculous rule, wasn't in Essex was it

Another rule on the same yard was all liveries went on a Rota to sweep the yard in the evening, although it was hovered everyday anyway !! If horse did droppings in the school you had to get off immediately and pick them up not allowed to wait until your finished.


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## Pinkvboots (4 April 2019)

To be honest I never realised the picking out feet after coming out of the school was to save the surface, I totally understand now as it is very expensive I thought it was because they didn't want it on the yard, you learn something everyday.


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## dollymix (5 April 2019)

Iâ€™m going to be a bit of a bore here and before I am, Iâ€™ll say that I am NOT a livery yard owner, just a regular DIYer

Most of the rules mentioned in this thread are perfectly reasonable. Livery yards are BUSINESSES... having structure or â€œrulesâ€ is how they keep on top of things and keep costs down.

Whilst itâ€™s great to be able to help one another out on a livery yard, I can understand why some YOs would insist on using their services. Itâ€™s how they make money to keep the yard open in the first place. Especially if itâ€™s not just DIY livery. If they offer other livery options such as part or full they are likely to employ staff and they need to be paid too.

The neat freak in me also likes the yards that insist on cleaning up droppings (although if youâ€™re on board, once you get back from riding is reasonable) and insist on use of rug racks etc. I think the tidier a yard is, the safer it is for the horses and nothing is nicer than a neat and tidy yard! (Wish I had the same rules in my own home haha).

I probably sound like such a kill-joy and I agree there are some ridiculous â€œrulesâ€ mentioned above... but a lot are more than reasonable in my mind.

Just my humble opinion of course


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## Auslander (5 April 2019)

Spot on Dollymix!
I am a YO, and I'm sure that some of my rules might come across as a bit draconian - but this is my home and my business, and I don't think it's unreasonable that I like it to be immaculate. It's a new build yard, and I work very hard to make sure it looks lovely. I do moan about things like the muck skip - because it costs me Â£180 a time to get it emptied, so it's important that it's squared off and stamped down properly. I spend Â£700 a month on hay, so that every horse can have as much as it needs, and never runs out - so it winds me up when it's dropped all over the place.  I get ratty when the yard isn't swept/beds aren't mucked out properly at weekends (all 5 day part liveries), and the fields/pens aren't poo picked -  because I'm the one who has to spend hours on a Monday sorting everything out so the place is as I want it.


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## Pinkvboots (5 April 2019)

Off subject slightly as this is what a livery used to do everyday and and I know this as I worked on the yard so saw it, after mucking out she would scrub wheelbarrow all the tools then dry them with a hairdryer I kid you not, and if her hair got wet she would blow dry it in the tack room, same livery didn't work so would be up the yard all day faffing with her horse then pick her 5 year old daughter up from school come back up yard wait until 5.30 to bring horse in and often wouldn't leave until 7, that poor little girl would be in her car crying of the cold in winter I felt so sorry for her, I never understood why she had to stay so late seen as she used to be there all day anyway weird!


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## hollyandivy123 (5 April 2019)

for one of the annoying rules is not really a rule...............it is when all liveries are not treated the same, as in some have more privilege than others. if you are paying the same for your stable and the facilities, then it should not mater that you only hack, do trec and are not aiming for Badder's. you have the same right to the wash box, school etc as you are paying the same amount of money.


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## Pinkvboots (5 April 2019)

Morgan123 said:



			I was on a dressage yard once with the concrete-washing thing, standard arena-is-too-nice-to-lunge-in, and you also had to wash wheelbarrows after using them. And the staff had to clean the stable walls with a cloth once a week to get off any grease/poo stains.

But the worst bit for me was that my (field-kept) horses stopped being allowed to be tied up on the yard in case they made the (stabled) dressage horses neigh!! There had been no issues with any of them getting upset about seeing my horses or mine winding them up - and the dressage lot were competition horses who should be used to seeing different horses at competitions (which were also held on the yard!)! Very obtuse YM. I was mega glad to leave, despite the beautiful facilities.

I've also been on a DIY yard which had several teenage owners, and the YM there suddenly announced one day that nobody under 16 was allowed in the fields without an adult accompanying them, which caused a lot of problems for all the kids who'd been doing this for years (relatively responsibly I might add!).
		
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See I think walking into a field with horses is probably one of the most dangerous things you can do, there loose anything can happen so I agree about not allowing kids to fetch horses in alone, I know if I am in my field I am really careful and am aware where they are all the time, a lot of the time horses don't mean to hurt you but they can easily run into you if something sets them off.


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## vickie123 (5 April 2019)

Pinkvboots said:



			To be honest I never realised the picking out feet after coming out of the school was to save the surface, I totally understand now as it is very expensive I thought it was because they didn't want it on the yard, you learn something everyday.
		
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The yard I mentioned was in Warwickshire. I should have pointed out that my friend had to pick out the feet on the yard (as you would) and then walk the 50 yards to the arena and do them again. That was what I thought was a bit over the top. Having read some of the replies I can now understand why you would do it leaving the school so apologies to those who have this rule that I might have offended.


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## Pinkvboots (5 April 2019)

vickie123 said:



			The yard I mentioned was in Warwickshire. I should have pointed out that my friend had to pick out the feet on the yard (as you would) and then walk the 50 yards to the arena and do them again. That was what I thought was a bit over the top. Having read some of the replies I can now understand why you would do it leaving the school so apologies to those who have this rule that I might have offended.
		
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Yeah see what you mean that is a bit over the top.


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## chocolategirl (5 April 2019)

dollymix said:



			Iâ€™m going to be a bit of a bore here and before I am, Iâ€™ll say that I am NOT a livery yard owner, just a regular DIYer

Most of the rules mentioned in this thread are perfectly reasonable. Livery yards are BUSINESSES... having structure or â€œrulesâ€ is how they keep on top of things and keep costs down.

Whilst itâ€™s great to be able to help one another out on a livery yard, I can understand why some YOs would insist on using their services. Itâ€™s how they make money to keep the yard open in the first place. Especially if itâ€™s not just DIY livery. If they offer other livery options such as part or full they are likely to employ staff and they need to be paid too.

The neat freak in me also likes the yards that insist on cleaning up droppings (although if youâ€™re on board, once you get back from riding is reasonable) and insist on use of rug racks etc. I think the tidier a yard is, the safer it is for the horses and nothing is nicer than a neat and tidy yard! (Wish I had the same rules in my own home haha).

I probably sound like such a kill-joy and I agree there are some ridiculous â€œrulesâ€ mentioned above... but a lot are more than reasonable in my mind.

Just my humble opinion of course 

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Here here! Thank you for giving an honest opinion from the other side of the fence, so to speak. Iâ€™m a YO, and yes youâ€™re absolutely right that these rules are put in place to ensure everyoneâ€™s, safety and enjoyment, and of course the yard has to try and make some money otherwise thereâ€™s no point staying open is there? I donâ€™t allow clients to handle each otherâ€™s horses, unless they are from the same family, as apart from the extra income for me, I also have insurance which covers me to handle clients horses. This is not cheap, but I either have and use it to the max, or I donâ€™t have it, and I don't do any services at all. I agree some yards rules appear petty, however, if clients were in the YOâ€™s shoes, Iâ€™m certain they wouldnâ€™t think so. I think livery clients need to be very careful about the way they judge such matters. We live in an extremely litigious society these days, and livery yards are a prime target for litigation, due to the very nature of the dangers associated with horses etc. It is encumbent on ALL involved, to make sure rules are followed for everyoneâ€™s sake. So many yards are closing for the very reasons I have mentioned, so if you want to be on a nice, tidy, safe yard with decent facilities, you should expect to pay a little more. The yards where standards are below par, where there are few, or even no rules, are only in existence because people turn a blind eye in order to get cheap accommodation for their horse, which is fine, UNTILL thereâ€™s an accident ðŸ˜ then the owner is up in arms. ðŸ˜


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## sportsmansB (5 April 2019)

I do understand why some yards don't let DIY'ers do each others horses. 
If there is a mix up and someone doesn't come up and two horses are left out / standing in with no food / in a bed of s**t, its the YO who will have to sort it but they won't have planned in the time to do it. They may still be able to charge after the fact but that is not the point 
Different maybe if it is two people with a longstanding arrangement (one turns out and one brings in for example) - but informally trading favours on an ad hoc basis if either isn't completely reliable could lead to issues which impact on the horses / the yard - and if I was the YO I wouldn't be happy with that. 

I'm lucky to be on a yard with few major rules, but the yard very much do things their way and we slot in - which suits me fine as all their horses are well looked after and in good shape. It might not suit someone with very specific requirements or unusual requests. Out of courtesy I would never leave droppings in the school, or a mess or stuff outside my stable. There is no clear rule about it but its just common sense and manners.


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## Keith_Beef (5 April 2019)

Rules are OK, so long as:

they are applied consistently (not variably from one day to the next or from one person to the next),
they are explained in a manner that people understand or are self-evident,
they are not introduced suddenly or without communication,
they are fair and reasonable.
The best kind of rule is one that is short, clearly worded and unambiguous, whose reason for existing is understandable, and which has clearly worded exceptions for when conditions make it impossible to follow it.

I don't have my own horse, so I'm spared most of the annoyances that I've seen on this thread, but I have run into rules and laws elsewhere, like we all have, I suppose, in school, work, on the roads... and had a few minor problems at the yard where I go every week for lessons.

Things like:

"if you pick out feet outside the stable, you have to sweep up"... but there are no brooms. When the new manager took over, he bought in about six straw brooms with bamboo handles. They've all worn out or been broken, and not replaced.
"if your horse poops outside the stable, you have to scoop it up and put it in the poop bin"... but like the brooms, as scoops and rakes have got broken or lost, they've not been replaced, so now there are about three of them. And the poop bins are full to overflowing, so when you try to pile on even more, it rolls off onto the ground. Well, at least it's next to the bin, and not in the pathway.
"no smoking inside the yard"... and then the manager gets photographer in once a year, and he stands in teh middle of the arena puffing away on his roll-ups while snapping away. At least the instructors have the manners and sense to go around the back of the office, well away from the hay and straw and from the non-smokers (I'm including the horses in this last group).


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## Bartleby. (5 April 2019)

hollyandivy123 said:



			if you are paying the same for your stable and the facilities,
		
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On my last yard we eventually worked out between us that we were all paying different amounts for the same thing, seemingly on how much the YO thought she could get away with charging each person. Tip of the iceberg.


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## Keith_Beef (5 April 2019)

Bartleby. said:



			On my last yard we eventually worked out between us that we were all paying different amounts for the same thing, seemingly on how much the YO thought she could get away with charging each person. Tip of the iceberg.
		
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How very modern. It's called yield maximisation, and the airlines and hotel-booking platforms do it to us at every opportunity.


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## Bartleby. (5 April 2019)

Keith_Beef said:



			How very modern. It's called yield maximisation, and the airlines and hotel-booking platforms do it to us at every opportunity.
		
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Very true, an admirable and savvy tactic. Until you end up with no liveries left!


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## blood_magik (5 April 2019)

My wheelbarrows are washed out every day ðŸ˜³

Not a livery yard but we hire out our indoor arena. My rules are:

- no lunging. I tend to have two or three hires a night and donâ€™t have time to harrow in between sessions. Plus, it would massively increase the amount of diesel used if I was using the tractor multiple times a day. 

- hats and suitable footwear must be worn while mounted.

- feet must be picked out/clean before entering the arena. 

- poo must be lifted and not just the big bits - no excuses as I tell everyone that Iâ€™d rather lose a bit of surface than have poo left to degrade the wax. I have had to threaten to fine people Â£10 for not cleaning up after themselves.

- if you break something, report it to a member of staff. 

- do not move the jumps/adjust distances. I pay an FEI coursebuilder to put up a course every month and Iâ€™ve found that a fair number of the people donâ€™t know how to adjust the Oxers without changing the distance. Iâ€™m quite happy for people to take fillers out if needed, though. 

- no entry to the barn without permission. 

The last livery yard I was on insisted that everyoneâ€™s horses were immaculately groomed before we rode in the main indoor arena as it was overlooked by the restaurant.


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## ester (5 April 2019)

Seems a shame for the short arse ponies  but can understand as soo many people don't know what they are doing with fences.


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## blood_magik (5 April 2019)

To be fair, at UA comps ponies are expected to fit in with the horse striding ðŸ¤·â€â™€ï¸
Visiting trainers will sometimes move the fences but they always put them back, which is not an issue ðŸ™‚

Iâ€™ve had a six stride distance reduced to four and a little bit in the past because people kept moving the wrong part of the oxer - good thing I always walk my distances before I jump the course myself ðŸ™ˆ (Plus, I paid Â£10 for that fence to be in that particular spot ðŸ˜„).


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## blitznbobs (5 April 2019)

Pinkvboots said:



			Off subject slightly as this is what a livery used to do everyday and and I know this as I worked on the yard so saw it, after mucking out she would scrub wheelbarrow all the tools then dry them with a hairdryer I kid you not, and if her hair got wet she would blow dry it in the tack room, same livery didn't work so would be up the yard all day faffing with her horse then pick her 5 year old daughter up from school come back up yard wait until 5.30 to bring horse in and often wouldn't leave until 7, that poor little girl would be in her car crying of the cold in winter I felt so sorry for her, I never understood why she had to stay so late seen as she used to be there all day anyway weird!
		
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 Sounds like she had ocd


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## Keith_Beef (5 April 2019)

Pinkvboots said:



			that poor little girl would be in her car crying of the cold in winter I felt so sorry for her, I never understood why she had to stay so late seen as she used to be there all day anyway weird!
		
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I was up on a glacier in Iceland a couple of weeks ago. Not really cold, only -2Â°C, but a howling wind. A couple had brought their daughter on the trip in totally unsuitable clothing and she was complaining about feeling cold and starting to cry...

Some parents put their own leisure interests ahead of their children's welfare.


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## charlie76 (5 April 2019)

So, from the other side, I have a livery yard, it's an American barn set up but the corridor between the stables on either side are very narrow so not really any room to tie outside. Horses can be tied inside or outside the wash box to be shot or clipped or tacked up if not too many horses about. Otherwise they are groomed and tacked up in the stable to prevent accidents and to enable others to get to and from the arena. 

Other rules are...
Hoof pick before leaving the arenas or stable
Hoof pick before coming into the barn
Wash box and walker to be cleaned after use
Droppings picked up asap and swept, not just the surface scraped off! 
Droppings in the arena picked up fully, otherwise it wreck the surface! 
Clear up after you
Shut gates behind you
Turn off lights when not in use
Empty barrows and skips after use
Hang tools up on the books not in the floor
Last person to lock up
Don't leave the tap running 
Lunging in the indoor arena only, it's only small.
Spilt feed to be swept up to prevent vermin. 

Ours are all inclusive of hay and straw but they cannot help themselves. 

They are only allowed turn out boots and headcollars outside stables and all ropes have to be rolled up and headcollars hung up by the head piece
They aren't  allowed boxes outside  as the doors slide and you can't open them with stuff outside so all have a storage box in a storage area.


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## tankgirl1 (5 April 2019)

Gosh, I really do love my yard!


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## joosie (5 April 2019)

fYes I agree with the posts from Dollymix and the others posting from the other side of the fence. A lot of the "rules" being mentioned here are just common sense to me! As a groom I do most of this stuff as a matter of course in every yard I work at. What doesn't make sense to a livery - who is, after all, primarily on the yard to spend time with and enjoy their horse - makes perfect sense to yard owners and staff. Especially if your yard is also your home!



charlie76 said:



			Horses can be tied inside or outside the wash box to be shot
		
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I do hope this was a typo


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## OldNag (6 April 2019)

There are lots of "rules" at our new yard but they are - as in Joosie's post - based on common sense and safety. Quite honestly,  it is a bit sad that they have to be in our contract at all as you would hope they are things any sensible person would do. 

But as we all know, common sense ain't common. And there is always one fruitloop on every yard.

Come to think of it, haven't met any fruitloops yet at new yard.  Does that mean I'm the fruitloop?


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## teach (6 April 2019)

There were many at my previous yard..but the best one was no spilling water on the yard-if you splashed water out of a bucket whilst carrying it you got shouted at! This wasnâ€™t just when risk of ice, same applies when raining or in height of summer ðŸ˜‚


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## JFTDWS (6 April 2019)

I was just about to post and say that I do hope Charlie76 would be a little more considerate if an owner was having their horse shot, and not quote the rules at them during the act!


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## Cowpony (6 April 2019)

charlie76 said:



			Horses can be tied inside or outside the wash box to be shot or clipped or tacked up if not too many horses about.
		
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Well I suppose that makes sense - the blood will be easier to clear up.... ðŸ˜€ðŸ˜€ðŸ˜€


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## twiggy2 (6 April 2019)

See I like a tidy yard.
No dogs
No tying up outside
Picking out feet in and out of school (and out of stable)
Promptly pick up poop
Sweep up after yourself/horse and leave yard clean
Nothing outside stable/over door (makes for a safer/nicer yard), just one headcollar/leadwork neatly hung up
Wheelbarrow and tool area, out of the way somewhere.
The maddest tine on a yard-i got thrown off for mentioning my fencing needing looking at as it was dangerous!


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## rascal (6 April 2019)

We had the picking feet out rule when we first bought Nico, he was stabled for a week and we used the school for turnout while we mucked out and sorted his hay nets and feeds. His previous owners never bothered teaching him to pick up is feet, in the 18 months they had him, he had not see a farrier in all that time.


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## Pinkvboots (6 April 2019)

rascal said:



			We had the picking feet out rule when we first bought Nico, he was stabled for a week and we used the school for turnout while we mucked out and sorted his hay nets and feeds. His previous owners never bothered teaching him to pick up is feet, in the 18 months they had him, he had not see a farrier in all that time.
		
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That's terrible!


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## whiteflower (6 April 2019)

Bartleby. said:



			On my last yard we eventually worked out between us that we were all paying different amounts for the same thing, seemingly on how much the YO thought she could get away with charging each person. Tip of the iceberg.
		
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I know of a yard close to me that does this, they decide how much they are likely to get each person to pay and charge everyone different for the same thing ! A friend of mine had one on schooling livery there for a bit and thought the yo was a 'mate' of hers ....until she found out they were charging her Â£30 more per week then some others for exactly the same thing ! They had even sold it to her that they were doing it at a 'special rate' as she was a friend !!


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## Cat91 (6 April 2019)

If I ran the yard at home, I'd have hardly any liveries left because I'd have kicked most of them off!

Rules are rules and some of them are there for safety reasons (working farm = no kids) but most are just common sense/courtesy. We're all adults but apparently even then cleaning up after yourself and respecting other people's property is beyond some people. You get fed up of the boundaries being pushed again and again. 

Someone once said 'It's a livery with horses, you can't expect it to be tidy.' Well yes, actually, I can. Because it's not just a farm and livery yard, it's someone's home and livelihood. I don't expect it to be pristine, but equally I don't want to come home to the place looking like a sh*t tip. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be impressed if I rocked up to your house, made a mess then left. 

I don't think we ask too much of our liveries. It has to be a mutual effort from both YO and clients but unfortunately that's not always the case. Although on the flip side, some of the yards mentioned in this thread sound bloody horrendous!


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