# Time limit to visit horses in DIY livery



## jirist (5 March 2014)

Hello everybody,

I am wondering if you have a time limit to take care of your horse in a DIY livery.
If yes, what it your time limit ?
Is it everywhere the same ?

Thank you

Alex


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

No. Just common sense and curtousy.


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## chestnut cob (5 March 2014)

Do you mean the yard has opening hours, or won't allow you on the yard before or after certain times?


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## Alchemy (5 March 2014)

No but i do inform the YO if i am coming down at an unsociable hour for any reason.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

chestnut cob said:



			Do you mean the yard has opening hours, or won't allow you on the yard before or after certain times?
		
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Yes


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## Tess Love (5 March 2014)

I think we have to bring in before pitch dark in the winter but nothing else it's all quite relaxed.


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## 9tails (5 March 2014)

My yard opens whenever the first person gets there in the morning, some come as early as 4.30am.  It closes at 9pm sharp during winter, 9.30pm in summer.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

amymay & Alchemy
what do you mean about unsociable hour ? or hour limit for you ?


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## chestnut cob (5 March 2014)

In that case, no, we don't have opening hours.  I wouldn't be on a yard which out and out prevented me from going before work, or early/ late for competitions, lessons away from home, hunting etc.  Sometimes I need to be there early (think 4.45am to get to Solihull ODE last year... :-S) and sometimes I need to be there late, if I am late back from a competition or lesson etc.  Not every day, and I wouldn't want to be at YO's home every day at 5am, and again at 9pm.  But they are relaxed about people going up early/ late.  If it's going to be particularly early or late then I just always let them know.

I knew of one livery yard which refused to let liveries on the yard before 8am any day (meaning you can't do your horse yourself before work and had to pay them to do it), and which was closed on a Monday "because Monday is the horse's day off".  This wasn't a riding school either, it was a large-ish livery yard.


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## chestnut cob (5 March 2014)

9tails said:



			My yard opens whenever the first person gets there in the morning, some come as early as 4.30am.  It closes at 9pm sharp during winter, 9.30pm in summer.
		
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What happens if you have been somewhere in the lorry, say a long drive to a competition with late times, and don't get back until afterwards?  Will they allow it occasionally if unavoidable?


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## blackandwhite (5 March 2014)

Our yard has "opening hours" which I fully respect as it is also our YO's family home. She's perfectly reasonable about out of hours things like leaving early for a competition or being back late.


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

Sorry op, having a little difficulty following you - but will take a stab in the dark.

Common arrival time in the morning on my yard is from about 6.45am. There's no restriction on this, however anyone planning on arriving earlier would let YO know as a courtesy the day before. 

The same applies for the evening.  In the winter if someone is planning on arriving after 7.00pm they will let the YO know. All horses have to be in before dark at this time of year also. A service is available to bring in (and turn out).

The summer is different, obviously. Most horses are out 24/7, and the longer days mean that people may be on the yard until 9.00 at the height of the summer.


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## 9tails (5 March 2014)

chestnut cob said:



			What happens if you have been somewhere in the lorry, say a long drive to a competition with late times, and don't get back until afterwards?  Will they allow it occasionally if unavoidable?
		
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Of course!  You're not left out in the road all night.  A text to the YO is all that's needed and we all know the gate combination.  There may be a request to let them know next time if you haven't done so, but nobody has waltzed on the yard after 9pm without letting the YO know to my knowledge.  I've also done 2 hourly visits all night when my horse was poorly, no problem as I'd let the YO know.  Another woman has slept there and let the YO know.  The closing time is rarely broken, Ive been called once in 6 years as I was faffing for no reason and didn't realise the time.


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## fliffkins (5 March 2014)

Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc. 
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.


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## The Fuzzy Furry (5 March 2014)

fliffkins said:



			Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc. 
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.
		
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You must be a full livery yard then? Or at least part - where horses are fed, watered & hayed before the yard opens?


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

fliffkins said:



			Our yard opens at 9am - 9pm Mon - Fri, 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 8am - 7pm on Sunday's and Bank holidays, if you are going out competing you can inform the owner and they will allow you on earlier / later, but you do have to give a time as to when you will be off the yard, so if you were coming on at 7am you would generally have an hour to get ready and loaded etc. 
Christmas day is restricted times as owner lives on site.
		
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Nightmare.


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## Honey08 (5 March 2014)

Fliffkins that sounds far too strict!  I'm all for yard owners having limits and respect for the fact that their business is also their home, but there has to be some give!

When I was on DIY the yard was unlocked at about 7am and locked again at about 9pm (there was a side gate for pedestrians if you needed to get in, you just couldn't drive in or lead a horse in or out).  If you were competing you could let them know that you would be leaving early or returning late (with a guesstimate of times) and they would arrange gate keys etc.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

So it looks common in UK, as i read, closing time at 8pm - 9pm.

The thing is that i have 2 horses. And i need 2 hours every day to clean, feed, ride ... etc.
And a very busy work, for example it is possible i finish work at 8.30 and even 10pm sometimes.

The owner, has her house, behind the stables (50 meters maybe) these are small private stables, just 4 horses in diy.

When i come i don't make noise, and switch off the lights when i leave.

But she could ask me to not come after an hour ?


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## Casey76 (5 March 2014)

That's really restictive if you have set times.  Mind you my yard is not attached to a personal property, the YO's house is at the bottom of the fields.

We can come and go as we please, though the last time I needed to pop over at 11pm (colic check) I did send the YO a text first so there was no panic at the lights going on.

With lessons going on until 7 or 8pm during the week, then socialising afterwards, even in winter we don't often leave until 9 or 10pm.  In summer it can be considerably later, especially if we order pizza in!


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

jirist said:



			But she could ask me to not come after an hour ?
		
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Of course. But equally may not be bothered.

All you have to do is chat with them......


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## xgemmax (5 March 2014)

Not that I know of but I'm never there before 8am in the morning and gone by 8pm so not sure it would apply to me anyway  think as long as you're quiet as to not disturb the neighbours if you're there early/late


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## ihatework (5 March 2014)

My yard has opening times
Generally it is 7.30 am - 8pm
However they aren't tyrants about it - they like to stick to 8pm as much as possible but if you are away competing they are fine about you being back late .
The mornings they adhere less too, 7am is frequently okay and obviously if going to a show crack of dawn is fine.
It's more about being sensible/considerate that a blanket non access.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			Of course. But equally may not be bothered.

All you have to do is chat with them......
		
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But to go to the stables, it is a private access.
We don't go by / through / in front of her house.


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## fliffkins (5 March 2014)

They do feed and Hay Monday to Saturday, and Feed T/O in Summer, sadly you have to make sure there is enough water for them till you arrive (after 5pm in my cause due to work) and they don't do rug changes.
We are looking for somewhere else as i prefer to get my mucking out done in the morning before work, trying to find somewhere is proving a bit of a nightmare!


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## _Annie_ (5 March 2014)

Nope, no time limits, can go at midnight if I fancy it which I do love about the place.  I'm sure it'd be a different story if the YO lived onsite though.


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## Honey08 (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			Of course. But equally may not be bothered.

All you have to do is chat with them......
		
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Yes, exactly this.  This is the sort of thing you set down before you go onto a yard..

We used to do DIY and had a combination lock on the drive to the stables, so didn't have set hours as long as everything was left locked, but our stables are a little way away from the house so we'd not be disturbed.  

TBH, if the stables were near my house, like OP's scenario, I wouldn't particularly want people mucking out at 10pm.  I like the horses to have some quiet time and me too!


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## Megibo (5 March 2014)

Alchemy said:



			No but i do inform the YO if i am coming down at an unsociable hour for any reason.
		
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This...


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## teasle (5 March 2014)

No time limit, the yard is not that close to the house so people just quietly going about their business would not really disturb anyone- in fact the more liveries are there the better security.


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

jirist said:



			But to go to the stables, it is a private access.
We don't go by / through / in front of her house.
		
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Sorry, you've lost me.

Have you spoken to them? Do you actually have a problem with accessing your horses whenever you want, for however long you want??


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			Sorry, you've lost me.

Have you spoken to them? Do you actually have a problem with accessing your horses whenever you want, for however long you want??
		
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Not yet, tonight.

She texts me "Just wondered why u were up so late last nite doing your horses"
I replied i finished work late, so at the stables between 8.30 to 11pm
and her answer : "I'm sorry we will need to have a chat"

So i will know tonight.
Just wanted to know how it works in UK usually, before talking to her.


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

Yes, I'd probably want to chat too.

Good luck.


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## skint1 (5 March 2014)

Oh dear jirist,  hope it works out for you, if you otherwise like the yard.
I've been lucky never to be anywhere with time restrictions, or where I would bother the YO by going to see my horses at any time of the day or night (and I have called on them all through the night if they've had a health issue)


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

I hope it will be OK ...

I work hard to have them near me in UK, but if i cannot take care of them, during the small free time i have ...
it sounds like a nightmare.

It is a country with more facilities and space for horses, but very expensive and so strict, compared from where i come from.
I thought it will be easier, but finally ...


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## Holzdweaver (5 March 2014)

My current yard has no limits, can be there at 4am till midnight if I wanted! Owner doesn't live on site and as long as the last person to leave checks doors and gates are locked we have no issues, we also have 24hr cctv which he accesses via his mobile so its not like he has to be there to know what's going off at the yard. 
My old place, the owner lived on site (not horsey people, retired farmers) on a totally diy yard of about 40 horses. No time limits there either, people were there from 4.30am up until 9ish. He did his late night checks at 9pm and if you were still about, he would just make sure you and the horses were ok and ask you to finish locking up before you went home. If you had a poorly horse and were on watch, his wife would come out a few times in the night and keep you supplied with coffee and biscuits. Lovely yard, it was a shame when it closed down.


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## Wagtail (5 March 2014)

I only do full livery and like to feed the horses in the morning before the yard opens and again n the evening after the yard closes so that feeding times are not disrupted by people coming and going. Yard is open 8.30 am - 9 pm week days and 9.30 am - 7 pm weekends. If I was doing DIY I would change this to 6.45 am - 9 pm week days and 7.45 - 8 pm weekends. But this is only because our house is directly onto the yard. If the house was more separate, I would not have strict times.


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## khalswitz (5 March 2014)

I'll be honest I've never had a chat about opening times - there are people on our yard at 5am and I know the YO does checks at around 9-9.30pm, so personally I'd try to always be away by then, and would tell him if I needed to be around later for any reason so as not to be surprised by lights etc. His 'office' opening hours for speaking to him about things are IIRC 8-8, which is very fair. Our yard is DIY.

However the old yard I was at, she started feeding etc at 6am, and would be finishing up in the evening at 5.30 in winter and 7 in summer. She had no problems with me being around later/ earlier, but I wouldn't have been around after 8.30 out of respect.

If work finishes so late I'd be up earlier than 11pm tbh - horse people expect earlier hours in the morning than later hours at night, which I think is more unsociable. Try going up before work instead?


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## chestnut cob (5 March 2014)

ihatework said:



			It's more about being sensible/considerate that a blanket non access.
		
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^ This ^  You wouldn't turn up at 6am every day, put all the lights on, radio on at full blast while you muck out etc.  But, for some people it is important to be able to go up early on the odd morning, or be there later sometimes.

I think if you don't finish work until 10pm, as the OP said, that would be too late to go to someone else's property.  Also, it is too late to be putting horses to bed.  If you can't get there until that late, I would pay to have my horses on full livery those days.  It is too late, IMHO, to be disturbing horses who are in bed already and certainly too late for things like fetching in from the field!


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## Merrymoles (5 March 2014)

We have no set times either but it is a small private yard and I am first up in the morning and usually last to leave in the evening but as my work times are similar to that of the YO it is never a problem.
We do try to be quiet in the morning if we know it's her day for a lie in (we take turns to turn out at the weekend).
Jirist, it may be that your YO is able to offer additional services if you do have to work late and is going to talk to you about whether that would help - look on the bright side! Good luck.


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## noodle_ (5 March 2014)

One yard I was on was sort of 8pm in winter please go away (nicely)! But 9-10pm summer!

Same yard I appeared at feeding time at 6.30am and the owner thought my horse was being nicked  but he didn't mind in the slightest.
Lovely guy 


Anther yard was 5pm in a weekday and hinting that its time to go...! That didn't go down well with me

Current one has lessons till 8pm, not that I will be there at that time but still good that I can go that time! 

I personally won't go on a yard that's someone's house anymore,
Just a business.
In my experience the private yards are more strict on times and in general as its their home, which I get BUT I'm paying for it? So if you want my cash I don't think being there at 5-6 pm is unreasonable


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## hoggedmane (5 March 2014)

The yard I'm on is attached to YO home. We can get there between the alarm times - i.e. it goes off at about 5am and on again at about 9.30 so need to be gone by 9.15ish.  YO would accommodate any need to be there outside those times on an occasional basis.


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## putasocinit (5 March 2014)

agree Noddle, even if it is their home, the fact they have made it a business and their liveries need to be working people to be financially viable unless they are rich, in which case they would have their own property, so they need to work around times when owners can get to their horses - all within reason, but not allowing owners to be there before 7am is crazy, after 8pm I agree.  

In fact how many horse owners actually make a noise when they are doing their horses, so why should it disturb the owners unless they want to be nosy.


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## noodle_ (5 March 2014)

putasocinit said:



			agree Noddle, even if it is their home, the fact they have made it a business and their liveries need to be working people to be financially viable unless they are rich, in which case they would have their own property, so they need to work around times when owners can get to their horses - all within reason, but not allowing owners to be there before 7am is crazy, after 8pm I agree.  

In fact how many horse owners actually make a noise when they are doing their horses, so why should it disturb the owners unless they want to be nosy.
		
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A couple of yards I've been on actually stand there while I've done my jobs and escort us of locking the gates after. This is 6pm in summer!

I totally get the family Time but if you want the money then tuff! If you don't then hae your horses on there only. People work and when I finish at 5pm how can I do my jobs as ride in an hour?! Some owners I can't get!

At weekends most people are off (not me)! I can understand earlier closing times as people have all day to do jobs.


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## Montyforever (5 March 2014)

No time limit is on current yard but have to respect the land owners house as its pretty close so wouldn't go up turning all the floodlights on at 10pm etc
Previous yard gates were opened at 7 am and closed at 9pm but could be there out of hours if emergencies etc 
First yard i was on .. Well we did a stake out one night to catch the person mucking about with the horses, owner lived on site. We very unsuccessfully tried to leave quietly at about midnight and i ended up tripping out the gate knocking all the wheelbarrows over and we both cracked up laughing. Apologised to YO the next day about the noise and he hadn't even noticed .. So much for security!


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## Hippona (5 March 2014)

When I was on livery it was 6am til 9pm....although YO lived on site she was fairly relaxed. If you needed to go outside of these hours for competing or if you needed to check on poorly horses you just had to text her so she could make sure the guard dogs didn't get you


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## criso (5 March 2014)

While I would not like restrictive opening hours, I do think in this case the yo has a point.

The op has said they finish work regularly between 8:30 and 10pm and needs approx 2 hours to finish their chores. That would mean very late times finishing, not as a one off but all the time.

Between 10:30 and midnight when the yo lives on site is very late.


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## Meowy Catkin (5 March 2014)

What happens when you have an ill horse but the yard is closed? When my mare was really ill, she was checked every two hours overnight.


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## pippixox (5 March 2014)

9 am opening, or even 8 am opening would not work for me! i need to leave the yard by 7.30 am to get home and changed and off to work on time, so often get to the yard at 6.15 in the winter when i am mucking out. but i rent land so no restrictions. land lord lives on site, but not that near my barn so any noise (which is minimal any way) would not disturb his family.

my old yard was properly open 8 am, YM and staff arrived then , and usually shut by 6pm winter, and later in summer. but if i needed to get done early i could unlock one gate (combination) and get to my horses. just could not unlock the yard kitchen or tack room areas. if back late from a show would always call YM (mostly as she would be worrying if everything was ok!)

i understand not allowing crazy hours, but even if they live on site it is not fair to massively restrict access- they chose to open up their land/facilities to liveries. less of a problem if part/full livery, as you don't have to fit in early and late mucking out, but they may also want to fit in riding their horses, around possibly long hours in order to afford it!

i would be worried someone up at the yard at 11 pm! although some people doing odd hours is actually good for security.


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## dogatemysalad (5 March 2014)

Don't worry OP, most DIY yards don't have opening hours. Most of the yards I've been on have been large liveries attached to a farm, catering for full and diy owners. People come and go at any time. Perhaps farmers are so used to unsocial hours when dealing with livestock that they are more laid back than YO's from an equestrian background ?

Only once found myself on a yard with opening and closing times. It wasn't mentioned until I'd moved my 3 horses in. It was summer and the YO wanted to close the yard at 8.30pm. Crazy YO. We left quickly.


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## *sprinkles* (5 March 2014)

I can't believe how tight some of these restrictions are!! We have no opening times at our yard despite the yard owner's house being directly (pretty much) onto the yard and having rented farm cottages also. I spoke to the yard owner and asked about opening times as I sometimes can't make it until very late and he was very relaxed about it. Last night i didn't arrive until 9.30pm and left at around 11pm. My horses are on full livery but this is the only time in my crazy schedule I have for riding and I like to be on the yard when it's quiet as it gets very busy at "peak times" - I couldn't cope with being on a yard that restricts the times I can see my horses. I pay a lot of money for them and expect to be able to enjoy them whenever I want. However, I am very careful to keep noise down and switch off lights etc. OP I'm sure you can have some kind of arrangement with your YO about what times you choose to beat the yard. Maybe your YO only wants to chat to have some notice about when you will be there so he/she isn't worried about who is on the property so late considering how much theft is happening in places recently?


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## MyBoyChe (5 March 2014)

No restrictions at either end of the day for us, but it is a very small DIY yard and all the stables are 1 paddock away from the yard.  To get to and from the stables to the fields we have to walk past the owners house but again there is a large garden and orchard between us.  There is a CCTV camera in the yard so we can be seen coming and going but they are pretty relaxed. As a matter of courtesy we always let them know if we are going to be very early or late or if anything unusual is happening.


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## Slightlyconfused (5 March 2014)

our yard gate locks down at 9:30pm and unlocks at 6 am. the whole place is alarmed and it goes off next to the YO bed!!!

If anyone needs to leave early for a comp or one of the horses is ill all we have to do is tell them and they will turn it off etc.


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## conniegirl (5 March 2014)

No set times as such but have to respect the YO privacy as they live on site. Normally everyone is gone by 8pm ish in winter and 9pm in summer


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## Alfiemoo (5 March 2014)

We are allowed at the yard between 5am and 11pm. There didn't use to be any restrictions but there was a livery who came up and schooled her horses at 2 - 4 am and the school is right next to the YO house and she had just had her first baby at the time. The livery left as soon as the restrictions were given as she said that she had to do them before work.

If we do need to come down due to competitions or ill horse then they are completely flexible.


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## Laafet (5 March 2014)

I can't believe how many people are saying that their yards don't open until 9am, I've been at work for two hours by then and never ever leave my horse until that time of day even on my day off. I've never been on a yard with a opening hours, even when I ran my own place I didn't do it. I had full/part liveries (by which I mean I did everything but ride the parts and rode the fulls) so the owners didn't tend to come up in the morning during the week. In this area, those sorts of opening times would be unworkable, a lot of us work with racehorses or on studs. First up in the morning is usually 5am and as we don't have lights on the school, people don't stay much past 6 or 7pm in the evening in the winter. In the summer, I can be out riding until gone 9pm and not leave the yard until 10pm. Our YM lives next door so it not fussed, as long as we shut the gate and she wanders out at around 9pm to check them anyway.


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## Tinypony (5 March 2014)

Wagtail said:



			I only do full livery and like to feed the horses in the morning before the yard opens and again n the evening after the yard closes so that feeding times are not disrupted by people coming and going. Yard is open 8.30 am - 9 pm week days and 9.30 am - 7 pm weekends. If I was doing DIY I would change this to 6.45 am - 9 pm week days and 7.45 - 8 pm weekends. But this is only because our house is directly onto the yard. If the house was more separate, I would not have strict times.
		
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Wagtail, when do your liveries ride?  Just evenings weekdays maybe.


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## smellsofhorse (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			No. Just common sense and curtousy.
		
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Exactly this, you should have access to your horse at all times to fit in with your life.
But obviously is there are people living on site then they should be aware or your usual visit times and be informed if it will be an irregular hour!


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## windand rain (5 March 2014)

Every yard I have ever been on there has been no restriction. Obviously you have to respect the YO privacy and not be a nuisance but horses are and always will be a 24 hr commitment and if you have to work you only have limited time to do the horses as well. Best option has always been combination locks on things so people can come and go as they please. I must admit that and alarmed yard or guard dogs would soon put me off. I am normally been and gone  sometime between 10am and 1 pm. Competition days can be anytime from 3.30am to midnight or more depending on how far we have to go. As we compete almost every weekend at something restricted hours just wouldnt work as we would be forever asking for favours


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## PollyP99 (5 March 2014)

We have no restrictions, as others have said really what noise do you make when doing a horse? I arrive at 6am and have been there until 9.30pm it's good to have the option of doing what you need when you need to?


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## EmmaC78 (5 March 2014)

My yard doesn't have any restrictions either.  If I need to do the horses before work I am often up there just after 6am and can be there at about 8pm after work and later in the summer if I am riding as well.  If I was going to be any earlier than 6am I would mention it to the YO but they are fairly relaxed.


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## amandaco2 (5 March 2014)

Ive got 4 horses and dont get down until 5.45pm. I couldnt work with a yard closing at7pm!
No set hrs but I rarely go before 6am or leaveafter 9pm....


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## amandaco2 (5 March 2014)

Id not like a yard opening at 9am. Mine get done about 6.15 if in overnight.
im at work at 9!


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## quirky (5 March 2014)

The pp for lights is off at 9pm, so there is no riding after that time.
Not really any time restrictions on visiting. Only 2 liveries go down daily and we are usually done by 8pm.
The other 2 visit weekend days, so Mo ridiculous hours kept by anybody.

I would only be on the yard at 11pm if the horse was ill, I wouldn't be doing routine jobs at that time.


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## Vodkagirly (5 March 2014)

I'm not keen on opening hours but I can imagine a YO wanting to know a horse is going to be done by a reasonable time just so they know they aren't going to have to go out at 9pm and start doing haynets and mucking out.


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## Gloi (5 March 2014)

Fortunately I've never been on anywhere with restrictions.


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## RoughcutDiamond (5 March 2014)

First yard (large, probably 60-odd horses in all) was 9am-9pm Mon to Fri and 9am-5pm Sat & Sun.  Worked ok-ish for me when I was self-employed although VERY frustrating on a beautiful weekend evening when you couldn't hack out.  Early or late on the yard was OK for shows etc if pre-arranged with YO.  Once I changed to shift work it was an utter nightmare and totally unworkable - no lee-way at all and potentially I would go days without setting eyes on the boy.

Pony is now on a much smaller yard (14 ponies) with no hours as such.  YO gives us all a hand by putting in morning feeds/nets and does a very late net too so mostly we don't need to be on yard before 8am or after 9pm.  No problems outwith those times but as a courtesy we would let her know unless it was an emergency (in whaich case she would know and be there with us anyway since she treats them all as her surrogates!).


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## Shooting Star (5 March 2014)

Never been on a yard with a morning opening time but have been on one with a 9pm close although the rule was more there to stop the kids lingering rather than those finishing work late. 

All the yards that I've been on have had the YO living on site though so it's only common courtesy not to be there at anti social hours unless absolutely necessary and then to creep around like a mouse!

Personally I would never consider any yard that had restrictions preventing me visiting freely between 6am & 9pm and outside of these times for shows or emergencies.


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## Honey08 (5 March 2014)

I think its too late to be mucking out at 10pm.  Horses need to relax and sleep!  So do you for that matter.  If I couldn't get there until 9.30pm I would have my horses on full livery.  I usually do my late night checks around 11 and the horses are usually quiet and dozing or even flat out at that time.  

From a YO relaxing point of view, if you see the lights on at 11 you feel as though you have to go and check that nobody's left them on, or that its not someone that shouldn't be there.  Its hard to switch off if there is always someone around at unearthly hours..


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## Fides (5 March 2014)

There is a yard near me where you have to be gone by 6! If you cannot get there before 6 they charge you full livery for the day... 

My friend's place it is normally 8-9ish.

When I had a loaner at mine (private yard) there wasn't a night time limit but weekends was strictly after 10am (the horses are out 24/7 though...


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## Wagtail (5 March 2014)

putasocinit said:



			agree Noddle, even if it is their home, the fact they have made it a business and their liveries need to be working people to be financially viable unless they are rich, in which case they would have their own property, so they need to work around times when owners can get to their horses - all within reason, but not allowing owners to be there before 7am is crazy, after 8pm I agree.  

In fact how many horse owners actually make a noise when they are doing their horses, so why should it disturb the owners unless they want to be nosy.
		
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I hear every car that comes up the drive even if I am sound asleep it wakes me. Also, the dogs bark.

It's one of the reasons I don't have diy. It doesn't matter if horses are on full or part livery.


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## Wagtail (5 March 2014)

Faracat said:



			What happens when you have an ill horse but the yard is closed? When my mare was really ill, she was checked every two hours overnight.
		
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I have on site accommodation for owners if they need it. Detached one bed mini suite.


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## NativePonyLover (5 March 2014)

Theoretically, our is 5.30-9.30pm. But, YO wouldn't care if it was earlier or later due to competition, illness or emergency - I would always tend to text or call in that scenario, though so she knew who to expect. 

I'm on DIY livery with an office job, so although not regularly odd hours, there has been the odd occasion I've been earlier or later.


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## Shysmum (5 March 2014)

last yard closed at 6 pm.


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## maisie06 (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			No. Just common sense and curtousy.
		
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This ^^ We don't have opening hours as such, but if I am going to be super early say, before 6am (highly unlikely as I hate getting up!) or later than 9/9.30 I will let the YO son and DIL know as they live on site and it's common courtesy....apart from that we are very, very relaxed.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

*moleskinsmum* the same  the livery cannot offer any service as it is just the owner and 2 other girls here.

*criso* No i said that SOMETIMES i can leave work at 8.30pm to 10pm. But usually i leave at 5.30pm.
I just don't understand how people can have a busy job and take care of horses after that ?? it is just not possible.


*dogatemysalad* thanks for your reply. but when i see the other replies i think it is crazy and impossible to have my horses in UK in these conditions

*Honey08* don't you think if i had the possibility to put them in full livery, i was not in DIY livery now  ?



She finally asked me to leave at 9pm at the latest, or to leave the stables.
There is an alarm, i asked at what time the alarm is on and off, but she didn't wanted to answer.
I offered her, to text her if i had to be there after 10, but no.
Yes of course, i could do all these things in the morning, but i'll be there at 5am. So the problem is still the same.
So if i have to finish work late once, my horses will stay in their droppings without water and been feed ?? 

That's crazy.
I am very sad, the things are turning like this, and thought "horse people" in UK were more opened minded


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## Amymay (5 March 2014)

People in the UK are open minded.  But that is not the issue. The issue is about expectations, and what is reasonable. I think a 9.00 curfew is more than reasonable. If your working shifts mean that your unable to work within the confines of 'reasonable' yard hours, then maybe your options are part/full livery, or renting your own field that is not part of a yard.


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## AdorableAlice (5 March 2014)

Can you not come to some agreement with the YO to help you on your longer days at work ?

I am not at livery at such, but 3 owners work as a team covering each others personal circumstances of child care/shifts etc.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

amymay said:



			People in the UK are open minded.  But that is not the issue. The issue is about expectations, and what is reasonable. I think a 9.00 curfew is more than reasonable. If your working shifts mean that your unable to work within the confines of 'reasonable' yard hours, then maybe your options are part/full livery, or renting your own field that is not part of a yard.
		
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Unfortunately, as i said it is impossible for me for the moment to think about part/full livery.
So that's why i have to do everything by myself. 
To rent my own field could be a good option.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

AdorableAlice said:



			Can you not come to some agreement with the YO to help you on your longer days at work ?

I am not at livery at such, but 3 owners work as a team covering each others personal circumstances of child care/shifts etc.
		
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No she cannot / doesn't want. And too small yard, to find someone else ...
And don't know anybody around to ask for this, unfortunately.


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## Honey08 (5 March 2014)

You'd be better looking for a field to rent or being on a bigger yard where you could share jobs.  It doesn't sound like the right place for you.  I still think you need part livery to cover working those kind of hours.  For many years I didn't have a horse as I have a very strange work pattern and I couldn't afford livery.


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## jirist (5 March 2014)

Honey08 said:



			You'd be better looking for a field to rent or being on a bigger yard where you could share jobs.  It doesn't sound like the right place for you.  I still think you need part livery to cover working those kind of hours.  For many years I didn't have a horse as I have a very strange work pattern and I couldn't afford livery.
		
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Yes sure, i have to find a solution in anycase.
But impossible for me to not have them (13 years i have my horse, and 5 years my mare...). I finally found a job and came in UK, it is to keep them with me, and not sell them.

Maybe you can tell me how and where i find a person who would like to ride my mare and help to take care of her ?


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## Peregrine Falcon (5 March 2014)

Put a notice up in the local saddlery/feed shops for a sharer for your horse if you would let someone else ride them.  Sometimes people just want to come and groom and help out with chores.  Is there a local internet forum you could join and advertise on there?  When I was pregnant I got someone to come and ride my pony and I just asked for a contribution to shoeing.  

Are you in Warwickshire?  I am sure you could find somewhere more suitable for you.  I've always been lucky with places I've kept my ponies.  I rent fields/barn etc with a good friend now.  If we are about at odd hours we let the people nearby know so that they don't get concerned with lights being on etc.

Good luck and I hope you manage to resolve your situation soon.


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## WelshD (6 March 2014)

Renting your own place would be an option, my stables/land/smallholding costs less than livery for two 

I've been at my place till gone midnight before after working late and have been there 3am etc on show mornings or during lambing time - it's lovely to have freedom

BUT if your visiting pattern is irregular then the security of nearby residents keeping an eye out for trouble goes out of the window as they will assume all visitors are you - don't underestimate that!

In your current situation while 9pm may be unworkable for you personally I do think it's quite reasonable generally


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## Laafet (6 March 2014)

Try looking for another yard, I never had a problem finding DIY when I lived in Warwickshire. The big riding school in Kineton may be helpful in pointing you in the right direction.


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## dogatemysalad (6 March 2014)

Ask at the local saddler for local livery yards. Don't worry, there are many yards where they don't ban owners from seeing their horses  Lots of people work shifts and while not common, it isn't that unusual for owners to be doing their horses at 4am or 11pm at times. 

Some of the time restrictions on this thread are astounding. I don't know how the  owners exercise their horses before work or in the evenings. Perhaps these yards are for people who don't ride.


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## zigzag (6 March 2014)

Wagtail said:



			I only do full livery and like to feed the horses in the morning before the yard opens and again n the evening after the yard closes so that feeding times are not disrupted by people coming and going. Yard is open 8.30 am - 9 pm week days and 9.30 am - 7 pm weekends. If I was doing DIY I would change this to 6.45 am - 9 pm week days and 7.45 - 8 pm weekends. But this is only because our house is directly onto the yard. If the house was more separate, I would not have strict times.
		
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Wow , they are pretty strict times, especially in the summer, where I would ride 7 am in morning or late evening, that is pretty much office opening hours lol


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

WelshD said:



			Renting your own place would be an option, my stables/land/smallholding costs less than livery for two 

I've been at my place till gone midnight before after working late and have been there 3am etc on show mornings or during lambing time - it's lovely to have freedom

BUT if your visiting pattern is irregular then the security of nearby residents keeping an eye out for trouble goes out of the window as they will assume all visitors are you - don't underestimate that!

In your current situation while 9pm may be unworkable for you personally I do think it's quite reasonable generally
		
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I was thinking ... if you rent your own place for your horses, you cannot ride at all ?
Because i don't think you have an arena ? and with lights ?


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

Thanks everybody for your advices, i will try to have a look at Watermill Feeds (and don't know where there is saddlery here), if they have some adverts for liveries, in my area.


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## twiggy2 (6 March 2014)

pay a freelance groom to cover the evenings you cannot cover.

time restrictions would be a big no no for me, my daughter has always used the yard as a bolt hole and her horses shoulder as one to cry on. the YO would be more cross if we called and woke them up to say we were there, security is lax to say the least so lots of us coming and going early and late is firly goodas it means strange faces would be more likely to be noticed.


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

twiggy2 said:



			pay a freelance groom to cover the evenings you cannot cover.
		
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But i don't know where to find it, as i say it is a very small yard, so no groom available there.


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## Meowy Catkin (6 March 2014)

A freelance groom will travel to your yard to do the horses on the evenings you can't get there for a payment. You might need to advertise for one (local tack shop notice board, free websites with horse sections - eg Preloved - or horse websites).

I really feel for you jirist, if I ran a DIY yard I would never ban someone from coming after work if they sometimes worked late.


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## Meowy Catkin (6 March 2014)

OK - I've just seen in your other post that you are struggling to ride too. A sharer might work well for you, plus they would pay you some money to share your horse. Hopefully you can find someone who can do the days that you work late.

As well as Preloved and Horsemart, there is also horsedeals that you could put an ad on. Make sure that you mark it clearly 'Sharer wanted'.

If that doesn't work out, look at other DIY yards in the area as I'm sure that there will be one out there that will allow you to go late on your late days.


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## Wagtail (6 March 2014)

zigzag said:



			Wow , they are pretty strict times, especially in the summer, where I would ride 7 am in morning or late evening, that is pretty much office opening hours lol
		
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So long as people let me know, I am quite flexible, but would not take a livery on who needed to do that on a regular basis. I am very clear about the opening hours before liveries decide to come. If it doesn't suit them they go elsewhere. As I am open until 9 pm, most working owners ride after work.

Another point to note is that some planning regulations mean that you have a restriction on floodlight use. Here it is 10 pm, so I needed to make sure that people were not using them close to that time or I could find myself having to remove them!


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## sport horse (6 March 2014)

Thank goodness I do not keep my horses on a DIY livery yard or indeed offer any sort of livery. The thought that there  is no quiet time for the horses and that people are riding and/or doing their horses 24/7 is frankly frightening and the security of having no one on site and the yard open 24/7 is mind blowing. Of course there are times when you need early/late access for competitions or vets etc.and that would need to be made possible.

That you all consider that paying a livery means that you should have access to your stables 24/7 without prior arrangement is bizarre. If you pay for your child to go to private school do you expect to have access to the school 24/7? If you have a elderley person in a private care home do you expect the doors to be open 24/7 so that anyone can walk in at any time? So why does a relatively cheap rent for a stable/turnout/tackroom/car park/ manege/ etc etc give you all these rights with no restriction as to times etc.? Frankly if you work from early morning to 10pm at night you cannot do your own horses and either need to pay for help or as you suggest keep them out.

That is why I will never do livery!


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## 9tails (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Yes of course, i could do all these things in the morning, but i'll be there at 5am. So the problem is still the same.
		
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A lot of us do exactly that because we're time poor at the other end of the day.


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## Merrymoles (6 March 2014)

While I can understand many of the points made by YOs, having restricted opening times would be a deal-breaker for me.
I am self-employed and generally work from 8am to 6pm. Therefore my usual routine is to arrive at the yard at 6.30am in the morning and at about 6.15pm in the evening. However, I also have to work some evenings - around three a month in general.
I have said before that I am very lucky in my yard and my fellow liveries and we work together to cover each other's absences and to manage the horses in the way that suits us all best. Therefore, I do mornings for one of the other liveries and she brings mine in in the evenings which is great, especially when it's pitch black and raining. I can finish my day's work knowing that he's in and all I have to do is my evening chores.
However, without that voluntary arrangement, I would be stuck for those three evenings a month and he would have to stay out until I finished work.
I am pretty sure that my YO would not welcome a stranger (freelance groom) on the yard, knowing the combination to the locks etc and would rather a) have me turning up late to sort or b) bring him in herself. If that became a real problem, I would have to move as I am in an area where I know no-one to help, other than my current fellow liveries.
Finally, and much more about aesthetics than welfare, I absolutely love long summer evening hacks and would hate to have a time limit, other than the light going, to get back!


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## Honey08 (6 March 2014)

When I have had adverts for sharers to ride/help with my horse I have used Preloved and Equineadverts.co.uk and had a good few replies.  Otherwise try and find your local riding club's facebook page and ask  there?


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## AshTay (6 March 2014)

I feel for OP. I can understand YO not wanting some one there that late every night but if it was every now and then with prior arrangement it might be tolerable.  But it depends on the set-up.

The yard I'm on has restrictions in the morning - opens at 9am. This is because the whole yard would be woken up and the dogs. I have one horse on part livery and one on diy and both are fed and turned out for me. Suits me as I catch 7.30 train to work and not having to go up means I have time to walk my dogs and see my husband (who starts work at seven). It's a good balance.

I get to yard at 6.15 in evening.  Everyone else has been and gone and YO has gone in so I'm on my own. There's no time limit in evenings but if I were faffing about and staying late I'd be told. We have no school lights so no reason to be late. if my train is delayed I text to let them know out of courtesy.  I've also managed to avert a couple of potential catastrophes by being about between the time they go in and their late night checks so they're fine with my times.


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## RunToEarth (6 March 2014)

The reason we stopped doing livery is because running a DIY yard with people arriving back at stupid oclock was driving us nuts - lorries arriving back from shows at midnight, setting the dogs off - it isn't fun, not when you enjoy it as a home as well as a business. 

When we used to rotate turnout on a wet year, I liked to have 2-4pm no one on the yard at all, so the horses got into a routine of just quiet time, they all used to lie down and dose. Having people arrive at all hours of the day and night is incredibly disruptive to horses - especially with lights coming on and off, horses arriving at odd times, buckets getting knocked about - it was a real headache. 

But I'm a stickler for routine and decided that the only way I can ensure my routine is being on my own.


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## Nugget La Poneh (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Not yet, tonight.

She texts me "Just wondered why u were up so late last nite doing your horses"
I replied i finished work late, so at the stables between 8.30 to 11pm
and her answer : "I'm sorry we will need to have a chat"

So i will know tonight.
Just wanted to know how it works in UK usually, before talking to her.
		
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Depending on whether there is a floodlit school or not - it might actually be planning rules that dictate 'opening times'. Our yard technically closes at 9pm. In reality, what it means is the floodlights have to be off by 9pm to stop the neighbours complaining. Same as in the morning the earliest that they can go on is 6am.

Also, while you think you might not make noise, you might actually be doing so, and I know I would get narked at someone rocking up at 10pm to sort their horses out regularly, especially as they might not be off the yard until 11pm.


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

Nugget La Poneh said:



			Depending on whether there is a floodlit school or not - it might actually be planning rules that dictate 'opening times'. Our yard technically closes at 9pm. In reality, what it means is the floodlights have to be off by 9pm to stop the neighbours complaining. Same as in the morning the earliest that they can go on is 6am.

Also, while you think you might not make noise, you might actually be doing so, and I know I would get narked at someone rocking up at 10pm to sort their horses out regularly, especially as they might not be off the yard until 11pm.
		
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yes there is floodlit school, but the neighbours cannot be disturbed by that, as it is too far from them.


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## RunToEarth (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			yes there is floodlit school, but the neighbours cannot be disturbed by that, as it is too far from them.
		
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How far is the floodlit school from the yard, and who else has horses there - the YO? Personally I would not want stable/arena floodlights on at 11pm at night - our horses have routine and apart from emergencies I would not be wanting someone farting about at the stables with the lights on at 11pm.


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## montanna (6 March 2014)

The DIY yard I was on didn't have an opening time in the morning, but you couldn't have the farrier before 8am - you had to be off by 10pm.

My yard now is full livery, opening hours are 7am-7pm but she is flexible as long as you let her know. Also more flexible in the Summer. It is a hunting yard so the grooms are often on the yard for 4.50/5am. So coming back late from a show/leaving early for hunting/shows etc is fine as long as you let them know.


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## Nugget La Poneh (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			yes there is floodlit school, but the neighbours cannot be disturbed by that, as it is too far from them.
		
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Don't underestimate the power of a NIMBY!


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

RunToEarth said:



			How far is the floodlit school from the yard, and who else has horses there - the YO? Personally I would not want stable/arena floodlights on at 11pm at night - our horses have routine and apart from emergencies I would not be wanting someone farting about at the stables with the lights on at 11pm.
		
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I don't know exactly, the arena is behind the stables, in the middle of the paddocks.

Anyway, it doesn't match with what i want / need.

For the moment we are 3 people, the YO, an other girl, and me.
usually i am at the stables between 6pm and 8.30pm. but last week i had to do 40h in 4 days, so i finished to take car of the horses at 9.30-10.30pm from Monday to Thursday, so 4 days.
And Sunday night, i told the YO's mum and the other girl at the livery that i will arrive at 10.30pm
But my flight was delayed, so i left stables at 12.15am, but it is NOT everytime !!!


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## twiggy2 (6 March 2014)

sport horse said:



			That you all consider that paying a livery means that you should have access to your stables 24/7 without prior arrangement is bizarre. If you pay for your child to go to private school do you expect to have access to the school 24/7? If you have a elderley person in a private care home do you expect the doors to be open 24/7 so that anyone can walk in at any time? So why does a relatively cheap rent for a stable/turnout/tackroom/car park/ manege/ etc etc give you all these rights with no restriction as to times etc.? Frankly if you work from early morning to 10pm at night you cannot do your own horses and either need to pay for help or as you suggest keep them out.

That is why I will never do livery!
		
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If I was responsible for the child/elderly persons care then yes I would expect 24 hr access the same as with on DIY, it does not mean I would be up there late all the time, I am usually off the yard by 9pm, except if I have been held up (once or twice in 8 yrs) a horse is ill/on box rest I like to do a 11pm check if horses on box rest and back at 6am (just check water and throw hay in).

the yard I am on does not want any responsibility for the horses there and that means they need to be more flexible (fine with me I would not trust them to care for a loo brush).

It is nothing to do with rights and people who work from early morning till ten pm CAN do there own horses if they wish to they just need to find a yard happy with that, it sounds like OP did not think it would be an issue (naively maybe) but it is and may mean that things need to be planned out so YO is happy as well as OP.

in the summer i like to be out hacking by 6 am when it is cool and quiet-where I am is a big enough yard the YO does not really notice anyone unless they park by the house, for all its faults threads like this remind me why I stay on a scruffy laid back yard.

we have timers on the school lights that vary but are always off by 10.30-the lights are outside YO house, but the stable lights can be on as late as we like


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## gingernut81 (6 March 2014)

I'm at a small private yard so come and go as I please.


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## sarcasm_queen (6 March 2014)

^^^yeah but that's quite a lot in a short space of time... (OP, directed at you, too many people posted first ) 

To be blunt, the YO has rules. You may not like them, but there's not a lot you can do about them. Your options are either to accept them, and find a way to work with them, or to find a different yard.


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## EquestrianFairy (6 March 2014)

My YO's live on site, I can't imagine they would be pleased with people messing around at 11pm but generally I think most people are gone by 10pm at the very latest and there's no issue with it as long as the last person locks the gate.
Early morning wise the YO is a diary farmer and I would hazard a guess he's up early anyway which is why I've never heard any problems with any earlybirds doing their horses. 

Most lessons and RC things often go on until 7/8pm as well.

I couldn't be on a restrictive yard, however in my case it's highly unlikely I would be up any earlier than 9am or any later than 7pm so I guess I never really need to worry too much.


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## JFTDWS (6 March 2014)

Fwiw, OP, I regularly used to be found schooling at midnight when I was on a DIY yard.  There were people (not YO or YM) living onsite, but due to the layout of that yard, they wouldn't have noticed school or yard lights etc.  I specifically checked there were no rules or expectations about yard times when I moved on, though.

I personally find the notion of "disturbing" horses late at night faintly absurd - like all things, it becomes part of their routine, and surely it's better to have someone around to notice if there's a problem.  That said, it's the YO's place and if they have an issue with you being there late, your only option is to move on.  

I now have a private rent field, and I often go up on the wrong side of midnight for late night checks.  I wouldn't have my horses anywhere I couldn't check on them late at night if I need to.


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## ester (6 March 2014)

My YO lives on site, as do I , and a family in the caravan - due to threads on here (and when I wasn't on site) I did ask re. opening times as not come across them before. We don't have them and actually I don't think the horses get disturbed by others being around. YO and I both go down about 10.30 pm for late night checks and the only ones who ever wake up are ours!


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

JFTD said:



			Fwiw, OP, I regularly used to be found schooling at midnight when I was on a DIY yard.  There were people (not YO or YM) living onsite, but due to the layout of that yard, they wouldn't have noticed school or yard lights etc.  I specifically checked there were no rules or expectations about yard times when I moved on, though.

I personally find the notion of "disturbing" horses late at night faintly absurd - like all things, it becomes part of their routine, and surely it's better to have someone around to notice if there's a problem.  That said, it's the YO's place and if they have an issue with you being there late, your only option is to move on.  

I now have a private rent field, and I often go up on the wrong side of midnight for late night checks.  I wouldn't have my horses anywhere I couldn't check on them late at night if I need to.
		
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Yes, i didn't know about any limit time, before moving there.
And i told her, that i have a busy work.
I was stupid to not ask, i will know for the next time.

For disturbing the horses ... sorry but a whole night is not enough for a horse to rest ?
No her horse need to rest during the evening.

Maybe yes i will move on i think ...
And she will be so happy for sure.


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## ironhorse (6 March 2014)

Have a look in Red Horse Equestrian too, OP, (they are on the A422 between Oxhill and Tysoe) - they have a notice board with lots of ads for livery on and Tina who runs it keeps horses locally so she may know of somewhere. The other place to look/ask is at Spring Paddocks/John Brook vets - just outside Gaydon on the road into Bishops Itchington,


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## applecart14 (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Hello everybody,

I am wondering if you have a time limit to take care of your horse in a DIY livery.
If yes, what it your time limit ?
Is it everywhere the same ?

Thank you

We don't have a curfew as such at our yard, thank God although I think 9pm is really late enough and I am always gone by 9.15pm latest unless my horse has colic or I'm at a show.  I know a lot of yards impose a time of 8pm weekdays which is almost impossible for me so I wouldn't be very happy.

Not all of us can afford to put our horse on full livery.  For those of us that work over or have a long commute and don't get to the yard until half six or seven in the evening having to be off by eight would be impossible if you were on DIY and wanted to ride/cool down your horse appropriately afterwards.
		
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## criso (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Yes, i didn't know about any limit time, before moving there.
And i told her, that i have a busy work.
I was stupid to not ask, i will know for the next time.

For disturbing the horses ... sorry but a whole night is not enough for a horse to rest ?
No her horse need to rest during the evening.
		
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She may not have had a time limit in mind and has never had to raise it before because she didn't expect anyone having to be there at midnight except for exceptional situations like vets and shows etc.  

I think there is a big difference between a yard having an unreasonably early closing time which means that working people struggle to finish after work and midnight.

I have been on huge busy London yards where there are a lot of working busy people, many on DIY but the yard cleared by 9pm.  I was often one of the late ones, even in the summer we are talking about 10pm at the very latest and occasionally if we had a late hack, and even then would have finished and put the horses out and a few of us are having a chat and cup of tea before we go.

As for horses being disturbed, one of mine doesn't switch off if there is anything going on at the yard, he is too much of a busybody for his own good and is a  happier horse where there are not too many comings and goings.   If there were people still there at gone midnight and then things start at 5am, that is not much off time for him to relax.  

Like all these things it is good to ask when you go to view potential yards.  Just be very honest about the sort of times you will be there.  As you have found out to your cost vague phrases like 'busy work times' are open to interpretation.


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## eahotson (6 March 2014)

Wagtail said:



			I have on site accommodation for owners if they need it. Detached one bed mini suite.
		
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That really is very good.


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## LeannePip (6 March 2014)

We have opening hours of 6-9 but its flexible for shows ect as long as you let YO know and its not a regular thing all horses are on full/Part mon - friday so all owners have to do is ride.  if horse is ill/you need to leave early/get back late its generally fine!

one yard i worked on YO wouldnt let you on yard before 8am and off by 7pm - luckily 3 of the owners worked near by so it wasnt a problem but it was made very difficult for the ones who didnt work as close - if you were still there nearing closing time you'd be shuffled off!


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## monkeybum13 (6 March 2014)

No time restrictions at our yard! I'm on the yard anytime from 5.30 in the morning and some evenings don't leave until 9ish.


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

ironhorse said:



			Have a look in Red Horse Equestrian too, OP, (they are on the A422 between Oxhill and Tysoe) - they have a notice board with lots of ads for livery on and Tina who runs it keeps horses locally so she may know of somewhere. The other place to look/ask is at Spring Paddocks/John Brook vets - just outside Gaydon on the road into Bishops Itchington,
		
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Ok thanks for the name of Red Horse Equestrian.
I know where is Spring paddocks, i will try to have a look.


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## RunToEarth (6 March 2014)

JFTD said:



			I personally find the notion of "disturbing" horses late at night faintly absurd - like all things, it becomes part of their routine, and surely it's better to have someone around to notice if there's a problem.  That said, it's the YO's place and if they have an issue with you being there late, your only option is to move on.
		
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I like routine, having a slightly neurotic ex racer who gets lit up like a beam at sparrows fart, I prefer to manage down time down to a T - as soon as he picks up on any movement on the yard he is box walking, weaving and crapping for England. As much as I do it for his peace of mind to have a few hours of genuine peace - it also means it does not take me an hour to sort his bed out each morning. 

Horses are all individual and of course there are a good many who do not care what you are doing and at what time - but I wouldn't be having liveries on a yard at 11pm unless there was genuine cause.


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## mcnaughty (6 March 2014)

I know some yards to have time restrictions, in fact I nearly moved to one but it was a tiny yard attached to a private house so not really a livery yard.  Quite frankly, I could understand if the house was very close to the yard and YO personal life would be adversely affected but DIY is DIY and you should be able to carry out DIY duties around your own working hours.  That is not unreasonable.  If you don't work and you still want to go up out of 'reasonable' hours then I think if I was YO I would have words but as a YO you should not change the goal posts especially with full time workers.


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## Spit That Out (6 March 2014)

I used to be on a yard that would be open 6.30 am until 9 am, close until 12 then open 12 to 2 then shut until 4.30pm to close again at 7pm!!

They used to lock the gate the hours they were shut...this even included weekends!!

All vet, farrier, dentist etc appointments had to be within their opening times...honestly it was nuts.

I appreciate that it's their home but if your going to be that strict/put out that people want to see their horses during the day then don't run a livery yard from home.

I was only there a month until I found another yard.

The yard I'm on now is open 6am until 9pm 7 days a week however if you let them know you'll be there outside of those hours then they are fine. It's partly to do with security as well as needing personal time. On a yard with 80 horses I'd want to know that after 9pm I could put my PJs on and open the wine without someone knocking on the door asking about hay, turnout or if they dan use the horse walker!!


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## WelshD (6 March 2014)

jirist said:



			I was thinking ... if you rent your own place for your horses, you cannot ride at all ?
Because i don't think you have an arena ? and with lights ?
		
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You are right I don't ride and I don't have an arena but have managed to get and keep my pony fit and work him without an arena no problems. Many people my age in the UK (mid thirties) will remember competing their horses from a very similar set up when they were younger, its only really in the last fifteen years or so that livery has boomed and arenas are commonplace

If you want the facilities you have to accept that all yards have rules - some will suit and some will not. Your next yard will maybe offer access at all hours but make you buy hay or feed from them, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of all of the options


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## ester (6 March 2014)

to be fair I do think 11 pm is very late to be still there without the courtesy of mentioning it to the owner - it is certainly past my bedtime and YO/I do like to make sure lights off/alarm on when we go to bed, presumably you rode in those 2.5 hours? Are you that late back regularly enough that you need to spend that long on the yard when you are late at work or could you not ride those nights? at least while you find somewhere more suitable.


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## MotherOfChickens (6 March 2014)

WelshD said:



			Many people my age in the UK (mid thirties) will remember competing their horses from a very similar set up when they were younger, its only really in the last fifteen years or so that livery has boomed and arenas are commonplace

If you want the facilities you have to accept that all yards have rules - some will suit and some will not. Your next yard will maybe offer access at all hours but make you buy hay or feed from them, you have to weigh up the pros and cons of all of the options
		
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grew up with no arena, hacking to rent the nearest indoor with showjumps was a big event in itself and a 16 mile round road hack.

anyway, not sure if anyone mentioned-apart from planning and light considerations etc but what about accidents? I used to sublet 1/2 a yard and the other owner was usually up there until 9pm which was fine. I would do late night hay and checks at 10/10.30. If I had had a livery who was there riding until 11pm I would feel that I had an obligation that they weren't lying unconscious somewhere all night. And I like to be in bed by 10.30 ish as am up very early.


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## jirist (6 March 2014)

ester said:



			to be fair I do think 11 pm is very late to be still there without the courtesy of mentioning it to the owner - it is certainly past my bedtime and YO/I do like to make sure lights off/alarm on when we go to bed, presumably you rode in those 2.5 hours? Are you that late back regularly enough that you need to spend that long on the yard when you are late at work or could you not ride those nights? at least while you find somewhere more suitable.
		
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I said 2.30 when i am riding, but it is 1.20 without riding.
or 1.40 for lungeing.

just notice that i didn't ride last week when i had lot of work, and did 2 lungeing, that's all
Left work at 19.00-19.30, 20 maximum, so left stables around 21.30 - maybe 22 maximum


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## JFTDWS (6 March 2014)

RunToEarth said:



			I like routine, having a slightly neurotic ex racer who gets lit up like a beam at sparrows fart, I prefer to manage down time down to a T - as soon as he picks up on any movement on the yard he is box walking, weaving and crapping for England. As much as I do it for his peace of mind to have a few hours of genuine peace - it also means it does not take me an hour to sort his bed out each morning. 

Horses are all individual and of course there are a good many who do not care what you are doing and at what time - but I wouldn't be having liveries on a yard at 11pm unless there was genuine cause.
		
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Your yard, your rules   If I ran a yard with liveries, I would be more inclined to tell them all to sod off before midday as I don't like interacting with other people in the mornings   (This is one of many reasons why I will never run a yard!)

That horse of yours sounds particularly prone to stressing out and probably better suited to a quiet yard where there are fewer people coming and going, regardless of what time they're around (not that it's any of my business how you manage him, I'm merely speculating hypothetically).  Conceivably you could have middle of the day "down time" for him instead, if it suited your situation better?  

I find it a little unfair that people often accept owners at stupid times of the morning (threads in the past where people have said they're on the yard around 4am) daily) because of work, but when you work late, it's suddenly unacceptable for the horses that you're around at a non-peak time.  

I agree that it's unacceptable to disturb the YO, but to my mind, that applies whether you're on early or late, and which would be worse for the YO depends on their routine (if they aren't horsey or farmer-types, they may find early mornings worse).  

Obviously in the OP's case, the owner doesn't like it, so it's just tough to the OP.  That's how livery yards work, pretty much!


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## ellie11987 (6 March 2014)

We don't have strict opening hours per say. The electric gates open automatically between 6am-10pm as far as I can remember. Though there is a code we can use outside of those hours so never locked out. YO lives on site but is not horsey, he can see the yard from his house but not hear/see what's going on so wouldn't affect him unless arena lights went on. I'm usually first one up weekdays at 6.45am and last person usually leaves before 8pm but there are a few that push it and arrive at 11pm at night. YO doesn't seem to have a problem with it. It would be a different story if being on the yard affected him though I suppose.


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## windand rain (6 March 2014)

How on earth do people compete regularly at evening dressage and showjumping we were at dressage until 11pm one night and showjumping well up to midnight especially if they were busy shows


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## lucindakay (6 March 2014)

at the yard where i work all the liveries just have to drop me a text, as they are their horses so YO does believe they should be able to see their own horses when they see fit, the only rule is that they cant use the arena lights at silly hours, as previous liveries did at 4am and woke the whole family much to YOs wifes dismay!

a few of our liveries used to be on a previous yard where their ponies were on working livery and they were given very very strict times of when they could ride their own ponies, some of the YOs pupils were riding the ponies more than the girls themselves, all of these liveries were 1st time owners and same for the parents so they didnt know any different.... these poor people were also paying extortionate prices in the area of £100 pw and were also expected to muck out 4 stables on sunday and saturday(these stables were the YOs horses stables)!! needless to say it didnt work out and they are happily paying less for full livery at a much better yard!... i literally think that is the maddest thing i've ever heard!


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## Ginge Crosby (6 March 2014)

OK.... as a YM, I have set hours in the contract, summer/winter hours. I am however, pretty relaxed on them - winter hours are no later than 8pm, but one girl works til 8 so isn't here til 8.30 and leaves around 9-9.30pm. She discussed this with me before signing contracts; deal is, I do last rounds at 8pm. If she wants to come up after then, she is responsible for shutting draught doors, locking up feed/tack room and wrapping the tap in freezing weather. She is very good at doing everything needed, so I've no qualms. 
Summer is til 10pm, and hardly anyone stays that late, out of need and/or courtesy. 

The main reason I have set hours is so that I don't go running out at 4am/midnight in my jammies brandishing a baseball bat at the arrival of an unexpected vehicle. 

All my liveries have to do is drop me a text if they're going to be here before 7am/after 8pm. It is my home too, I want to feel safe, and know that my liveries (horses/tack) are safe too. But if someone made it routine to arrive before 5am, or stay later than 10pm, we'd be in serious need of a chat. These IMO are 'unsociable hours' (hence having set hours in the contract), so if you can't see to your horse during these hours you either afford to pay for full livery, or rent your own land/stables so you can do your horses at whatever hour you please. When you take on livery at a yard, you do it depending on the yard's own policy - if you're not happy with that yard's policy, don't sign the contract.


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## Mince Pie (6 March 2014)

OP I wonder how much of your problem is that fact that despite the fact you _know_ the YO doesn't want you up too late, you fail to give her notice that you will be up after hours? Because personally, that would annoy me more than the late hours you keep.

I used to do my horses between 10.30 pm and midnight, 4 days a week when I was on DIY. I did ask the YO and he said it was fine as he shot deer/rabbits so was generally around at that time anyway. I think that YO has a right to impose reasonable restrictions on opening hours, especially if they live on site/have neighbours, and if liveries aren't happy with that then they can vote with their feet. Obviously there are exceptions - sick horse, late back from a show etc - but regularly ignoring the YO's preferred hours is really rude IMO. Luckily my current yard is in the middle of nowhere, without the YO living on site so I can go up late if I so choose.


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## ester (6 March 2014)

Yes I do think it is yard owner's perogative, although 8pm would be too early for me even though I usually finish work at 5 15 mins away and I'd hate to be rushing when the horse is down time.. obviously as it wouldn't suit me I would find a different yard.


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## MerrySherryRider (6 March 2014)

Our yard is positively humming at 6am as most people are already giving breakfasts and turning out by then. YO is usually out around 7am and goes in doors at 5pm. We're adults and manage not to leave doors open and lights on when we leave. 
 On summer evenings, everyone is riding when its cool or grooming and the yard is still full of life until 10pm. During the hottest days of summer, horses get exercised either very early in the morning or after 6pm to avoid the heat. If yards have restrictive opening times, do people have to choose between riding or doing yard jobs -or leave things undone before the curfew ? 
Why would a YO have a DIY yard if owners were excluded for 12-13 hours a day ? Do they check the horses and top up hay/water if needed ?


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## Laafet (6 March 2014)

MerrySherryRider said:



			Our yard is positively humming at 6am as most people are already giving breakfasts and turning out by then. YO is usually out around 7am and goes in doors at 5pm. We're adults and manage not to leave doors open and lights on when we leave. 
 On summer evenings, everyone is riding when its cool or grooming and the yard is still full of life until 10pm. During the hottest days of summer, horses get exercised either very early in the morning or after 6pm to avoid the heat. If yards have restrictive opening times, do people have to choose between riding or doing yard jobs -or leave things undone before the curfew ? 
Why would a YO have a DIY yard if owners were excluded for 12-13 hours a day ? Do they check the horses and top up hay/water if needed ?
		
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This is pretty much what my yard is like. The horses are fed by their owners or co-feeder, so they only get excited when their person comes up, rest of the time they ignore other owners. It is impossible to arrive on the yard without someone knowing I am there as my horse is whiffling away when he hears my car. When I'd gone out hunting the other day, I went up at 9pm just to check he was comfortable in his rugs and had enough water. None of the other horses bothered with me. It's DIY, it's my responsibility to check him, no one elses.


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## Honey08 (6 March 2014)

I don't do DIY or any other livery anymore, but would always top up waters (and hay if the horse had nothing) and check horses for the liveries when I checked my own at 11pm.


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## Lark (6 March 2014)

We only do Full Livery which helps.
Opening hours are 7.30am to 9.30pm week days. 7.30am to 7pm weekends.
Obvoiusly sensible exceptions apply - shows, training, ill horse etc etc.
But WE always close up and do final checks.
We try to avoid anyone else being on the yard following final checks.
Why:
1. Safety is an absolute first priority.  We would never leave the yard unsupervised if someone was riding in the event of an accident.  We may not have eyes on someone all of the time in the event that they did fall off it would not be 8 hours until they were found! Which could happen if someone was riding very late.
I am surprised that this has not come up before as a primary concern???

2. Security.  We check all stables are locked, all horses are where they should be and wearing what they should be. Tack doors locked, all lights off and Gates closed.

3. Arena lights on either very late or very early could negatively affect our neighbours.  Although we are rural and do not have restrictions everyone needs to operate within reasonable condition and mutual respect.

3. Routine.  The horses are disturbed when disrupted from the course of their routine. Again this is more particular to a Full livery yard.  The horses know that anyone they hear first thing in the morning = food.  They also expect their late night hay and lights out for the night.  If they don't get what they expect at the expected time they grumble very loudly.

But back to the beginning no.1 is definitely the safety of the person on the yard.  I shiver at the thought of someone being hurt, injured and helpless the entire night.


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## Fides (7 March 2014)

I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...


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## AngieandBen (7 March 2014)

I only have a small yard, Its my home also and the stables only about 30 feet from my kitchen door;  So, I do like my privacy at some point, and ask liveries to have left by 7pm and 9pm during the summer unless prior notice given.

Morinings, I'm quite happy for them to come anytime ( I am always out for 6am ) hate the horses in with no food, and as they are completely diy I'm not getting into that "can you feed him" etc etc .


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## twiggy2 (7 March 2014)

Fides said:



			I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...
		
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what staff are on a DIY livery yard?


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## PolarSkye (7 March 2014)

I think the issue here is not so much whether yards SHOULD have opening closing hours, but whether having them (and what they are) is reasonable.  In your case, OP, I don't think your YO is being particularly unreasonable and in your shoes, I would consider finding another yard or renting your own field/shelter.

Every yard I've been on has had time restrictions - some more strict than others - but it in all cases the YO and family lived on-site and time restrictions were really designed to give them some privacy and peace and ensure the security of the yard.

Current yard is the most relaxed . . . it's not really a yard - it's a private house and a fellow livery and I rent a stable and a field from the owner.  There are only four stabled horses (including YO's daughter's two BSJA ponies), we all get along/respect each other/help each other out and because YO is often out competing and coming and going at odd hours, she is very amenable when we do the same.  We are, however, very conscious of being as quiet as possible in the early (or late) hours, keep lights to a minimum, etc.  We have codes for both gates so can let ourselves in and out whenever we need to, but we are careful about which gate we use to limit disruption to other family members (there are about four generations of family spread about the whole farm).

As others have said, it's just common sense and courtesy really .

P


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## jirist (7 March 2014)

Fides said:



			I just think it is incredible that people expect livery yards to fit around their schedules - if you don't have time to fit a horse (sensibly) into you schedule you have 3 options

1) Go full livery
2) Rent your own place
3) Don't have a horse

It's hard enough making a livery yard pay it's way without paying extra for staff to cover extended hours...
		
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And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.

I really think to be not a so bad livery. I keep all my areas clean, i don't ask anything to anybody, don't make noise, switch off all the lights, check if the gates are locked, just want to take care of my horses.
Ok if i don't have to put the arena lights in late evenings i could come. But to not be allowed to be there, even if i inform her .... No.
Her house, is not directly at the same place. The stables are behind her house, direction the fields, with separated access.

So yes, for me, i will change if the YO don't allow me to see them.
I work very hard to be able to get them in England, so sorry, no, i am not very rich to put them in a full livery as i am new starter. But it is out of question to sell them, after 13 years spent with them.

No worry i will find an other solution.


(And there is NO STAFF at all there).


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## criso (7 March 2014)

twiggy2 said:



			what staff are on a DIY livery yard?
		
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Most of the yards round here anyway are mixed diy/full/part or a sort of managed diy where there is still a ym and services offered.  Maybe because people working or living in London, only want to visit at one end of the day so prefer yards that also offer services.

Having said on these yards they often don't have staff around past 5 or 6 o clock so either the owner if they are on site does a late check or last livery on the yard locks up.  If staff live on site they are officially off duty however they probably keeping half an eye on the fact that there are still people around and can't fully relax till they know the last person is gone.


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## khalswitz (7 March 2014)

jirist said:



			And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.
		
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I very much disagree. Personally I think before 5am or after 10pm is unsociable hours, and it is fair enough if those are your hours but you can't complain if others don't like it, especially at their home. Yes, the stables aren't right next to the house, but noise of cars, shod feet on gravel/concrete/bricks, lights etc would definitely wake me up even from a distance - were used to no noise or light at all at night so this would defo wake me. And being up to do horses at 5am before work reasonably regularly I am in bed at 9pm!!!!

I think it is totally fine for you to want those hours, but then rent your own field or find somewhere that prefers late nights to early mornings. I've always liveried at very horsy/farm liveries so regular late nights were frowned upon whilst early mornings not a problem - I bet there are places the other way round.

It's not your YOs fault she doesn't like late nights, and sounds like you didn't strictly tell her you'd be there til 10/1030 regularly, and even later some nights.

Just rent your own field, and then you can keep whatever unsociable hours you like, OP.


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## RunToEarth (7 March 2014)

jirist said:



			And for me it is incredible, that people cannot see their own horses because of restrictions.
		
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The only way you are going to get unlimited visiting hours without annoying people is to rent or buy your own yard - most small DIY livery yards are some poor person's home - you either learn to respect that or leave.


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## jirist (7 March 2014)

khalswitz said:



			It's not your YOs fault she doesn't like late nights, and sounds like you didn't strictly tell her you'd be there til 10/1030 regularly, and even later some nights.
		
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Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.


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## soulfull (7 March 2014)

My contract says leave by 9pm. But no one ever checks in fact as it's a college none of the bosses are even around at that time.  Plus it's a competition yard so often competitors there until 11pm (not by our stable block tho)

I couldn't go anywhere with time restrictions it would drive me nuts. Anywhere between 6am and 10pm would be what I need


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## 9tails (7 March 2014)

Lark said:



			1. Safety is an absolute first priority.  We would never leave the yard unsupervised if someone was riding in the event of an accident.  We may not have eyes on someone all of the time in the event that they did fall off it would not be 8 hours until they were found! Which could happen if someone was riding very late.
I am surprised that this has not come up before as a primary concern???
		
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Because we're not primary school kids and most of us would ride with a mobile phone in our pocket.  Is anybody allowed to hack out alone from your yard?  Your concern is admirable but horse riding IS a risk at any time.


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## Honey08 (7 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.
		
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From your early posts on this thread I got the impression that this happened quite regularly, I didn't realise it was just occasionally.

I do think that if you're coming up at 9.30 its unreasonable to ride, you should just quickly get you jobs done and leave - you could do two horses in less than an hour..

If your hours at work can change suddenly, or you're travelling, I personally think you need someone to cover your horses.  What if you didn't get home at all because of a  cancelled flight (has happened to me a few times)?


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## Garnet (7 March 2014)

jirist said:



			Again, i talked about occasional late hours like this. If my boss asks me to do something i have to stay. If i have a flight delayed, i can't do otherwise.
And in this case, i cannot see them before.

Usually i leave before 9pm, so normally that's fine.
		
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It sounds like you need to have a big think over the weekend and hopefully a calm chat with the YO where you can explain your unusual work situation this week with the 40 hours in four days and the boss who asks you to stay late.  If you look at it from the YO's point of view, she was expecting a "normal" DIY livery who would be finished usually by 9pm, and suddenly she has experienced four late nights in succession and she is obviously worried that this will become a habit which may affect her enjoyment of her evenings in her own home.

You, on the other hand, expect to be able to see your horses whenever you want, which is a perfectly reasonable request.  However, you have chosen to place your horses in a private yard at the YO's own home,  so the YO is allowed to set whatever rules she wishes as she owns the property.  If you had chosen a larger livery yard, run on a more commercial basis, you might find more of the flexibility that you require with more people coming and going all day, and back-up staff available to assist if your flight is delayed for example. 

Maybe you even need to speak to your boss to say that you have a responsibility to your horses and you would appreciate it if you could leave work by a regular time to care for your horses.  You can explain that you are always happy to help with extra tasks if they can be done from home perhaps, or finished the next day, but your boss needs to understand that you have a life outside work too.

Then you need to have a big think about future contingency plans for your horses if you are unable to get there because of a delayed flight or other unforeseen event.  I would be incredibly stressed if I was on a delayed flight and knew that I had horses relying on me to be there for them, if I did not have a back-up plan.  If you really like your current yard, then you need to get the YO on your side and perhaps ask her to be your back-up plan for additional payment in times of extreme stress.  You need to build a good relationship with her by pointing out that you pay on time, leave the yard tidy, look after your horse well, provide extra security by being there in the evenings etc etc - think of all the good points about yourself or offer to do a late night check for her/ hang extra haynets for her horse and generally sell yourself as the perfect livery!

Good luck with it all and I hope you manage to get past the current stress of everyone's expectations (yours, the YO's and your boss') not being met!


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## khalswitz (7 March 2014)

Honey08 said:



			From your early posts on this thread I got the impression that this happened quite regularly, I didn't realise it was just occasionally.

I do think that if you're coming up at 9.30 its unreasonable to ride, you should just quickly get you jobs done and leave - you could do two horses in less than an hour..

If your hours at work can change suddenly, or you're travelling, I personally think you need someone to cover your horses.  What if you didn't get home at all because of a  cancelled flight (has happened to me a few times)?
		
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Four days in a row to me as a YO would look like you're making it a regular thing tbh!!!

If that's not the case then fine, let her know that. But to me an odd occasion is just that - not four nights in a row.


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## twiggy2 (7 March 2014)

criso said:



			Most of the yards round here anyway are mixed diy/full/part or a sort of managed diy where there is still a ym and services offered.  Maybe because people working or living in London, only want to visit at one end of the day so prefer yards that also offer services.

Having said on these yards they often don't have staff around past 5 or 6 o clock so either the owner if they are on site does a late check or last livery on the yard locks up.  If staff live on site they are officially off duty however they probably keeping half an eye on the fact that there are still people around and can't fully relax till they know the last person is gone.
		
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I agree but we are talking DIY yard not part or full livery mix


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## twiggy2 (7 March 2014)

Lark said:



			1. Safety is an absolute first priority.  We would never leave the yard unsupervised if someone was riding in the event of an accident.  We may not have eyes on someone all of the time in the event that they did fall off it would not be 8 hours until they were found! Which could happen if someone was riding very late.
I am surprised that this has not come up before as a primary concern???

But back to the beginning no.1 is definitely the safety of the person on the yard.  I shiver at the thought of someone being hurt, injured and helpless the entire night.
		
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I am a grown up and am happy to take responsibility for myself around horses, I work on a yard and am there on my own 5 days per week, all my hacking is done alone on a day to day basis-I get on, go off and ride, I get lost and find my way back-it is the one aspect of my life that is not controlled by others and it's great


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## Orson Cart (7 March 2014)

I may be totally wrong here ... but are the restrictions not also in place for legal reasons so that it is clear there is no permission to reside there for 24 hrs a day - hence avoiding any squatting rights issues later down the line? I may have got totally befuddled on that one - it was what a YO said to me once about why they had in their contract that horses could only be seen during day light hours ... in reality they were more than happy for us to arrive early - I deem anything prior to 6.30am to be early - and stay late, it was just a clause in the contract to protect them.


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## criso (7 March 2014)

twiggy2 said:



			I agree but we are talking DIY yard not part or full livery mix
		
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Even DIY yards round here seem to have a certain amount of 'management' and staff.   If people want to go totally DIY, they tend to rent their own yard or land. 

However in this case we are talking about someone's private yard attached to their house where they have chosen to take in a couple of liveries.  I do think that that's relevant as it's first the YOs home, they probably feel they can't switch off and relax till everyone's gone and if they keep early nights then between 10 and midnight may be late for them.


Like many other things these terms can mean different things.


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## twiggy2 (7 March 2014)

criso said:



			Even DIY yards round here seem to have a certain amount of 'management' and staff.   If people want to go totally DIY, they tend to rent their own yard or land. 

However in this case we are talking about someone's private yard attached to their house where they have chosen to take in a couple of liveries.  I do think that that's relevant as it's first the YOs home, they probably feel they can't switch off and relax till everyone's gone and if they keep early nights then between 10 and midnight may be late for them.


Like many other things these terms can mean different things.
		
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I agree with the notion that the YO can put in place any 'rules' they like and liveries have to abide by them, also that people moving on to a yard should discuss in full what they expect from a yard as should Yo discuss what they expect from a livery-I think OP has just been a bit naive in thinking late nights are OK on all yards.


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## criso (7 March 2014)

I think the OP did say from the start they had to work late from time to time but suspect two people walked away from the that conversation with a different interpretation of what late means.


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## sport horse (7 March 2014)

You say you were late due to a delayed flight? What would happen if that flight were not merely delayed a few hours but by days. This happened to me on a flight from Dublin so not long haul. Fog caused all flights to be cancelled for 28 hours. What would happen to your horse in that case? Would it starve? I am sorry but if your job entails travel of that nature you are not in a position to DIY without very, very good backup.


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## jirist (7 March 2014)

THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED !

I will move next month to an other yard, where they have staff, and if i need to travel abroad, or to work late one day per week, i will ask them to take care of my horses as full livery.


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## MerrySherryRider (7 March 2014)

I really must get the council to switch the street lights off after dark and stop people walking out side my home. It's a real nuisance. 

I'm still laughing at the YO who has to follow her liveries around in case they hurt themselves and then has to check the owners know which stable and what rug their horse has.
 Good job the yard shuts at 7pm at weekends. They'll be back home in time for CBeebies and warm milk.


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## jirist (7 March 2014)

twiggy2 said:



			I think OP has just been a bit naive in thinking late nights are OK on all yards.
		
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that's not a question of naivety

I come from France, my horses as well, where DIY livery DON'T EXIST, it is just full livery.
So we don't need to stay late, as it is just riding.
And even if it is late, in my last livery it was opened from 7am to 10pm (so just to ride).

So i didn't know at all, what is the operating in stables in this country.


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## Honey08 (7 March 2014)

MerrySherryRider said:



			I really must get the council to switch the street lights off after dark and stop people walking out side my home. It's a real nuisance. 

I'm still laughing at the YO who has to follow her liveries around in case they hurt themselves and then has to check the owners know which stable and what rug their horse has.
 Good job the yard shuts at 7pm at weekends. They'll be back home in time for CBeebies and warm milk.
		
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The difference is that those of us with farms/yards are not used to people being around at night, and if they are they're usually suspicious, so movement/lights on the property at unsocial hours does disturb us more.  And also you get used to living in the dark, so light really does wake you up.   If you live in a town you probabaly won't understand!   And to laugh at someone who cares whether their clients hurt themselves is a bit weird IMO.

Ps,
edited to add, glad you've found another yard OP, I think you'll be happier in the long run.


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## jirist (7 March 2014)

Honey08 said:



			The difference is that those of us with farms/yards are not used to people being around at night, and if they are they're usually suspicious, so movement/lights on the property at unsocial hours does disturb us more.  And also you get used to living in the dark, so light really does wake you up.   If you live in a town you probabaly won't understand!   And to laugh at someone who cares whether their clients hurt themselves is a bit weird IMO.

Ps,
edited to add, glad you've found another yard OP, I think you'll be happier in the long run.
		
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I hope so
thank you !


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## MerrySherryRider (7 March 2014)

Honey08 said:



			The difference is that those of us with farms/yards are not used to people being around at night, and if they are they're usually suspicious, so movement/lights on the property at unsocial hours does disturb us more.  And also you get used to living in the dark, so light really does wake you up.   If you live in a town you probabaly won't understand!   And to laugh at someone who cares whether their clients hurt themselves is a bit weird IMO.

Ps,
edited to add, glad you've found another yard OP, I think you'll be happier in the long run.
		
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I'm currently living half the week on a lit street and half the week on a dark country lane. I seem to be able to cope with sleeping.
What I find weird is a YO who thinks her clients need following around in case they hurt themselves or put the horse in the wrong stable. 
Having only once had the misfortune to be briefly on a yard where the owner wanted clients to leave by early evening, I must have been lucky to always be on yards where the YO doesn't see owners as an inconvenience.
 That said, YO's can do as they please, but just make sure potential liveries know before they come.


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## diamonddogs (7 March 2014)

It never really occurred to me to check on opening times when I moved to my current yard.

The owners live on site, so we try to be as considerate as we can. I know a few go up at 5am, I'm normally there about 7.15am and back at about 5.15pm. The fields are organised so people arriving or leaving at a certain time get put together so there's not normally an issue about when to turn out or bring in. The latest mine's been out is around 6pm but that's unusual, and I've often been last off the yard, at around 6.45pm. I don't think there's an upper limit in summer.

As long as the last person out turns the lights off and shuts all the gates behind them they're pretty good, and there's never a problem if you need to be late/overnight with a sick horse, in fact I've known the YO to stay out with the worried owner to keep them company, though she's not specially horsey.

We tend to discuss Christmas Day between us in advance as to arrival and departure times so the family know where they stand, but that's just us - it's not expected.

Like others have said, if your YO lives on site it's about consideration for their home and property.


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## Lark (7 March 2014)

MerrySherryRider said:



			I'm currently living half the week on a lit street and half the week on a dark country lane. I seem to be able to cope with sleeping.
What I find weird is a YO who thinks her clients need following around in case they hurt themselves or put the horse in the wrong stable. 
Having only once had the misfortune to be briefly on a yard where the owner wanted clients to leave by early evening, I must have been lucky to always be on yards where the YO doesn't see owners as an inconvenience.
 That said, YO's can do as they please, but just make sure potential liveries know before they come.
		
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So you have never seen a door left unlocked?
You have never found a loose horse on the yard in the morning?
Tackroom unlocked?
You have never seen someone forget to rug a horse?
You have never seen anyone knocked unconscious or badly hurt?
Tack stolen?
Horseboxes stolen?

We have a duty of care to our owners, their horses and their property plus our own.
It is childish to think that a yard would not to take every measure possible to provision for peoples security and saftety.

Of course people go hacking but if they are alone we get an idea of the intended route.
If I go hacking I let people know where I am going.

But absolutely no way would we have someone riding in the middle of the night alone where if anything did happen nobody would be aware of it for hours.

Bizarre to think that anyone would find a consideration for their personal welfare as laughable.
Perhaps experience will teach you otherwise.


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## sport horse (7 March 2014)

Here here Lark - I so agree with you.  OP I am so glad that you have found other arrangements that will suit you and your horses better and also suit your current yard owner better too. Job done everyone happy!!!


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## Hayleighm175 (7 March 2014)

No, mine doesn't have any 'set' hours as such now. 
When i was younger (upto being 16) i wasn't allowed there past 6 in winter as it's dark and the yard is down a lane in the middle of nowhere and there's only me there! But now i'm 19, i don't have any limit as long as i have my boyfriend with me  
I didn't like the limit at first but i guess he was just looking after me


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## Magicmillbrook (7 March 2014)

Interesting post.

MerrySherryRider, I think you are being a bit harsh on the livey owner who is concerned about injury.  As a livery owner/manager there is a duty of care towards clients and no doubt ther will be insurance requirements etc.

We must also remember that some yards will be governed by planning conditions on opening hours, these are  common where neighbours object to applications for livery yards, as they so often do.

I have my own yard and if I had liveries I wouldn't be able to switch off until everyone had gone - I am a bit of a control freak.   But then again I regularly ride until 10/11pm.  In the winter when they come in at 3 or 4pm  let mine out at 10pm into the arena for a leg stretch whilst I skip out and replenish hay, in fact the boys always do a pee when they are turned out into the arena saving me bedding and effort.

I didn't think horses went to sleep at night as such, but that they cat nap through out the day and night, it certainly doesn't upset my lot if I appear at a queer time.  What they wouldn't like is variable breakfast time or someone getting breakfast when they didn't.  Good job I don't have to think about it.


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## Turtlebay69 (7 March 2014)

amymay said:



			No. Just common sense and curtousy.
		
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I agree


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## marmalade76 (7 March 2014)

MerrySherryRider said:



			I really must get the council to switch the street lights off after dark and stop people walking out side my home. It's a real nuisance. 

I'm still laughing at the YO who has to follow her liveries around in case they hurt themselves and then has to check the owners know which stable and what rug their horse has.
 Good job the yard shuts at 7pm at weekends. They'll be back home in time for CBeebies and warm milk.
		
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Ha ha! Indeed!

We have some friends who rent out a few barns and sheds, they often moan about their tenants coming on a Sunday 'cause they have to drive past their house and garden and they feel they have no peace and privacy. They need to choose which is more important to them, the rent money or the privacy! Of course, most of us don't have the luxury of choosing who walks /drives past our houses and gardens.

I have said on here more than once that yards are often part of people's homes and we should respect this and not make nuisances of ourselves, but animals are not a 9 - 5 thing and if they cannot accept sharing their property they shouldn't rent it out.


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## marmalade76 (7 March 2014)

Lark said:



			So you have never seen a door left unlocked?
You have never found a loose horse on the yard in the morning?
Tackroom unlocked?
You have never seen someone forget to rug a horse?
You have never seen anyone knocked unconscious or badly hurt?
Tack stolen?
Horseboxes stolen?

We have a duty of care to our owners, their horses and their property plus our own.
It is childish to think that a yard would not to take every measure possible to provision for peoples security and saftety.

Of course people go hacking but if they are alone we get an idea of the intended route.
If I go hacking I let people know where I am going.

But absolutely no way would we have someone riding in the middle of the night alone where if anything did happen nobody would be aware of it for hours.

Bizarre to think that anyone would find a consideration for their personal welfare as laughable.
Perhaps experience will teach you otherwise.
		
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Wow, how me, my horses and tack have survived all these years with me doing virtually everything alone is an absolute miracle!


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## khalswitz (7 March 2014)

MerrySherryRider said:



			I really must get the council to switch the street lights off after dark and stop people walking out side my home. It's a real nuisance. 

I'm still laughing at the YO who has to follow her liveries around in case they hurt themselves and then has to check the owners know which stable and what rug their horse has.
 Good job the yard shuts at 7pm at weekends. They'll be back home in time for CBeebies and warm milk.
		
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It's what you're used to. When in London, I got used to sleeping through sirens, nightclub music, people in the flats around me etc, but here in the middle of no where a floodlight going on or car starting would wake me, as it's not part of the normal spectrum of noises. Equally I've had friends from London visit me here and been unable to sleep because 'it was creepily quiet' during the night and 'the birds are ridiculously loud' in the mornings. 

But someone wandering on to the yard and switching on a floodlight, or starting the car, or noise of hooves (one noise when I worked full time on a yard we were TRAINED to bolt awake at in case a horse was loose) would certainly wake me up. But comparing it to street lights isn't really legitimate I think.


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## MotherOfChickens (7 March 2014)

marmalade76 said:



			Wow, how me, my horses and tack have survived all these years with me doing virtually everything alone is an absolute miracle!
		
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I ride, lunge, hack, have youngsters etc and do everything on my own and have for the last few years. there's a difference though between me doing that in my own space and doing on a yard owned/run by others. If I let out a stable and was on site, I would feel obliged to check that someone wasn't lying unconscious all night, I don't see how that is a laughable or somehow annoying trait tbh.


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## Honey08 (7 March 2014)

khalswitz said:



			It's what you're used to. When in London, I got used to sleeping through sirens, nightclub music, people in the flats around me etc, but here in the middle of no where a floodlight going on or car starting would wake me, as it's not part of the normal spectrum of noises. Equally I've had friends from London visit me here and been unable to sleep because 'it was creepily quiet' during the night and 'the birds are ridiculously loud' in the mornings. 

But someone wandering on to the yard and switching on a floodlight, or starting the car, or noise of hooves (one noise when I worked full time on a yard we were TRAINED to bolt awake at in case a horse was loose) would certainly wake me up. But comparing it to street lights isn't really legitimate I think.
		
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Exactly, thank you!

At home I wake up at every set of hooves that go past on our lane and generally every car and especially bigger vehicles that go past in the middle of the night as we generally don't have traffic on the lane.   I'm generally a very light sleeper having grown up in an area with little traffic and no street lights, however when I'm away on trips I can sleep with any background noise as its not my problem whats going on around me, if you see what I mean.


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