# What's the strangest yard rule you've come across?



## glamourpuss (5 April 2012)

I know there are probably good reasons behind them but what yard rules have you heard that have made you chuckle a little?

Well here it's that horses are not to be ridden down the main drive. Supposedly this is because it teaches them the way to escape if they were to get free....absolute tosh IMO because if they wanted to escape they'd just bugger off the yard the way we go out hacking. 

Another from another yard, after using the arena it had to be raked flat again....by hand. Oh that was great fun ;-)

So what silly/stupid yard rules have you come across?


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## Bills (5 April 2012)

Those are ridiculous rules lol! 

Can't really think of any silly ones, we don't really have any rules as such on our place, yard owner just leaves us to get on with it and it seems to work pretty well.


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## Kallibear (5 April 2012)

Friend was at a very limiting yard for a while. You weren't allowed up after 6pm or at all on mon or tues! Horses were full livery only but i'd still expect to be able to see my horse as and when I choose, within reason (i.e not 2am). I wouldn't tolerate that at all but she thought it was the norm until she moved up north!


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## Hedwards (5 April 2012)

I took my horse to university with me, and liveried at the university livery yard, the rule was that all jobs had to be done by 8 am (and i mean had to be done, you couldnt leave your mucking out until the afternoon) - considering every single livery on the yard was a student i found this very strange... needless to say we were always late finishing mucking out - normally due to a raging hangover!


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## crabbymare (5 April 2012)

I have known some very limiting ones but the strangest was to the effect of liveries were not allowed to have sex at the yard  I did not ask why they felt the need to have that clause in the rules but its the oddest I saw


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## xxMozlarxx (5 April 2012)

crabbymare said:



			I have known some very limiting ones but the strangest was to the effect of liveries were not allowed to have sex at the yard  I did not ask why they felt the need to have that clause in the rules but its the oddest I saw
		
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## Littlelegs (5 April 2012)

Horses not to be left unattended at any time! It did actually refer to people tying horses up outside stables & wondering off, as it was a rs it made it difficult to get horses past for lessons. Was on a friends contract & I did have a laugh at first. Along with a few others that taken out of context were odd.


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## Caol Ila (5 April 2012)

The uni barn (in the US) where I kept my horse when I was an undergrad was quite posh but when I started uni, it was still relatively normal.

Then just before I started final year, we got a new barn manager who wanted the yard to have a certain look.  We got issued a new set of barn rules, one of which was that all horses must look "neat," be trimmed, mane pulled, etc.  

My horse looks like this: 
	
	
		
		
	


	





The barn manager told me she wasn't happy with Gypsum's mane and feathers as it didn't suit the character she felt the stable should have.  I said, "I've been here for three years.  This is my final year.  You're really going to make me pull her mane?  (by the way, I wasn't, as it took me years to grow that mane out) And I'm not touching the feathers!"

She said, "Uhhh....  Do you show?"

I told her that I didn't.

She responded somewhat unhappily, "I guess it's okay then."

Even weirder (indeed, it gets weirder) was the the stable I kept her at for a summer in Staten Island, New York, which had a rule stating that all horses, unless wearing a bridle, should be lead with a stud chain.  The owner, who was a bit barmy at the best of times, claimed that if a horse spooked and jumped forward when wearing a normal flat halter (headcollar  ), how were you going to stop them?


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## Sandylou (5 April 2012)

At my old yard liveries were not allowed to loan or share their horses. Only the owner was allowed to ride their horse as well - no friends, no family, no horse swaps for a ride, nothing!! Also, we weren't allowed to hose our horses legs ever!


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## somethingorother (5 April 2012)

These are nuts! 

The strangest i had (normal by these standards) was on a reasonably sized DIY livery, where you had to ask permission before having anyone else there with you. So if i wanted to take a friend with me to spend a couple of hours with the horse, or to bring in from the field on the way to/from somewhere, i had to ask permission :/

Oh, and in winter, horses were not allowed to be left in the field unless you were on the yard. I tried to take the other horse for a quick walk around the block for an hour whilst the crazy one had an hour out, and got threatened with being banned! Did ask another livery to keep an eye on him but that wasn't good enough.


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## Caol Ila (5 April 2012)

Somethingorother's posts reminds me of another winner.

I spent the summer in Ireland between my third and fourth year of uni (horse stayed with a friend in Connecticut), not riding at all.  When I came back to the US, I stayed with a horsey mate in New Jersey for about a week before going to CT to collect the horse.  My NJ friend had two horses, one of whom was an ex-school horse from our university's riding program. A couple years beforehand, I worked for the university during a summer keeping the schoolies fit and trained and this guy had been one of my assigned horses that summer, so I knew him pretty well.  He was a 17-year old ex-eventer TB.  A proper schoolmaster.  Anyway, my friend said that we should go to her stable and I would ride this horse, which sounded like a great idea.  

So there was me, pottering about on this horse, having a nice time and trying to remember how to ride again.  After about twenty or thirty minutes, my friend's trainer came storming up to the arena in a rage, shouting at us about how this is a SERIOUS showjumping barn and they DO NOT do "pony rides" and I needed to get off the horse immediately.  

What a d*ck.


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## Fransurrey (5 April 2012)

Years ago when I was moving to East Surrey, my OH was told of a nice yard for me. When I got there, I was told that there was no access to the yard after 7pm, even at weekends. The other odd one was that all liveries had to leave their cars unlocked, in case they needed moving. Can't remember the others, but the list of rules was 2 x A4 sheets - I remember it being pinned up in the tack room. Needless to say I didn't go!!


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## pinklilly (5 April 2012)

I wasn't allowed to turn my horse out because he had mud fever and they said the other horses would catch it.  Then they complained horse was chewing stable because he was bored.  Had to pay to use school but no lunging allowed because they couldn't be bothered to harrow it.


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## TelH (5 April 2012)

I went to look at a diy yard years ago, no-one was allowed on the yard after 4.30pm  Needless to say I did not move to that yard


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## Caol Ila (5 April 2012)

I looked a livery yard which had a rule stating that liveries could not jump unless an instructor was present.

I said, "I've owned horses for about fifteen years, been riding for about twenty, have broken in youngsters, and taught people to ride.  So... really?"

I didn't go to that yard, which also had a rule saying liveries could not be at the yard after 5 on weekends.


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## jendie (5 April 2012)

One I was at as a child had a large notice 'No sex in or behind stables or anywhere within the yard area'. Apparently it was OK in the surrounding fields....


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## sidesaddlegirl (5 April 2012)

Caol Ila said:



			Even weirder (indeed, it gets weirder) was the the stable I kept her at for a summer in Staten Island, New York, which had a rule stating that all horses, unless wearing a bridle, should be lead with a stud chain.  The owner, who was a bit barmy at the best of times, claimed that if a horse spooked and jumped forward when wearing a normal flat halter (headcollar  ), how were you going to stop them?
		
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LOL, I'm from Canada and we ALWAYS used chain leads at the barns I was at  Even now 3000 miles away in the boonies of Leicestershire, I ALWAYS use a chain lead. That thing has stopped Hattie from running off with me when she gets it in her head to act like an idiot. I just feel it's safer  It also stops her from cribbing off the lead when she gets a bit  bored if I'm taking too long to tack up. If I had my own barn rules, I would probably make chain leads one of them!


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## seoirse (5 April 2012)

We've got some stupid ones pinned up on the wall in the tack room which we tend to ignore. 

No horses to be fed outside - errr mine is grass livery?!

Mares and geldings are only allowed to be turned out together if they both belong to the same person. You would not BELIEVE the hassle my sister and I had trying to allow them to let us put our mare and gelding out together! They did in the end give in!


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## charleysummer (5 April 2012)

jendie said:



			One I was at as a child had a large notice 'No sex in or behind stables or anywhere within the yard area'. Apparently it was OK in the surrounding fields....
		
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!!  oh dear, it does raise a few questions

no funny rules for me really, always been on nice DIY yard that are literally do it yourself and whatever you want within reason. However with that comes the strangest horse management practises I have seen


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## LaurenB (5 April 2012)

Not as weird as some of these but on top of livery having to pay 50p a time for school lights to be on


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## seoirse (5 April 2012)

oh and no shavings allowed either! Which is why I am on grass livery now as its straw, which makes my horse cough, or paper, which gives me a nervous breakdown trying to muck out!


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## springer1021 (5 April 2012)

I used to do freelance grooming and on one yard I went to the loo, shut the door (as you do when you go to the loo ), and there was a notice on the back of the door "bring your own loo paper"!!


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## seoirse (5 April 2012)

haha! we don't even have a sign, we just know to bring our own - I pity anyone visiting our yard who needs a wee!


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## Dirty_D (5 April 2012)

More of a joke but on our old 'porta potty' toilet door it had written 

'NUMBER 1's ONLY PLEASE!'

Pretty relaxed yard so no other rules other than common sense ones (although i would like to make a few!)


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## Slightlyconfused (5 April 2012)

One was not allowed to school your horses bareback unless you paid to have a lesson eva time. 

The other was raking the school by hand after we have ridden......that was fun  

Xx


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## Vicki_Krystal (5 April 2012)

A friend, who managed 3 weeks at this yard, had some very odd rules, however  the barmiest rule ever -

You had to pick your horses feet out into a bucket.. then return the mud to the field the horse was turned out in..

The yard was always empty - not surprising really.


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## Tiger2 (5 April 2012)

I used to be on a yard where we had to rake the school after we used it by hand! It was a right pain in the a**e  and put you off riding anywhere but the very edge of school. Also we were not allowed to lunge in the school.


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## sidesaddlegirl (5 April 2012)

My yard is pretty chilled out with common sense rules (like pick up your horses poo, etc) but we do have a "no straw" rule which suits me just fine as I get hives if I am in contact with it, even tools that have been used to muck out straw. I love my yard!


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## Ranyhyn (5 April 2012)

That if I shared my horse, the sharer had to pay to ride in the school.
There was me thinking you paid per horse in the school but apparently we were paying for US to be in there..


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## Rudolph's Red Nose (5 April 2012)

crabbymare said:



			I have known some very limiting ones but the strangest was to the effect of liveries were not allowed to have sex at the yard  I did not ask why they felt the need to have that clause in the rules but its the oddest I saw
		
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Arrrh but I know of a naughty couple who were in "other" relationships and that was their meeting place until sussed out so perhaps the same true of the above yard .... !!!


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## Jaycee (5 April 2012)

How about: 
YO wanting 7 days written prior notice of anyone visiting me at the yard, stating their names, addresses, time of arrival, length and reason for visit! 

Only being allowed to spend 3 hours a day "adequate amount of time" with my horses unless riding!

No soaking of haynets with hose, or any other excess use of hose ie: hosing legs for any reason.

Needless to say I am not at that yard anymore!


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## marmalade76 (5 April 2012)

So glad I've never had to keep mine on a livery yard.

I've always rented grazing and stabling on farms where we've just been left to it. It sounds to me like some YOs are unreasonable control freaks!


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## little_critter (5 April 2012)

LaurenB said:



			Not as weird as some of these but on top of livery having to pay 50p a time for school lights to be on
		
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I pay £1 for roughly 40 mins and the light is patchy so it's nasty to jump as it casts tricky shadows.


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## becca1305 (5 April 2012)

Ive done the horses at college finished by 8am which was a pain. fortunately I dont get hangovers  so I got to be the one loudly trilling 'Morning!' 

Aside from that, not a yard Ive been on as I keep mine at home, but Ive heard from friends at a yard close by that if your horse poos on the way out to be ridden/ turned out/ anything, you have to stop/get off if riding, tie horse up/ put back in stable, pick the poo up and hose and scrub the concrete before continuing because if you left the poo until you were back it might have stained the concrete!  .


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## Kadastorm (5 April 2012)

Our yard is really different as we are a charity riding school with horses on working livery, don't have any weird rules but the yard is closed on a monday. With the amount of people we get here one day a week is needed for the horses and staff to rest. Unless we are on foal watch which we have been for a bloody long time now! 

Our liveries don't complain as they pay £25pw and that includes everything except shoes and vets bills, they get their horses exercised, wormed, rugged, all bedding, hay and feed included and trips to shows and so on... Think they can cope without riding on mondays if they get all of that!


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## Copperpot (5 April 2012)

I'm on a lovely yard on full livery but we don't have any stupid rules!! I can't believe some of them. Crazy.


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## Horses24-7 (5 April 2012)

Odd ones include- not at these yards now!

horse got to be out by 7:30 otherwise YO does it and you get charged

Postage stamp turnout (mud) but not allowed to put hay out

No instructor on site but if you bring an instructor you have to pay to hire the school! £15 a time !!

£6.50 every time the muck heap is emptied even when your horse is on grass livery! 

No jumping in school

You can't turn out friends horses or do them for each other as it takes business away from YO and if you did she charged you as if she had done it! 

Oh don't you love livery yards! Thank god I've found a nice one at last


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## hudsonw (5 April 2012)

Not strange but I'm just not sure why it was made a rule on an all adult yard...

Don't swing on gates! Even goes as far to explain how to open and close a gate so foot to floor contact is maintained???


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## Niddlynoo (5 April 2012)

Rules from yards I am no longer at:

If hay is put out in the field, please rake any leftovers a the end of the day!

Never sure in winter if horses were allowed out, farmer would put sign out at 8am saying if they were to stay in, or if they were allowed out, what time they had to be in by. So if you had to leave for work (like most people do) before 8 you had to second guess! The bring in time could vary from 12 til 5 so you could never make any arrangements.

No using the outside track in the indoor school to prevent 'wearing' a track!

Only allowed to use half the school lights to save money if you were DIY (she didn't make enough money for us to let us use all of them).


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## Luci07 (5 April 2012)

somethingorother said:



			These are nuts! 

The strangest i had (normal by these standards) was on a reasonably sized DIY livery, where you had to ask permission before having anyone else there with you. So if i wanted to take a friend with me to spend a couple of hours with the horse, or to bring in from the field on the way to/from somewhere, i had to ask permission :/
.
		
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 I don't agree, I think that is completely sensible for security reasons! And as a livery I don't want strange people wandering around my horses.  The size of the yard is irrelevant. People bring their friends up to ours some times but they are introduced/ known about and challenged if they are not known.


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## rubysmum (5 April 2012)

i once went to look at a rather nice DIY yard - BUT liveries were not allowed onto the yard before 8am & you were not allowed to keep any tack on the yard - as i had 2 horses at the time & 2 sharers - the logistics of getting tack to the right person for the right day would have needed its own spreadsheet

oh and the yard that allowed you to source yor own hay/haylige but charged you ground rental to store them


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## russianhorse (5 April 2012)

I've only ever been on DIY yards, but some of the rules endorsed were:

Haynets to be hung up on the back wall to the left only, with buckets on same side but at the front

Bedding must stop at a certain length, so there is about a 2ft gap from front of stable to bed

Lead ropes must be tied properly after use every single time and clipped onto headcollar, which must be placed on headcollar hook

No one is allowed down to yard after 6pm

No bareback riding at all

Friends/Family must stay with you at all times (i.e, you had to take them to turn out/bring your horses in - they couldn't just wait at the stable or they must be escorted to the toilet etc)

Water for anything other than for buckets was £1 per minute

No loitering down yard - ride, turnout, muck out but no socialising outside of these



Weirdly, my first yard had many many rules, but what I couldn't understand was them allowing the field gate to be opened at 5.30 and letting all the horses come flying in from the field, to make their own way back to their tables.  Basically, you left their stable door open and stood out their way when they all came galloping in


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## Vixen Van Debz (5 April 2012)

I read the Hartpury livery rules only last week: you can't wear any bright colours at all, and absolutely no hoodies. I found that odd as our entire yard live in hoodies and bright, contrast joddies most of the time!


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## Cortez (5 April 2012)

Actually, having run livery yards in the past, I do see the point of most of these rules......


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## Paint Me Proud (5 April 2012)

someone I know used to be on a yard where you werent allowed to tie your horse up outside the stable. I just dont understand that one!

But if you fancy making yourself feel happy about your yard read this livery contract for a local equestrian centre, it is a brilliant place but very strict - http://www.middletonequestrian.co.uk/downloads/liverycontract2009.pdf


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## Fruitcake (5 April 2012)

Vicki_Krystal said:



			A friend, who managed 3 weeks at this yard, had some very odd rules, however  the barmiest rule ever -

You had to pick your horses feet out into a bucket.. then return the mud to the field the horse was turned out in..

The yard was always empty - not surprising really.
		
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Have just had such a laugh at this!!!  What did they think was going to happen?  You'd gradually steal the field in your horse's feet?  Am wondering what happened if you were picking out feet after a hack.  Did that have to be into a bucket or was it OK just to sweep that mud up?  And where would you return that mud to?

So glad I'm not on a yard but am finding these rules very entertaining!


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## Shutterbug (5 April 2012)

I always said YO's are a special breed of people lol. Some of these are funny, luckily I have a sane YO who does not impose silly rules lol


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## Abz88 (5 April 2012)

Reading these I feel soooo sooooo lucky where I am!! Not only is it not b*tchy in the slightest,...there are NO written down rules or contract! The rules that were given to me when I moved there were 'you pay at the beginning of the month for the month in advance' totally fair 'no dogs to be off the lead on the yard' totally fair and you only need to see the gaurd dog once to realise a dog off the lead would be it's dinner! And to keep the bit outside your stable and tack room swept. Other than that, you are left to get on with it! Very quickly people got to know me and the little girly and got used to either the OH or my mum around too and doesnt bother them is either are doing the girly for me. There is no rule on times, or turn out/in times, use of school is included and as long as you pick up any poo at the end, they are happy. Pays to be at a working farm! They are no nonsense and very fair, but if you c*ck up - my goodness does the farmer let you know hes not happy!!! Oh yeah, and all hay and straw you take is done on trust at the end of the month, pay for what you use. All of this makes a very very pleasent envionment and as a result, no-one takes the mick and the yard is usually spotless!


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## pixiebee (5 April 2012)

Caol Ila said:



			The uni barn (in the US) where I kept my horse when I was an undergrad was quite posh but when I started uni, it was still relatively normal.

Then just before I started final year, we got a new barn manager who wanted the yard to have a certain look.  We got issued a new set of barn rules, one of which was that all horses must look "neat," be trimmed, mane pulled, etc.  

My horse looks like this: 
	
	
		
		
	


	





The barn manager told me she wasn't happy with Gypsum's mane and feathers as it didn't suit the character she felt the stable should have.  I said, "I've been here for three years.  This is my final year.  You're really going to make me pull her mane?  (by the way, I wasn't, as it took me years to grow that mane out) And I'm not touching the feathers!"

She said, "Uhhh....  Do you show?"

I told her that I didn't.

She responded somewhat unhappily, "I guess it's okay then."

Even weirder (indeed, it gets weirder) was the the stable I kept her at for a summer in Staten Island, New York, which had a rule stating that all horses, unless wearing a bridle, should be lead with a stud chain.  The owner, who was a bit barmy at the best of times, claimed that if a horse spooked and jumped forward when wearing a normal flat halter (headcollar  ), how were you going to stop them?
		
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ia it wrong of me to agree with feather off and mane pulling on your horse ???


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## Marydoll (5 April 2012)

Paint Me Proud said:



			someone I know used to be on a yard where you werent allowed to tie your horse up outside the stable. I just dont understand that one!

But if you fancy making yourself feel happy about your yard read this livery contract for a local equestrian centre, it is a brilliant place but very strict - http://www.middletonequestrian.co.uk/downloads/liverycontract2009.pdf

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Sometimes tying up outside your stable is dangerous of theres not enough space to get horses and people past safely, This was a rule on a yard i was on, it was probably the best rule on the yard.


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## maisie06 (5 April 2012)

Kallibear said:



			Friend was at a very limiting yard for a while. You weren't allowed up after 6pm or at all on mon or tues! Horses were full livery only but i'd still expect to be able to see my horse as and when I choose, within reason (i.e not 2am). I wouldn't tolerate that at all but she thought it was the norm until she moved up north!
		
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That's bonkers!!! Didn't the YO realise that not all of us who own horses are ladies that lunch and some of us have to work hard to keep them??!! I often leave the yard for a hack after 6pm as that's the time I like riding in the summer!!


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## olop (5 April 2012)

A yard I went to view before I last moved said that nobody was to jump over 2ft6?!?!  When I queried it she said it was due to the risk of accidents, needless to say I didn't move there!


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## charleysummer (5 April 2012)

maisie06 said:



			That's bonkers!!! Didn't the YO realise that not all of us who own horses are ladies that lunch and some of us have to work hard to keep them??!! I often leave the yard for a hack after 6pm as that's the time I like riding in the summer!!
		
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Ive been known to ride at around 10.30 pm and later! don't think they'd like me very much lol


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## loverly (5 April 2012)

Oh I have quite a few to add!!

"Horses are not allowed in fields when raining"
"Horses to be brought in from fields by 2pm"
"No lunging in school" - which I sort of understand.
"If horses have ripped up fields, put back down the turf"
"Every visitor must be taken to Yard Owner" 

There are a few more and needless to say - I have moved!


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## charleysummer (5 April 2012)

loverly said:



			"If horses have ripped up fields, put back down the turf"
		
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I used to do this/still do this when in a small enough field  never was asked ofc but I did like to make the field look better again haha.


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## VioletStripe (5 April 2012)

I know of a yard where you can only use their water buckets provided - otherwise they won't refill them for you! In all fairness, they're very good water buckets and they do provide them with no charge, but I did find it a bit odd.. Trugs for water were banned xx


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## MiCsarah (5 April 2012)

I actually understand the rule at colleges and uni yards that horses should be done before certain times. They want the yard to clean and tidy incase any visitors come. Plus they can make sure everyone is doing their horses. We had one pre farrier at the college yard who hardly ever turned up to do his horse. Mucking out was done once in a blue moon and he regularly turned up drunk. In the end he managed to basically give the horse to another student who actually looked after the horse who lovely and only 3


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## depurple1 (5 April 2012)

I love my yard - there are 4 rules: 
Pay by 28th of month
Everyone worms on the same program
Keep the muck heap tidy
Poo pick your field regularly

All common sense really.  Never been on a yard with bonkers rules, don't think I'd last long!


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## padderpaws (5 April 2012)

The last livery yard I was on was a little strange.  One of the rules (and they changed every few days) was that you HAD to open the bags of pony nuts in a certain way.  If you didn't YO went nuts. She even wrote on the said bag "how to instructions".  Surly an open bag is an open bag no matter how you open it.


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## kerilli (5 April 2012)

some of these are utterly barmy, but honestly, until you've seen how weird and unreasonable some liveries can be... i used to have a few liveries, and hardly any rules. until i had a livery who thought it was absolutely fine to turn up at 10.30pm at night, put all the lights on (big internal barn) and the radio on loud, and groom her horse...
or the one who brought up some friends who had kids, and the boys ran around like lunatics screaming the place down before getting their willies out and playing "i can pee more accurately than you can into the tractor tyre tracks". i am not kidding. you couldn't make that up. 
or the one who asked if she could borrow my tiny quiet clippers to hog her horse, i said yes and went out for a hack, came back an hour later to find a half-clipped horse which she insisted on finishing with my clippers because the blades were finer than hers. 
i think at that point i decided that maybe a couple of rules might be necessary after all...


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## Ellemoo (5 April 2012)

Yikes!! Some of these are absurd  
We dont have any real rules on our yard, just the usual tidy up after yourself etc
I visited a yard my friend was working at once, and was pre warned that i needed to make sure i was wearing jods or i wouldnt be allowed on the yard  just for visiting?? haha


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## Honey08 (5 April 2012)

No wonder I stopped doing livery - I found half of these perfectly normal!




LaurenB said:



			Not as weird as some of these but on top of livery having to pay 50p a time for school lights to be on
		
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How rude - everyone knows electric is free, and even if it weren't, it wouldn't take much to light up a school...



slightlyconfused said:



			The other was raking the school by hand after we have ridden......that was fun    We used to do this every day years ago - no quad bikes etc in those days...

Xx
		
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Niddlynoo said:



			If hay is put out in the field, please rake any leftovers a the end of the day!
QUOTE]
Can't really see why this is bad - why should the fields get covered in old damp hay that stops future grass growing and that nothing eats?



loverly said:



			"If horses have ripped up fields, put back down the turf"
"Every visitor must be taken to Yard Owner"
		
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These two don't sound that bad - everyone should do their bit to look after the fields, and if other liveries had loads of people wandering around the joint - and youor stuff - wouldn't you want someone to have a rough idea of who is  who and who should/shouldn't be there.  A yard is often someone's home too - you wouldn't just invite anyone and everyone to a B&B you were staying at without asking...

Some of the others are quite funny, but a lot of liveries on here are coming across as having no idea of what a YO goes through or has to do to keep yards and fields in good enough condition for their liveries.
		
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## Miss L Toe (5 April 2012)

Hedwards said:



			I took my horse to university with me, and liveried at the university livery yard, the rule was that all jobs had to be done by 8 am (and i mean had to be done, you couldnt leave your mucking out until the afternoon) - considering every single livery on the yard was a student i found this very strange... needless to say we were always late finishing mucking out - normally due to a raging hangover!
		
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Actually I think that is sensible, no way should a horse be stuck in its own sh##t till two in the afternoon so some lazy  "student" can lie in bed all day.


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## Miss L Toe (5 April 2012)

rule 1] do not come up earlier than we do, otherwise  you are "catching us out"
rule 2] do not mount in the barn
rule 3] do not ride in to the barn
rule 4] do not tell us the horse is on full livery, and then arrive at the yard to ride out
rule 5] do not presume we are running a business just because you are paying us
rule 6] do not annoy us by your presence
rule 7] do not pay anyone other than the YO
rule 8] pay the yard person if you do not see the YO
rule 9] we have only one rule, that is do not feed your horse treats.
rule 10] b#gger off


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## JFTDWS (5 April 2012)

Miss L Toe said:



			Actually I think that is sensible, no way should a horse be stuck in its own sh##t till two in the afternoon so some lazy  "student" can lie in bed all day.
		
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I think it's unreasonable to expect them to be mucked out by 8am - when I was a hung over student, I tended to go up and stick them out early and come back and muck out in the afternoon.  

Or rather, if it weren't a college yard, I would think that   At a college yard, you're obliged to keep it tidy / presentable for visitors and if you choose to stable there, you should just suck it up and deal with it


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## Littlelegs (5 April 2012)

In fairness, the yard I said had strange rules didn't really. It was just the fact the manager had got his non horsey wife to write up the rules he needed. So stuff like 'no loose horses on yard' became 'horses to wear a headcollar at all times' according to my friend, they weren't literally enforced.
  Our yard has unwritten rules about only switching on lights when needed & not wasting water but think that's fair enough.


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## Miss L Toe (5 April 2012)

Ellemoo said:



			Yikes!! Some of these are absurd  
We dont have any real rules on our yard, just the usual tidy up after yourself etc
I visited a yard my friend was working at once, and was pre warned that i needed to make sure i was wearing jods or i wouldnt be allowed on the yard  just for visiting?? haha 

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I only have breeches, would I be banned?


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## MileAMinute (5 April 2012)

My friend was a livery at a big livery/RS yard, the rules were about 4 pages long, most of it patronising and common sense, but some jumped out to me:

- No bareback riding (screwed if you enjoy it or don't have fitting saddle!)
- No jumping unless someone with you
- Hats and gloves to bring in horses
- No deep litter allowed
- No more than 2 haynets a night

Best one:

- No solo hacking


Could NOT believe that one! I'd never bloody ride if I didn't go out alone!


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## Ellemoo (5 April 2012)

Miss L Toe said:



			I only have breeches, would I be banned?
		
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good point! Not sure on that one 
That yard owner would get a shock to see some of the clothing choices on my yard thats for sure  liveries wearing tracksuit bottoms and all sorts of similar crazy/untidy/offensive clothes


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## tractor (5 April 2012)

xxMozlarxx said:





Click to expand...

That's a rule on our yard :-D

YO caught two liveries "at it" whilst we were all picking sloes one year (yard outing)

The actual rule says "no fornicating on the premises" - it makes me laugh every time I see it!


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## maisie06 (5 April 2012)

charleysummer said:



			Ive been known to ride at around 10.30 pm and later! don't think they'd like me very much lol
		
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LOL!! makes me glad I livery on a farm! And as for "no loitering just ride, muck out go home" OMG!! They would hate my yard! We are a very social lot and love having a cuppa and a natter while doing the neds - it's all part of the lifestyle...


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## milliepops (5 April 2012)

Having looked at about a dozen yards in the last 6 weeks or so, the weird rule that stuck out was one YO who said that she didn't allow broken fillet strings on turnout rugs to be replaced with baler twine 

I can see the logic behind some of the other rules ( i tread down big holes in the grass for example, always have done) but that just seemed bonkers


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## Natch (5 April 2012)

I had to deal with cuts yesterday due to a bailer twine fillet string  it was at a college yard, so I had to wear black jods, a purple jumper and wear a hat when leading


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## emma.is (6 April 2012)

All the stupid rules are probably stemming from an insurance claim against the YO. If people took some responsibility for their actions yards wouldn't have to protect themselves so much

Health and safety gone mad


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## PolarSkye (6 April 2012)

Here are some:

- no riding in jeans, trackies or anything other than appropriate riding wear (jods/breeches, boots, chaps, etc.) not even those jean jods . . . this on a part/DIY yard
- no white electrical tape/posts - green or brown only - this on a solely DIY yard
- all clean straw bedding to be carried in large white bags around yard (to stop straw blowing everywhere) and all haynets to be carried in wheelbarrows (for same reason) - but yard never swept or leaf blower used - result?  straw and hay everywhere!
- only one kettle in tack room (we need two in there for evenings when multiple folks are soaking feed and/or cleaning tack (we have no running hot water) otherwise things take forever)

P


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## Ladydragon (6 April 2012)

Bills said:



			... yard owner just leaves us to get on with it and it seems to work pretty well.
		
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Same here...  Mr Farmer has only three rules...

Pay on time unless there's a prior arrangement...
Don't go mad with water (whole farm on a spring)...
I'm not a social worker - sort any disagreements out yourselves...

After reading some of the yard rules on here I think I might offer to do the remaining lambing or some such as a thank you for it all being so laid back...


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## zaminda (6 April 2012)

Don't feed hay in the field unless neccassary.
Yes cos we all love wasting our money.
This particular yard had several rules, but they were ignored, as they only seemed to apply to some people, resulting in kids running round, and loose dogs everywhere.
Personally I think kids need to learn to be a bit careful round horses, and generally stay away from mine, as they aren't that quiet.
I would be happy with most of these, although some are a bit strange. I rake all loose hay in the field up when I have time in daylight, so generally once a week.
Would agree that being told you can't be there after 6 would be a no no, I'm with the riding till 10.30 lot there!


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## Tnavas (6 April 2012)

It's years since I was on a livery yard but the one I was on for years had few rules - 

Before you bring horse out of the stable pick out its feet

When hacking out you must wear Hacking Jacket, hairnet if long hair and feet must be oiled (horses)

Yard opened at 8am - make arrangements if leaving earlier for shows

Yard closes at 8pm - close the gate behind you and remember we live on site so please leave quietly.

Unless an emergency don't visit YO after 7pm

I can well understand the yard that wants straw moved around in bags and haynets in wheelbarrows - to this efficient/lazy person that I am why make mess that you will need to clean up. I'm also the worlds tidiest mucker outer! Some of th eyards I've worked on in NZ have driven me near insane by the mess they make.

Had to laugh at the Full Livery details for Middleton Equestrian - do they not understand the term 'Full Livery'?
Full Livery should include absolutely everything, min 1hr exercise daily, all feed and bedding, all care, all vet nursing, wormer, farrier visit, grooming, tack cleaning show preparation. Otherwise - its just 'Half Full'!!!!


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## hairycob (6 April 2012)

I left one because they wouldn't allow electric fencing of any colour - they just didn't like the look of it. Which wouldn't have been a problem if the fencing that I wasn't allowed to repair wasn't rotten & if they ever actually repaired it themselves.  I was finally allowed to put some up for a short period to stop my horse with a leg infection getting in the pond, but after the arguments we had about that I was glad when I finally found a place with space for 3 a couple of weeks later.
I did an emergency fix tying a broken post to a tree with baling twine before I moved. I must have done a good job because 3 years later it's still the same!


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## hairycob (6 April 2012)

Forgot the yard I was at for a VERY short period of time - I got told off for pulling ragwort without permission!


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## starryeyed (6 April 2012)

Vicki_Krystal said:



			A friend, who managed 3 weeks at this yard, had some very odd rules, however  the barmiest rule ever -

You had to pick your horses feet out into a bucket.. then return the mud to the field the horse was turned out in..

The yard was always empty - not surprising really.
		
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This wins! Crazy!


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## riding_high (6 April 2012)

one yard we had to poo pick the field with our hands to make sure we got every last scrap of poo up. if we didn't then we got a *******ing, the YO would stand over everyone to make sure it was done properly. if not then she would get on her hands and knees and scrape it up with her bare hands and you could see all the poo going under her finger nails!
another yard we weren't allowed to discuss anything about the horses (even our own) with anyone other than the YO.


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## Amaranta (6 April 2012)

Paint Me Proud said:



			someone I know used to be on a yard where you werent allowed to tie your horse up outside the stable. I just dont understand that one!

But if you fancy making yourself feel happy about your yard read this livery contract for a local equestrian centre, it is a brilliant place but very strict - http://www.middletonequestrian.co.uk/downloads/liverycontract2009.pdf

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Actually this is a very good rule for obvious safety reasons!  I was at a yard where one woman insisted on feeding her horse tied up outside her stable, there were several near misses and the stupid woman would never ever learn.


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## true dragon (6 April 2012)

thank goodness i rent my own field and stables form a farmer!

the only rule is pay on the 1st of every month.... but if your going to pay late, ring and tell me.

thats it!


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## monkeybum13 (6 April 2012)

People are complaining about paying 50p for arena lights? Really!! Get a grip. That is fairly common around here but its normally £1 not 50p.

There's a large local yard that has a whole list of rules, some are rather absurd and I would never livery there.


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## monkeybum13 (6 April 2012)

Paint Me Proud said:



			someone I know used to be on a yard where you werent allowed to tie your horse up outside the stable. I just dont understand that one!

But if you fancy making yourself feel happy about your yard read this livery contract for a local equestrian centre, it is a brilliant place but very strict - http://www.middletonequestrian.co.uk/downloads/liverycontract2009.pdf

Click to expand...

Either I'm reading that wrong or winter turnout is only on an all weather turnout area and in the summer 1/4 of an acre per horse?!


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## Caol Ila (6 April 2012)

Back when I was showing, one of the most aggravating parts of the whole ordeal was wrestling my hair into a hairnet, as it's really thick and goes all the way down by back and didn't want to cooperate.  To do that before every hack?  Yech!  

Does anyone else find that sometimes liveries make up rules?

My current yard has very few rules, which is fantastic.  But one time shortly after I moved to the yard, I was going to ride in the outdoor school, which is of a reasonable size, and this lady was lunging her horse.  I asked if it was okay to come in and she launches into this tirade about how it is a RULE that no horses are allowed to be ridden in the school while a horse is being lunged and how dare I even think I can do so.  Had she said something like, "My horse is a bit silly and I'm not comfortable with someone else riding while I'm lunging her," I would have been cool with that.  However, what I actually said was, "I don't think that's a rule."  I had signed the boarding contract about three days beforehand and would have remembered that.  She insisted it was.   Then she admitted, "It was a rule at my last yard."


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## Achinghips (6 April 2012)

1. No lunging in the arena - ever!!!! (must use lunge pen, made of rotted woodchip - though unsuitable builders sand surface about a a foot deep, which made it unusable unless you wanted vet bills)
2. After you've taken your horse out, shut gate - hinges will drop!
3. No liveries on Yard after 7pm or your car WILL be locked in - no exceptions!!!
4. Hat for leading in and taking out to field!!!
5. Move hay in nets in barrows!!! Any one who disobeys will be asked to leave
6. Any pooh found outside field (and we know who you are) you will be asked to leave!!!
7. NO children under 16 to lead a horse - under any circumstances or you will be asked to leave
8. You must purchase hay from the livery owner
9. No bedding other than shavings
10. £50 deposit for tack locker key
11. No turnout in rain for liveries but those on full livery, turnout will be decided by YO
12. All horses in at 1.30pm every day
13. Pick out feet before leaving arena
14. £1 for use of lights
15. No use of coffee facilities on show days
16. No outside instructors
17. No dogs (though I loved that one!)
18. Farrier will be decided by Yard owner
19. Worming programme to be administered by YO and bill sent to clients

Any violations of above got huge red capital letters notes on their windscreens full of the same exclamation marks (!)


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## teasle (6 April 2012)

Tractor- the "no fornicating" rule - presumably the legally weds can make use of the premises.......?


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## Penny Less (6 April 2012)

Ive been contemplating moving from my yard, but after reading this threadm think Ill stay put!  Agree with moving hay etc in net or covered wheelbarrows as our yard is covered in loose stuff. Also a yard closing time, as we live on site and have had people coming up at 9.30 in the winter shouting and putting lights on disturbing the kids when they are in bed


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## LaurenB (6 April 2012)

Jesus calm down! No need to be rude I'm not complaining and did on many occasions pay for the school lights, I just found it weird not to be included in livery price. Which I might add was already very high!


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## Ollie's Mum (6 April 2012)

Achinghips said:



			. Hat for leading in and taking out to field!!!
		
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I think that's actually a fair point and good sense! Not that probably many of us do it but I bet we've all had a near miss at some point when handling a horse on the ground where a hat would have been a good idea and going in and out of fields can always be the point where something can happen.


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## peaceandquiet1 (6 April 2012)

Haven' t read the whole thread sorry but I loaned a pony to a woman who kept it on a yard which turned out to have a rule about no bedding near the door-which was fine until the pony got acute laminitis and needed a thick full bed, and was being denied it. The fields were full of horses with tendon injuries which had been turned out because the yard owner didn't allow box rest.....


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## MrsHutt (6 April 2012)

I can understand the reasoning behind some of these, but others are bonkers!   I feel very lucky that our yard has no written rules (no contract, indeed!) but everyone seems to respect the unwritten ones.  

Pay on 1st of the month in advance
Pay the farrier on the day
Text YO if arrangements change
Don't phone her after about 9 (she'll be in her jammies)
If you put the lights on in the school, remember to turn them off!
Be sensible with water

I think it would be impossible to enforce a 'dress code' as we are a sartorially elegant bunch!


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## bubbilygum (6 April 2012)

My current yard is very relaxed - there are a few rules but they are all reasonable, such as sweep up any mess you make, pitch muck to the top of the heap, don't let dogs bother the horses, turn lights off when you aren't using them etc. Nothing is enforced as such but it is all reasonably common sense and there never seems to be any issues with people not sticking to them! We are also asked to poo pick our fields (we each have our own paddock) regularly throughout the week or the yard staff will do it for you and you will be charged. Our hay and straw are provided by the farmer (at a very reasonable price), and we pay for them on an honesty system - mark down what we use and pay at the end of the month. Horses can be turned out/bought in whenever; if your horse is kicking up a stink because you are late turning out/bringing in then you can either come earlier, pay for the yard staff to do it or let your horse get on with it!

There are some rules I have come across (not necessarily at yards I have been on):
1. No dogs - I understand not everyone likes dogs being around horses but I think it's unfair to tar all dogs with the same brush! I keep mine on a lead at all times when around horses and can't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to take her with me. This was a particular gripe as the yard owner/yard staff had dogs around all the time... One rule for them and another for everyone else.
2. Horses to be in by 3pm - I am convinced rules like this are just a ploy by yard owners to squeeze more money out of DIY liveries, as most people who work can't bring in at this time so have to pay for yard staff to bring in, and also the longer a horse in it it's stable the more hay and bedding the livery will have to use.
3. Raking the school after every use - more of a pain than anything else, not hugely unreasonable but livery wasn't cheap and if yard owner had put in a proper school and not a cheap one then it wouldn't have needed raking after every use!

An equestrian establishment near us has a "no hoodies or brightly coloured clothing" rule, and recently had new branded items of clothing for sale to staff/members, including bright pink and bright blue hoodies!


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## vixann (6 April 2012)

all feed, roughage, bedding and supplements to be purchased from YO - anyone caught bringing feed onto the yard (even feed that they do not stock or will not order in) will be charged - it actually turned out cheaper to buy elsewhere and be charged as she was sometimes up to £8 a bag dearer!!
No hosepipes - cut legs must stand in a bucket - not sure about when they cut their elbow though?? wheelie bin???
dogs allowed but on leads - on or off it didn't matter they were still the unmuzzled GSDs dinner!!
no payng anyone else to see to your horse
no charging for riding someones horse as they could be paying her s**t staff to fall off instead!
school must be cleared of poles/jumps and poo after riding (we had a so called dressage rier on yard - she like to trot circles - and insisted she couldnt work around the single jump in the mahoosive arena. even after she left it was still a rule.
horses only to be fed in a stable
in spring horses are weaned onto grass - YO opens gate to grass and someone in your field must somehow get there at a random time to bring horses back to bald paddocks.
plus side - yard open anytime (if you can get past guard dogs) I used to be there at 0530am and sometimes left after 2200 on pre show nights. 
jump what you want when you want and how you want - same with hacking.
lots of socialising (and bitching!)


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## Tilda (6 April 2012)

The only weird 'rule' I have had (had a few unreasonable one's) is that on a yard where we had our own piece of a big field taped with electric fence we had to put all 8 of the yard managers horses back in which was very regularly and not expect her to come and put them back in herself! This only came about one evening when my friend called me and said 'x's horses have all got down and pulled down our fences and I've just spent 2 hours putting them back up' I called the YM as I was doing mine and my friends horse the next morning before work and would not have time to put fences back up so if at all possible could she please go and put her horses back in. She went mental and said I would always put your horses back in and I expect you to do the same' the difference was my friend and I had one horse each, our horses never got out because we kept our battery charged, poo picked our sections and our horses had plenty of grass and she had 8 horses that were always getting out because the electric was never on, they had no grass and a field full of poo! We always sorted them out if they were in any danger but it took the **** so we left fairly quickly!


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## sula (6 April 2012)

alma said:



			Ive been contemplating moving from my yard, but after reading this threadm think Ill stay put!
		
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Me too - but suddenly I`ve gained a whole new appreciation of where I am at the moment!    Our rules are extremely tame by comparison after reading some of these!


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## sarelis (6 April 2012)

I share a yard with 2 friends, the YO lives some distance away, isn't horsey & rarely visits so we are left to get on with it. It works out pretty well (for me!) as I tend to get things run the way I want, mainly coz I'm an evil old battleaxe who takes no prisoners lmao!


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## Marydoll (6 April 2012)

Achinghips said:



			1. No lunging in the arena - ever!!!! (must use lunge pen, made of rotted woodchip - though unsuitable builders sand surface about a a foot deep, which made it unusable unless you wanted vet bills)
2. After you've taken your horse out, shut gate - hinges will drop!
3. No liveries on Yard after 7pm or your car WILL be locked in - no exceptions!!!
4. Hat for leading in and taking out to field!!!
5. Move hay in nets in barrows!!! Any one who disobeys will be asked to leave
6. Any pooh found outside field (and we know who you are) you will be asked to leave!!!
7. NO children under 16 to lead a horse - under any circumstances or you will be asked to leave
8. You must purchase hay from the livery owner
9. No bedding other than shavings
10. £50 deposit for tack locker key
11. No turnout in rain for liveries but those on full livery, turnout will be decided by YO
12. All horses in at 1.30pm every day
13. Pick out feet before leaving arena
14. £1 for use of lights
15. No use of coffee facilities on show days
16. No outside instructors
17. No dogs (though I loved that one!)
18. Farrier will be decided by Yard owner
19. Worming programme to be administered by YO and bill sent to clients

Any violations of above got huge red capital letters notes on their windscreens full of the same exclamation marks (!)

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What a load od boll ocks


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## FinalFurlong (6 April 2012)

crabbymare said:



			I have known some very limiting ones but the strangest was to the effect of liveries were not allowed to have sex at the yard  I did not ask why they felt the need to have that clause in the rules but its the oddest I saw
		
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just spat my orange squash out  haha


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## Shantara (6 April 2012)

I'm glad my yard doesn't have rules as such! 
The only real rule is "Use your bl**dy head" and it seems to work ok 

I'm sure there are a few stricter rules for liveries, but I just ride there.


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## TheoryX1 (6 April 2012)

Did laugh at some of these.  Am currently on a good yard with some rules, which are sensible.  However our last yard took the biscuit really.  Some of their rules were:

Only one flap of hay (small) per horse morning and night.  
You must leave the premises by 6.00 pm on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.  You may not arrive at the stables until 9.00 am on any day, and on show days with prior permission.
However their barmiest rule was that you may not discuss your horses's health and possible vet needs with anyone one else but the yard owner, who I would add was not a vet, not even the yard staff.  I got called into her office and told off because I was overheard by her husband discussing my daughter's old pony, who I was concerned about with my instructor, who also knew him well.  Was told if I was concerned I should ring YO or speak to her husband, who would make the decision to call the vet about either of my horses, not me. 

I left the week after.

They went bankrupt about a year after I left.  As a business owner I would never wish this on my worst enemy, but this YO really, really deserved it.


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## Tinsel Town (6 April 2012)

Not my yard but someone told me that they couldnt lunge their horse in their school becuase their surface was expensive and the YO wouldn't allow it!


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## Captain Bridget (6 April 2012)

Vixen Van Debz said:



			I read the Hartpury livery rules only last week: you can't wear any bright colours at all, and absolutely no hoodies. I found that odd as our entire yard live in hoodies and bright, contrast joddies most of the time!
		
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I was at Hartpury and the hoodie thing was because the horses might get hold of your hood and strangle you. I can understand it but it was inconvenient! And they preferred you not to wear bright colours as they wanted you to look smart but I wore lime green wellies while I was there so that doesn't really stand!

I can understand people wanting things to be tidy but some of these are crazy!


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## kerilli (6 April 2012)

the thing is, a lot of these make perfect sense when you've seen (or heard about) it all go wrong.
no hoodies - too right. riding in hoodies, ugh. i heard about a kid falling off, horse somehow got hoof in hood, and dragged kid along, nearly strangling it. 
no riding when someone's lungeing - i think it was Lucy Wiegersma who got quite badly hurt a couple of winters ago when she was riding in the school when someone else was lunngeing, the lunged horse got away or something and really set hers off, and she got seriously decked.
i think those are smart rules tbh.
the best so far is 'return hoof pickings to field horse came from', that's fantastic, can't have that naughty mud migrating anywhere!


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## padderpaws (6 April 2012)

I sometimes ride in some very smart hoodies that come from equestrian stores but having just read about horses hoof getting caught in the hood if you fall of, I will never ride in one again.


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## superted1989 (6 April 2012)

Some of these are hilarious!  I'm very lucky in that I livery at a working farm, with a horsey YO, so the few rules we have are very sensible.  Things like, lock the tack room if you're not in it, clear up behind yourself etc, etc.
A firend left our lovely, happy yard to go to one with an indoor school.  There was only 4 other liveries there even though the facilities were great and it cost about the same as bog standard, farm type livery.  She soon discovered the YO was a bit poo obsessed.  They had to poo pick the fields everyday (fair enough) but he'd go out in the evenings (no overnight turnout) and leave little markers in any poops left behind!  He had a different colour for each livery, they had shared grazing so the lord only knows how he thought he could work out which horse left which poop!  She didn't stay there long!


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## Kellys Heroes (6 April 2012)

We livery on a working farm with a horsey YO too so the 'rules' we have are mostly just using your own consideration and common sense!!

Clean up your own muck (and fur!!!!) and put it in your own wheelbarrow
don't borrow anyone else's things without permission 
don't overfill nets as you will be charged
no loose horses in the outdoor school
no rolling and if the horses do, smooth it over afterwards (totally understand to stop other horses tripping over the big hole they've made!)
rake your muck to the back of the trailer
no baling twine or rubbish to be put on the muck heap
Turn lights off in the school after use and put jumps away

Then, the usual 'season' rules about what fields the horses are in and what dates etc. I can't remember if there are any more. We can wear what we like, hack where we like and can have RIs down if desired, although YO does teach and very well so most of us use her  It's a relatively relaxed yard, there's a large social aspect to it too.

K x


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## EPRider (6 April 2012)

One yard I know will only have geldings on it.


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## Carefreegirl (6 April 2012)

Blimey what a bunch of nutters !
I turn up and asked if I'm riding in or out, if in she'll Harrow the school for me. If out she'll walk up the drive and open the gate even tho I can open / close it on my horse. I get a cup of tea without asking 
Apart from one yard years ago where I was shown six times in 4 days how to pitch muck onto the trailer I've obviously been very lucky !


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## much-jittering (6 April 2012)

I'm with kerilli on a lot of these! Make sense to me *blush* Some of them are brilliant though, I love that one about returning mud to the relevant field! And the farmer with his poo markers.

I know to a horse owner lots of the limiting rules, like not hacking out alone, or not jumping without somebody present, might seem ridiculous - but to a YO who's probably not going to be told where you're going, who only finds the horse when it's come back without you etc, it all makes a lot of sense. Same with the one only a few replies back about clearing jumps and poo from the arena - it annoys me if I've left them in mine at work and then come back to them the next day, let alone if they're somebody elses.

The ones I've never grasped are livery yards that won't allow other instructors or farriers on site, just seems a way to needlessly pee people off to me.


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## Walrus (6 April 2012)

KateandSpotlight said:



			Not my yard but someone told me that they couldnt lunge their horse in their school becuase their surface was expensive and the YO wouldn't allow it! 

Click to expand...

We aren't allowed to lunge in the school since we've had a new surface down (apparently the surface company recommended not to) but our YO built a separate lunge ring - so it's great as you don't have people riding and lunging in the same arena plus we now have a flood lit school and flood lit lunge arena.


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## PingPongPony (6 April 2012)

we're lucky to have a lovly yard and common sense rules apart from one which is ''no other instructors allowed on yard, if you want to have your own instructor you have to hire out the school £25 per hour'' this is of course on top of whatever you're paying your instructor. it seems a bit silly because the one instructor on site we have is a dressage instructor, yes she is amazing BUT non of the liveries do dressage, 3 show jump and 3 hack so its a bit pointless. in result, we go offsite to have sj lessons instead


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## ponypilotmum (6 April 2012)

Not allowed to use a kettle on the yard, even though there was one in the tea room, you had to use the vending machine. 

Had bars at the top of stable doors so horses couldn't drop hay on the yard. 

HAD to hose legs at special bay by the field gate, and ditto pick hooves into a bucket before bringing horses in. 

Absolutely NO mud on the yard. 

No grooming on the yard, inside stables only. 

No cantering or galloping in the school. 

Stables had to be scrubbed and de cobwebbed (jet washed all over) once every three months. 

No poo picking bottom fields, because you'd have to walk with the barrow to the muck heap (top field) via the yard and would get it dirty. 

You had to use their farrier. 

You weren't allowed to use paper because it smelt funny.


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## pixie (7 April 2012)

As a future yard owner, a lot of these rules make semse.  They mostly seem to be about safety and security.  Also, regarding specific colour for electric tape - that may have been part of the planning permission...


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## Jazzy B (7 April 2012)

Had to sweep any remaining shavings, hay or straw up with a dust pan and brush.

Not allowed an outside instructor. 

Jumps in school were not allowed to be taken down or moved. 

Horses fit had to be picked up before leaving their stables (guess I agree with this one) 

Tin cans had to be taken home and were not allowed to be put in rubbish bins around yard.

Oh and horses had to have hay at back of stable so they didn't eat over stable door creating a mess


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## Capriole (7 April 2012)

some of these are absolutely bonkers, but I must say, quite a lot of them to me arent strange rules at all


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## sarelis (7 April 2012)

EPRider said:



			One yard I know will only have geldings on it.
		
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Actually I probably wouldn't allow another mare at our yard, we all have geldings who live out in a happy, relaxed herd. We had someone with a mare on the yard last year for a while, ugh, the damn thing was forever in season, refused to be caught, bullied the pony, developed an inseparable bond with one of the big geldings, who then refused to be caught himself, he & 'his' mare would just gallop madly around when anyone produced a headcollar, winding everything else up. Nightmare. Didn't help that the owner (supposed to be on DIY) would conveniently 'forget' to book any time off work for farrier, vet, dentist etc & just expect us to deal with the numpty mare for her every time. Meh, good riddance to the thing!!


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## Dovorian (7 April 2012)

We had to formally introduce any visitors to the yard owner - that included the vet, dentist and anyone else who came to visit. YO once quizzed an instructor about their capabilities - the lady was a well known and respected dressage trainer and judge. We lasted barely 2 months, as YO declined access to a locum vet because he wasn't British - OMG!


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## pixie (7 April 2012)

I honestly don't see the problem with introducing all visitors to the YO.  Surely its better that they know who should be there, rather than not question visitors and potententially having thieves wandering about, scoping the place out or stealing things.


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## Caol Ila (7 April 2012)

Pixie, I just want to say I love your signature.


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## pixie (7 April 2012)

Thankyou


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## PonyRiders (7 April 2012)

These were at a RS/DIY
most have probably already been mentioned but;

1) No visitors to the yard, including my own sister! only me or my mum aloud.
2) no wasting water- this included emptying water buckets, horses had to drink it all! including dirty water!
3) No use of the hose ever! including medical emergencies. 
4) No using the tap, collect water from the water drums. this was fine until there was none left or it was filthy.
5) no riding in the school inbetween lessons
6) no use of the lights- even when we offered £5 for half an hour
7) horses must wear rugs from October-april- not good when i have a hairy native!
8) no taking pictures of your horse on the premises
9) no instructors allowed
10) no hacking with anyone from a different yard

I can see why they said most of these rules, but in reality they just aren't all possible.

the water rules and lights were the ones that got me... but we didn't have to poo pick or brush up


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (7 April 2012)

PonyRiders said:



These were at a RS/DIY
most have probably already been mentioned but;

1) No visitors to the yard, including my own sister! only me or my mum aloud.
2) no wasting water- this included emptying water buckets, horses had to drink it all! including dirty water!
3) No use of the hose ever! including medical emergencies. 
4) No using the tap, collect water from the water drums. this was fine until there was none left or it was filthy.
5) no riding in the school inbetween lessons
6) no use of the lights- even when we offered £5 for half an hour
7) horses must wear rugs from October-april- not good when i have a hairy native!
8) no taking pictures of your horse on the premises
9) no instructors allowed
10) no hacking with anyone from a different yard

I can see why they said most of these rules, but in reality they just aren't all possible.

the water rules and lights were the ones that got me... but we didn't have to poo pick or brush up

Click to expand...

Mmmm, as a YO I CAN see some wisdom to some of these...... No. (1) might appear a bit draconian BUT I've been in the situation where a livery went away for the weekend without telling me and her pony was shut in the stable, and I didn't have a clue who was coming to see it - and then when someone eventually DID, they had a cigarette hanging out of their mouth and a beer can in hand!!!  So yes this rule would make sense. My current livery makes sure that she either texts me or introduces me personally to anyone coming into the yard (we live on site); and I do the same if its anyone connected with me. 

Re. (3) and (4) use of the hosepipe/water drums/tap etc (presumably this is rainwater storage??). We're on metered water here as will be most places, so yes that makes perfect sense. We do have rainwater butts which can be used for most situations, but in an emergency situation then that would be different. Unfortunately some people don't realise water is on a meter and costs and arm and a leg, and are very wasteful indeed with it. 

Re. riding in the school between lessons, agree this is a bit draconian, BUT maybe there was a situation where someone turned up for a lesson (plus had paid for the instructor) and they found the school already in use, and were not just inconvenienced but out of pocket as well??? So presumably there's a reason for this rule. 

Re. taking piccies. A difficult one if there are children around ......... nowadays its all soooo very difficuilt with this sort of thing, so maybe this is the origin of this? Someone just doesn't want all the hassle of child protection issues to raise its ugly head???

"No instructors allowed" means presumably you have to have THEIR instructor? Very limiting and annoying IMO, but again it just might be that in the past someone who calls themselves an "instructor" but has diddly squat qualifications (or insurance) has come onto the yard and a situation has gone a bit t!ts up???

Re. no hacking with someone from another yard. Might appear limiting, yes, BUT makes perfect sense if you're trying to maintain bio-security ........ its all too easy to bring something onto a yard, albeit unintentionally. But still, I guess horses would be going out of the yard to shows/hunting/events etc.


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## Seahorse (7 April 2012)

kerilli said:



			some of these are utterly barmy, but honestly, until you've seen how weird and unreasonable some liveries can be... i used to have a few liveries, and hardly any rules. until i had a livery who thought it was absolutely fine to turn up at 10.30pm at night, put all the lights on (big internal barn) and the radio on loud, and groom her horse...
or the one who brought up some friends who had kids, and the boys ran around like lunatics screaming the place down before getting their willies out and playing "i can pee more accurately than you can into the tractor tyre tracks". i am not kidding. you couldn't make that up. 
or the one who asked if she could borrow my tiny quiet clippers to hog her horse, i said yes and went out for a hack, came back an hour later to find a half-clipped horse which she insisted on finishing with my clippers because the blades were finer than hers. 
i think at that point i decided that maybe a couple of rules might be necessary after all...  

Click to expand...

I was just thinking that these livery yards probably had no rules or were quite relaxed until they had liveries there that took the piss!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (7 April 2012)

Seahorse said:



			I was just thinking that these livery yards probably had no rules or were quite relaxed until they had liveries there that took the piss!
		
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Yup, this is the problem. It only takes one, and then YO has to turn into the Gestapo in order to manage a difficuilt situation.

In twenty years of doing DIY we've really only had one rotton egg, and thank god she only stayed for a month, but in that time I had to turn into a Gestapo YO and it was awful, I hated it, was a nervous wreck coz you didn't know what she was gonna do next, plus the welfare of her pony was a huge concern.

Thankfully we've got a super livery at the mo who is considerate to a fault almost, bless her!


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## Seahorse (7 April 2012)

I used to work in a yard where you had to pick out the horses feet before bringing them out of their stables, quite a good rule I thought after having to sweep up a load of shavings every time someone forgot!
Can't think of any silly livery yard rules but my old boss was a bloody nightmare for silly rules.
1, You couldn't ride if you were the only person on the yard, fair enough I suppose because if you fell off and injured yourself you would be laying there for ages and nobody would know.

2, If her GP dressage horse was out in the field you couldn't clean tack and have the radio on because then you wouldn't be able to hear him galloping about. I literally used to have to sit and watch him and if he so much as looked up I had to get him in. One day she came running out of her house shouting at me to get him in because he was walking along (to get a drink of water from the trough) 

3, if you put clean shavings in a horses bed you had to mix them in so they didn't roll, apparently rolling in their stables puts their backs out.

4, you had to trot up every horse every day before it was ridden.

5, the yard was shut on mondays, nobody was allowed in there at all. It was our day off too so even we weren't allowed in there. Her husband used to just hay round 4 times a day. They didn't get out of their stables or get mucked out at all. Really nice beds they had on a tuesday morning, not!

Luckily she only had 2 liveries!


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## I*HM (7 April 2012)

I generally have my horse at home so don't have to worry about these things, however I do sometimes put him on livery. Thankfully there's not too much bonkers rules, though it's very much a case of common sense. There's a big you scratch my back, I scratch yours type ethos which actually works out lovely in the sense that if I were turning my horse out I would bring in another and then maybe the next day someone else would do the same for me, it does come in handy when you're away or something as you know that everyone keeps an eye out for everyone and won't see you stuck. However there's an unwritten rule that if you're there for the day that you help - not stand in the way or waste peoples time. Now, your own horse is your priority and you're there for as long or as little as you want. But it does work out to give a hand, like I would head out early during the hunting season and get money off my livery in return for plaiting or whatnot. 

In terms of rules though there's simple things like if you're the last person on the yard (YO lives on sight) then close the gates at the bottom of the lane, same if you're first there in the morning, open them.
 If you're in the arena, use it - don't stand next to the fence chatting for half an hour.
 If you want to borrow something/a change of plan/need a favour ask or let the YO know in advance.
 Your extra things are there at your own risk so if you leave a grooming kit (or similar) lying on the ground and a dog nicks something, though.


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## Pearlsasinger (7 April 2012)

We have just one rule on my yard;

NO LIVERIES!!

(and there are certainly good reasons for this rule).


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## padderpaws (7 April 2012)

If your on a yard where you can't use a hose or have lights on then what are you paying for.  I presume the YO would use hose and have lights on and fill her/his haynet full for their own horse?? 

I would never ever pay anyone my hard earned money for restrictions like that.  If they open their premises up to the public then they need to provide. Can't have it both ways, take money and do/provide diddlyl.


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## kerilli (7 April 2012)

no hoses even for medical emergencies? wtf? that is just ridiculous. cost of water more important than horse welfare??!
okay, how's this for a reverse one... when i had a livery or two ages ago, one went to a RC talk and the old boy who gave it answered lad's question about his boxwalker, how to stop it from marching round and wrecking the bed (horse was out a lot but hated being in).  
the recommendation, which i must admit i became Gestapo-YO and really put my foot down about banning, was to leave pitchforks flat in the bed so the horse bashed its legs on the handles and learnt to pick its legs up and not disturb the bedding as it walked around.
ermmmm...


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## sarelis (7 April 2012)

kerilli said:



			leave pitchforks flat in the bed so the horse bashed its legs on the handles and learnt to pick its legs up and not disturb the bedding as it walked around.
ermmmm...
		
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Lol that sounds like something straight out of Papa Frita's epically hilarious thread!


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## Littlelegs (7 April 2012)

That's shocking. Mine are on cheap farm livery, one of the women had enough nerve to ask the farmer if he could put in an all weather arena for her for free!


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## Honey08 (7 April 2012)

Pearlsasinger said:



			We have just one rule on my yard;

NO LIVERIES!!

(and there are certainly good reasons for this rule).
		
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Lol!  Yes us too.  Tried it, hated it, love it just being us!


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## kerilli (7 April 2012)

Honey08 said:



			Lol!  Yes us too.  Tried it, hated it, love it just being us!
		
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I almost agree... except i now have 1 lovely livery who keeps her gorgeous ancient pony here, as a nanny to my yearling, and she's an absolute godsend - the pony and the owner, actually! some liveries are mickey-taking nutcases who expect everything for nothing, but some are totally decent brilliant people and an absolute pleasure to have around. very lucky to have the latter!


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## charleysummer (7 April 2012)

been speaking to some horsey friends who have some to share via myself!

-NO mounted games whatsoever- apparently it is not a refined enough sport, this was not a prestigious yard- just a low standard DIY place...
-No grey horses/cremello/perlino etc.. they get too dirty and make the stables look a mess! 
-No brown tack- all had to be matching black
-All horses to wear the same style and colour turnout rugs (impractical but im sure it looked quite smart lol)

Think there was another one but can only remember these..


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## sarelis (7 April 2012)

charleysummer said:



			been speaking to some horsey friends who have some to share via myself!

-NO mounted games whatsoever- apparently it is not a refined enough sport, this was not a prestigious yard- just a low standard DIY place...
-No grey horses/cremello/perlino etc.. they get too dirty and make the stables look a mess! 
-No brown tack- all had to be matching black
-All horses to wear the same style and colour turnout rugs (impractical but im sure it looked quite smart lol)

Think there was another one but can only remember these..
		
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Wow, superficial much? They would love my Romeo, most of the time he is so minging you would never guess he was a grey!


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## Spot_the_Risk (7 April 2012)

We don't have liveries (just have a field, a few barns, a simple set up) but my MIL stitched us up, as in 'oh they'd love to have you, of course your horse can go their' etc - family politics!  Anyway, we'd see the person about once a week, so were poo picking for three instead of two, and she had two obnoxious young boys who she just let out of the car and let loose.  So when we saw one of them sat on the recently installed permanent electric fencing, swinging on it and stretching it loads... we just turned it on.  It was battery, mains would have been excessive, but it did the job, and that kid was such a whinging little creep that his mother never even realised!  Deep sigh of relief when she finally found a loan home for the mare and disappeared.


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## Ollie's Mum (7 April 2012)

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:



			Re. (3) and (4) use of the hosepipe/water drums/tap etc (presumably this is rainwater storage??). We're on metered water here as will be most places, so yes that makes perfect sense. We do have rainwater butts which can be used for most situations, but in an emergency situation then that would be different. Unfortunately some people don't realise water is on a meter and costs and arm and a leg, and are very wasteful indeed with it.
		
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If a yard's on metered water I would think that they'd have factored that into their livery costs? Yes, no need to be wasteful with water but it's not on to expect horses to drink it dirty. I remember being told at college that you should always empty the water bucket that had been in a stable overnight as it will have been tainted by the fumes of the horse's urine. Not fair to make it drink that!


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## Fransurrey (12 April 2012)

becca1305 said:



			Ive heard from friends at a yard close by that if your horse poos on the way out to be ridden/ turned out/ anything, you have to stop/get off if riding, tie horse up/ put back in stable, pick the poo up and hose and scrub the concrete before continuing because if you left the poo until you were back it might have stained the concrete!  .
		
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Ooh this reminds me! I mentioned on another thread the YO making up a 2 month notice rule when I said I wanted to leave...on the same yard, I'd been there a couple of days and had ridden out with one of the girls there. Henry pooed on the way out, on tarmac drive. Thought not a lot of it and the girl didn't say anything (she managed the yard). Got a phone call later that day to ask if I could go and clean the drive of his poo. I thought it really strange - the girl must have known and furthermore, must have told the YO who it was, as there were only us two and the house was out of sight. Anyway, I was told same as the above, only the reason was to prevent cars from getting poo on their tyres!!


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## Archie73 (12 April 2012)

Errrm.....here goes

Can't accept any commercial deliveries 

Can't ride your own horse bareback on your own insurance

Must have names on every thing or it goes to prison and u have to beg it back with a paint brush

Can't put a pole in the sand school big enough and with decent enough surface to jump

Remind me why I love it there? 

But you can

Leave mess everywhere


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## LaurenBay (13 April 2012)

Some of these are stupid! I would be off like a shot!

Picking out feet and returning mud ?! madness! 
No mud at all on the yard!
Only being able to ride, if there are others around (I can see why, however if this were a rule at my yard, I would never be able to ride!!)

We don't have many rules at our yard. It is a small yard (YO, Me and another livery) 

- Our areas must be kept clean and tidy
- Main gates must be shut at all times
- Chuck muck up, at the muckheap
- Be polite to others
- Pick up poo in the school and put away jumps, if we have used them.
- Poo pick our fields
- Look after our Horses

I take whoever I want with me, I do introduce to YO, but out of politness, not because it is a rule! 

We do keep the yard as tidy as can be, but YO accepts Horses are Horses and mud and Poop is part of the package!


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## NooNoo59 (13 April 2012)

i can understand that you have to have rules, ran my own yard for a while and it was hard, people do not understand the term DIY!! 
The worst yard i was at was run by someone who had no real previous experience of horses, so put all instructions up on a white board, the best one was no farriers vans on the stable yard, horses to be shod in the car park which was also a right of way because the concrete in the stable yard wasnt strong enough to park a van on!! Also the day i saw the YO sweeping the grass was the day i decided to leave.  I have heard that they have now installed CCTV in the yard to keep an eye people, get a life!! Surprised they are still in business to be honest.


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## stormyDcup (13 April 2012)

KateandSpotlight said:



			Not my yard but someone told me that they couldnt lunge their horse in their school becuase their surface was expensive and the YO wouldn't allow it! 

Click to expand...

That's quite normal at some establishments. Though I've heard that s_ome _yards allow certain fpeople to lunge their horses! 

The two rules of livery yards that I always agree with are:

1. That most yards are full of people you wouldn't associate with anywhere else!
2. However nice you think they all are when you arrive... the Yard Nutter will always out

:lol:


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## Charla (13 April 2012)

Yard I was at, you could only buy hay and bedding from the yard manager but she would buy from a farmer and add an extra £10-£15 on a reel and then sell to the liveries! 

No thoroughbreds allowed as they are too lively in the fields!!

No one could do favours for each other, you had to pay the yard manager, but she would get a young girl to do everything for her and still pocket all the money! 

Beds would randomly be checked once mucked out, and if any dirt was found you would be in for it! 
And this was a DIY livery yard!!

Some grass liveries were allowed their horses on the yard and some were told they were nothing to do with the yard so had to pay to bring your horse in or to use the school, yet all paid the same price for grass livery!

No bitching or you would be given your notice. yet everyday the yard manager would call individuals over to have a nasty bitch about others!


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## mandwhy (13 April 2012)

Kadastorm said:



			Our yard is really different as we are a charity riding school with horses on working livery, don't have any weird rules but the yard is closed on a monday. With the amount of people we get here one day a week is needed for the horses and staff to rest. Unless we are on foal watch which we have been for a bloody long time now! 

Our liveries don't complain as they pay £25pw and that includes everything except shoes and vets bills, they get their horses exercised, wormed, rugged, all bedding, hay and feed included and trips to shows and so on... Think they can cope without riding on mondays if they get all of that!
		
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That sounds amazing! Where do you live??


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## Morgan123 (13 April 2012)

This is my favourite threead in ages, esp for a Friday afternoon  and ESPECIALLY as I've just moved from a crazy yard. Bearing in mind this is just a small farm wiht hardly any facilities at all (it has a 'school' but it's basically just a 20x 20 lunging pen, wiht woodchip filled with stones anyway so too horrible for anyone to actually use) - but other than that just tumbledown rattly stables, barbed wire fencing on the fields, a generator for electric etc:

1) All new mares must be scanned before being allowed onto the yard, to prove they are not in foal (my absolute favourite).

2) Bins are provided for grooming. When your brush is full of hair, you must walk to the bin, collect the ahir, place in the bin, resume grooming.

3) The yard owner and yard owners' friends and farrier are all allowed loose dogs on the yard. Nobody else is allowed a dog on the yard.

4) Bedding MUST be swept up to the edges AT ALL TIMES when your horse is not in the stable (no turning out in the morning and mucking out in the evening, or even just after riding ).

5) nobody to ride the horse except the owner

6) No 16 year olds are allowed in the fields to catch or turn out their horses, wihtout an adult (really annoying for the team of poor 15 year olds when this one came out!!)

7) The woodchip school must be raked by hand after use (takes longer to rake it than to bloody ride!)

8) the farmer reserves the right to use all manner of tractors, blowers, teleporters, and other machinery at all times, even (especially!) when the yard is absoutlely full of horses, especially in the summer between 3:30-8pm when everyone is doing thier horses and riding ( this one is an unwritten rule :-D!)

9) Nobody is allowed to have any fun. No yard shows, joint lessons, putting the jumps out is to be strictly avoided at all times, group hacks frowned upon, and yard activities in general are to be restricted (basically a written rule!)

10) Oh God I almost forgot this one - no rugs to be placed on stable doors or the brick walls of the stables becuase the walls and doors are TOO WEAK!!!!! This includes fleece rugs BTW. hahahaha. God i miss this place.

11) No horses that weave allowed on the yard (even if they are just at grass and will never be in a stable anyway)

12) No use of starvation paddocks unless your horse is ALREADY a laminitic (even if you are already doing everything possible in your power to reduce weight loss and horse is still obese).


I am sure there are more...hmmm why did i move again?! Apparently just after i left another four pages got drafted.....


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## Bright_Spark (13 April 2012)

One of the oddest ones was when I was looking a few years ago. I was told that all horses had to be excercised daily so that they didn't gallop round the fields and mess them up


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## Get to the point (13 April 2012)

charleysummer said:



			been speaking to some horsey friends who have some to share via myself!

-NO mounted games whatsoever- apparently it is not a refined enough sport, this was not a prestigious yard- just a low standard DIY place...
-No grey horses/cremello/perlino etc.. they get too dirty and make the stables look a mess! 
-No brown tack- all had to be matching black
-All horses to wear the same style and colour turnout rugs (impractical but im sure it looked quite smart lol)

Think there was another one but can only remember these..
		
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Is this for real?!


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## mcnaughty (13 April 2012)

Old YO hated kids and used to regularly bitch about me bringing my 5yo daughter up the yard...... oh yes I can hear all the child catchers shouting ..... but kids are dangerous and evil and should be banned from all yards .... we have an 11.2 Welshie!  Did he think I was going to ride it!  I have not been under 9 stone since I was a young teenager and I am certainly not one of those any more!


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## Lark (13 April 2012)

Cobrastyle said:



			My friend was a livery at a big livery/RS yard, the rules were about 4 pages long, most of it patronising and common sense, but some jumped out to me:

- No jumping unless someone with you
- Hats and gloves to bring in horses
!
		
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Some of those rules are perfectly reasonable.
On our yard a hat is required if bringing in from a group of horses - it is for safety not to annoy liveries. Horses set the precedence here as they kick.

The jumping rules and heights are governed in a lot of instances by the insurance companies.
One company who quoted us told us no-one could jump over a meter - ever - thankfully we had other options.

Other people riding your horse on the yards premises may also compromise on the yards insurance policy.  They may need to sign a disclaimer beforehand.

No lunging in the arena is standard enough.  It can destroy the surface or tear the terram underneath.  Typically this applies to better pre-mixed surfaces.
Lunge ring build specs are entirely different.

What liveries need to remember is that rules are normally brought in due to someone elses previous actions.  Some people are born stupid and others need to pay for it.

Having said that I do struggle to see where some of the rules have come from.


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## MrsHutt (13 April 2012)

TheoryX1 said:



			Did laugh at some of these.  Am currently on a good yard with some rules, which are sensible.  However our last yard took the biscuit really.  Some of their rules were:

Only one flap of hay (small) per horse morning and night.  
You must leave the premises by 6.00 pm on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.  You may not arrive at the stables until 9.00 am on any day, and on show days with prior permission.
However their barmiest rule was that you may not discuss your horses's health and possible vet needs with anyone one else but the yard owner, who I would add was not a vet, not even the yard staff.  I got called into her office and told off because I was overheard by her husband discussing my daughter's old pony, who I was concerned about with my instructor, who also knew him well.  Was told if I was concerned I should ring YO or speak to her husband, who would make the decision to call the vet about either of my horses, not me. 

I left the week after.

They went bankrupt about a year after I left.  As a business owner I would never wish this on my worst enemy, but this YO really, really deserved it.
		
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That's just weird!


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## Hippophilia (13 April 2012)

The yard I have just left was pretty sensible in the main (clear up after yourself, under-18's to wear a hat at all times, no unsupervised children) but there was no written list of rules and the YO had a habit of blindsiding you with stuff depending on her mood. The ones I hated most were:
Not allowed on yard before 9am (horse on grass livery so not too bad but still frustrating),had to leave before 5pm on a weekend, 
Owners not to be present during annual vet checks, 
Nonone but owners or YO to ride horses, official sharers required to pay an extra monthly fee to YO.
Very glad to have left!


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## Shutterbug (13 April 2012)

Hippophilia said:



			The yard I have just left was pretty sensible in the main (clear up after yourself, under-18's to wear a hat at all times, no unsupervised children) but there was no written list of rules and the YO had a habit of blindsiding you with stuff depending on her mood. The ones I hated most were:
Not allowed on yard before 9am (horse on grass livery so not too bad but still frustrating),had to leave before 5pm on a weekend, 
Owners not to be present during annual vet checks, 
Nonone but owners or YO to ride horses, official sharers required to pay an extra monthly fee to YO.
Very glad to have left!
		
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My last, large yard had some of those - the 9am-5pm rule at the weekend, and never before 9am any other day and sharers have to pay a £10 a month facility fee - even if they are only hacking your horse out and not using the actual facilities.


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## Taffyhorse (13 April 2012)

Not the strangest but one of the most ironicI came across at a previous yard was 'no bitching allowed'. 

The irony was that all the bitching and back stabbing was done by the YO and staff!! The liveries all got on perfectly well!


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## Gusbear (13 April 2012)

I've been at my yard about 7 weeks and asked the YO about the rules.  She said none to speak of, just go with the flow.  So far I've managed to work out if you make a mess, you clean it up, if you are putting the kettle on ask if anyone else wants a cuppa, if anyone looks like they need help, hug, or in for a chit chat then don't be shy to offer your services if you are in the mood.
Works well for me and it seems everyone else too.


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## Achinghips (13 April 2012)

PonyRiders said:



These were at a RS/DIY
most have probably already been mentioned but;

1) No visitors to the yard, including my own sister! only me or my mum aloud.
2) no wasting water- this included emptying water buckets, horses had to drink it all! including dirty water!
3) No use of the hose ever! including medical emergencies. 
4) No using the tap, collect water from the water drums. this was fine until there was none left or it was filthy.
5) no riding in the school inbetween lessons
6) no use of the lights- even when we offered £5 for half an hour
7) horses must wear rugs from October-april- not good when i have a hairy native!
8) no taking pictures of your horse on the premises
9) no instructors allowed
10) no hacking with anyone from a different yard

I can see why they said most of these rules, but in reality they just aren't all possible.

the water rules and lights were the ones that got me... but we didn't have to poo pick or brush up

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And BYEEEEE!!!!! hope you left them to their own devices - minus your diect debit!


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## cobmum (14 April 2012)

A yard owner onced asked me would i need the stable for a gelding or a shire? Erm i asked if he meant a gelding or mare to which he replied that he only took experienced horse folk and walked away tutting!


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## SonnysHumanSlave (14 April 2012)

EPRider said:



			One yard I know will only have geldings on it.
		
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our yard only allows geldings.
Although we do have one mare, on a technicality.


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## navaho (14 April 2012)

Spot_the_Risk said:



			We don't have liveries (just have a field, a few barns, a simple set up) but my MIL stitched us up, as in 'oh they'd love to have you, of course your horse can go their' etc - family politics!  Anyway, we'd see the person about once a week, so were poo picking for three instead of two, and she had two obnoxious young boys who she just let out of the car and let loose.  So when we saw one of them sat on the recently installed permanent electric fencing, swinging on it and stretching it loads... we just turned it on.  It was battery, mains would have been excessive, but it did the job, and that kid was such a whinging little creep that his mother never even realised!  Deep sigh of relief when she finally found a loan home for the mare and disappeared.
		
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Lol thats the kind of thing id have done!


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## courage_uk (14 April 2012)

I have never been on a livery yard until last yr.
the YO insisted that we weren't allowed to use more then 1 cup of water in the kettle, weren't allowed to use the electric for clippers, went mental if I showed up before 7am, or after 6 pm, hated my family and OH on the yard, no friends on the yard at all, banned the hose to wash the horses off after heavy work and ... get this...... 2 buckets of water to drink in the height of summer!!! and I was paying £80 a month for the privilege. 
need I say I didn't hang about and found a field all to my self with no stupid YO who came into money and haven't got a clue LOL


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## Wagtail (14 April 2012)

I can understand many of the rules regarding use of the hose etc when the yard is a DIY yard. My friend used to run one and charged £25 a week for stable, grazing and full use of the facilities. She was forced to close it because the cost of electric, water and business rates exceeded the income from the liveries! One livery had an old bath tub to soak her hay and would empty it and refill it for every haynet she soaked! Each haynet was costing my friend around a pound a time! As the manege was near to the carpark, the liveies would switch on the lights as soon as they got out of their cars at night and then go and do their horses, often not actually riding until an hour or so later.

It just is not economically viable, in many cases to run a DIY yard.


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## Mad_Cow347 (14 April 2012)

This thread is brilliant! It's had me laughing since it came up!

I'm so glad that we have a private yard & I don't have to put up with all the nutty yard owners. We hardly ever see the bloke that owns our field, he just leaves us to our own devices.


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## _MizElz_ (14 April 2012)

I know of one yard owner who demands that her liveries spend a minimum of two hours a day with their horse. If they don't, she 'spends it for them' (!!??) and bills the owners for her time.....


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## FrodoBeutlin (14 April 2012)

One dressage yard I was at in Italy would not allow liveries to hack out 

Oh and you couldn't go at all on a Monday unless it was a major emergency (sadly this is a VERY common rule in Italy, on a Monday most yards are closed and access denied  )


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## ebonyallen (14 April 2012)

No use of a hosepipe
No children
No foals (because this would attract children lol)


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## Capriole (14 April 2012)

ebonyallen said:



			No use of a hosepipe
No children
No foals (because this would attract children lol)
		
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haha, true though


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## zandp (15 April 2012)

BoolavogueDC said:



			That if I shared my horse, the sharer had to pay to ride in the school.
There was me thinking you paid per horse in the school but apparently we were paying for US to be in there..

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I've had that rule too, if anyone other than you rode your horse you had to pay the fee for having a private lesson, the logic being they could be making money as you could be paying them to school, or you could be making money if they were paying you to ride so the YO was making money.

She also charged a friend of mine the same fee when I walked round the school with said friend, helping her with her nerves.  

We both left.


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## BeachBreaker (15 April 2012)

crabbymare said:



			I have known some very limiting ones but the strangest was to the effect of liveries were not allowed to have sex at the yard  I did not ask why they felt the need to have that clause in the rules but its the oddest I saw
		
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Maybe this isn't so crazy...I have known a couple at my old yard to have sex in their stable...on a Sunday afternoon...whilst the horse was in there!!! Anything to stop that ever happening again can't be such a bad thing!


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## The Fuzzy Furry (15 April 2012)

Mad_Cow347 said:



			This thread is brilliant! It's had me laughing since it came up!

I'm so glad that I have a private yard & I don't have to put up with all the nutty, high costing liveries
		
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Corrected for you to reflect my opinion  

TFF; own yard & Fuzzies, 1 livery (who is a YM elsewhere & has a semi retired horse) space for 3 more, but not going to happen....


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## Deseado (15 April 2012)

I wonder how many of you have ever tried to run a livery yard? The vast majority of the so-called "strange" rules quoted on here actually make a lot of sense. Having owned and managed several establishments in different countries I know how hard it is to reason with people who have no idea of the costs or consequences of their thoughtless and/or ignorant actions, perhaps through youth or lack of knowlege.


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## henryhorn (15 April 2012)

One very posh dressage yard I know of has a fantastic ladies' loo, tiled floor, heated, basket of scented dried flowers and all the hand towels colour co-ordinated and rolled individually in a basket. 
As you sit on the loo the notice opposite at eye level reads...
"LADIES!  Please do not put anything down this lavatory that hasn't entered your body via your mouth...! "
I know the owner well and chortled when I read the notice, but he is unrepentant, and claims it works...


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## henryhorn (15 April 2012)

I agree with Lark and Kerrelli, any rules are usually made purely because someone has caused a problem previously.
We have a dog welcome rule but if it chases our cats or horses it has to stay on a lead.
People are expected to sweep up after themselves, can't see any prolem with that at all myself.
Muck has to be tipped off the end of the muckheap (yes, believe it or not, we had people tipping right outside the entrance door from the yard to the muckheap until you couldn't get past the piles or out of the door...)
10 mph limit on driving through the yard, as cars and animals are always on the move.
Kettle available but only to take the chill off a bucket if washing or for making drinks, as our electric fuses if used time and time again.
No string or ropes tied along the back of the boxes inside for rugs as horses can get a leg caught (and it's us who have to free them usually)
We limit the size of the storage boxes kept right outside the actual stable as they can get broken if horses get loose (think size of a haybale)
I'm trying hard to think of more, but can't. We don't have poo picking as plenty of grazing, allow any instructor except parelli (that's unreasonable we know but we would feel obliged to laugh)
They can have any vet, any farrier etc, put up a shed inside the barn for storage and have an alarmed tackroom. No restrictions on feed/haylage but don't like seeing horses out in winter without hay fed in the field for them. Last winter I had to hint to one know it all livery that leaving her fully clipped horse out in torrential rain for more than 48 hours wasn't really fair, I got a lecture back on how he was perfectly ok despite us seeing him  standing shivering under the hedge..  Now we have a rule that fully clipped horses can't be out for more than 24 horses without a bit of a break inside to dry off. Free parking for trailers and boxes. 
Lungeing has to be done in various places to minimise damaging the surface membrane and jumps have to be returned as they found them after use. (often we have a measured grid up).
We have never had time restrictions on but one recent livery regularly arrived at 5 am after working overnight or 10.30pm, she's now gone and we would say in future please don't arrive before 7am or after 10pm if possible. 
I laughed at some of the rules but having seen how bloody dumb some owners are I can honestly see why they made them. I was once tempted to put a notice up asking people not to tie their horses up when the yard was being painted. One livery discovering a ladder with a painter up it at her usual tying up ring simply tied her horse through the ladder.. with him up it..When advised not a sensible move she moved it, and tied it to the handle of the barn door, a sliding door of 14 feet high weighing a lot, which had the horse pulled back and it came off would have killed it.. 
Then we had the livery who one Christmas tied balloons to her horse's tail. Yes, they burst sending all the others beserk. 
One of the rules I do wish I'd enforced is the no dogs one, clearing up other people's dog poo which of course they totally deny is their dog is really annoying. Now I just try and get liveries without dogs...ha ha.


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## springer1021 (15 April 2012)

I've remembered another one from a yard I worked on.

There was a large blue barrel with the cut off that was to be used for a bin, however thre was a note on the bim that said

No plastic bags
No drink cans
No remains of fruit
No feed bags
No plastic bottles  
No bailer twine

There wasn't much you could put in the bin!


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## glass (15 April 2012)

finding some of these very amusing. especially the stealing of mud from fields and the banning of carnal pleasures on site. Quality! I'm another lucky one with relaxed 24/7 turn out and 'be sensible/respectful/safe' type 'rules'. Phew!


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## henryhorn (15 April 2012)

24 hours not horses, sorry!


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## wallykissmas (15 April 2012)

Fiona36 said:



			Have just had such a laugh at this!!!  What did they think was going to happen?  You'd gradually steal the field in your horse's feet?  Am wondering what happened if you were picking out feet after a hack.  Did that have to be into a bucket or was it OK just to sweep that mud up?  And where would you return that mud to?

So glad I'm not on a yard but am finding these rules very entertaining!
		
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Lol so funny am crying with laughter .

Have been on yards where part/full livery horses were only allowed 12lb of hay in any 24 hours regardless of size and work and if staying in due to weather.

No hay in fields even though the fields were tiny and shared with two horses.

No one allowed on site after 7pm.

Horses to be out by 6 or you were charged to turn it out.

Not allowed to help each other muck out/ turnout/ bring in.

All jobs to be done by 10am

Muck to be placed on top of a muck heap over 12 ft high !! I joke not. Or you would be charged for yo to do it.

Couldnt be DIY as yo insurance only covered for so many full/part/DIY.


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## Moggy in Manolos (15 April 2012)

glass said:



			finding some of these very amusing. especially the stealing of mud from fields and the banning of carnal pleasures on site. Quality! I'm another lucky one with relaxed 24/7 turn out and 'be sensible/respectful/safe' type 'rules'. Phew!
		
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Same here. Some of these are hilarious, but alot of them seem fine to me. My yard is very relaxed, there are no written rules but plenty of common sense rules really. I like to tidy up after myself, turn things off and close things after i have used them anyway. I also like to keep my paddock in good shape by regular poo picking and ragwort removal, putting hay out in different areas so as grass can grow for example


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## padderpaws (15 April 2012)

I have to say that I find a lot of the rules on here very sensible.  I would not like to be on a yard where everyone can bring there dog.  Like mothers, owners always seem to think that everyone else will "love" there dog when in actual fact, Not. 

I think Hats should always be worn when turnout/bring in especially for insurance reasons. And I feel sorry for YO who have people turn up at crazy hours.

I guess it's just a case of making sure you find the right yard for you and your horse.  Every ones needs and tolerance are so different.


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## dancebaben (15 April 2012)

Hmmm not too many... 

One yard we weren't allowed to ride without a hat (fair enough) but the yard owners daughter could. 

When we poo picked the fields every spec had to go (despite being up to their knees in mud! Yes we had to go diving in the mud!  )

Our current yard every spec of poo has to be gone from the school after riding cos it blocks up the drainage - BUT it's ok for her child to make sand castles in their using sticks, rocks and grass...

We're not allowed to loose school (fair enough) but the reason is her non horsey OH said it looked dangerous. 

They're not too bad but some rules sometimes make me smile... while inside i'm seething.


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## Littlelegs (15 April 2012)

Henryhorn- that toilet notice is hilarious!


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## elsielouise (15 April 2012)

I don't have liveries any more but we had one who came to us from a yard where they where told they had to groom every day as YO didn't like to see dirty horses in the field.

They almost didn't believe us when we said we rarely brushed the living out Section A.

Turned out they rarely turned up to do their two horses and a donkey so we surmised the groom every day rule was made to make the bu** ers turn up at all!

I asked them to leave in the end as worked out it cost me several quid a day in time and hay to keep 'em.


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