Seriously thinking about DIY - Rant:o{

[Whatanejit]

I arrived at the yard this morning at about 0730hrs to 'do' May before my lesson elsewhere.

As I arrived YOs were just leaving.

I was the only one there apart from the 3 dogs.

I approached May's barn and looked right as I always do to see if my boy is in - I could see his door wide open.

Oh, I thought, that is unusual.

It wasn't until I advanced further that I saw the Skewbald gelding, that is Cooper standing in his stable eating his breakfast.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/LuchwithCoops.png
(this is an old photo but this is what I saw)

The door had been left wide open!!!!!!!!!!http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smilieangry.gif

Not ajar but completely open!

I looked around to see if I had missed anyone and the tumble weed flew accross the yard!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smilietumbleweed.gif

Grrrrrr!http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/blowup.gif

You probably have already read about them leaving his coat on most of last monday while he was in his stable - 20 degrees outside and an inch of water left in his bucket! He was sweating buckets.

Absolutely not good enough.

I would prefer not to move as some of you know - DIY seems to be a safer option.http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smiliehairpull.gif

What do you think?

[Tharg]

Not too sure about DIY being a safer option, you could end up on a yard of untidy thieves with no enforcable YM/YO.

I would be ****ed off too, do you know why they were leaving?. Perhaps it was a genuine mistake. Is it the first time that something like this has happenned.

[Imp]

I'm almost anally retentive when it comes to Megan's care... I don't think anybody will do it properly but me :o :o That has made my decision to share her very difficult for me but the sharer will have to abide by my rules OR ELSE!!!

Gawd, you must be furious! That is just a reckless act... sorry, not making you feel better am I? I was working full time and on DIY and although it meant a 5am start I knew Megan was cared for to the standard I want. A nasty thought crossed my mind re poor Cooper and the worming issue... :mad:

Playing the Devil's advocate though; do you think these two issues in one week justify such a move? Are these the first and only times such issues have arisen and if so, could there be a reason (personal ones) the YO's have been neglectful?

Are you going to question them about this?

I'd be reeling if it happened to me so hope you can come to a satisfactory solution quickly, you've had enough rubbish recently. :D

[neen]

The leap to DIY would be a big one, especially as you work. But you need to know he's with someone you can trust. I'm not sure why you don't want to move, and you don't need to say -- but all things being equal, another yard, with a higher standard of care, would seem the best option to me.

[Maddison's girl]

that was my reason for DIY! I wouldnt be impressed with the coat and no water! Even with DIY you still need to find the right yard. Touch wood I have been very lucky so far.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

can you do DIY on your current yard?

as you well know i moved onto DIY recently and i have to say, its the best thing i ever did. only been doing it two days but im actually looking forward to tomorrow for the first time in ages :D its easier than i expected tbh and i love it :D:D:D:D

good luck with whatever you decide, but i wouldnt be impressed with the rug on in the day! poor lad must have been cooked!!

[Whatanejit]

Yes it would be DIY at the same yard.

I guess I am still not there during the day but at least I am not paying them to NOT keep an eye out for him anyway:o


I've had issues with this yard re his feeding, turn out, watering (this isn't the first time he was without water) and now the rug and basic safety of not closing his door.
A few of you will remember the other threads about the bullying.

The what ifs re the door business are mind blowing.

I had a word with head girl today and she was appauled and said she would speak to YOs.

I didn't see them today. I don't think that they have changed their tune and are hoping we will leave with my itchy and scratchy horse.http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smiliewilly.gif

3 times during the summer when I was there early a.m. I found loose horses in the yard that had escaped from one of the fields. They kept blaming it on one girl who wasn't closing the gate properly - I thought it was up to them to check the gates were properly shut at night.:rolleyes:

They also forgot to feed him in the morning twice over the summer and we arrived to find him being fed at 1100hrs when we had a lesson at 1200hrs.


The problems highlighted above - sorry I am just thinking while I type - would not happen if we were DIY as we would ensure.......

. he was fed and fed the correct amount.
. he was safe in his stable.
. his rugs were changed
. he had water
. he had sufficient turnout time - you can do 24hrs in the summer if you are DIY but not if you are part livery - as 'you have to stick to the routine'.

Our start in the morning is already 0515 - doing Cooper in the morning would only add an extra 10mins and then we could muck out in the evening.

Ho hum - lots to think about.

Oh, good things about the yard.

. Horses tend to do well there and don't get sick/colicy that much

. Horses settle very quickly

. Cooper very settled there

. Have made quite a few horsey buddies

. Share horse is there

. Mostly off road hacking

. 3 mins from my home

. Head girl is great - she mainly looks after him and her only indiscretion is not checking re the rug incident but she didn't bring him in - YO did and she assumed it was done.

Assume - makes an ass out of u & me!


http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/confused3.gif

[Stella2]

When I was on a yard where the care was substandard, I used to be there so often to check that I used to say I might as well be on very expensive DIY:rolleyes: How do the staff at this yard respond to you expressing concern about things? Could you move to another full livery, some are much better than others :)

[CurlyWurlyRach]

to be honest Dee, i think getting up 10 mins earlier is a small price to pay to know in your own mind that your boy is happy and safe.

You and Coops have just reminded me i need to worm curly...cheers lol :D

[Vix3n]

If your generally happy with their service then maybe you could vary the times you 'pop' to the yard, to catch them 'on the hop' so to speak. If you are still unhappy then I would go for D.I.Y, that way you will know what he is fed, when he is fed, doors are locked, water filled, e.t.c.

[bazzarider]

Just to add a thought - in most yards the first one there in the morning has to feed all the horses. That can easily add another 30mins to your morning turn-out time. Also, many yards wouldn't allow anyone up there at 5am. I too wondered if he had actually been wormed according to the programme as otherwise he wouldn't BE wormy!

Assisted DIY is best. That way you can pay £2 or whatever to have your horse turned out for you in the morning, and just do the evening chores. Or team up with another owner and split the days you do your horses.

[NoviceNic]

I think I would seriously need to be pushed for time to ever consider putting my 2 on full livery. I am one of these owners that worship their horses needs and care.:o If it rains through the day I will pop up and bring them in. :o

I get up to the yard at 6:55am. I turnout 2 horses individually as cannot lead both together. Then I muck out 1 or 2 if on time. I get back home for 7:30am to kick kids out of bed for school bustle. My yard is only 4 mins away. I expect my journey to double in time when the roads are icy. Then it takes me 1 1/2 hr to turn in, water out and in, groom and ride 1 for 30 mins and muck out 1 in the evening. I only have one of my horses rugged at the moment. I also dont hard feed at the moment but i plan to tie them up outside and muck out whilst they are eating.

If you feel you have the time Dee then go for it. It is very rewarding and satisfying to know that your horse is well looked after. There is no-one else that can look after your horse as well as yourself IMO. We all have our special requirements. :)

[Jenni]

to be honest i think you are right about going DIY.

I would be raging that they left him without water. Its a basic essential need. never mind adding a rug onto him and letting him sweat it out.

If they are slacking on the simple things then ask what else they are slacking from doing. Never mind not closing his stable door. He could have got out and hurt himself (touch wood god forbid etc) and it would have been your vet/insurance fees going up. :mad: :mad:

And you are paying for the priviledge of them denying your horse of basic survival/safety needs. i can imagine you are very very angry. quite rightly so.

id want a refund of some livery fees and put him onto DIY. That way you know its done and its done right.

[Stella2]

NoviceNik - I also "worship" my horse's care. Thats why I have moved her three times. She is still on full livery, but the standards of care are high and I have confidence in them. If I didn't, I'd have her on DIY.

[Clare-22]

I think if you can spare the time DIY is fantastic, yes it is tiring and sometimes you can feel like you are either at work, at the stable or asleep :rolleyes: but I wouldn't do it any other way, it is so rewarding to be in total care of your baby :)

[Tots N Dots]

have you thought of docking the amount you pay? sort of "if you not doing it properly I wont pay in full"? if you list each time why you are not paying the full cost for that week they can hardly argue? that would certainly get their attention but may make very big waves, just a thought?
I have never had a horse on full livery (apart from my last mare who was injured and couldnt be moved so a week of part livery was enforced) I was up at 5.30am everyday and i am not a morning person, still bathed and made it to work for 9am, if Pickle wasnt close by I dont know how I would cope now that I have little kids, he will be in at night this winter but a friend and I are shareing turn out/bring in.
if you can do it go for it, will save you a fortune :D

[Lucy J]

my pet hate when my horse was on part livery was being turned out with a headcollar on also the bed not being mucked out to my standard. (although I have a very high standard) i ended up just turning a blind eye (and having a fieldsafe headcollar!) as I had to accept the yard had a specific way of doing things, however in this case I would say the owners are being negligent. Are you sure they left the door open - is there anyway the horse could have pulled open the bolt as I've seen that happen a few times.

i would either stay on the livery you are on or go for complete DIY. I would worry if you went for assisted DIY they might forget to do things. when mine was on part livery i couldn't have 24x7 turnout, otherwise the yard would have made no money all summer.

[hackedoff]

My assisted DIY arrangement works for me- 4 days DIY and 3 days full livery, I have explained what I want on full livery days and it semms to be done how I like it! I dont think the rug and water issue is a small one, it is an outrageous failure of duty of care, as is the loose horse (bless him) in his box. You could get around alot of this on DIY but the attitude of your livery staff I find simply shocking. These incidents are unacceptable and you have every right to be angry.

[julia gulia]

Could you work something out with the 'head girl"? I know that you shouldn't have to do that but if you confront the owners and threaten to pay less for sub standard care , that could make things worse.:)

[nutty]

hi ,If you can do your horse yourself you will have peice of mind.I have had horses and ponies all my life with bringing up 3 children which now have kids of their own working and all the other things we have to do like keeping house and husband happy. I have been on yards that do full or part livery but always been diy because no one does them like yourself.Im now 55yrs old still get up at 6 in the morning winter and summer and get a real buz knowing my babies have every thing they need.I have just sold my small yard which i had for 6yrs and am now on a freinds yard who used to be a big freind of my daughters she thinks im mad for doing my own but as we laugh about it she knows i have total piece of mind , good luck whatever you do .

[amandal]

If you want to stay on your current yard sounds like you either need to have sharp, assertive words with the owners who obviously don't care about the horses they're tasked with or you need to find a new yard. Are the doors undoable by the horses ? My mare learnt to undo doors at one yard, but the water / rug incident is appalling.

[Kecka~Rocka]

Im on DIY and wouldnt have it any other way. Last year I paid a close horsey friend to look after my 3 horses for 6 days while i was in Paris, and when i got back I learned she just left them in a field the whole time and the stables were left dirty from when I left. So since then i cant even trust a friend to look after my boys, so i do everything myself and no more hols without them!!!

[Whatanejit]

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/thumbsup.gif

Thanks all for your input and helping me put things into perspective.

With a lot of thought and discussions with OH and other liveries we have decided to give DIY a go from 1st Nov.http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/ohthedrama.gif

Out of the 52 horses in the yard about 30 are DIY and the DIYers tend to look out for each others horses. A few of my riding buddies are DIYers and they said they would keep an eye out for Cooper. They always sort of did before but just assumed that he was being looked after by staff.

If we need assistance I have a few diyers to call on or head girl will do it for a pound here and there. The money is given directly to her which I would much rather do and miss out the YOs.

One of the other diyers who occasionally gets HG help has a small nobo board outside the stable with a marker pen and she writes up the tasks etc required of HG through the week.

Hopefully, that will help prevent any potential mistakes. I can also take responsibility and text her at the right time to turn him out or bring in.

It will certainly make my day longer and coming into winter must be the worst time to decide to this.
However, I do love looking after him and getting to see him twice a day during the week instead of once is more than I could hope forhttp://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smiliethumb.gif

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/OctCoopsfieldgroup.png

Not sure if I'm going to have time for NR now though!

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Three cheers for DIY!
To echo you, it'll all be fine :D
and cooper will love seeing you more 'ooo carrots again? exellent'

[Ptaty70]

I am over the moon that you have decided to go DIY. Can the DIYers do things for each other like turn out the others horses, so that you all get chance to have a rest one or two mornings a week?

I moved to assisted DIY from full livery about 5 years ago and it really was the best move. The YO feeds and turns him out in the morning, but I am in charge of his mucking out, feeding, rugging, water, worming, supplements, boots etc. plus everything at the weekends. It works great and I love it. You will too.. there's nothing worse than always worrying that your horse isn't being cared for properly. You will love it! Good luck!

[newnovice]

I just moved and my horse went from being stabled 2.5 miles to my house, to being in my barn about 50 feet from my door. I have to say that it is a TON of work and since I'm here with her alone (no barn buddies like I had), I get very nervous.

BUT, there's nothing that compares to taking care of your own horse. I'm sure of what I feed her, what time I feed her, which blanket/sheet and when it comes off and goes on, how much shavings is in her stall, etc. It's great.

Of course, DIY at a stable away from home will be a little different, but I think you'll be happy you did it. Good luck!

[Little Dolphins]

'Course you'll have time for NR, Dee- just come on here at 1.30 am like I'm doing now:rolleyes:
Lovely lovely pic of Cooper!! He looks fab, how's he doing with the treatments?

You'll be getting through your fave perfume at an alarming rate now, spraying away 'eau de stable' as you get into work every day! Is OH going to join in the DIY-ing?

You'll love seeing your Boy twice as much each day and giving him a cuddle and a check over -peace of mind:)

[Clare-22]

Yay! I think in a months time you will think why didn't I do this ages ago ;) That is if you have time to think :D Only teasing, once into your new routine everything will be fine, and you will have peace of mind that your boy couldn't be looked after better :)

[Whatanejit]

Phew! It's done http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smiliecongrats.gif

I spoke to YOs and HG this morning.

I wasn't assy and just said that it was always our intention to do so and the time felt right now.

They were fine about it and so was I.

Thanks again for your moral support folkshttp://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smiliethanks.gif

I have two other DIYers who I would trust to help out if I am stuck but don't plan for the moment to share the a.m. chores. Mainly because one of the DIYers' horse is a nightmare - kicking, biting etc and I am not happy to go into her stable.

They have agreed to help out with regard to bringing him in if I have a problem with trains coming down from London - that is my main worry.

OH already does the dogs in the morning at 0515hrshttp://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/a102.gif.

While he is out I will shower, do dogs dinner, tea and coffee for us. Then I will leave for Cooper when he gets back at about 0550hrs with thermos of tea in tow!

I will then drive from stable to a street near the station and try and park somewhere so that I can catch the 0648hrs train.

While cooper is eating his breakfast I will skip out in my wellies and work clothes! I might buy a full, nora batty type overall to wear over my clothes http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/trx-smly120.gif

I'm pretty confident we know what we are doing and we have most emergency situations covered by being able to call on extra help.


He is still the same old Cooper despite his treatments which is great, LD.

Might have a dodgey belly today as the wormer kicks in.

Ooops. Must head off to work now.

[Imp]

Good luck Dee, OH and Cooper; you won't regret it as you'll be totally in control and will know that he is being properly looked after ;)

[teabiscuit]

congrats, loving the picture of Cooper grazing-gorgeous boy as always.

have you done for Bertie yet?
xxx

[Whatanejit]

Bertie was zapped on Tuesday.............

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Tapeworm2parasite-cleansing.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/BGW5.gifhttp://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/Whatanejit/Smilies/smilieraygun.gif

Eat my dust - or pooh as it 'appens!

[teabiscuit]

:D :D
hopefully that's the end of him then, and Coops will start flourishing even more!

[lolahutt]

I have never done anything but DIY, I think its all part of having a horse although I do dream about someone else mucking out for me! It is absolutly not on to leave doors open and rugs on in warm weather. I would go DIY and if you are worried about the work maybe find a sharer.

[Little Dolphins]

RIP and don't come back Bert T. Worm;)