How much do you do?

[newforest]

This is aimed at those on a yard but equally can be answered by those with their own land.

How much weeding do you tend to?
Who does the ragwork?
Who maintains the school if you have one?

At my place I unofficially do the weeds otherwise known to me as herbs. They get left because the yard knows I will be along to snip the patch and it won't be left to get scruffy. The cob also grazes the patch so it's not weed killed or mown.
You are responsible for weeding your tie up area and keeping it tidy, nothing is to be left out when you leave.
My little patch needs doing which is why I am thinking of this thread. Spent today doing weeds in the school with my assistant.

 

[Jessey]

When I was on livery I pulled any ragwort in my paddock, that wasn't a formal agreement but I'd rather pull it at the first sign, the owners often waited and did a mass pull in July when it started to flower. Other weeds were sprayed once in a while.

 

[Flipo's Mum]

I pull my own ragwort and the yard manager will come along every now and then and top my rested grass. We've got a few weedy bits in the field and I did contemplate getting them sprayed while the field was empty, but flipo uses them to scratch against during the summer - he wades through and the long ones scratch his belly and his willy!
Also, someone pointed out that I don't need anymore grass so would be a false economy!

If I had been wanting rid, I would have asked the yard manager for permission and advice on how to do it, but I wouldn't expect him to do it for me, although he has done it for other liveries so he probably would have offered.
My horse causes very little damage to the field (touch wood) but when I had the Shetland in with him, I was doing daily repairs to my gate and the yard manager offered to get it replaced as it is falling apart, but I said it's got a few years left

 

[Trewsers]

When we were on a yard at first, I didn't really know what was expected of us, so I didn't really do much to help maintain the place. Next yard we were on, they'd have looked at me like I was from Mars if I'd been caught pulling weeds etc in the school. They had staff - loads of them that must have done all that. I think it would be different now, and I'd have offered to help more. I guess I just didn't know ?? I think it depends on yard size etc. I think it's great when everyone does their bit, because it keeps it a nice place. Don't get me wrong, I did used to sweep the whole yard block we were on and I was very tidy.

 

[chunky monkey]

I tend to do my own weeds. I pull out the ragwort as I find it.
I cut the brambles back on one fence line in the paddock I was using a few years ago, picked up the dead wood that dropped off the trees and had a bonfire. YO then said they were going to do it. Even now they still haven't done there other fields and cut the brambles back. I've learned it's best to do it yourself or it doesn't get done.

 

[orbvalley]

Are these a type of DIY livery?

I don't do any of this at mine but then its full livery Everywhere is kept spotless by the owners
I do like doing the mucking out with them and I also groom 2 horses once a week for them as the owner requests but thats just because I like it

 

[newforest]

When we were on a yard at first, I didn't really know what was expected of us, so I didn't really do much to help maintain the place. Next yard we were on, they'd have looked at me like I was from Mars if I'd been caught pulling weeds etc in the school. They had staff - loads of them that must have done all that. I think it would be different now, and I'd have offered to help more. I guess I just didn't know ?? I think it depends on yard size etc. I think it's great when everyone does their bit, because it keeps it a nice place. Don't get me wrong, I did used to sweep the whole yard block we were on and I was very tidy.

I think all places are different and we are not a livery yard now.

 

[Bodshi]

Pretty much all field/fence/school maintenance is seen to by the owner. All liveries are on full livery during the week and at weekends the horses are still turned out/brought in and given their hard feed, but liveries have to do their own mucking out/sweeping up outside the stable/nets etc. We don't have our own specific tying up areas but it is generally expected that out of courtesy you will sweep up any mess that you leave - there is one lazy livery who does as little as possible and one scatty one who sometimes forgets! We are a small, friendly yard with no children, so generally speaking if we're around when there's a job to be done we all lend a hand (except for the lazy one - there's always one!)

 

[domane]

Our yard is part of a working farm and fishery so it isn't immaculate, but the liveries make it a nice place to hang. That said, YO will spray weeds off and top fields for the more stubborn ones. We do get a little ragwort and we tend to muck in and share digging/pulling.

As you may remember, I get a livery discount for being the yard sweeper/cleaner, so it's down to me to make sure that the tack and feed rooms are tidy. Plus the loo. It's not that arduous!! Sweeping is sweaty work though as the concrete yard is cracked and uneven.

 

[Jessey]

When I worked on a competition/full livery yard we did all the yard and school etc but tgey had someone come in to spray & fertilise the fields so no one pulled anything out there, tge owners did nothing but it was the type of livery where the owners let you know when they would be riding and we tacked up and untacked for them and rode their horses on days they didn't.

 

[MrA]

I do everything in my field and that's just the way I like it