Livery Yard Opening Hours...!

C

cherry*star

New Member
Sep 11, 2008
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This may be a stupid question but would you expect your livery yard to have 'opening hours' and when they are closed that you wouldnt be allowed up to ride? My riding school has closed its doors to public lessons and now only do livery but they are still sticking to the riding school hours.

Its not a big deal but I would have liked to ride my boy tonight cause I seem to have alot on this week between dentist appointments ect and tonight suited me but was told the yard is 'closed' at 5.30! But I dont finish work until then! Not sure if this is normal but then again they are open till 9 three nights a week aswell.

I dont have him long and again the school has just closed so maybe they are still sorted stuff out and I'm a first time owner so not sure if this is a bit odd??
 
I think you should be able to come and go when suit you cos you are livery and pay to use their facilties.

By the way, are you DIY or full livery, maybe this amy affect hours?

You got me thinking, if it was 'closed' would liveries get keys to access their horse's stable and tack?? :confused:
 
2 of the livery yards I was on wanted us all off by 9pm, so he could put the alarms on, but being closed by 5:30pm is just plain stupid.

I'd have a word with them as there's no point keeping your horse there if you cant see/ride him.

:)
 
Hiya

Yeah, i would expect them to have opening hours as all those i've been to have, but not closing at 5.30! I'd expect them to at least be open til 8 as that's the whole point of livery, you work so wouldn't have time to get there any earlier.

Seems very odd, but like you say they may just be adjusting.
 
That is seriously early for a livery yard, especially as most adult owners will have jobs which don't finish till 5pm. Where do they think their business is going to come from.
Bit odd if you ask me.
 
Our yard is open 6am-9.30pm, we have an electric gate for security and it is deadlocked when it is closed. The owners live on site though so if you need access outside of these times - for vet etc in an emergency or for shows then that is fine :)

I saw some seriously odd opening hours when I looked at yards - I work full time so needed somewhere with flexbility - but I like the security on our yard so the fact that is closes overnight is a good thing IMO
 
I drive past a RS/Livery yard on my way home from work and its always closed at about 6pm, the gates are locked and everything, if it were me, id move cause hteres no point in having a horse if you cant see it when you want to.

Mines open until 9pm which makes winter riding alot easier!
 
Ours is always open, some nights im there at 10pm. I couldnt cope if there were opening hours, we have to work the horses round jobs as it is so trying to fit into yard hours would be a nightmare
 
Ours officially closes but I can't remember what time as they do not strictly enforce it. It's probably about 9:30pm
This is partly so the alarms can go on.
There are quite alot of us who go after work so there is a fairly active night shift and we make sure whoever is last knows they are last so they can lock the gate.
 
mmm , i can understand them having opening hours they need a life & to help security , but i would say at least 7am to 7pm & then probably 9pm close weekdays to accomodate people whp work full time
 
I would totally expect them to close at some stage and definetely 9 or thereabouts would be reasonable but I think that 5.30pm on Mondays and Fridays is a bit much! I have other commitments on a Tuesday, so that only leaves Wednesdays and Thursdays, and this Thursday I have the dentist so it just means that he is only ridden once this week by me! I know they will exercise him aswell but I would prefer to ride him myself! And of course I have the weekend but I love riding after work - its a great de-stresser!

Thanks for your opinions, its my first livery yard (I'm paying full livery btw and its NOT cheap!) so I'm just wasn't sure but I dont plan on staying there too long anyway cause I want to move him to a yard nearer to my house before the new year! So I guess I will have to put up with it for the minute - I will just miss out on time bonding with him aswell.. :( Even if they dont want people riding, being closed means I cant even go up and groom him or spend time with him... :(
 
ours has opening hourse as in thats when the staff are there (we do part/full livery) but if you want to be up at any other time you only have to ask

i wouldnt have a problem with stricter hours as long as they could be flexible - eg for shows etc but 5.30 is plain ridiculous!!!
 
Mine don't have any and prefer it that way, couldn't imagine if you were told to go home now!:eek:
 
All livery yards I've used have had opening hours (usually approx 7am - 9pm). Yard owners have never seemed to mind people coming outside these hours, as long as they gave warning for security reasons and it wasn't a regular thing.
 
cherry*star said:
I would totally expect them to close at some stage and definetely 9 or thereabouts would be reasonable but I think that 5.30pm on Mondays and Fridays is a bit much! I have other commitments on a Tuesday, so that only leaves Wednesdays and Thursdays, and this Thursday I have the dentist so it just means that he is only ridden once this week by me! I know they will exercise him aswell but I would prefer to ride him myself! And of course I have the weekend but I love riding after work - its a great de-stresser!

Thanks for your opinions, its my first livery yard (I'm paying full livery btw and its NOT cheap!) so I'm just wasn't sure but I dont plan on staying there too long anyway cause I want to move him to a yard nearer to my house before the new year! So I guess I will have to put up with it for the minute - I will just miss out on time bonding with him aswell.. :( Even if they dont want people riding, being closed means I cant even go up and groom him or spend time with him... :(
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Sorry, but if you are paying full livery and you've said yourself that its not cheap - I would expect to be able to come and go as you pleased.

Okay, alarms have to go on etc., understood. However, on my yard we are allowed to be on there at any time - I sometimes don't leave in the winter until gone half past ten/eleven o'clock - and as long as I lock the tackroom, turn on the alarms, turn off all the lights and lock the gates, that's fine.

I personally could not stand being on a yard that had any time restrictions - I think it stems from being on yards without any at all. I pay a lot of money each month for my horse to be cared for and I take the view that I should be able to go and see him whenever I want to.
 
5.30 is too early.
Ours "closes" at 8pm and "opens" at 8am, but thats just so that the YO can lock up/do last checks etc. If we want to be there earlier/later we just have to tell them what time we'll be there.
 
My yard doesn't have opening or closing times - thank god. But my old livery yard did - the owner wanted us all off the yard by 6pm on a sunday!! In the summer, we never rode because it was too damn hot to ride before 6pm - and he didn't want us there too early either! Hence I moved.......!
 
I agree that 5.30 is way too early. Sometimes i don't finish work till 6.30 so that would be no good to me what so ever.

The Yard I am at now (small private DIY) doesn't have opening times but my last yard wanted you to be off the yard by 9pm in the winter but you could get there any time you wanted. we all had a key for the gate and tack room. the rule was who ever was there last locks up :)
 
i wouldnt mind having restricted times as long as they were flexible if you give notice as its good safety. our small DIY yard has no restrictions at all, you can turn up at any time day or night. i have been at the yard many a time before 6am to feed the horses before an early lesson and i dont get there in the evenings until nearly 6pm and then i ride.

have you asked if you can go up later if you give notice? If they are unwilling to change or be flexible i would look around at other yards
 
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