Does your yard owner get involved in disputes with other liveries?

[Shamalamalam]

We had an owner arrive at our yard a couple of months ago.

She has been an utter pain in the arse ever since. Extremely rude and unpleasant to everyone, makes a mess and never cleans it up and helps herself to other people’s stuff.

She’s got 4 horses at the yard so the YO is keen to keep her sweet

It’s always been a really lovely yard, not gossipy or bitchy, we all help each other out, keep the place tidy and just get on with sorting horses out without any major fuss or fanfare.

We all tried to be friendly with her at first but she’s just rude, so we all leave her to it.

We’re in American style barns so share a lot of the space - her horses are not tame and quite dangerous, she’s taken over the small tack room with her junk everywhere, never clears up her mess and just takes everyone else’s stuff.

Most of this stuff I just ignore - I don’t mind people borrowing brushes and stuff like that as long as they put it back, but she helps herself to everyone’s straw and hay and hard feed and never puts back anything she borrows - we’ve all spoken to her about this, told her that hay and straw is everyone’s private supply and that she needs to buy her own - we put in big group orders and keep asking if she wants any but she never does and just ignores anyone who speaks to her about it.

No one minds if someone borrows something but it pisses me off that I have to play hunt my wheelbarrow every day because she has borrowed it and not emptied it or put it back

All liveries can rent a private paddock or there’s a couple of fields where they are all out together. We rent our own paddock, us and 1 of the other liveries put our horses in together and rotate between 2 paddocks to try and keep them in good condition.

Today I go to put DD’s horse out in our paddock and find her bloody horses in there - this is the 3rd time it’s happened, she knows she’s not supposed to use other people's paddocks, she’s been told a million times but she just keeps doing it. She just ignores us. Last time her horses trashed our paddock - pulled all the electric fences down and she never goes and poo picks or anything

I had words with the YO - he took her horses out of our paddock, but refuses to get involved or speak to her

Anyway, we’ve all tried to be friendly, we’ve all tried to speak to her ourselves but she’s just carrying on regardless. I understand she’s got 4 horses so the YO doesn’t want to upset her, but at this rate she’s going to be the only livery left up there

I’m totally fed up

God, sorry, that was long!

Our yard owner would be similar, in that he wouldn't want to get involved, but I think you need to spell out to yours that if they don't do something the rest of you will be voting with your feet. It sounds like a ridiculous situation that can't be allowed to carry on.

She would be booted off our yard.

Sounds like you need 5 or more owners to make clear to livery owner that if it ain't sorted, you'll all be moving.

Why I don’t like DIY yards, TBH...
YO needs to manage this. Yours sounds like a farmer who just likes the cash.
A good yard owner clamps down on livery misbehaviour sharpish - yours definitely isn’t. Yes, all 5 get together & threaten to leave, although whether you will get a long term solution is debatable. Good luck!

YO here - she would have been swiftly given warning for above and then given notice if she didn't comply. I won't put up with that sort of entitled behaviour and attitude, and I wouldn't expect my liveries to either.

Thanks all!

We’ve all complained to the YO about her - not about the rudeness or anything, we just ignore her, but taking straw and hay and hard feed, putting her horses in liveries paddocks and stuff like that but so far he just won’t get involved

I caught her helping herself to our straw tonight, had a go at her and she just stood there with my bloody wheelbarrow full of my bloody straw. I went a bit nuts so she threatened to complain about me to the YO. Fee bloody free love

Honestly, why would you act like such a dick at a yard you’ve only been on for 5 minutes?

I’ve spoken to some of the others tonight and we’re going to complain en masse tomorrow

Is there anyway you can lock your equipment up i.e padlock it to the wall.

Same with the straw and hay. Is there a gate on the storage area that can have a padlock applied

The thing is, with people like that, it won't be long until she starts taking the mick in terms of paying livery late etc. I bet she owes money all over the place...

Wow. No way would our yard owner put up with that! She is the kindest most helpful woman but she does not suffer fools and is very direct. I knew her through my sons PC first and she always came across as quite terrifying before I actually knew her.

She wouldn’t get involved in minor arguments but something like that, definitely.

I hope you get it sorted soon

Thanks all!

We’ve all had a big moan at the YO this morning and he’s finally agreed to speak to her. Admitted that he knew she’d been chucked off 2 yards in 3 months before coming to us for the same behaviour

Not before I had another run in with her though.

DD and I turned up this morning, could hear her shouting and screeching at one of her horses from across the yard. As DD and I entered the barn her horse bolted (again) and sent DD flying - didn’t hurt her fortunately

Found my (full) wheelbarrow and pitchfork in her stable, couldn’t get to any of our feed in the tack room because she’d left all her junk everywhere and left a huge mess in the barn

All the other liveries in our barn and I have now moved all our feed, bedding, wheelbarrows, forks, etc, etc into an empty stable and stuck a bike lock on it

Our yard is 4 American-style barns, 3 of the barns are for liveries, the other is the YO’s - she was spread across the 3 barns but he’s now moved all 4 of her horses into his barn so fingers crossed we don’t have to deal with her any more - I give him 2 weeks before he chucks her off the yard

Dear God, there's always one isn't there? No wonder you are fed up!

Her behaviour is totally unacceptable. The YO must deal with it. In my experience, the"atmosphere" at a yard, good or bad, always filters down from the top. An ineffectual owner always leads to squabbles, although this particular person sounds as if she is in a league all of her own! Glad your dd is ok op!

In your shoes, I'd be moving liveries if YO does nothing. He was totally wrong to take her on with that history.

I’ve been scouting around for another yard, ideally I want something closer to home or on a bus route so DD can get there under her own steam.

But, we’ve got a really fab indoor school which none of the other yards have, we’ve got great hacking directly into a bridle way, plus most of the other yards are stables round a courtyard - I prefer the barn style, at least over the winter

We’ll see how it goes from now on - I reckon she’ll piss him off now she’s in his barn and he’ll chuck her off

She’s just a PITA and I’ll be glad to see the back of her, she’s dragged down the whole atmosphere of the yard

I can see why it would be a shame to leave op. Good hacking directly on to a bridle path is like gold dust. At least YO has moved her in with him which is something I suppose. Here's hoping he gives her her marching orders before too long! Hope it works out for you anyway.

What baffles me though is - what do these people who think the rules don't apply to them - gain in the long -term? In the short term, they obviously get free hay and feed and the use of other people's equipment. Long term though, surely it's more hassle pissing everyone off and having to constantly move yards?

Sympathies OP, pretty much every DIY yard I've been on has had a light fingered type who'll help themselves to other people's gear, feed, forage, tack, pony (!) etc. anytime their back is turned, plus ones who never ever do their fair share of jobs which ought to be communal like poo picking and sweeping the yard etc, never mind taking proper care of their own animals. And often as not these are the same people that let their feral horses/dogs/children run wild around the yard and make things at best no fun and at worst actively unsafe for others. And anyone fool enough to try and make 'helpful' suggestions on better management of said DC/horse/dog can expect to get their head ripped off and bitched about forever more .

I do think DIY livery yard owners/managers on the whole are less likely to actively intervene in these cases up until the point it's actually losing them business and sometimes not even then, sometimes because they're not horsey themselves so don't really understand or sometimes it's just not worth the aggro. The only solution (and it's not a great one) is to move to a yard which only does part/full livery, because (a) bedding, hay and feed is usually provided so less to nick, most other stuff can go in a locker (b) more staff around means less opportunity for real CF behaviour, and communal jobs are done properly by the staff at least every so often and (c) yard owner usually more involved on a day to day basis so there to keep an eye out. In the interim a big padlock and a very thick skin probably your only approach...

slightlycoddled it baffles me why you’d brave like this. When you’ve already been kicked off 2 yards, when does it finally dawn on you that you’re a twat?

She doesn’t follow any of the rules and just gets everyone’s backs up.

In the indoor school we have a big white board where you write up when you want to book the school for lessons. On Thursday DD had a lesson, school was booked, half way through the lesson she brings 2 totally out of control and wild horses into the school, dumps them in there and fucked off to muck out - you’re not supposed to leave horses unattended in the school, especially not when someone is using it. DD’s teacher and one of the other liveries caught them and took them back out but seriously, why would you be such a knob in the first place?

Everyone is willing to help each other out, if I ever get stuck at work I know someone will bring her in/chuck some hay in for her, if I run out of hay someone would lend me some, etc. She has been so rude and thoroughly unpleasant that she’s on her own

maxelly - she has feral dogs, who race around in and out of stables, shit everywhere, bark continuously and try to bite the horses. One got kicked a couple of days ago and ended up at the vet

It was quite peaceful today, DD and I were up quite early this morning so we missed her - shame

She would be booted off our yard.

Likewise, she'd be gone. It is an assisted livery yard rather than DIY though.

Admitted that he knew she’d been chucked off 2 yards in 3 months before coming to us for the same behaviour

Reading your OP I was going to suggest you ask around as she's bound to have form! If the YO doesn't step up sharpish, I'd threaten to report her for theft. At least pointing out that taking hay and straw without paying is theft might make her think twice about doing it.

I don't know what it is with CF liveries. I do feel sorry for their animals though.

She turned horses out in the arena while your DD was riding in there?! Dear god that's insane... I'm amazed any YO would put up with this (though I've known some very hands off or bonkers YOs!)

Shamalamalam that's appalling (about letting horses in to school while a lesson was going on). That's so stupid, not to mention dangerous! I would tell the YO that he might have a serious accident/law suit on his hands if he doesn't do something quickly!

Her horses are pretty wild, so it could have ended so badly. I don’t think anyone could quite believe what she’d done. DD’s teacher and another livery got them straight out.

I was mucking out while DD had her lesson so didn’t know about it until afterwards. I tore her off a strip the next day and she just walked away from me. I have never felt so close to punching someone in my life

Didn’t see her at all yesterday or this morning - fingers crossed it stays that way.

I really don’t get why you’d behave like it, our horse community is pretty tight knit, everyone knows everyone else, she’ll run out of yards soon and then what is she going to do? I feel for her poor horses

Good lord, the more you say about her the worse she sounds! Putting her horses into the school loose while your DD was riding ! Is the woman actually unhinged? As above I have plenty of experience with people on livery yards who are essentially lazy/CFs but this sounds on a whole other level!

Sorry no more advice except to keep a very close eye on your DD at all times as it sounds really unsafe to be around this woman and her animals, who knows what she'll do next? And keep on at the owner, hopefully if you and the other liveries shout loud enough it will be worth his while to get rid of her!

This is the problem with yard owners who are more interested in the rent than the welfare of the horses and the happiness of the owners. I'd never have anyone here without references, and knowing what kind of horses I'd be introducing to the yard. Better empty stables than bad liveries.

Get a lockable shed / large storage container (Preloved or Freeloved) and keep smaller every day items in there with just you lot having a key to get in. I used an old livestock trailer for storage once and just put a standard padlock on it.

Get a cheap bike lock or clamp and literally secure your wheelbarrow somewhere out the way after use so it's physically impossible for the other livery to use yours.

Stick up a note with number of bales each person has ordered and paid for on delivery and put a small note under the twine each time you break into a new one with date it was opened and how much was used. Sounds immensely petty, pathetic and drawn out I know but it's a means of almost shouting "WE'RE KEEPING TABS ON EVERYTHING THAT IS TOUCHED"

If the livery is as hot-headed as she sounds that in itself will drive her nuts. You may have to take the fallout of her screaming and hissy fits around the yard but let her - crack on as you are and let her strop and throw a tantrum if she must.

Ask the YO if you can draw up a routine for turnout in the paddocks so it's used fairly by everyone and doesn't shag them up too much over winter with mud and sludge.

If YO is reluctant or refuses to a routine, turn your horses out in there anyway and let them dare tackle you about it when you've already suggested a fair, simple and straightforward alternative.

It can be a nightmare for YO's I do appreciate that but the ones that allow just one or two people to ruin and cause problems for everyone else usually work on the basis "whoever shouts the loudest" so by doing things in a non-confrontational but clear way you're likely to be the loudest.

I've only been on two livery yards ever the first being a last-minute unforeseen emergency on our own land that resulted in a same day move and the second being a move from there to a second yard where we stayed until our place was fixed up and sorted.

First was the worst, most gossip and bitch-ridden place where I came the closest I've come in years to physically smacking two girls and dropping them on the spot.

Livery yards should be places where people with a shared passion, hobby and interest can enjoy spending time with their horses but the reality is that many horse owners and riders are left dreading having to go and it's wrong.

The two girls I nearly went to town on were so bad they actually took it upon themselves to turn my horses out, bring them in, fuck about and fiddle with rugs and nets and buckets and all sorts of shit they were barmy.

It was like being able to breathe again when we got home.

www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/9-types-of-people-youll-find-on-a-livery-yard-413184

Every now and again I think about getting a few liveries in - we have the stables, parking, outside loo, grass, straw etc, only 3 miles from town and it would be great for my dd to have someone to ride with. And then i read threads like this and it reminds me again why I don't.