Livery yards
If
you have a yard that you would like to recommend for a veteran please let
the Veteran Horse Society know.
Veteran Horse Society
Hendre Fawr Farm
St. Dogmaels
Cardigan
SA43 3LZ
email
info@veteran-horse-society.co.uk
Marking your correspondence - livery yards
After so many calls this winter in regard to livery yards up and down the country, I feel that now we should take a good look at why so many Members and their veterans are finding them so stressful.
Full livery, part livery, DIY livery.
These seem the most
popular choice for Members who are not lucky enough to keep their horses at
home.
The calls I must say come from mainly DIY and part livery clients, their complaints
range from turnout disputes to bullying of their veterans.
We would now like to reverse the horse role and imagine you are paying rent
on a house – ie your horse is you (the tenant) and the stable is a house.
If you rent a house with a garden, the house and garden are the horses stable
and field. You pay a certain amount each month to be that tenant on average
say £200.00. You can come and go as you wish. You are able to go into
the garden when you wish to. So, as a tenant you are entitled to obviously abide
by certain regulations, but can use the facilities to your needs. You can come
and go as you wish and also how you maintained your garden is not a problem
ie. Fertilizer and which plants you put in your garden. There is no restriction
to what time or how often you use your garden, but the grass and plant life
should be kept in a neat and tidy state. With this responsibility you make sure
that you garden is safe neat and tidy and that should you wish to grow your
own vegetables that they are tended accordingly.
Now lets imagine that the horse lives in the above house. Now imagine this restriction,
in your own home.
*You may only leave
you house for 1 hour during certain months, if at all.
*You may only mix with certain friends in the garden during this period.
*You may not paint your house.
*You must keep your house and garden very clean and tidy, at all times, no matter
what may have happened or emergency going on.
*You have no choice with the friends you mix with despite them hitting and punching
you.
*You may only mix with those 20 years younger than you and have nothing in common
with each other.
*The vegetable garden needs attention as there is no vegetables of any protein
value, you are unable to plant new ones and ‘must do’ with the ones
you’ve got, no matter if they give you no value and giving you deficiency
of some kind.
*You may not get fresh air.
*You may not seal up any drafts.
THEN YOU PAY!!
These are extreme
cases, but we have had calls with all the above comments made.
The then leads to welfare concerns
o BOREDOM
o FEAR
o STIFFNESS
o WEIGHT LOSS
o WILL TO LIVE
So why do
owners have such strict restrictions imposed on them?
The land may be needed
to be rested.
Horses may fight
None mixing of geldings or mares.
Weather conditions
Etc etc
I appreciate that the above is needed and good maintained is vital, but with
good management of horses the above need not be a problem.
Sadly, some livery yards seem to be more interested in money the management
and this is when the problems seem to occur.
When choosing a livery yard meet the other clients have a chat with them, find
out the following things
* Is there 24/7 365
days turnout (including Christmas Day), if not why not.
* May you restrict your veteran’s grazing, and will this be with another
horse, preferably a veteran or a horse that has a similar nature. I am not saying
every veteran is placid, as I know personally that some veterans do enjoy and
good play and gallop, but that both horses generally, get on very well.
* For the older and more frail they must be able to ‘get away’ from
any conflicting actions.
* Make sure you can bring in or turnout when you want to – if you have
a show, you may wish to leave the yard at 5.00am and some yards won’t except
this.
* Field maintenance – Is the grazing suitable for your veteran through
all the seasons and which paddocks are used summer and winter. Check the winter
grazing doesn’t get boggy (see summer ailments article). Are they fertilized
and how often? and with what? Organic is best for the older ones as too much
protein may cause damage to their internal organs, slow growing, long bladed
grass is good for the larger or laminitis and for those with teeth problems
shorter is better.
* May you restrict yourself, ie with your own electric fencing?
* Is the water changed daily in the summer and regularly in the winter?
* Is there field or natural shelter all year.
* Can they cope with cushings or copd and what facilities are offered to these
horses?
* Fencing preferably electric or post and rail. Barbed wire is lethal and causes
horrific injury, always avoid it or insist that electric in put at least 1 foot
in front.
* Can I leave my horse lorry there – some places just won’t accept
any vehicle left there, this is part of your horse equipment.
* If you go on holiday do they offer full livery.
* What are the owner’s equine qualifications or experience?
We are not naming
any yards in this article as it would be far to lengthily, but should you wish
to make any comments on this issue in the next edition, please either put this
in writing or email us directly.
There are now yards
opening with veterans purely in mind, so should you wish to advertise these
yards, the cost is just £20.00 and this also will place you onto our Website
for the same period (3 months). If you are a member you get 50% discount.
Another new service
we would like to introduce in the future is approval on livery yards. Again,
this will take time and recourses.
We have literature here on maintained of grass land and fencing and should you
wish us to send you a copy please send a sae marking it fao: ‘Livery Yards’
I hope that this may help some of you in your current yards, and livery owners
may sit up and think about veterans and their needs.