The last bale of haylage
It is January. You look in the barn on Monday and think there is about a week of haylage left. On Thursday you realise it is closer to two days, because two new full liveries arrived and the cold snap meant horses were in longer. Your supplier can deliver next Wednesday at the earliest. You spend Friday ringing round for enough to bridge the gap, at a higher price, and changing horses onto hay for a few days.
Shavings are the same story on a smaller scale: the pallet runs out on a Sunday when the merchant is shut.
Why stock runs out on yards
Stock on a yard is used by many people at different rates, and the rate changes with the season, the livery list and the weather.
- Stock is judged by eye, and bales at the back of the barn are hard to count.
- Usage rises sharply when horses come in for winter.
- New liveries arriving increase usage without anyone adjusting the order.
- Supplier lead times vary and lengthen in bad weather or poor harvests.
- Orders are placed by whoever notices, or by nobody.
Emergency buying and unhappy liveries
Running out forces emergency purchases, usually at higher prices and sometimes of lower quality or a different type of forage. Changing forage at short notice is something owners understandably dislike.
Over-ordering is the other side: too much haylage in a warm spell risks waste, and storage space is limited. Without a record, the yard swings between the two.
There is a cash side as well. Forage and bedding are among a yard's largest bills, and buying in a panic makes them larger. Knowing your real usage also helps when a supplier offers a price for committing to the winter's supply, because you can judge the quantity rather than guess it.
A stock record that tells you when to order
We build a simple stock record for the yard.
- Each product, such as hay, haylage, straw, shavings, pellets and feeds, is set up with its supplier and usual lead time.
- Deliveries are recorded as they arrive, with quantity and price.
- Usage is recorded as it happens, from liveries buying from the yard and from staff feeding and bedding full and part liveries.
- The record works out current stock and how many days it should last at the recent rate of use.
- When stock will run out before a new order could arrive, you get a reminder, with the supplier's contact details and your usual order.
- A monthly stock check lets you enter what you actually count, so the record is corrected and any gap is visible.
| Question | Looking in the barn | Stock record |
|---|---|---|
| How much is left | Guessed | Deliveries minus recorded usage |
| How long will it last | Guessed | Worked out from recent use |
| When to order | When it looks low | Reminder allowing for lead time |
| Price changes | On the invoice | Recorded with each delivery |
| Stock gaps | Unknown | Shown after each count |
The record gives you the numbers. What you buy, from whom and how much to keep in reserve are your decisions.
Ordering before you need to
In January, the record shows haylage use has gone up since horses came in for winter and the two new liveries arrived. It reminds you to order on Monday, so the delivery arrives before the barn is empty. The shavings reminder arrives on a Thursday, when the merchant is open.
Over time, you see how much the yard uses each month and season, which makes it easier to agree supply for the winter ahead and to explain changes in livery prices.
Is your barn empty at the wrong moment?
- Stock levels are judged by eye.
- You have run out of forage or bedding before a delivery.
- You have bought at short notice at a higher price.
- New liveries arrive without the order being adjusted.
- Nobody owns the job of ordering.