Advantages of livery yards

[Hackback]

I was on livery for 12 years but then some farm land came up for sale adjacent to our house so we bought a couple of acres. I now have 2 horses at home, the older one that used to be at livery and a four year old that I bought direct from his breeder when he was 2.

It was always my dream to have my own little yard and be able to see my horses grazing from my window and in that sense it is a wish come true.

I'm not sure about the 4 year old though. Maybe his life is just too sheltered. Aside from the fact that he gets ridiculously excited when he sees a strange horse, there are probably loads of things he'd be exposed to on a busy yard that he doesn't get to see at home. Seriously considering saving the money to send him off on a 'holiday' for a month.

 

[fredflop]

I suppose it depends what you want to do with them, and the time you’ve got to put into it. IMO a period of time on a busy livery yard is of benefit to most horses. They see things coming and going, hear shows from their stable, get used to tractors driving up and down. The horse gets “trained” with very little effort from the owner.

I’ve always found horses kept on quiet livery yards are always on the lookout for the next scary object when they are taken out of their comfort zone, those on busier yards less so.

 

[Marigold4]

I suppose it depends what you want to do with them, and the time you’ve got to put into it. IMO a period of time on a busy livery yard is of benefit to most horses. They see things coming and going, hear shows from their stable, get used to tractors driving up and down. The horse gets “trained” with very little effort from the owner.

I’ve always found horses kept on quiet livery yards are always on the lookout for the next scary object when they are taken out of their comfort zone, those on busier yards less so.

I agree. My 8 year old has been kept at home since he was 2. He is definitely on the lookout for the next scary object, particularly as he was 4 when we had covid and so went out and about very little for 2 years. He is getting there, but it is slow progress and he easily becomes anxious if faced with a new situation. I intend to send his sister (now a yearling) off somewhere busy when the time comes so that I don't end up with another one! The 8-year-old is delightful and we are very bonded, but going out and competing, with all its buzz and noise, is a challenge.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

The advantage of a livery yard is usually someone to ride with and someone else has the headache of fencing issues etc I’d also agree that the horses usually get exposed to noise/experiences not available at home…

 

[poiuytrewq]

I really miss having other people around, the social side of things, not going out but someone to say hello to on a cold crappy morning, and totally someone to ride with.
I sometimes think my horses have become a bit spoilt in that they never have to deal with being last to come in or whatever. They lead the perfect life I think for a horse but that means they can’t deal with things as well imo.
I can’t go get one in to ride, where one go’s they all go so I have to think about logistics all the time.
I think I’ve almost made a rod for my own back and created monsters
I miss livery life.

 

[Jacksie]

For me the benefits of having my horses at home outweigh any benefits of being of a livery yard. I love being able to see them from my house and being the person that handles them daily. I feel as though I know them so much better and have better relationships with them as a result. I am lucky though that I live in a horsey area and have others to hack with, which I know isn’t always the case

 

[Capalldonn]

I wouldn't send the youngster away alone. It could cause him a lot of stress and anxiety and do more damage than good. Both horses in fact, if your older horse would have to stay alone then. After all they wouldn't understand it and know that it's temporary.

However, why don't you go on a holiday yourself together with both horses?

 

[Miss_Millie]

He's only 4, he's still a baby. Give him time. I would never go back to livery, I hated not having control over the management of my horses. The pros far outweigh the cons imo.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I'd rather keep them at home and take him out on some adventures.
After years of livery, I'd hate to go back. You have so little control of everything, who would he be turned out with? How often? Etc.

 

[Fieldlife]

I really miss having other people around, the social side of things, not going out but someone to say hello to on a cold crappy morning, and totally someone to ride with.
I sometimes think my horses have become a bit spoilt in that they never have to deal with being last to come in or whatever. They lead the perfect life I think for a horse but that means they can’t deal with things as well imo.
I can’t go get one in to ride, where one go’s they all go so I have to think about logistics all the time.
I think I’ve almost made a rod for my own back and created monsters
I miss livery life.

it’s complicated I had what I thought was perfect set up 5 years or so ago. 2 horses. Own set up - stables, muck heap, tack & feed room, field, school all close. Fabulous set up. On a yard but others 5 min away. But I did get lonely eventually. Moved for a range of reasons.

Now on a yard of 8 people where all DIY, all living out. Everyone keeps mostly to self & it’s nice to have people around

 

[Fieldlife]

I'd rather keep them at home and take him out on some adventures.
After years of livery, I'd hate to go back. You have so little control of everything, who would he be turned out with? How often? Etc.

Depends on type of livery. Some DIY you have control over how use fields.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Depends on type of livery. Some DIY you have control over how use fields.

If you have one horse on livery, you really can't have control of their company.

 

[Ahrena]

I’m fortunate that I have horsey neighbours and local horsey friends, both of whom I hack with and allow to use my arena which means my horses get a bit more exposure to coming and going and arena shares.

I’m very antisocial so I don’t get lonely, I love having my own space.

 

[Ceifer]

He's only 4, he's still a baby. Give him time. I would never go back to livery, I hated not having control over the management of my horses. The pros far outweigh the cons imo.

I would agree with this. He’s only 4.

Going forward when he’s matured it maybe an idea to maybe send him away for some schooling to see the world a bit.

I think as a general overview wherever you have your horse always comes with pros and cons.

I’ve only had great experiences on one livery yard and that eventually shut.
I love being able to manage mine at home but it can be lonely and expensive when you go away and need to arrange cover.
Going forward I can see more and more livery yard being restricted in turnout due to our changing weather and it was a main catalyst for me wanting mine at home.

 

[Hackback]

Don't get me wrong, I do take him out but hacking (which I have to box up to) we go on our own and he's been a star. I've taken him to local clinics/comps and he's not done anything very wrong, just got terribly excited. I'm sure we can work on it, I just thought it would be easier for him if he was used to a busier lifestyle. Especially as I'm hoping he's going to do PRs and ultimately go hunting - he'll need to be able to cope with a lot of other excited horses!

I wouldn't send him on holiday on his own, I'd send both, hence having to save! I don't want him schooling either, just experiencing a bit more hustle and bustle.

As for taking him and his compadre on holiday, oh I would love to. I even have somewhere in mind. Sadly I have to work and look after 3 dogs and 2 cats as well as be expected to take my holidays with my OH who prefers a sunny beach to a stinky stable

A friend (from the livery I was at) has offered to borrow a safe horse and accompany us on a hack round the village so that will be a step in the right direction I guess.

 

[poiuytrewq]

it’s complicated I had what I thought was perfect set up 5 years or so ago. 2 horses. Own set up - stables, muck heap, tack & feed room, field, school all close. Fabulous set up. On a yard but others 5 min away. But I did get lonely eventually. Moved for a range of reasons.

Now on a yard of 8 people where all DIY, all living out. Everyone keeps mostly to self & it’s nice to have people around

Jealous!!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I can think of no advantages whatsoever of a livery yard over having the horses,at home.

 

[Fieldlife]

I can think of no advantages whatsoever of a livery yard over having the horses,at home.

- People to ride with
- People to help with physical tasks that take two
- Shared challenges- if something goes wrong eg electrics / water / hay delivery / seized paddlock etc it’s a shared problem
- I borrow other liveries’ husbands tools & DIY skills (my husband not skilled at DIY)
- support in a horsey medical crisis
- moral support in bad weather / bad rides
- back up cover to feed & check horses
- people to borrow stuff off

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

- People to ride with
- People to help with physical tasks that take two
- Shared challenges- if something goes wrong eg electrics / water / hay delivery / seized paddlock etc it’s a shared problem
- I borrow other liveries’ husbands tools & DIY skills (my husband not skilled at DIY)
- support in a horsey medical crisis
- moral support in bad weather / bad rides
- back up cover to feed & check horses
- people to borrow stuff off

They might be advantages for you in your situation but I live in area with horsey neighbours, co-own the horses with my sister and don't need to borrow stuff, we have our own. We also have plenty of horse-owning friends with their own land and definitely would never go back to livery.

 

[SO1]

I would say the major advantage of livery is if there is good assistance and community then it is much easier to deal with family emergencies that require you to be away from home unless you have an OH or friends/family to step in and look after horses.

Several liveries on the yard at the moment are having to deal with elderly unwell parents and one also having to deal with a husband with dementia and a mother who is ill too. If they had horses at home and don't have an OH or someone like that to step in at short notice it is difficult to get freelancer in that quickly. However I presume there are very few people on a single income who can afford to buy a property with land so OH would step in to provide emergency horse care.

Several friends have horses at home. Two send their horses away when they go on holiday. I do think it is useful for horses to have experience of being on busy livery yard and being handled by different people as it makes things easier should circumstances change.

 

[Miss_Millie]

To offer a different perspective, my horse was horribly anxious on livery, difficult to do just about everything with, and is like a completely different (happy) animal at home.

My biggest qualm with livery is the lack of control over basic management decisions - how much turnout (especially in Winter), what you are allowed to feed, how many horses per acre, conflict with herdmates because the fields are overstocked etc.

I love that I can offer 24/7 turnout all year round, but keep them in on the yard to loaf with hay if the weather is really crap. I can nip out to do late night checks, change out a soaked rug, and above all I know that no-one is going to care as much about my horses as I do or notice the little things that I do.

I would (generally) be cautious to conflate quietness with contentment - when I was on a busy yard some horses were just a bit dead behind the eye to all of the comings and goings. I would describe it as shut down rather than accepting. There were also plenty of stress behaviours exhibited by stabled horses.

I also have a skittish younger horse, and the best thing for him has been ponying out with my more confident one, or OH leading him as a foot soldier. And generally building enough of a foundation between us that he trusts me when we come across 'scary' things. I can't even imagine what he'd be like on a busy livery yard - a nervous wreck probably.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

If you want a horse that has had exposure to life, you could always get an ex harness racer, that was then a broodmare, before being a leisure horse that was liveried at a stables that ran kids holiday camps and had a petting farm. My Old Lady is completely unflappable. If anything unusual appears, she takes a brief look then marches on.

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes send him away for while .
Life spent on two acres is boring and it’s not the ideal size of space to live without work .
In the wild he would be roaming big distances fighting with other bachelors his life would full .
Once he’s backed and worked he will settle.
I have lots of grazing at home but I always sent them away at three I would do all the ground work back them ride them in the school a couple of times .
I then sent them away for a recap and riding away they grew up loads.

 

[Hackback]

Yes, I guess it very much depends on your experience of livery. I was very happy on my yard, I liked the company, YO looked after all the horses as though they were her own and had light years more knowledge and experience than me. Mine have gone there for a couple of weeks when we were away but it is also a quiet yard and the routine is exactly the same as at home (it would be because I have modelled my own yard on the livery). They see more horses when they're there but still have their own field so not a great deal of change for him.

I took the little one to a saddlers today and boy was that stressful for him. There was only us there but there was a busy road fairly close - I don't know if it was the noise that was stressing him or just the different venu. We managed to try a few saddles and settle on one that I like but I couldn't tell if horse preferred one over the other as he couldn't concentrate at all. He didn't do anything bad, just couldn't walk (apparently being bounced about is a good test of saddle comfort) and by the end was so sweaty it was running down his legs, poor kid.

I mentioned the livery holiday idea to the saddler but he thought it might tip him over the edge the other way and turn him into a complete wreck.

Think I'll just have to keep plodding on for now and hope this anxiety gets better with experience.

 

[Hackback]

Yes send him away for while .
Life spent on two acres is boring and it’s not the ideal size of space to live without work .
In the wild he would be roaming big distances fighting with other bachelors his life would full .
Once he’s backed and worked he will settle.
I have lots of grazing at home but I always sent them away at three I would do all the ground work back them ride them in the school a couple of times .
I then sent them away for a recap and riding away they grew up loads.

That sounds fab, I wish I'd thought of this earlier. He is already backed though and has just done a little bit of local stuff and off road hacking. I was hoping to start him on PRs next year when he's a bit more physically mature.

 

[Red-1]

Mine goes back and forwards to my friend's yard, to suit. Both horses just came back from there today. It is a private SJ yard with a few select liveries. It is safe and orderly, very professional (but not cheap).

Both mine are happy there, happy to be shuttled back and forward, settle well either in my quiet yard or their busy one. They do many, many youngsters, but more for competition prep than hacking. Mine goes for being ridden 3 X a week, schooled, and turnout the rest, as I don't want mine in intensive work.

BH was still a 4yo when he went to his first camp at Somerford. I think the odd livery stay had prepped him well as he just stepped into it, even when others were coming and going and some others were stressed. He's been to 4 camp venues now, just walks in and puts his slippers on, all those by the time he was still 5. If we ever did a stay-away show, I'm confident he'd be fine.

Maybe summer would be a kinder time of year to introduce a new yard though, when there is plenty of turnout and the living is easy. Most livery yards are short of turnout in winter.

 

[Fieldlife]

Mine goes back and forwards to my friend's yard, to suit. Both horses just came back from there today. It is a private SJ yard with a few select liveries. It is safe and orderly, very professional (but not cheap).

Both mine are happy there, happy to be shuttled back and forward, settle well either in my quiet yard or their busy one. They do many, many youngsters, but more for competition prep than hacking. Mine goes for being ridden 3 X a week, schooled, and turnout the rest, as I don't want mine in intensive work.

BH was still a 4yo when he went to his first camp at Somerford. I think the odd livery stay had prepped him well as he just stepped into it, even when others were coming and going and some others were stressed. He's been to 4 camp venues now, just walks in and puts his slippers on, all those by the time he was still 5. If we ever did a stay-away show, I'm confident he'd be fine.

Maybe summer would be a kinder time of year to introduce a new yard though, when there is plenty of turnout and the living is easy. Most livery yards are short of turnout in winter.

Yes or start with boxing out for lessons (if dont already) and build that into an overnight stay for training. Build to two nights? Then wider options.

 

[Orangehorse]

When mine was 3 I sent him to a livery yard for some groundwork training. An added bonus was that there were lorries going up and down the lane all day, next to where they grazed, going to a quarry or tip or something. Also at the end of the field ran a railway line. I did a lot of this sort of thing, going to shows in hand, etc. as I didn't have anyone to help at home, so I would be riding a green 4 year old so I wanted him to have as much education as possible before I got on his back. It worked.

 

[Santa’s Irish draught]

You went to be carful a lot of horse like him end up getting attached to other horses in livery yard and they developed severe separation anxiety away from horses meaning you can’t do anything without horse going crazy. Your other horse might be ignoring him that why his is obsessed with other horses.

 

[Capalldonn]

As for taking him and his compadre on holiday, oh I would love to. I even have somewhere in mind. Sadly I have to work and look after 3 dogs and 2 cats as well as be expected to take my holidays with my OH who prefers a sunny beach to a stinky stable

Holiday homes that allow you to bring own horses, usually allow to bring dogs as well. And from what I know they're not only suitable for riders but also hikers, cyclists, bikers... So, there should be enough hustle and bustle and lots to see and do with OH, after or before your horse time.