Commuting for your horses

[AfricanBeauty]

I'm sure there have been other posts about this in the past - so sorry for repetition. I'm trying to write an ad for the livery yard I am at, and wondered if I could ask a few questions to get an idea of what people look for.

Do you commute to work/your horses and do you only see them a few times a week?
What would you look for/what is important to you? e.g. facilities etc
Where would you look for adverts?
What would you expect for Part/Full livery?
What would you expect to pay (ony answer if comfortable with it)
What would make you look at an advert?
Would you consider travelling to West Sussex?

Thanks, your help is greatly appreciated

 

[LOZHUG]

Here goes....

Do you commute to work/your horses and do you only see them a few times a week?
- only me at my place now, horses checked twice a day. Only a 3 mile round trip and work
is up the road

What would you look for/what is important to you? e.g. facilities etc
- I would like a ménage, post and rail fencing, plenty of turnouts ll year, tack/rug room,
parking, secure, plenty of decent lighting, not too many restrictions on going down times
what you do etc.

Where would you look for adverts?
- horsey shops, online, word of mouth, local paper

What would you expect for Part/Full livery?
- DIY or part

What would you expect to pay (ony answer if comfortable with it)
- in my old yard we used to pay £25 p/w for grazing and use of stable, tack room, rug
room, ménage etc. Horses had to be out over summer and in over winter. Hated having to
buy their bedding and haylage as they were making a nice profit on it and I wanted
shavings not straw.

What would make you look at an advert?
- a good title, list of facilities maybe some pics

Would you consider travelling to West Sussex?
- if I was closer yes

Hope this helps

 

[NativePonyLover]

Do you commute to work/your horses and do you only see them a few times a week?
Theoretically, yes I would. I don't (and currently have mine on assisted DIY at a yard a couple of miles from home) as in order to earn enough to warrant having them on a yard that I had to commute to - I would have to be working in the city. By the time I've taken into account increase in livery (i.e. assisted DIY to part/full) increase in cost of commuting to work on top of my day to day bills, I would need to be earning a lot more than my current (fairly decent for me age) salary ... which unless I was incredibly lucky, is unlikely. But, if I did I would

What would you look for/what is important to you? e.g. facilities etc
All year turn out (ideally 24/7 in Spring and Summer), off road hacking and a flood lit school.

Where would you look for adverts?
Word of mouth, local magazines, internet.

What would you expect for Part/Full livery?
A Y/O with common sense and good people skills, good horsemanship skills. If the Y/O had that - I would be willing to be flexible with the services offered (e.g. wouldn't overly care if part livery included tack cleaning or grooming for example).

What would you expect to pay (ony answer if comfortable with it)
Part livery around here (Surrey/Sussex) ranges from about £350-500 a month. Full livery can be around the £800 a month range.

What would make you look at an advert?
I'm not sure - I am more of a fan of how the person/yard comes across than the flashiness of the advert. If that makes sense? I've looked at yards and subsequently moved to them which have just been a few lines in a small advert equally, I've not moved to yards that have had a flashier advert.

Would you consider travelling to West Sussex?
Yes, as I live in West Sussex!

 

[AfricanBeauty]

Thanks for the responses, it is helpful to get the perspectives of those who do not commute but would.

Perhaps I should elaborate on my original post. I currently commute to work in London, from the edge of Kent, and only see the horses, who are in West Sussex at the weekends. I know there are lots of people like me out there, who see their horse(s) only a few days a week due to work commitments/or choice, but we don't always hear from them. I know it is a contraversial topic and people will have their own views on livery and how often you see/work your horses, but for some of us it can't be avoided. I used to have them on DIY and see them everyday, and I went straight from that to Full livery 5 days a week! I was a big change and if I could have them closer to home and see them more often I would, however, the yard I am at is pretty near perfect and my three are so happy there I don't see the point in moving them for the sake of it. If I found a suitable yard closer I would consider moving them, however, I may still only see them properly at the weekends.

If there are any other people that commute out of London to see their horses it would be great to get their input, as it is you we would like to aim the advert at

Thanks again