Considering moving to part livery for my horse- anyone done it?

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Shadowdancing

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I'm seriously thinking about moving my horse onto a part livery arrangement where her needs are met through the week and I just cater for her at weekends.
I've always been DIY but this last winter was very hard. I'm not old exactly but I'm not getting any younger and I have a partner and dogs to consider as well as a full time job. I also have a health condition which means I exhaust easily and I had several weekends where all I did was sleep in the afternoons to make up for how tired I was.
The cost will increase by a third but I can afford it although it may mean cutting back on a few luxuries but actually what most worries me is that I won't be as close to my horse as I am now, seeing her so much. Does that sound silly? I'll probably still be there most days but it will take a bit of pressure off.. It's closer to home so easy to nip back and forth and the facilities are better than where I am now. Hacking good too.
What do you think?
 
I did it a year ago and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made! Like you I was on DIY for years and I went onto PL because I moved to a yard which was significantly further away from home & work (well it was at the time now I only work 10 mins away but live a good half hour away) and I travel quite a bit with work. I still muck out at weekends but don't have the constant twice a day commitment that I used to have. I still go to the yard every day that I can though and ride five days a week, making sure that there is at least one day a week where I just go and give my horse a good groom etc. so that he doesn't just associate me with work!

I had the same concerns as you but really I think it has improved the relationship I have with him. I think this depends on the kind of yard that you move to as I think some can be quite overbearing on part/full livery clients, but I am still just as hands on as I always was, I just don't turn out/bring in/muck out as often. I am always there for vet visits and the farrier, and if my horse needs anything 'extra' (like a few months ago he had to have antibiotic injections twice a day) I do all that. My YO always says 'you don't have to do that' when I muck out at weekends but I enjoy doing it when I have time. I also spend more quality time with my horse; his exercise routine is more consistent and he is more well-groomed than ever! I don't spend less time at the yard but I spend more time doing the nice things and on balance I certainly have more energy.

I think it would be a great decision for you; you may feel like a bit of a princess at the beginning but you can still be hands on and do as much as you want to, just without the pressure.
 
Shadowdancing said:
I'm seriously thinking about moving my horse onto a part livery arrangement where her needs are met through the week and I just cater for her at weekends.
I've always been DIY but this last winter was very hard. I'm not old exactly but I'm not getting any younger and I have a partner and dogs to consider as well as a full time job. I also have a health condition which means I exhaust easily and I had several weekends where all I did was sleep in the afternoons to make up for how tired I was.
The cost will increase by a third but I can afford it although it may mean cutting back on a few luxuries but actually what most worries me is that I won't be as close to my horse as I am now, seeing her so much. Does that sound silly? I'll probably still be there most days but it will take a bit of pressure off.. It's closer to home so easy to nip back and forth and the facilities are better than where I am now. Hacking good too.
What do you think?
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Yes my horse (and the others) only go out for two hours a day in the winter onto a sandpit (two at a time) and his bed was getting very messy by the time I got there after work so the y.o mucks out for me in the morning whilst he is out. When they go out full time onto the grass I muck him out myself. It saves me shavings in the long run and I hate to think of him in 20 + hours in a dirty bed by the time I get there after work unless I did that. I can't get there before work.

It has worked out lovely, the YO does a very neat job. I ask her to leave the wet underneath and I get it all out at the weekends, to be honest you never see it under the clean bed on top.
 
I moved from DIY to Part livery in November and I absolutely love it! I had always been on DIY so to start with I found it quite odd and always felt massively guilty if I missed going down for a day, but once I realised that actually my horse was fine and I get to do all the fun stuff with her and actually spend a lot more time with her I didn't mind the odd day of not going down.

I had to switch due to OH job and the dogs, if he is late home or away for the night I need to get home for the dogs so not having the worrying of HAVING to go to the yard is a massive weight off. My horse actually quite likes the routine too as she shares a field with a part livery so they have identical routines now and in the winter they come in about 4 as apposed to an hour of so later waiting for me in the dark.

Best move I made!
 
Works really well for me. Means more of my yard time is spent with my horse and I don't feel any less of a bond than when I was DIY. That was a long time ago now and I won't go back to DIY until I am retired.
 
I tried PL once and it didn't work out. There were two reasons for this.

1, my mare did not like the staff or the YO handling her at all. This meant that if they did manage to catch her (a rarity), they generally couldn't keep hold of her. Now this is a horse that has a disabled owner and is very quiet. I don't think the staff were nasty, in fact they were lovely and were actually upset that my horse didn't like them. They did however have lots of horses to do and were always in a rush and under pressure, so could be a bit brusque and I think that this is what my horse picked up on.

2, I didn't trust the YO. They didn't inform me of injuries (I'd have to ask why she was bleeding and could never get a straight answer from them) or issues that they'd had/how to improve thing etc...

So I think that PL needs a good, trusting relationship not only between the horse owner and the YO/staff but also between the horse and the YO/staff. It's horrible worrying about what is happening to your horse while you are away.

I hope you find the right yard for you and that PL works out brilliantly in your case. :)
 
I would be lost without part or full livery! I commute to an office an hour away or I'm out visiting customers so I can't guarantee to be there for BI or TO times. I also travel in Europe a fair bit so need to be able to rely on someone to look after my horse. When you get a good yard and a YO you trust, part/ full livery is fantastic! Mine is on full livery mon-fri (includes TO, BI, MO, poo picking, putting in hay/ feed, cost of all bedding, hay/haylage and basic feeds) and is TO and BI both weekend days. I just muck out and poo pick at weekends, and ride when I'm able to.
Horse is happy. He couldn't care less if it's me mucking out or not, my relationship with him is actually probably better because when I am around I have more time for him as I'm not rushing around trying to get jobs done.
 
I did PL first and worked out that it would only cost me slightly more than DIY. Then I moved to a different yard on full livery and because it's a lot bigger, and YO makes savings by buying in bulk, it actually worked out cheaper than DIY especially when you take some fuel out of the equation.

Now though it's the time savings that are crucial for me due to my commute. As chestnut cob said, if you find the right yard and the right YO, it's honestly fantastic.
 
As others have said PL is all about finding the right yard/YO.
Your relationship with your horse shouldn't suffer and if anything could improve. Your horse doesn't care who picks up his poo. When I am at the yard I can spend all my time doing things with my horse. On DIY it was a case of getting all the jobs done and then hopefully having time to ride. Now she gets a good groom and ride every time I go. I know there are people who think that people on PL aren't as involved with their horses care, but you can be as involved as you like. I know what my horse is fed and am very happy with how she looks. If I have any concerns I can go to my YO and we work out and changes needed.
 
I've done it and not regretted it at all. In fact I think I have more quality time with my pony than with the previous horse I had on DIY when it was only me renting a field. I see her nearly everyday and never have to worry if I cannot get there for any reason. This has been especially important as my elderly parents have had many health problems. The YO is brilliant and i trust her completely. The staff are excellent with the horses and will always help you out. I would not go back to DIY!
 
I moved 3 weeks ago from DIY to FL.

My yard owner is my instructor so I trust her 100% and my horse has settled better than he did at the old place because he is in the same routine. It's a fairly small yard and I must say it's probably a bit more than I could ideally afford but seeing how happy my horse is makes me so much happier. Plus the stables and facilities are gorgeous!

We still have a great bond and I spend more time with him doing things like grooming him and fussing him than I did on DIY as I have more time and a lot more energy. I do give him his treat ball on a night before I go just so I can give him a little treat :)
 
I had my previous horse on DIY, but have moved straight on to PL with Jake and I love it! Ours is slightly different where I can pay £5 a day for full livery if I am not going down, but in the PL we muck out ourselves, but haylage, water, BI, TO, Wound Care.. everthing else is done by yard and we just top up or do bits as and when we see fit.

My YO is absolutely brilliant, and I think this is where the make or break is. We have never had nastyness at the yard, I ask her a million questions and she is always so happy to help, or lend youa bit to try, is up front and forward about any injuries/concerns, and is NORMAL. No outrageous rules, and the yard is a lovely, sociable place.

I have the time to do other things as well (I love Jake, but sometimes it's nice to see friends on a week day or something), but I still also have control over how my horse is managed. Wouldn't leave the yard, or go DIY if you paid me. Also with the size of his stable, muckyness, and the amount of haylage he gets through, it is probably the same amount, or less than I would be spending DIY (If I include lessons, which the YO does for a fab price).

Hope whatever you decide that it does well!
 
I did this in November of this year and have never looked back! I am very "precious" over my horse as she cost a hell of a lot of money and she can be a bit "special" to handle. My main concern was how attached she was to me and I didn't want her over grown dog syndrome to change. It hasn't. She still nickers and squeals at me when she hears me coming, she still comes to me in the field (the livery yard has to catch her with a bucket of treats I don't), she still walks out like a little angel for me and precedes to ****** off to the field with the livery staff!! She knows that I spend weekends with her and am up every night of the week all by one night, to ride, brush and I still feed and rug her of a night time.

I personally think that as long as they know you are there and still spend time with them, they wont change. I seem to think my quirky mare see's my friend (who works at the yard) as her mere staff, as she still seems to continue to get one over on the yard staff 6 months down the line! But then again are mare's not a law to themselves! :p
 
I've done this twice with two different horses for two different reasons and both times it's worked well. I was able to spend my time with my horse rather than yard work and enjoyed having that pressure taken off me. I do think that the fact that they'd either previously been on DIY or at home was a factor, we knew each other well already.

The most important thing is that the yard and the staff have to be right, it's even more important than in a DIY situation.

I was very briefly on Full on a yard that had poor standards and that was an unpleasant and worrying experience.
 
i have always been a diyer but with my new mare i deceided to go PL first yard was a total nightmare for us and she sustained injury after injury and now as a result has a lovely splint so i moved her to a lovely yard really close by it is more money but is worth every penny as my girl is now so well looked after she is out with two other bigger mares during the day even in the pouring rain til early afternoon and summer they can stay out overnight or in i wanted to keep her in a routine so she comes in still but this gives me the time to bond with her as she is still unbroken so i make all the fuss over her which for us has been fantastic.
the time is spent more with my horse and works so well the staff and yard owner are fantastic with her too stable is always clean with a lovely deep shavings bed on matting two nets a night teo feeds her rugs are changed suitably to the weather, feet picked out groomed off too and will always be notified if any injuries.
love being on part livery not sure i could do diy again ha ha
 
I love being on part livery.
It takes the pressure off me and allows a better life balance outside horses.

I spend less time running around shovelling s**t and filling haynets and more time riding and grooming my horse.

I see my horses daily (except if I'm away for work) even if they are on livery.

When you add up the cost of DIY, extra fuel, buying hay/bedding in small quantities the PL prices really are quite good value
 
I moved my horse from assisted diy (morning duties done) to part livery in January.
It is more expensive and I probably don't spend any less time at the yard, but that's because I like spending time with my horse and also enjoy the social aspect of the new yard.
I found it hard to settle into a new routine at first but now have found a way of getting my jobs done effectively.
With regards to my relationship with my horse, if anything our bond has grown stronger.
 
I am on assisted DIY at the moment, mainly because logistically it would be impossible for me to get to the yard to turn out in the mornings and be able to get to work on time. In the winter I have to go on to 5 day PL, again because of my working hours. I much prefer DIY. I am a total control freak when it comes to my horse's bed and even when on PL I tend to give it a thorough going over when I arrive after work.

The girls at the yard are brilliant though and I know I can trust them with my boy. But, in my case I prefer it when I'm on DIY. 5 day PL is a reasonable compromise for those winter months though.
 
Doesn't sound silly at all. I am well capable to do DIY, I have the time as I don't work full time, I have the health, I have a horsie hubby and it would save lots of money.
BUT I am just happier on part livery. Takes the "must" away. may sound selfish but this is the reason my hubby and I have no children. I don't want to many "musts" in our lives.
This way we get to enjoy our horses when we want and we know they are well cared for when we are not there.
If you can afford it why not!
 
Thanks all told lady I plan to come and have booked required tests for the horse ahead of travel, they like to screen for Strangles. I am so nervous about moving but I know my horse will appreciate the better grazing.
 
Shadowdancing said:
Thanks all told lady I plan to come and have booked required tests for the horse ahead of travel, they like to screen for Strangles. I am so nervous about moving but I know my horse will appreciate the better grazing.
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Woohoo! Fab! Once you are there you will feel so much better and so relieved! Good luck with the move :):):)
 
I moved mine from DIY to competition livery and it was the very best thing I could have done for the horse. A word of warning though, go with your gut. I moved mine from one yard after a week. I just could not settle with the situation but since moving him to his current yard I do not worry about him at all. In fact I only see him once a month or thereabouts as he is over an hour away from home.

My situation was that he was a exceptionally hot ex-racehorse who was just not settling with our yard and who we did not have enough time to do him justice. Although it is costly and I have to go without certain luxuries it was the best thing for him. Yard owner sends me messages, videos and pictures every other day and really does adore him (it's a genuine adore as well, not just for the owner sake), gets jealous when younger sister rides him and I know he has a much better standard of care and attention than we could have given him, given that both sister and I have full time jobs and 4 others on the yard as well. If it fits your situation and you can afford it I would recommend it BUT make sure it is the right yard. :)
 
My pony was on part livery like yours- full livery mon-fri then i did weekends and school holidays (it was quite an informal arrangment and i was like, 15 hahahaha ;))

worked really well. couldn't have done it otherwise, pony was 100% fine and actually it was nice knowing someonewas watching her/knew her status , almost like a second opinion etc
 
I moved from DIY grass to PL in at night about 18 months ago. I had been thinking about it for a while as my workload was increasing and it was a very DIY yard so if you could not get to the yard you had to ask a friend for a favour rather than having a set person who you could rely on to help. Additionally I was really struggling with my pony's weight and was ending up being muzzled 24/7 for months on end. Both the friends that used to help me if I needed it moved yards and then a horse died of AM which made moving an easy decision.

I am riding more as my pony has been fed and is already in when I get to the yard which has meant I am riding in the evenings after work all year round instead of just in the summer months. It is easier to manage his weight as he is on soaked hay and he is getting more exercise. If I get delayed at work or need to travel for work it is not an issue. I can also rest if I am ill. My pony still whickers when he sees me and I spend more time grooming and fussing over him. They arrange farrier as well and that has saved me 5 days annual leave a year as I used to have to take a half days leave every 5 weeks to be there for the farrier.

As others say you have to find the right yard and there are extra costs involved but I have now got very good a bargain hunting - shop from charity shops, make own lunches, have set up a swap scheme for books with a friend a work. I know I am very lucky to have a found a good yard where YO and all the staff care about the horses. Some people work long hours and cant get to the yard very often and the YO often will give these horses a bit of extra attention so they still feed loved even if their owners are away.

I think both my pony and I are healthier since we have been on part livery and I am very grateful.
 
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