DIY livery

[Honey08]

How many of you actually have proper DIY livery? Where you do everything yourself, just pay for a stable and field. I’m finding so many people expect nets put in and horses turned out etc.

 

[Snow Falcon]

Proper DIY'er here. Do my own fencing, muck heap removal, hay, harrowing etc. I am now a livery on my friend's land and we share the feeding as we have always done. One does am, the other pm. Between 6-8 ponies currently.

 

[nagblagger]

I do, pay my field rent, have an emergency stable to use at no extra cost. No expectations from field owner. 2 other horse owners so in an emergency or holiday, we do help each other.

 

[katie_southwest]

DIY'er here. Pay for stable and grazing, the lady I share with and I help each other if we need to.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Total DIY livery here. I do 2 x per day 7 days a week. Occasionally I ask a friend to bring in or turn out

 

[ponyparty]

Total DIY here too. Including some maintenance, although hopefully that’ll be changing as management of the yard is changing. On DIY I expect it to be just that… anything additional would (and should) be a paid for service.

 

[Honey08]

Thanks. I live in hope then! I don’t mind helping occasionally or taking turns, but I don’t want to be obligated to doing someone else’s horse everyday- even just little jobs, because it’s a tie and always seems to escalate to more asks.

 

[motherof2beasts!]

I am total DIY , there twice a day , everyday and do everything bar muck heap removal.

 

[AmyMay]

Thanks. I live in hope then! I don’t mind helping occasionally or taking turns, but I don’t want to be obligated to doing someone else’s horse everyday- even just little jobs, because it’s a tie and always seems to escalate to more asks.

Is it your yard?

 

[humblepie]

Me. Yard is maintained but all horse duties down to owner. It is a big yard and most people have someone who will help. Some of those are regular help others occasional. There are a couple of liveries who do paid cover.

 

[sjdress]

Yes proper DIY. Up at 6am to muck out every morning!
We can pay for additional services such as bringing in which I do in winter but still there at least twice a day eveyday.

 

[Honey08]

Yes. I’m needing to send my lami prone loan pony back soon now the grass is coming through, so I want a diy or two as company for my old boy. But previous liveries have needed so many jobs doing, and some have been quite hard work - possibly because I’ve done too much bending over backwards to help out and set poor boundaries. So husband and I thought we’d be firm from the start and say total DIY, but it’s been med with shocked faces so far.

 

[ihatework]

Yes. I’m needing to send my lami prone loan pony back soon now the grass is coming through, so I want a diy or two as company for my old boy. But previous liveries have needed so many jobs doing, and some have been quite hard work - possibly because I’ve done too much bending over backwards to help out and set poor boundaries. So husband and I thought we’d be firm from the start and say total DIY, but it’s been med with shocked faces so far.

Boundaries from the start!
Maybe with emergency assistance fees that are high enough to discourage frequent use!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

How many of you actually have proper DIY livery? Where you do everything yourself, just pay for a stable and field. I’m finding so many people expect nets put in and horses turned out etc.

My diy is as is, your livery includes use of facilities, storage for hay/shavings stable and grazing end of. extra service are chargeable.

 

[superpony]

DIY here too but I am incredibly lucky as my parents help me a lot and I swap with a friend so we only have to come up once a day.

 

[black and brown]

As long as you are very open from the outset that no services are provided and what you expect from your livery e.g. field/fence maintenance then hopefully only suitable people will show an interest. Would you be happy for a livery to employ a freelance groom to help with services, presuming they would be needing to access your private home (stables/land, obviously not your actual house!)?

 

[skint1]

I've always been totally DIY, although this yard provides forage and straw in the winter months in with the rent. They do the big maintenance jobs on stable and field and have on occasion helped and been helped fellow liveries, and that's how I get by.

 

[Wishfilly]

Fully DIY at the moment (although no maintenance), so I go up twice a day and do everything. Occasionally will bring in someone else's as a favour, and they'll do mine in return- as in literally catch in and put his tea in the stable.

Previous yard was grass livery really, but 95% DIY, although she would bring in for the farrier etc. But that was partly also because she only wanted the farrier coming at specific times, usually when I was working. Again, everything else I did myself.

First yard I was on was fully DIY with services, but I paid for turnout as I was usually in work for about 7.45, and no-one else was turning out that early! Could also pay for holiday cover at very reasonable rates.

I think fully DIY with no-one to swap favours with is tricky if you're working full time. However, I definitely wouldn't expect anything regularly if advertised as DIY. Are you open to someone e.g. paying a freelancer to come in and do holiday cover?

 

[Surbie]

I was fully DIY but I do favours to earn swaps - ie my horse now needs bringing in twice a week as my new work shifts end after the yard closes.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Yup full diy. Some of us liveries help each other but it’s fully agreed that it’s not expected. Farmer will put hay and straw on pallets for you and roll the fields but fencing etc is fully ours to maintain.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Total DIY including doing bits of maintenance even though that’s supposed to be in the price. However as there are a few of us we help each other out as needed but it’s not expected.

 

[asmp]

I am on total DIY but I keep my horse with my daughter’s so we share duties. It’s only a small yard with 6 horses so first up feeds them all. No one would leave a horse out on its own at coming in time either.If we are going out for the day we ask one of the other owners to do the horses for us and we reciprocate at another time. The owner of the yard is an elderly farmer so couldn’t do any extras even if we paid him!

 

[scats]

Full DIYer here. We dont have anyone to do services and theres only me and 2 older ladies on the yard. I feed everyone in the morning as I’m down first.
I get one night off a year, boxing day evening. The other yardies bring my girls in that day and feed them.

I do all field maintenance and fencing myself too.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Yep proper DIY here. To be honest I wouldn't trust any one else to do them!!

 

[ponyparty]

Yes, unfortunately past experience tells me that it’s better to do it yourself so you know it’s been done. Things that have happened on part/full livery include beds not mucked out properly etc.; or i get there at lunchtime and morning feed still sat there in the feed room; horse not exercised as per my requests, resulting in dangerous behaviour whilst on restricted turnout… the list goes on. I’d much rather do it myself so I know it’s been done!

 

[Snapshot2016]

I’m totally DIY! Up at the yard twice a day every day, occasionally ask a friend to pop a net in but I prefer to do everything myself. I tend to do most maintenance apart from muck heap removal.

 

[Nicnac]

I think maybe advertise it differently? Stable with field for rent. Water/electricity or whatever. There seem to be so many permutations of DIY/part/full/assisted DIY etc it can be confusing for some people.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Total diy er here too…3 visits a day because bring in is so early. I have a freelancer for days I am totally stuck.

 

[GypsGal1718]

I am very lucky to keep mine at home so I have no assistance

 

[webble]

Yup totally DIY here, I share with another lady turnout at the weekend which is a nice break. We do have a yard rule that the first person down feeds but thats pretty much always me