Extra costs? Livery in foal

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
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I have zilch experience with mares in foal. I have a livery putting her mare in foal this year. I need to know what extra expenses I can expect so that I can tailor a livery package for her which is fair on both sides. The mare is on full livery except that her owner mucks out at weekends. Thanks :)
 
I have many broodmare liveries. The charges are the same throughout the pregnancy and the foals are not charged for until weaning or 6 months of age whichever comes first. Foals are then charged at a very reduced rate. Any supplemental feed which the owner wishes to give the foal or mare are paid for by the owners and they are given a slight discount for not using the feed I stock.
 
Thanks, so really it is just the extra feed after weaning? What about extra muck out? Is it significantly more to muck out or don't you really notice? I am not bothered about charging extra unless it actually takes me more time and costs more. I only just broke even on the livery last year so am being very careful not to make a loss! Haylage costs me £21 per week per horse and bedding around £18 per horse in the winter as I buy it all in. Feed isn't so bad though.
 
My goodness that is a lot of money for haylage :eek: We had a friends pony here for 12 months, we have to feed forage all year, as not really enough grass for all, and we charged her just for forage, at £10 per week. We also mix straw in to try and avoid expanding waistlines :)
 
Oh that sounds awfully expensive overheards you have Wagtail. Do you have a large enough amount of liveries that you can buy in bulk to save on some costs? I have a large yard with a lot of full livery horses on it so I'm able to cut deals with many suppliers thus reducing my outgoings.

Mucking out with a mare and foal, no you won't see much difference with an added foal. It takes the same time to muck out, as foalies poops are tiny and wees minimal. Their feed intake is also minimal right the way through to weaning. Mum takes care of these requirements for the first few months any way and although she may eat a bit more it is negligible. She'll mainly need extra hard feed to give her and the foal all the nutrition they require but if you ask your liveries to supply this feed separately from your regular board price then it adequately covers it. Once the foal is on hay/grass, the amount it eats up to weaning is a tiny amount.

If you only just broke even last year with your liveries then I would advise you to look at revamping your price list or trying to work out deals with suppliers to give you a lower end price. There should be profits to make and if you're not then take stock and rework it so that you are otherwise there isn't much point running this as a business unless you do it for the companionship. I don't. This is my livelihood so I have costings down to a tee and I price accordingly. Don't undercut yourself is my advice. If you give good service and feed quality feeds/haylage then make sure your costs are covered and there is a profit over and above of this. People are usually happy to pay extra for good service and quality care. Don't be afraid to up your prices for this. :)
 
Thanks for your very knowlegable advice. I charge around £400 per month for full livey (excluding exercise) which is about the average around here. However, I am competing with very large yards and other smaller yards that cut their own hay and bedding. I buy in bedding (megazorb) by the pallet load and hayage by the lorry load. I could probably find hylage cheaper elsewhere, but knw that ths supplier will not let me down even when supplies are really low and others around me are phoning up other yards for haylage. I know my customers struggle with their bills too and hate raising prices, though I had to last year and will again this year. Yeah, I must do it for the love of it I suppose!
 
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