Free livery in exchange for chores - does it work?

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QueenDee_

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Has anyone ever offered free livery in exchange for help chores? If so, how did it work?

We're lucky enough to have our own land, and having cut down on horses we would have enough space for another horse to live out (but there is a spare stable available if they need to come in on the odd occasion/ for farrier etc). Do you think this would appeal to anyone in exchange for feeding/helping out with the horses we currently have? Have 3, 2 living out, one comes in at night. Nice area with lots of quiet hacking. No school but can ride in one of the fields weather permitting, and there is a riding school a 15 min hack down the road where you can rent the school for a reasonable price and lots of nice venues close by for competing etc.
I appreciate interest may be slightly limited due to the lack of an arena and, given the time of year, the fact that it is grass livery and not stabled.

If you think people would be interested in such an arrangement, how much help do you think it is acceptable to ask of them in return?
 
It's an absolute pita. I am moving shortly which will put an end to my current unsatisfactory arrangment where I give free livery to someone who does sweet fa in return, and whose horse I invariably end up doing for her.

I am looking forward to paying someone to do stuff as and when I need it.
 
it works for us.

we have 3 horses and have one *livery*

we feed/turn out/muck out her horse mon-fri and she has the stable, grazing and use or arena, wash box and solarium.

mon-fri she brings our 3 in, grooms whichever are being ridden and swaps rugs. puts feeds in if no one riding.

at the weekend we chop and change so that everyone gets one morning and one evening off.

share the poo picking for all 4 horses.

cover holidays and illness.

needs to be a reliable person who is equally as tidy(or not!) as yourself or you will go mad................thankfully our person has become a good friend and is just as anal about yard tidiness as we are so we get along really well.
 
Works for us too my husband actually does all the ground work/ maintenance we don't pay for livery or lesson for myself or daughter! We do keep a record of who's done what to make sure it's fair on both sides.

We were friends first so maybe that helps.
 
i worked instead of paying livery. it was calculated with how much horse cost in feed,hay,bedding etc and a percentage of the facilities (we had heated rug room and tack room, washing machine, hot water shower, indoor and outdoor schools and good grazing) , obviously i paid for shoeing &, vaccinations.. i then worked the required number of hours to cover my livery and also did extra for payment if needed. it worked well for both sides as i had use of the great facilities and they had an extra member of staff who they could call on when needed... they did sell up after a few years and i had to move my horse but we still remain friends...
 
You need to be careful that your arrangement doesn't fall foul of any need for employer's liability insurance or a requirement for the national minimum wage. If the relationship meets the legal definitions of employment then you could be putting yourself at risk. Equally there are potentially issues with planning permission and any need for business rates. Everything works brilliantly whilst you are friends - its when friends fall out that there can be a problem. You just need to be careful.
 
I'd love an arrangement like that. Presumably though it's a bit like looking for sharers, amazing when it works well and a nightmare when it doesn't. If you have lots of discussions beforehand about expectations that will help.
 
I have a similar-ish arrangement with my YO. I have reduced livery in exchange for my labour, so I pay a set amount and instead of that being double what it currently is (ie. what would be the going rate) I do jobs. It works for us and we both benefit.
ETA - to give you an idea of what I do - if YO goes away like she was this weekend just gone I look after her 4 horses, plus my own. They were in mostly because of the vile weather. I do haynets, general yard jobs, prep feeds, un/rug, turn in and turn out, ragwort pulling and field maintainence and feed the other animals as required. I very occasionally ride one of hers too, but its not regular. I do these jobs as required whether she's around or not. If I see something that needs doing and I have the time I will do it.
 
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Over the summer I had a lovely lady, seemed to tick all the boxes, all I wanted was some poo picking and an extra pair of eyes. Minim three times a week. The livery included hay and straw
I soon realised she was a novice horse owner, so I ended up keeping an eye on hers, she missed my horse being unwell, even though she had fed her horse in the same field that day. The final straw was when I ended up feeding her hers when she had already been that day. When she left I discovered that the poo she had picked was in small muck heaps all over.
I came to conclusion that because I was here it she thought it was 'no trouble', for me to do for her. Its far easier to pay someone reliable.
 
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