From DIY to Full Livery

debsey1

debsey1

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From next week my boy will be on full livery at a new livery yard. Although he will be nearer in miles from my home he will be further away from where I work. There are many plus reasons for moving him from my current yard however, I do have one reservation.....I am really going to miss seeing him every morning and evening. I've had him for 2 years now, so we built up a good bond, he wickers when he sees me or hears me and I am really going to miss that and doing the daily chores that comes with DIY.

I'll be seeing him every weekend of course and hopefully twice during the week after work but it's just making that transition. I don't want him to think the YM is his new mummy :(
 
Does the new facilities have a floodlit menage to ride in? If so turn that frown upside down and think of all the extra riding you can do instead of the chores that come with DIY. You can turn up to your horse waiting for you in the stable, ride, feed and go with no mucking out!

If not - put a photo of him next to your desk in work ;-)))
 
He won't think that. I have had my oldie at my parents, on part livery, DIY and full livery over the years. He neighs when he hears my footfalls and knows exactly who I am :)
 
056775 said:
Does the new facilities have a floodlit menage to ride in? If so turn that frown upside down and think of all the extra riding you can do instead of the chores that come with DIY. You can turn up to your horse waiting for you in the stable, ride, feed and go with no mucking out!

If not - put a photo of him next to your desk in work ;-)))
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That's one of the reasons I'm moving him. It has a floodlit menage and horse walker for days when winter turnout is limited and so many other benefits. It will also be nice to have an extra hour in bed in the mornings plus getting home at a reasonable hour, but, I think I will still have that strong pull towards diy.

Has anyone else gone from DIY to FL?
 
I have the same fear! My horse is going on part livery (basically Monday- Friday full without exercise) and I have only had him a year and I am scared he will love YM more than me! Is silly really as it's only for the winter and I'll be going up to ride 2 or 3 times in the week and then obviously weekends but he is the first horse I have built a good partnership with and I want it to stay that way!
 
Don't worry - I made the move from DIY to (part) livery last May and it's the best thing I ever did.

My chap still knows I'm his mum - despite the fact I'm not mucking out, feeding, getting in etc etc...but I am riding him and grooming and am the one that has time to spend with him. He still neighs when he sees me.

You'll find that the time you do spend at the yard is quality time with your horse, rather than time spent doing various chores, so if anything, the bond with your horse will improve.

Also, even the best YM's won't really have the time to spend 'chatting' to your horse, whereas you will.

Good luck with your move x
 
Good decision and don't worry. A few years ago I moved 2 from DIY to full due to work commitments. Saw them at weekends and 2/3 times during the week. It was a bit odd at first and a real leap of faith handing them over to "strangers" to look after, but at the end of the day, a horses's daily needs are pretty basic and the yard did a great job with all the daily stuff which you say you'll miss!!. Believe me, once you get used to the FL thing, you'll wonder how you ever did DIY. The limited time you do spend with your horses will be quality time - grooming, riding etc - not time spent mucking out, filling hay nets etc. There were days on DIY when I'd spend all my available horse time just doing the routine stuff and not actually riding. My horses never forgot that I was their "mum" because I was the one who rode them and always came armed with their favourite treats. My current horse is on FL (at a different yard as we've moved house ...) but always wickers when he sees me and generally recognises me as his no.1 person! Relax and enjoy the new found freedom, increased energy and more quality time you'll be enjoying from here on. Good luck.
 
I'm the opposite, in a few months I'm going from full livery to diy and can't wait but I've had no other option than full livery at the moment.
My horse knows exactly who I am and definitely loves me more than the YM :D (don't think it has anything to do with the fact I give him polos..:rolleyes:)
It'll take some getting used to but I'm sure it'll be good in the long run :)
 
Your horse won't care that your not picking his poo up any more. Or filling his hay nets or freezing your hands off cleaning a water bucket that theyve managed to poo in AGAIN :rolleyes: (can you tell what i was doing this morning!)

He will much more appreciate the extra grooming/cuddles he will get, and probably a better rested and more chilled you! :)
 
I've had a few liveries come to me in the same situation as you, and their main concern seems to be that the bond they have with their horse will lessen as they are no longer spending so much time together.

The thing I stress is that it's quality time together that makes a bond - if you go up at weekends, rather than just having him handed to you tacked up and sparkling, ask to catch him and groom him yourself. Spend time telling him you love him, giving him a brush and a scratch, and just being together. I have one livery who is always moaning that her horse loves me more than he loves her, but as far as he's concerned, he's my horse, and she just sits on him twice a month. I look after him, I groom him, I ride him, and she turns up twice a month to be handed a tacked up, clean horse, and then hands him back when she's done. He doesn't know her, so he doesn't love her.

The majority of my liveries, however, come and spend real quality time with their horses wherever possible. Of course there are days when they need me to hand them over ready to ride, and that's no problem, but their horses know who they belong to. They still love me, and I love all of my liveries as if they were my own horses, but they know who their owners are, and they love them the most.
 
I understand completely how you feel but no need to worry. Over the nearly 8 years I have had my boy I have gone from DIY to livery and back several times depending on work and home pressures and finances. Even on livery he always knew I was his special person.

I spent more quality time with him on livery than DIY but unless I was completely away I always went to see him at least twice in the week and both days at weekend, grooming, fussing and riding. It's up to you how much time you spend with him. My friend is currently doing him Monday to Friday and he now also looks out for her but I'm glad he has an Auntie whom he trusts and who really cares about him.
 
tiggybeans said:
Don't worry - I made the move from DIY to (part) livery last May and it's the best thing I ever did.

My chap still knows I'm his mum - despite the fact I'm not mucking out, feeding, getting in etc etc...but I am riding him and grooming and am the one that has time to spend with him. He still neighs when he sees me.

You'll find that the time you do spend at the yard is quality time with your horse, rather than time spent doing various chores, so if anything, the bond with your horse will improve.

Also, even the best YM's won't really have the time to spend 'chatting' to your horse, whereas you will.

Good luck with your move x
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Totally agree with Tiggybeans (great name btw :) ) Mine is full and I stil get whinnies and the like when he sees me, we retained our bond throught the interaction we have. Enjoy it.
 
I went from DIY to full about a month ago. I miss the mucking out!
I do miss seeing my horse 2 -3 times a day too and I was worried about her feeling neglected! But she is absolutely fine! I still go to turn her out or bring her in if I can make it, if not i know she is being looked after well. Now I get more time to groom, ride and just spend time with her!
 
As Starzaan says, go for quality time.
I work at a full livery yard and although the horses get every care and are spoken to nicely and given a pat I nor the YO have time for leisurely scratches, cuddles, detailed grooming or just being there. Most of the full liveries spend a lot of time at the weekend there and really have a nice time with their horse, he doesn't mind it is me shovelling the **** out of his stable!
 
I have just gone from DIY to 5 day full due to increased working hours. It's very hard to hand over responsibility! There have been a few irks but the plus side is that when I get to yard, I brush him and ride. I don't ride thinking I'm up against the clock to get all my jobs done and I can actually enjoy spending time with my horse.
 
I used to have my mare on full before I moved her home. Even though I love them at home, I do miss it! We send our two off on full livery now and again when we go on holiday, and we come back dreaming of letting our yard out and leaving them there!! When my mare was on full livery, I used to spend a lot more time grooming and trimming etc., and my tack was always clean. Also the yard were quite happy for me to join in with mucking out etc on the days I was around. Even though the horse was new to me, and I was away for days at a time (I'm cabin crew for an airline), the horse knew she was mine, and we bonded, as I spent more time doing things with her - the yard owner had loads of others to do, so while everything was done well, it was "on to the next one asap.." You will love it, don't worry!
 
Iv'e moved mine from DIY to Part/Full where basically they do everything but brush and ride.
I have found it hard emotionally (soppy me!), as I feel I am his mummy and like you I have looked after him twice a day since I got him. It takes a bit of getting used to, letting go of the reins so to speak but I have to say in this weather especially it has been a godsend.
He's probably almost better taken care of now as he is in a good routine, never left out in the field because I am late ect. I tend to go up every day to brush and ride and I spend just two hours poncing about with him sometimes, trimming him and doing carrot stretches ect lol. I have been snowed in for 4 days where I am and even though it drives me crazy not seeing him I know he is being looked after. I managed to get up today and he was perfectly fine, had been out in the snow for a play, was standing in his clean stable with a haynet all cosy and relaxed... wondered why I had worried!
 
I had mine on full livery (without riding) for a year but I did go down every evening and I chose to buy my own feed so I had that control. They only fed in the evening if I was away. My mare was fine but I was glad to go back on DIY and be back in full control re turning out/ bringing in etc.
 
Thank you for all your replies. I must stop thinking that they think as we do. I have this tendancy to think that as its a new yard & new YM that he'll think he's being abandoned as from the day the new yard takes delivery I'll be off to work for the next 6 days until I see him again :( But yes, you are right in the respect if quality riding & grooming time and let me tell you hacking out is superb off road common land, so I do have this to look forward to
 
I am on full livery at the moment normally on DIY grass. I have been on full livery at a rehab yard for about 6 months while my pony recovers from an injury. He needed a long spell of box rest and I could not cope with my working hours or give him the care he needed as I work an hour and half away from his normal yard and he is tricky to manage as well on box rest as he did not like being in at first.

My experience of full livery has been great so far. It meant that whilst my pony was on box rest he could be skipped out regularly and have his hay and water topped up during the day whilst I am at work and also have a nice groom and some company. It also meant when he was reintroduced to turnout it could be done in incremental stages and under supervision. He was also going on the walker twice a day. Now there is snow I don't need to worry about him either. They are also there for the vet and physio and farrier. He needed the vet every 10 days during the first 10 weeks so that would have been a lot of days off work. They have also supported me in bringing my pony back into work.

The first two weeks were the hardest I think for both us of us, pony was possibly pining as would only eat his full hay ration on the days I visited him at first but then settled in quite quickly and became his normal greedy self. I miss seeing him every day though. He still whickers when he see me, even though he likes his groom and the YO, he has enough love for everyone!

A good full livery yard can really take away quite a lot of the worry about horse owning as they are able to deal with any situation that arises and are knowledgeable experts in horse care and management leaving you free to earn a living to pay for it all!

My pony will be ready to come back to DIY grass livery soon and I will be able to see him every evening after work but won't have the security of knowing that there is someone looking after him during the day whilst I am at work.
 
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I love full livery - it's fab :) My horse has always been on full livery, but he still knows exactly who I am and behaves differently with me than with anyone else - much soppier.

I think it's because whilst livery staff have always taken day to day care of him (and my current y/o fantastic care - can't fault her), at the end of the day they've got a lot of horses to do so no matter how kind and gentle they are they don't stand around pulling his ears (strange horse) and nattering away to him like I do.

I love the fact that every moment I have at the yard with him is quality time - whether I'm grooming, riding or just mooching about with him. He couldn't care less that I haven't filled his haynets for the morning or mucked him out.

It is essential to have a yard owner you trust and respect, but as long as you have that and the facilities you need I think it can be an amazing experience.
 
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