Full livery and turnout day

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minimex2

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Looking around and seems all full livery yards have a short term out day
I get ym/staff don’t want to work silly hours but is it norm to only be out 9-3ish (inc summer)
6 hours out means 18 hours in

Is it only diy that they can have a longer day out (assuming you go to work in between)

I’m in south east
 
minimex2 said:
Looking around and seems all full livery yards have a short term out day
I get ym/staff don’t want to work silly hours but is it norm to only be out 9-3ish (inc summer)
6 hours out means 18 hours in

Is it only diy that they can have a longer day out (assuming you go to work in between)

I’m in south east
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That’s pretty normal on full livery - like you say, generally staff are on working hours rather than DIY hours.

I generally try and find livery yards that will switch to night turnout during the summer
 
minimex2 said:
Looking around and seems all full livery yards have a short term out day
I get ym/staff don’t want to work silly hours but is it norm to only be out 9-3ish (inc summer)
6 hours out means 18 hours in

Is it only diy that they can have a longer day out (assuming you go to work in between)

I’m in south east
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I’m south east too and found exactly the same, I’m now on diy with services so horse can live out during summer where I am and I can just pay for full livery days in winter.
When they’re in overnight in winter and weather is ok I go up super early before work to get them out then they come in by 4 the latest so they still get decent amount of hours outside.
The other thing is if there are lots to turn out and bring in those hours will be even shorter as they won’t always be first out/ last in x
 
Yes its unfortunately a common practice in the South East- not helped by lack of grazing due to all the new housing developments. I opted for DIY and luckily horse has 24.7 till November and then he can stay out till 6pm
 
That sounds normal. I always used to try to turn out straight after breakfasts (so about 7.30) and leave them turned out until last thing - so they'd be brought in around 4.30/5pm but it depends if they have to be groomed/have rug changes before the staff clock off.

Just be glad you've got turnout at all - some yards don't allow it over winter.
 
I found that people didn't want to pay full livery and have 24/7 turnout in the summer (because they don't think that poo picking/field maintainence/rug changes/fly spraying/hoof picking etc is as much work?!)...
 
pixie said:
I found that people didn't want to pay full livery and have 24/7 turnout in the summer (because they don't think that poo picking/field maintainence/rug changes/fly spraying/hoof picking etc is as much work?!)...
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Becuase its not. I worked on yards for a long time and summer was always much, much easier! Its also cheaper. A horse living out isnt going through bedding and forage and hard feed.
 
Leo Walker said:
Becuase its not. I worked on yards for a long time and summer was always much, much easier! Its also cheaper. A horse living out isnt going through bedding and forage and hard feed.
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If I had a horse on full livery I’d want the amount of turnout and type of turnout that suited the horse and my needs. If that was 24-7 or night turnout in summer, I’d be thrilled if yard could offer that.
 
My little cob is on full livery in the SE. The yard is family run with some additional help and each horse is truly treated as an individual. Mine is normally out 24/7 all year as this suits him but in recent hot weather he was in a shady, airy stable between approx 10am and 7 or 8pm as it began to cool down. They also ensured that horses were exercised between 5.30am and 10am when it was coolest. Others go out for variable periods during the day or overnight. One starts to call and canter up and down when he wants to come in so is sometimes out for 4 hours in daytime and sometimes 8 depending on his mood, though they do try to leave him out as long as possible! The yard is fabulous and worth every penny of the livery costs.
 
I've often wondered why yards don't work in shifts, say 1 set of staff 7-3, the other 11-7 say.
Doesn't necessarily mean needing more staff and if necessary could rotate staff between early and late so everyone does all but covers a greater period of the day. Sure there's probably an obvious reason why not that someone will come and point out now and I'll feel like an idiot mind!
But yes, that does seem to be quite normal for livery services- on a big yard turning out/bringing in isn't necessarily a small job, especially with rug changes, legs to wash, fields that might be far away etc.
 
chaps89 said:
I've often wondered why yards don't work in shifts, say 1 set of staff 7-3, the other 11-7 say.
Doesn't necessarily mean needing more staff and if necessary could rotate staff between early and late so everyone does all but covers a greater period of the day. Sure there's probably an obvious reason why not that someone will come and point out now and I'll feel like an idiot mind!
But yes, that does seem to be quite normal for livery services- on a big yard turning out/bringing in isn't necessarily a small job, especially with rug changes, legs to wash, fields that might be far away etc.
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Maybe because it would be hard to find twice as many staff. It would also mean twice the National Insurance contributions, double the number of staff would increase Employers Liability inusurance costs, pension fund contributions increased, etc etc. I doubt liveries would wish to pay extra to cover these staff costs.
 
Celtic Fringe said:
My little cob is on full livery in the SE. The yard is family run with some additional help and each horse is truly treated as an individual. Mine is normally out 24/7 all year as this suits him but in recent hot weather he was in a shady, airy stable between approx 10am and 7 or 8pm as it began to cool down. They also ensured that horses were exercised between 5.30am and 10am when it was coolest. Others go out for variable periods during the day or overnight. One starts to call and canter up and down when he wants to come in so is sometimes out for 4 hours in daytime and sometimes 8 depending on his mood, though they do try to leave him out as long as possible! The yard is fabulous and worth every penny of the livery costs.
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Where are you seems idealic
 
Most of mine are out 24/7, but the stabled ones stay out for as long as possible. About 6pm is as long as I'm prepared to be doing stuff up at the yard, after a 6am start - but I'm happy to leave them out for their owners to bring in when they come up to ride.
I've got one who insists on coming in at 4 - he's 28, and he knows his own mind - and one who can be an arse to catch, so he comes in whenever he looks keen!
 
Sport horse - absolutely, if it was twice the number of staff of course it wouldn't work :) I'm thinking you just spread out the number of staff you have through the day more - Obviously won't work if there's only 1 groom etc though!
 
I'm full livery year round , out 24/7 in the summer and about 12hr in the winter. It's not a fancy yard but I traded fancy for out. They have shade from trees and running water in the field from a natural spring.

In the summer she's brought in once a day for a handful of hardfeed, checked that no legs have fell off or other injuries and flysprayed.
 
minimex2 said:
Looking around and seems all full livery yards have a short term out day
I get ym/staff don’t want to work silly hours but is it norm to only be out 9-3ish (inc summer)
6 hours out means 18 hours in

Is it only diy that they can have a longer day out (assuming you go to work in between)

I’m in south east
Click to expand...
I am in south east we turnout 7am- 4pm or over night 4pm - 7.am. and winter 7 am till 3pm. I don't agree with keeping horses in so long so we don't. Ours is Part livery but we do most except riding and tack cleaning, the are yards around here though that limit turnout, I like my horses out as much as poss
 
Leo Walker said:
Becuase its not. I worked on yards for a long time and summer was always much, much easier! Its also cheaper. A horse living out isnt going through bedding and forage and hard feed.
Click to expand...

Agree, I’m on DIY and we all breath a sigh of relief in summer when they can go out 24/7 and we just poo pick instead of muck out (I poo pick twice a day, every day). My wallet also feels the benefit of little / no bedding and hay.
 
Also South East and winter turnout is rare. I'm looking at the moment and its interesting what YO's view of turn out is. Many say that do it unless the weather is bad and the fields get wet - which can mean months in.
 
Mine is on full and is allowed out as long as I want. But it’s a typical southeast limited land set up so he’s usually happy to come in before 4 as it’s not the nicest grazing and he’d prefer to be stuffing himself on hay! YO works ridiculously hard and will turn out in the evening for a few hours if needed and is usually at the yard til around 9pm. We have several horses go out in the same paddocks at different times.Fields are very close to the yard so it does have plus points but could do with a few more acres. But I couldn’t find better so I have to deal with it. Horse likes to be able to demand in when he likes and that’s what we get. It’s as good as we’re going to get!
 
SEL said:
Also South East and winter turnout is rare. I'm looking at the moment and its interesting what YO's view of turn out is. Many say that do it unless the weather is bad and the fields get wet - which can mean months in.
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I went to view a yard with one of my clients, I am moving so helping them find somewhere to go if the new owners did not want to keep any liveries, the YO said the pony, full livery, would have turn out every day, definitely required as he is older, gets stiff but would also get very sharp if not out enough, this was then qualified with 'apart from days it rains' last winter was one of the driest I have known and mine stayed out 24/7 for most of it yet that yard closed it's fields completely for at least a couple of months, fortunately for pony my move was delayed so he stayed here.

I have a couple of full although it is more of a part livery as I don't exercise, unless asked to as an extra, only give a check over/ do feet/ hose legs rather than a daily groom, they pay a flat monthly rate which allows for the fact they will be out 24/7 for as much time as possible, last winter I did well as they stayed out longer and went out earlier this spring, the previous very wet winter was not so good financially as they were in far longer but they all still went out every day.
I cannot see how some yards manage to cope with minimal acreage, high rent/ mortgage, owners wanting the horse out for as long as possible yet many reluctant to pay a realistic price for livery, it is not surprising it is getting harder to find anywhere with winter turnout in some areas but the YO should be honest about what they do offer.
 
On our yard, full liveries start coming in around 3pm because the staff finish at 5pm. Owners can choose 24 hr turnout if they wish though, but they tend to like having clean, dry horses waiting for them when they finish work.
 
I think that the only way to achieve turn out perfection - how ever you define that - is to buy your own place with land and stables and manage it to your own requirements. For the fortunate few who can do that, then great. But for the rest of us who depend on the services of a livery yard to enable us to keep a horse, then there is always going to be a compromise.

Yes, we all like our horse(s) to be out as much as possible. Yes, in an ideal world, yard owners would turn out early and bring in late, but they are human beings with lives, who are trying to run a business. As such they have to balance all available resources and come up with something which suits customers as far as possible. Given limitations on time, space, staff, finances and the price customers are prepared to pay for a full livery service, I’m sure most do the best job they can.

My boy is on full livery. He is turned out every day, except in the very worst weather, and comes in every night year round. (If I’m honest, I wouldn’t want him out 24/7 as he’s a native type and a very good doer, so limiting his grass time helps keep his weight in check). That’s the compromise I make with him as in all other respects the yard suits us both.
 
Also in the south east, I'm on DIY at a yard with poor grazing... We have one field and it's sort of up to us to manage it. To make things worse, we flood so our fields close almost definitely at some point over the winter. I have split my field currently and my girls are on one half with hay and resting the other so i have a chance of maintaining half decent grazing all year round.

I'm at work 9-5 so the staff bring mine in at about 4 during the summer. I have the option to turn out over night when it's hot but i haven't needed to this year and to be honest i don't think i have enough grass too!!

In the winter they get a couple of hours out a day (weather massively depending) and if not turnout, i can pay the staff to either put them on the walker or put them out in the all weather turnout patch. We also have an indoor school we can turnout in when we are mucking out etc. I'm very lucky that my friend owns a field next door to the yard that her husband uses in the summer only so mine do get turnout in there too during the wet winter months.

I wish there was some where else around here that offered better grazing/turnout but unfortunately i'm at one of the best places!
 
Mine is on full livery - turnout at 8.30am, bring in at 4.30pm. In winter they all come in around 3.30pm before it gets dark. Ideally, it would be nice to have more turnout (when I was at a DIY yard, the horses all lived out 24/7 in summer) but, in fairness the horses all seem fine with it and are usually waiting around the top of the fields at bring in time.

Fortunately, the land is very dry so turnout is every day no matter what the weather and I'm happier knowing that although the times are limited, at least the fields will never be shut for a week/fortnight/month!
 
I’m on full livery and mine go out overnight - so around 630 pm to 830 am which suits me. If I’m riding I turn out after. I’m the only livery out overnight though (I’ve got 2 and yard owners horses are out too)
 
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