Full livery meets DIY yard shocker!!

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skewby

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I have been at the same big DIY yard for years, it's been going downhill for a while. Recently the YO sacked the YM and evicted a few liveries, and gave the lease for the remainder of the stables (approx half) to a full/part/selling livery business.

Oh my word, talk about a clash of cultures! I am a DIY girl through and through, although I have to use livery services as life gets in the way, I shovel baby's **** day in day out. A good mate of mine who is a dressage diva has now come to the yard, she is on full.

As she is a lovely friendly chick, my friend got chatting to a DIYer who has bought a horse from a local dealer who unfortunately is one of those who gives dealers a bad name (I got my horse from her but that's a different story!! But it means I do know what she's like), horse is 21.

D diva friend got on said horse and pronounced it "absolutely fecked in the back" (except she didn't say fecked :D).

Watching the two of them chat away about it, and full livery's utter astonishment at DIY livery's lack of knowledge, not in a bad way, just made me realise what a sheltered life she has lived and we had a very interesting discussion about the differences!!

I have absolutely never thought of it this way before, but having spent a few weeks sharing the facilities with full liveries I've seen that when they have got time for their horse, they make the most, turn up and have a lesson with a top trainer, and the horse will be fit and ready because they will have paid for it to be exercised and in some cases schooled while they were at work (or perhaps wherever else, though in the large part I think it's work).

I suppose I've just seen us DIYers through the full livery peoples' eyes, and it's interesting! It's an utterly different world. Not entirely sure what my question is but just wanted to share, and has anyone else experienced the stark difference between these two worlds?? I always thought we were all just the same but now I have to say, I have a different view!
 
Personally I've been both full and DIY livery and I'm always the same lol :p I do know what you mean though - its the minority in my experience but some full livery peopl consider themselves a cut above and treat yard staff like personal servants :rolleyes: On the whole however my experiences have been that we really are all the same - just us DIYers are dirtier lol :D
 
I HATE full liveries, i don't see the point in having a horse to have someone else do everything for you, and all the 'FL's' I have come across know bugger all.
 
ditto above.

there was a girl at my yard who would turn up & tell the YM she wanted to ride so the YM needed to bring in her pony, groom & tack up for her, she would be waiting in the school. I stood there like this :eek::eek::eek:

Just because you have money doesn't give you an excuse to be rude and lazy
 
When you mention the lack of knowledge of the DIYer - I think both may be knowledgeable however each party may have different objectives. As a DIYer I'd love to know how to school my horses' beautifully however being able to spend time getting to know them individually maximizes my bond with them.

I've only ever been on DIY but have hired a full livery's school. I did feel like I didn't fit in just riding past their yard. I'm more than happy to stink of horse and have dirt under my nails :p
 
Ive used both full and currently DIY

I absolutely hated being on full livery.... (but tbh it was on a snobby yard ) I moved to DIY and tbh find people more erm normal? :o

Th efull livery yard i was on previous - most of them had expensive warmbloods and show cobs - i had a little scruffy idxtb.... who looked down their noses at me.... wouldnt go back on a pure full livery yard in a hurry...
 
saddlesore said:
Personally I've been both full and DIY livery and I'm always the same lol :p I do know what you mean though - its the minority in my experience but some full livery peopl consider themselves a cut above and treat yard staff like personal servants :rolleyes: On the whole however my experiences have been that we really are all the same - just us DIYers are dirtier lol :D
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LOL I agree when I am DIY I am definitely dirtier:D However the full liveries I have met are often less "intouch" with their horses. I would always prefer to be "hands on" than a "distance" owner, but circumstances have made the choice for me in the past, rather than personal choice. DIY is fab when you can have the time and it suits the horse but sometimes the best yard for the horse is not the best yard for the owner, and vice versa. Sometimes the facilities needed are only available at a full or part livery yard. Very few DIY yards offer top facilities where I live. At present I am on a small very private DIY yard which is perfect for a retired mare and an unbroken rising 3yo. In a year or two things may change.... A member of staff at the last full livery yard I was at said she could always tell the previously DIY people - they knew their horses, they complained less about minor things like how things looked generally and more about the daily care of their horse.
It is hard to hand over day to day care when you have always done it yourself, but sometimes it is just inevitable due to circumstances
 
I once worked on a full livery yard and it was that experience that stopped me from working with horses to trying to earn enough money to own my own. I realised that working on a yard would never give me enough money to live and be able to own a horse.

I really felt sorry though for the full liveries who never got to spend what in my opinion is quality time with their horses - the greeting in the morning, feeding, mucking out, checking, cuddling etc. But at the same time the full liveries got the benefit of professional people to learn from (not me btw!), but the advice they got from yard owners etc.

It is many years later and I have a career but no horse. I don't have the time to have that happy medium that I wanted. If I want to earn the money I have to work long hours and live in the right place. If I want to own a horse, I have the money but it's daily care would have to be entrusted to that person I was all those years ago and I wouldn't get the quality time.

I'm not sure if I've given a relevant answer to the OPs post but it struck a chord and a memory somewhere.......
 
Our yard is a combination of full livery, part (weekly), DIY, grass, working - all sorts and combinations of the above! I think every single person has a slightly different arrangement! But we are all a friendly bunch and those who are more knowledgeable are always willing to help the 'beginners' (like me!). We have a few full livery dressage divas, who now I have got to know them are really nice and have lots of useful advice. I think if you approach someone like that and ask them a question, they will usually respond well. If you are friendly, they will be friendly back.

Of course there are one or two who are not so nice, but I'm afraid I don't have time to waste on being miserable or nasty - so I just talk to them the same as everyone else! :D
 
I am on both full and DIY!

I spent years building a career which meant that I could have a horse without having to worry about money. However, now I have to work long hours which means that in the week DIY is not practical.

In the week, my horse is looked after by my trainer, which includes a couple of schooling sessions. At the weekends, I do him myself, which normally includes a hack one day and a lesson the other.

I am lucky as the yard is just next to my house, so I go each morning and give all the horses their feeds before I go to work, plus I pop round in the evening to say hello, even if it's just for a few minutes. I love seeing my horse as often as possible, without having to run myself into the ground trying to fit all the chores in Mon-Fri.
 
I am like depurple. also when I was younger mum ran a yard.

Yes there are some very ignorant full liveries who would not know how to muck out, and some of these yards can be silly and snobby. But there are plenty of people who dont have masses of time, and the time they have they would rather ride and fuss over their horse than shovelling poo (which isnt exactly quality time with your horse anyway). But if I wasnt working I would rather do them myself. DIYers vary from knowledgeable, competent people who ride well and want to do their own horses to idiots who can't ride properly, don't know what they are doing and stand around chatting all day and leaving mess all over the yard. A lot depends on the YO/YM - my mum has her old horse on DIY - whilst the yard has good facilities it is always a complete mess with stuff and dirt everywhere. It suits my mum to muck out after she has dog-walked so she only mucks out around 10am. Suits her but if I was a YM I would want the horses all done by 9 ish. And I cant stand the endless bitching that goes on there. Having experienced both worlds I do think a lot comes down to the individual yard itself and the culture.
 
I have always kept my lot at home so have never had the experience of any livery yards. It's a lovely thing to wake up to in the mornings, seeing your beasties contently grazing away through the kitchen window. If I ever had a horse on livery I am sure it would be great fun and novelty for a while but I think it would grate on me after a while as I do things my own way and no one does things better than I do when it comes to mucking out, grooming, cleaning tack etc... :D
 
I have been on both full and full/part/DIY yards and I didn't see a difference between the types of livery, rather between the types of owners. Some people get a lot out of their horses, spend time with them, ride them, know a lot about them, etc. whether they are full or DIY, others do almost nothing with their horses (and I don't mean companion horses, rather horses that could be in full work but are not as the owner doesn't seem very interested).
 
noodle_ said:
Ive used both full and currently DIY

Th efull livery yard i was on previous - most of them had expensive warmbloods and show cobs -.
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I know exactly what you mean but...

I have an 'expensive' warmblood and we are now on a scruffy but friendly DIY yard.

have been on an expensive DIY yard but it was mostly people who would tell me what was wrong, what I should be doing, what I was doing wrong etc., you get the picture.
 
From the other side my 2 are on full livery.

However, we have just got back from the stables, mucked out both, fed Captain and turned out Fany. We are happy to get dirty, we certainly do not think we are better than anyone else.

There are many reasons why people are on full, time, health and work constraints are just a few. Ours are on full because I could not be absolutely positive, due to work commitments, that I would be up the stables by 5pm on a week day to feed my lad. I did not want him waiting whilst other horses are fed and mucked out.

However we probably spend as much time with our horses as DIYers only we do not have to. I enjoy mucking out and feeding but I really think horses need a strict routine and mine have their routine and I like it stuck to, which my YO does when I can't.

Please don't assume all full liveries are posh or snotty, sometimes it is just the best way for the horse.

FDC
 
i agree with ^^^
mine's on full livery due to my varying shifts. This means that he's kept in a routine and there's always someone there to make sure he gets fed - i often end up having to stay late which would mean that he wouldn't get fed/mucked out.

I help as much as I can - im usually up at the yard at 0730 to ride before work. He gets exercised, then i put his rugs on, turn him out and feed him.

As much as i'd love to be on DIY, its just not feasible at the moment.
 
Fany Du Champ said:
Ours are on full because I could not be absolutely positive, due to work commitments, that I would be up the stables by 5pm on a week day to feed my lad. I did not want him waiting whilst other horses are fed and mucked out.

However we probably spend as much time with our horses as DIYers only we do not have to. I enjoy mucking out and feeding but I really think horses need a strict routine and mine have their routine and I like it stuck to, which my YO does when I can't.

Please don't assume all full liveries are posh or snotty, sometimes it is just the best way for the horse.
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This is very much the same as me, I have a very sensitive and very non-posh exmoor pony who thrives on routine. With work commitments and health problems I just can't guarantee him the strict routine he needs. Having him on full livery is just a big massive load off my mind! I find now that hes on full i actually have extra time in the evenings for grooming and riding which is nice. Soon he will be out in the field for the summer than I will only need to pay for diy livery so it can work out not that expensive if it's only for the winter.
 
Have never experienced it but not sure if I could do Full Livery. I'd miss the interaction with my horses. I'm also not completely DIY. We have somewhere in the middle I think. YO feeds the horses in the morning and if necessary turns them out. We muck out, turn out (when we have time in the mornings), give evening feed (to all liveries but it's only a small yard with 7 horses away from the main yard with 34 horses).
The horses have a routine which we stick to where possible. We also keep the yard clean and tidy, pick the ragwort, keep an eye of the fencing and numerous other things that we are not obliged to do but do because that is who we are.
If we need to go away for a few days, the YO takes complete care of the horses for us. We have 2 very expensive DWB's and a Fjord and I am not in the least snobby. I don't even do match matchy and can often be found covered in hay or straw and stinking of horse. That's when I'm at my happiest.
 
Think I must be a bit of a poacher turned gamekeeper!

In my time, I've done the DIY thing, literally a field, and that was all, no stable or any "luxuries" like that!! You just chucked all your gear in the boot of the car and got on with it coz then (25+ years ago) any sort of keep was hard to come by where I lived so you were grateful for anything you could get, and decent hacking was a bonus and you were glad of it.

Another time I kept my pony at a riding stables on part-livery. The awful thing was that when I was free to ride, i.e. weekends, I had to "share" him with everyone else and always felt very guilty at adding to his workload - because he was a lovely boy and very gentle, everyone else wanted to ride him and of course the riding school had to make their money out of it too (and by god they did!).

More recently, I've kept my current cob at working livery at an equestrian college.

And now, I've got my own yard with space for liveries! So think can wear the T-shirt, drink from the mug, etc etc.

I think the main thing is that liveries have to expect to get what they pay for and not any more (i.e. so if you pay for DIY not to expect the YO to trot out your horse beautifully groomed, fed & mucked out); also if you've elected for working livery then its no good complaining if your horse is used at the time when you might want to use him yourself - you have to either upgrade to full livery or grin and bear it.

Also YO's should be fair in what they are offering and not offer things they can't deliver; and be very clear about what is "full", "part", or "DIY" livery right from the start. Also to sort out any disputes in a professional and unbiased way.

Plus everyone, but everyone, should sign an agreement BEFORE anything else.
 
I originally kept Henry on full. It was a bit of an overkill for an exmoor owned by a happy hacker, but I did learn a lot in those 6 months. It gave me time to enjoy him and get to know him, without any pressure. I did see him most days, though, even when not riding. I'd like to think I'd do the same, now, but I can't see me going for full livery for two (if I move to Switzerland). The quotes I've had this month are £400 and £500 per pony. Feck that!!!!
 
I went from full livery to DIY the day my boy whinnied at the YO while I was trying to catch him! :(

I considered myself lucky to be a DIY as the fulls on our yard were the ones who had funny shifts or stupidly long hours at work.
When they did come up it was clear the horse was the apple of the eye and most would have given anything to be a diy but it was just not financially possible for them.
 
WoopsiiD said:
I went from full livery to DIY the day my boy whinnied at the YO while I was trying to catch him! :(

I considered myself lucky to be a DIY as the fulls on our yard were the ones who had funny shifts or stupidly long hours at work.
When they did come up it was clear the horse was the apple of the eye and most would have given anything to be a diy but it was just not financially possible for them.
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that would be me :rolleyes: stupid shifts :(
 
WoopsiiD said:
:(

And I bet you'd give your right arm not to be on shifts-I know my sister would.

...bet getting a furry cuddle makes it worth it!
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what i would give for a 9-5 mon-fri job sometimes.. i get 3 weekends off over a period of 16 weeks which can make things a bit difficult when i want to go to shows.
although saying that, sometimes my shifts work out - if i don't start until 3pm I can hack in the morning and spend some qt with my hairy beastie and get paid.

anyone want to hire me?? :rolleyes:
 
I've been both DIY and Part/Full in my time and have seen all extremes of people from the ignorant and lazy through to ultra precious snobs and everything inbetween. I don't really think it's a DIY v Full stereotype that can be made. IMO it's often the atmosphere or management at a yard that dictates how liveries behave.

I have to say that I, for the most part, love being on livery. it means I'm not tied to being at the yard at certain times twice a day and gives me much more freedom for work and social life. I don't feel any need to shovel my horses *****e to make me feel closer to him!!! I see/ride him virtually every day and any spare time I have his spent faffing around/grooming rather than mucking out/lugging buckets/poo-picking etc.
 
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