Full / part Livery

[Newtothegeegees]

Hi me again! ??
Yes I have a million questions so just get used to me posting lots I’m sorry if I’m clogging up the forums..

so people who have their horses on full or part livery - how often do you see your horse?

I have 3 young kids and a busy life so realistically I could get down 4 days out of 7 to see my horse. I couldn’t get down on the days I work as the kids have so many commitments after school it would just get too late...

My problem is that when I’ve searched these kind of queries like ‘how many times do you go to see your horse’ it seems that people that don’t go down 7 days a week get really frowned upon. Having a horse is an expensive hobby and most people have to work in order to have the pleasure of owning one - this also may mean their time with their horse is compromised.

basically what I’m saying is - am I going to be looked down on for rocking up 4 time’s a week?

 

[AmyMay]

If your horse is on full livery, who cares? It’s on full livery for a reason.

 

[ihatework]

Not if you are on the right yard, no.

The only thing I would say is what happens to your horse on the other 3 days? Will they have a full days turnout and/or be exercised? In some areas of the country turnout can be limited in wet weather like we have now, and it’s bad form for a horse to be stood in for 24 hours.

 

[Newtothegeegees]

They have a horse walker and I want to request if it could be ridden on those 3 days. It’s something I need to explore though as those 3 days run in concession so it worries me.

 

[SO1]

I think depends on the yard - yards that are primarily part livery and full livery will tend to have other people in the same situation as you who need these services and can relate to your situation and be more empathetic.

I am on part livery and go 4/5 times a week. We have all year every day turnout but my pony needs plenty of exercise as he is a good doer and would get very fat easily if he does not get enough exercise and I can't afford to pay regularly for extra exercise for him hence I try and get up there 5 times a week.

It sounds like you have not bought a horse yet so if you need to be on part or full livery then you might also want to think about the sort of horse that would cope well on this sort of routine. A horse that needs loads of exercise and is not easy to handle might not be suitable for a full livery unless you have lots of money to spare as it would end up costing you a lot if you needed a very experienced rider to do the exercising for you.

In your situation I would say you need a part livery yard that has every day all year round herd turnout. Horses on herd turnout are more likely to play and move around more than those on individual turnout and that might help with fitness. In terms of the type of horse that might be suitable I would avoid anything that is really doer and requires a lot of exercise to keep slim and also avoid anything that is really sharp and needs a lot of exercise to keep it easy to ride or can only be ridden by an experienced rider.

 

[Newtothegeegees]

I think depends on the yard - yards that are primarily part livery and full livery will tend to have other people in the same situation as you who need these services and can relate to your situation and be more empathetic.

I am on part livery and go 4/5 times a week. We have all year every day turnout but my pony needs plenty of exercise as he is a good doer and would get very fat easily if he does not get enough exercise and I can't afford to pay regularly for extra exercise for him hence I try and get up there 5 times a week.

It sounds like you have not bought a horse yet so if you need to be on part or full livery then you might also want to think about the sort of horse that would cope well on this sort of routine. A horse that needs loads of exercise and is not easy to handle might not be suitable for a full livery unless you have lots of money to spare as it would end up costing you a lot if you needed a very experienced rider to do the exercising for you.

In your situation I would say you need a part livery yard that has every day all year round herd turnout. Horses on herd turnout are more likely to play and move around more than those on individual turnout and that might help with fitness. In terms of the type of horse that might be suitable I would avoid anything that is really doer and requires a lot of exercise to keep slim and also avoid anything that is really sharp and needs a lot of exercise to keep it easy to ride or can only be ridden by an experienced rider.

Thanks for advice. No I haven’t got a horse yet. The lady at the yard is going to help me so I will be able to find out exactly what the yard can offer in forms of care for the horse when I’m not there. X

 

[Trinket12]

My horse is on full livery, I ride 3/4 times a week and have a sharer who rides her once a week.

 

[Starzaan]

When I ran my own yard, I had a horse on full livery for five years, and I saw his owner three times. She lived in Dubai, and was absolutely lovely.
If your horse is cared for and happy, it really doesn’t matter how often you go down.

 

[AUB]

I have my horse on what is called full livery here, but I guess it would be considered part livery in the UK. I groom and ride, everything else - feeding, mucking, turning in and out - is taken care of. I only ride 4, sometimes 5 times a week as I also have a fulltime (and then some...) job, commute 1 hour to work and have a 3 year old son and a husband that I also like to spend time with occasionally.

I don’t feel guilty, my horse is turned out for 10+ hours every day no matter the weather and is being fed and her stable is nice and clean every day.

I would like a sharer to hack my horse out twice weekly, but it has been tried and the horse just doesn’t do well with different riders.

 

[Shay]

Its more about the quality of care available from the yard and the trust you place in them that is important. If you are not going to be there every day you have to be confident that your horse is being cared for in the way you want. But as long as you are happy with that - its your hobby. Do whatever suits you!

 

[rainni_day]

I am on full livery as I have an extremely busy life including a job that is very full on, but does allow me to have the horse! I go up 3-4 times a week....usually have a lesson after work on a Tuesday, I lunge after work on a Thursday and I hack out Saturday and Sunday. I try and be there for at least 5-6 hours one of the weekend days to allow me to have a long ride, a nice groom afterwards and clean tack. The rest of the time, she is in the capable hands of my YO, who is fantastic. You need to find a yard you trust if you're on full livery, but for me, it takes the stress out and I really enjoy my 'me time' when I am there x