Kaza.B
New User
Can you tell me which you think is better and why? Also if anyone knows anywhere in herts with good livery 
HELP- pros and cons of full grass livery?
- Thread starter Kaza.B
- Start date
marooncat
Member
It is down to what suits you and your horse.
My mare has been on grass livery for the past year. It is great not worrying about restricted turnout (she was on full before with poor winter turnout) but on nights when it is blowing a gale and pouring with rain it is hard not to feel guilty.
The biggest nightmare I found was bringing her in in the dark and bad weather. Her field is a few mins walk from the yard so I was doing it all by torch light and sometimes when I was having to get dressed head to toe in waterproofs and my hands were that cold I had problems doing her headcollar up I was regretting it.
If you go for grass I would try and make sure you have somewhere under cover for grooming/tacking up.
Can not offer any advice re yards in Herts - Sorry.
My mare has been on grass livery for the past year. It is great not worrying about restricted turnout (she was on full before with poor winter turnout) but on nights when it is blowing a gale and pouring with rain it is hard not to feel guilty.
The biggest nightmare I found was bringing her in in the dark and bad weather. Her field is a few mins walk from the yard so I was doing it all by torch light and sometimes when I was having to get dressed head to toe in waterproofs and my hands were that cold I had problems doing her headcollar up I was regretting it.
If you go for grass I would try and make sure you have somewhere under cover for grooming/tacking up.
Can not offer any advice re yards in Herts - Sorry.
Cocorules
Well-Known Member
Full grass is great provided it has a field shelter or exceptionally good natural shelter. I would not touch it without that. I would also want to be able to restrict grazing be able to feed hay in field to suit my horses. You would also need access to a stable if box rest were ever necessary. The grazing needs to be suitable for all year turn out too ie not a mud bath come winter. With the right situation and horse it beats perpetual mucking out of a stable and many horses seem to prefer choosing for themselves when to be in or out.
Kaza.B
New User
Excellent advice guys thanks. I think i would prefer the grass option for both of us. Deff will be looking at good grazing and good shelter all year round. Thanks 
FinkleyAlex
Well-Known Member
I keep my youngster on grass livery (with good natural shelter and also a manmade one not that they use it!) and it suits him beautifully. The only thing that bugs me a little is that as he's out with two natives who hold their weight well, the minute he needs any haylage or hay I have to seperate him in order for him to not be bullied off of it and to prevent the fatties getting it. Maybe try and aim to have him out with horses of a similar build/height?
My friend keeps hers on full grass livery (with the yard owner checking everyday) on a yard in Stevenage. I can't remember the name but its not far from the A10
My friend keeps hers on full grass livery (with the yard owner checking everyday) on a yard in Stevenage. I can't remember the name but its not far from the A10
Kaza.B
New User
@FinkleyAlex thats good advice about the hay i was wondering how that works.
Will deff look into this properly also if you could get the details of your friends grass livery that would be great as stevenage is just down the road from me .
Thanks
Will deff look into this properly
also if you could get the details of your friends grass livery that would be great as stevenage is just down the road from me .Thanks
starryeyed
Well-Known Member
Pros! - Nice and natural, horse can go where it likes when it likes and is constantly moving about so is good for ones that stiffen up if kept indoors. Also suits horses that get stressed being kept inside, is good for horses with dust allergies etc as obviously there is less dust outside than inside. It's usually the cheapest form of livery, as you don't need to pay for bedding or for as much feed - for example, if you have a good doer, over summertime it wouldn't need any extra feed, the grass would be plenty - whereas if it was stabled overnight then it would need something to munch on while it was in. It's also not the end of the world if you get held up somewhere or stuck in traffic, as your horse is already out so you don't have to panic about it being the last one inside / waiting for it's breakfast.
Cons - Can be harder to manage their weight, if you have a good doer then depending on the amount/quality of grass then you may have to restrict it by fencing a separate bit and strip grazing (if possible) or using a grazing muzzle. Shelter is important, and ideally there should be access to an "emergency" stable in case your horse suddenly needs to go on boxrest - some grass liveries will offer this, others won't, and although it's technically possible to put electric tape up in a 12x12 size, it's not as easy to keep your horse in and the area will get churned up. Speaking of churning up, obviously over winter depending on the size of field and type of ground it may get very muddy, so if your horse suffers from mud fever this might be something to think about. Can also be trickier in the winter because there won't be any lighting in the field so be prepared to go out with a torch to find/check your horse! If your horse is a poor doer then over the winter you may need to rug it more than you would do if it came in overnight so that it doesn't drop too much weight (and you'll need spare rugs for when they get soaked through), you would also have to think about how you'd get the extra feed to it without it's field mates helping themselves to it.
Grass livery is great if you can find a good set up, most horses do seem a lot happier being out 24/7. Can't help with liveries though I'm afraid as I'm in the wrong area!
Cons - Can be harder to manage their weight, if you have a good doer then depending on the amount/quality of grass then you may have to restrict it by fencing a separate bit and strip grazing (if possible) or using a grazing muzzle. Shelter is important, and ideally there should be access to an "emergency" stable in case your horse suddenly needs to go on boxrest - some grass liveries will offer this, others won't, and although it's technically possible to put electric tape up in a 12x12 size, it's not as easy to keep your horse in and the area will get churned up. Speaking of churning up, obviously over winter depending on the size of field and type of ground it may get very muddy, so if your horse suffers from mud fever this might be something to think about. Can also be trickier in the winter because there won't be any lighting in the field so be prepared to go out with a torch to find/check your horse! If your horse is a poor doer then over the winter you may need to rug it more than you would do if it came in overnight so that it doesn't drop too much weight (and you'll need spare rugs for when they get soaked through), you would also have to think about how you'd get the extra feed to it without it's field mates helping themselves to it.
Grass livery is great if you can find a good set up, most horses do seem a lot happier being out 24/7. Can't help with liveries though I'm afraid as I'm in the wrong area!