How much money do you actually save by doing DIY...

Lego

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I recently moved from DIY to part livery - when I was doing the sums, it came out at about £100/m more to be on part livery by the time feed, bedding, hay etc is included. Then by the time I take into account reduced petrol costs only needing to go once a day, and the time I'm saving not doing 'chores', I think it really is amazing value for money...

(Part livery for us is everything bar groom and exercise btw)

I also like that once I've paid the yard bill at the beginning of the month there are no extras, and that's it bar farrier and treats/sprays etc. No more realising I'm nearly out of feed, or bulk buying bedding and trying to cram it in my fiesta! :rolleyes:

I did worry about having to relinquish control over him to some extent - my dad reckons it's like sending him to boarding school :rolleyes: And yes, there are little niggles of course - I can't just give him a bit more feed, I have to ask the YM to increase his feeds, likewise, if I want to change feeds, I'd have to give notice, and check it was something she was happy to buy in. Fortunately I had a while on DIY to work out a good regime for him and the YM is very accommodating :D

To be honest, I miss having the constant contact, but pro's are that I have a fab YM who is very on the ball and would notice and tell me about any changes, the facilities and general atmosphere are way better, and the time I spend with the boy is better - I don't have to stress about finishing work late so will the other horses be in, or I have to rush in and by the time I've brought in/skipped out I'm knackered and it's dark... I may not get the whicker when I arrive much any more since I am no longer dinner lady, but I'm the one who spends the same amount of time I would have been mucking out etc, grooming him and riding him - plus I still give him treats for being a dude - so he still likes me! :D
 

luckyoldme

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I don't see mucking out, feeding, grooming, bonding etc as being a 'total slave' to a horse. You take the bad with the good and it's all part of horse owing..

Sure, there are some miserable winter days where after working 8.30 - 5pm I'd rather just go home knowing my horse is sorted for me; but seeing my boys face everyday is better than anything else I could of been doing. Besides, even if I don't have time to ride everyday I still love doing anything horsey and giving him the attention he deserves than getting brought in, fed, rug changed and then left without so much as a pat on the neck.

Yes, I do understand why people have full livery (kids, work, travelling etc) and I have nothing against that, but I would rather the full package of horse owning.

There are different types of owners, owning horses for different reasons.
I waited 30 years for my horse and im greedy, theres no way i could take the risk of having someone else bond with him. Greeny eyed monster and all that, I also have a cat and theres no way im going to let anyone else look after him either. Come to think of it i do have a demanding partner who needs his meals cooked and his shreddies washed..now im willing to pay good money for that!
 

chaps89

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Alot!
In my area part or full livery is £500 upwards a month!
Mine has been on grass livery since October, at just under £90 a month. Highest hay bill was £45 (9 bales of hay in a month)
Prior to that he was on DIY livery- £151.50 a month (yard with all year turnout, post & rail & electrified fencing) good size stables, menage, direct off road hacking, water, electric, tack room & hay barn. Bedding, I used wood pellets, £3.20/bag, 2 bags one week, 3 bags the next, so around £30-£35 a month bedding. Hay usually between £25 and £45 a month depending on time of year, so at most £232 a month. Yes, if I went away, cover would be about £12 a day to have a freelance groom turnout & muck out (friend would bring in in evenings to help out anyway) but that was occasional, at most 10 days over a year, so cost of £120 a year- that's not even the difference between 1 months DIY costs & a part livery package.
Feed, on the yards I've worked at/noseyd round that have included livery packages, you don't get to choose your own & it is often more budget brands. By being DIY I can choose which feed works best for my horse- that & shoeing are the 2 aspects of caring for my horse that I like to have maximum input/control over, plus feed for mine is about £20 every 2 months, so again doesn't make up the difference to part/full livery.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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And I dont see the point if your a total slave to a horse... and don't have any time to ride because your too busy shovelling up ****e

Have you actually read what I said??

I said


Full livery what I call full livery

which is everything done by yard
riding- tack clean- feeding- turnout
grooming etc


This I don't see the point of having a horse if everything is done for you

:rolleyes:



Full livery in my experience is just that FULL Nothing left for owner to do because :


mucking out done for you included

tack cleaning included
hay included
feeding and feeds included
hay included
grooming included
riding included
bedding down included
holding for vet farrier included

pray tell what is left for the owner??? = my point I dont see the point if you have NOTHING left to do to your horse

part livery what we do



leaves owner to ride and tack clean this i understand.


But when everything is done for the owner who's horse is on FULL livery everything done.

Leaves the owner just to come and pet him. This I do not understand!! Try reading what I said
 
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pippixox

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i so surprised that for some people the cost is actually very close! when my boy was on full livery (so everything eceot exercise) it was £650 a month, diy there was £180 for stable only, but even with feed and bedding deffinatly cheaper. now paying £80 a month field rent so much cheaper!
it is true some places charge a lot just for a stable and grazing on diy.
it is also the extra help prices that shock me, if you wanted someone to muck out at my old yard that was £5, a lot of money for 20 minutes tops, and £2.50 just to chuck a bucket of feed in front of my horse!
 

1Lucie

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Yes I have often calculated this. I'm on full livery for £70 per week which includes everything! I was previously on livery somewhere else and I found I was spending nearly same but more hassle of buying in feed etc
 

1Lucie

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As per above my Full livery includes everything except riding, tack cleaning and rug washing. I am a shift worker so when I do have time off its for pure riding!
 

Tiffany

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In my experience, what's included in full livery varies from yard to yard all over the country. Due to the nature of my job I couldn't do anything but full. I've done the sums & if I take into account cost of fuel & my time bearing in mind I'd need to go twice a day I don't think I'd save much money & I'd have even less quality time with my horse.
 

Tiffany

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Yes I have often calculated this. I'm on full livery for £70 per week which includes everything! I was previously on livery somewhere else and I found I was spending nearly same but more hassle of buying in feed etc

£70 a week is excellent value for money although, if you do the sums I'm not sure how yard can make money.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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Full Livery, whatever that actually is as it differs so much, can suit many people who wouldn't otherwise have the time with work commitments etc to look after a horse properly. The cost issues are a totally different matter. I think to many owners what they may or may not be able to save is not the issue. Some can afford full livery but chose not to do so. If you are able to be there to turn out, muck out, bring in, groom etc this is what many would rather do as they want to spend the time with their horse/s.

Of course there are times when full livery is not available & wanting that service rules out some fantastic places to keep your horse. I am at a private house where the owner has her horse & there are just 5 large stables. The grazing is good, there is an arena that never floods or freezes & has a first class surface. The paddocks are beautifully maintaned by her husband. There is plenty of storage, a secure alarmed tackroom & CCTV around the yard. We buy large bale haylage between us all, buy bedding by the pallet which keeps costs down. If anyone is ill or an holiday then we cover their horse for them but we do not have full livery. There is no groom or employee so we do everything between us.

This yard is a wonderful place to be but would be ruled out if we wanted full livery. It all works because our 2 horses are seen to by me, my wife & daughter & this happens with the other horses aswell. It works because of the commitment of the families involved. :)
 

mynutmeg

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By the time bedding and straw are added it makes about £15 a week cheaper for DIY but that's excluding fuel and including her being turned out in the morning (cheaper than the fuel to get there) but regardless of whether it's the same cost I enjoy looking after her and would never use full livery unless I had no choice
 
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