How much would you expect to pay for assisted DIY?

F

fine_and_dandy

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2005
Messages
2,795
Location
Hiding in the Cadbury Factory
Visit site
Without going into too much detail, my yard has had the lease taken over. Before, assisted DIY (without hay) was £50 per week and this consisted of feeding in AM and PM, making up the feeds, turn out and bring in (along with rug changes if necessary) and putting a haynet I had made up in the stable. The price has now gone up to £65 per week.

Am I right in thinking that this is way over the odds? What does everyone else pay or what would you expect to pay for this?
 
Definatly too much, you should move!!! heehee
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
 
My friend offers this at her yard, they don't make feeds up though, I think it's about £45.
I'm not sure I'd pay £65 for this because by the time you tot up how much feed, hay and bedding costs on top you'd be better going on full livery so that you don't have to sh!t shovell!
 
That is steep i think that between £35 - £50 is about right for what you say you have done, i have had assisted diy for years, i suppose the price depends on your location and facilities as well
 
I think it depends on where abouts in the country you are and have far the fields are from the yard.

I would say if you in middlesex as it is commutable to London that you be about right. So would say £30 for the livery and perhaps £5 a day for the services.
 
My YO charges £1 turn out/bring in with rug changes, on top of DIY livery charge of £15 per week ( on a working farm, but we have schoooling ring and facilities also)- so if you had your horse fed and turned out each day , that would be a total of £23 per week - hay/straw/feed on top. Mucking out done by yourself. I know its cheaper up north, but i still think you are being ripped off. I could get full livery mon-fri for that inc hay/staw up here.
 
My yard charges 50p per task for assisted DIY

Task would be divided into:
Catch in
Turn out
Rug change x2
Hard feed x2
Mix up feeds x2
Give haynet

Total would then be £4.50 per day / 22.50 per week (assumin 5 days a week service) added to your £20 stable and grazing livery.

Still well under what you are paying, with the option to reduce it further if you mixed your own feeds in advance or didn't worry about rug changes. I do think £65 is rather steep, almost full livery charges really
 
I pay £210 a month, but this includes ad lib hay and turnout in the summer, and bringing in during the winter. I make up feeds (but don't have to), and they are given at late night check and in the morning before turnout. I do have to do mucking out. I buy my own bedding, simply because it works out cheaper, as I was subsidizing others on shavings.

PS Also have floodlit all weather school 60x20, round pen and 100 acres hacking, plus woodchipped track to paddocks and turnout 365 days of year (except when hunt is about). There is no extra charge for things like putting in snackaballs when you horse is on box rest. In fact the only extra charge is for when you need to have a muck out done...£5 a time.
 
Sounds a bit steep. I am near Epping and pay £30 for DIY and then £1 each horse a day for feeds and net (already made up) to be given, they also t/o with rug change and b/i in winter 4 days a week or put in the school on the three days they stay in for a leg stretch.

On a B/I rug changed and feet picked out is an extra £1.

In summer it is the same price and they feed and spray them in the morning for me as they live out.

Therefore my assisted DIY is £37 a week. I pay for all feeds and bedding. If I need a skip out it is £1.50 and full livery in winter is £5 if they are making up the feeds that day
 
Can't do full livery as that is 135.00 per week! I thought it was really steep - it is by far the most expensive in the area - the yard isn't in middlesex, it is in bucks. Even so, what there is in the way of yards (although they are currently all full) in middlesex isn't that expensive. I would look at part livery starting at around that price, not assisted! Moving isn't really an option atm because of a few issues so I feel like I'm stuck.
 
I am at livery in bucks too at a super yard - price would probably be the same though as although feeding is free I think T/O B/I is £2 per way. I was at a yard previously where it cost between £5-10 to bring a horse in so £2 is a bargain!)

I think that is far though as YO has to walk to field catch horse and bring it back and it does take a while and if the weather is bad it is not much fun bringing a horse in when it is heavy rain.

If you cant move then I guess there is not much you can do - people charge what they want to charge and sometimes they do decide to charge more because they would rather not do all the jobs!

I think people do complain about the cost of assistance and livery but a lot of grooms are not paid much and we expect them to do physical demanding work for very little money. If you think how long it takes to bring in a horse including walking down to the field then it is only fair that you pay minimum wage at least for the job.

If you also think that if someone has a mortgage to pay for yard they need to cover their costs at least and with interest rates rising they need to charge more to make a profit.
 
i know all about the costs they have to cover - on the old rates the owner made a decent net profit after all the bills etc had been taken out. There is nobody else employed either. I wish that we could have had a month's grace on the old charges and were informed of the new ones so if we wanted to leave, the option was there to go within that month. I feel as though I am in a pretty awkward position.
 
I pay £135 per calendar month for what I would class as assisted DIY.

In summer, Y/O will bring my horse in during the day or turn him out in the evening and I do everything else.

In winter she feeds breakfast first thing in the morning, changes rugs and turns out, will often bring in and change rugs again and feed them and then at night she then gives them their tea.

I think yours definately sounds expensive - I can get full livery hear for £70 per week!
 
Sounds pricey, but similar to a yard near me which charges £42.50 for DIY livery, no no bedding. 75p to feed over stable door (you'd have to make up the feed), £2 to bring in or turn out. Making up the feeds/rug changes etc. would probably be added on. Madness IMO.
 
I think they should at least have given you a couple of months notice about the price hike as it is over inflation. It also gives people the opportunity to leave if they are not happy.

Livery yards are unfortunately businesses and many people will want to make as much money as possible for the least amount of work - and who can blame them really!!

Unfortunately the new YO must think he can charge the new amount without people leaving and the only way he will probably reduce it if he ends up with lots of empty boxes due to the price increase - have they said why they are putting the prices up by so much?

If you can find the same elsewhere for less then why not consider moving or putting yourself on a waiting list?
 
Blimey its around £35 a week around lincs for assissted DIY, £70 ish for Full livery. Id definately consider moving.
 
Well that is steep isn,t it, unbelievable prices really!!! Well I have a lovely yard just down the road from where you keep him now and I can offer you assisted DIY for a much better price!!! We would take great care of your little guy too! You should come have a look, he he
 
Its a bit unfair you haven't been given any notice but I doubt there is much you can do.

I currently keep my horses in a yard I rent but was thinking of moving them a bit closer to me (there is a livery yard half a mile from my house.)

They wanted £50 grass only, £60 per week diy working livery (but with stable)! Yours doesn't sound to bad compared to that! There weren't even super facilities or anything special about the place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top