I don't call this full livery, would you?

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Corona

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For 2 days a week my horse is kept on full livery. Now this to me would suggest that he's mucked out, fed and watered, rugs changed, maybe turned out or a light groom. I've since realised that full livery, is a very shoddy skip out (his bed was absolutley filthy one day), a huge handfull of haylage is thrown over his door at 4pm (he usually has a haynet so has eaten this by 5pm). And thats it. His rugs weren't changed for 2 days, meaning they were all crumpled and itchy, and he also hadn't been out of his stable for 2 days, meaning he was very depressed and bored.

Am I just being soft? Do some yards, consider this ok?

I just feel awful for him :-(
 
No! Full livery means full care! Totally unacceptable and potentially very detrimental to your horse's health and well being.
 
I also see full livery as full care - just as the owner wants! I also see full livery as including exercise, otherwise i see it as part but i think a lot of people have different opinions on this
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no wouldn't consider that ok at all for full livery.Was there any reason that he was kept in(weather??)Even then would expect muck out and a skip out for full livery.Up here full livery doesn't include grooming horse so can't coment on that part .
 
How much did you pay for that? Thats not what Id call full livery but sadly Ive heard this story many times before, some YOs, if they know the owner isnt going to be down, cut loads of corners, Im lucky that I have friends down there to care for mine if I can't manage to get down. Also, in future Id make up the haynets for them so at least you know he's getting a decent amount of hay in the evening, even if you make them pretty huge nets.
 
Unacceptable.

ETA I keep my horse on part livery at a part + full yard. I also work there at weekends. Full livery horses are fed, rugs changed, any creams/grease applied to legs, turned out. We then muck all beds out fully, add any new bedding if needed, clean buckets, refill waters, make feeds + haynets, soak hay and put in stable. When they come in they have legs washed, feet picked out, any wraps/bandages put on if wanted by owner, rugs changed and fed.

That is what I call full livery.
 
every yard has different definitions of full livery! ask your manager what is and isnt done and the cost! presume you are normally DIY so full to that yard might be feed and hay and water am and pm thus you not having to do your own horse! full livery on a comp yard includes exercising, turnout, walker, groom tack cleaning etc with all bed hay and feed supplied by yard! as said different interpretations of full livery!
 
No that is definitely not acceptable! Where I work part livery means muck out, hay, feed, water, walker, rug changing, turning in and out and skipping out last thing. Full livery would be this plus grooming, exercise and possibly tack cleaning.
 
see I know in my own mind it's wrong, just needed someone else to tell me so I know i'm not being soft. no reason for being left in as far as i know. But even just a walk in hand for 10 minutes, get him out surely. I'll have to say something tomorrow.
 
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every yard has different definitions of full livery!

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well, yes, but I have NEVER EVER heard of a yard whose actual definition of "full livery" is a meagre skip out and chucking a slice of haylage over the door in the afternoon. i think Corona is being conned, and i hope she tackles her YO about it in the morning. I would be voting with my feet, personally.

Incidentally, is there any reason that you end every sentence with an exclamation mark?
 
Thats not full livery in my book, although I guess it would depend how much you are paying. I used to keep my horses on full livery for £60 pw each and that was very basic and in my opinion NOT full livery. They were only brought in if the weather was really cold, their outdoor rugs were kept on, they were fed and watered and hay was given in the field. They would bring them in for the farrier or vet or if I called to say I was riding, but I had to fight for that.
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I eventually decided to leave and now have them on DIY and they and I are much happier
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thats cruelty! you werent at a yard in essex were you near a certain common???
Totally disgusting and i would move instantly do not pay them another penny!!!
I have just come from somewhere very similar and moved as soon as i sussed them out. Never been so angry so know how you must be feeling x
 
oh, also i am on REAL full livery now! lol, which includes, breakfast, morning steamed hay, turnout, muck out, all rugs changed, bring in, legs hosed, feet picked, afternoon hay, day rugs on, evening skip-out + additional bedding if needed, evening feed, night hay. If for any reason not turned out in fields are let into arena for leg stretch + owner notified. all dealings with vet, farrier, dentist etc covered if you cannot get there. Thats what i expect from full livery!
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What you have described is unacceptable & can no way be considered as Full Livery.

Full Livery means different things on different yards so it needs to be clarified by the YO. Some consider it to be turnout, bring in, muck out, feed, water & rug change. Others think it is what I've mentioned but should include full groom, tack clean, exercise several times a week or put on a walker or lunged etc etc. Both can be considered as Full Livery, but it depends what you want doing......& of course the cost implication of each would be different.
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I have been so badly stitched up by dishonest, lying livery yards and YO that I would never ever keep a horse at livery again, and certainly not where I live now. In recent times I have only had happy healthy horses when they are kept in my own rented field and looked after by me.
One place underfed my big young horse, injured him and my saddle and never ever mentioned it or apologised when I eventually found out. YO was extremely rude to the point of being verbally abusive. I was partly disabled at the time following an accident. I was insulted and screamed at and even told, after I announced that I had sold my horse, that had she known he was for sale she could have sold him, to a local Dressage rider!!!!
The second place I took him too after the sale fell through, only brought him in from the field when I phoned to let them know I was coming up to see him! I was paying £75 pw and he didn't even had a stable of his own!!! When I found out and confronted the owner I was promptly chucked off the yard at 3 days notice with the YO threatening to tie my horse to the yard gate, all I had asked for was a written contract.
Both these places are considered to be reputable yards!!
I did report one to BHS as it is also a Riding School.

To be honest there was one or two good places in Kent, where I could trust the yard to truely look after my horse properly (Chavic Park Biggin Hill for example ) But generally speaking its like getting "blood out of a stone" to get a decent written contract unless you have funds that can afford in excess of £130-£150 pw it seems.
The misery on of my friends suffer from YO and Livery yards are similar, I think she must have move 20 times since I ve known her. Unlike me, she has no choice but to be on full livery.
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That's outrageous! Definitely not what I'd call Full Livery.
I am on Part Livery where the yard does him 5 days a week and I do him the remaining 2. On the days I'm not there he is fully mucked out, bed set fair - (nice and thick with lovely big banks), fed, ad lib haylage, rugs changed, feet picked out, and creams etc applied, as much turnout or exercise on the horse walker as I would like or weather permits. If I want ridden exercise I have to pay extra, but now the evenings are getting lighter I can get up to ride after work.
Let us know how you get on when you talk to the Y.O.
Good luck! xxx
 
I am going to go against the grain - I think the level of service is linked to how much you pay

I think many people go somewhere cheap and then are 'shocked' at the service, yet never seem to link this to the fact they are paying a pittance.

Also whats with this fascination with rug changes? I just buy a decent turnout rug that fits properly and doesn't need changing
 
Full livery will only be provided according to the terms set out by the yard, there is no "standard" full livery. I have been at yards where lunging was included in full livery, others where just horse walker was included, so it all depends. A high price doesn't necessary entitle you to the best service either.

And full livery is not to be confused with schooling/training where you would expect exercise for x number of days as agreed prior. Only on this type of livery at a reputable yard would I feel that every need would be seen to, although you might still have to pay for certain extras (handling for vet out of hours etc)

That said, if you are concerned about basic care factors like lack of feed and not bothering to change rugs, then that is pretty poor service and I would bring it up with them or leave! Not sure about not taking the horse out of the stable as depends whether exercise is included in your full livery and quite often it isn't.
 
I think as a guideline full livery should mean that you don't need to visit your horse, although the details depend upon the yard and the amount being charged.
 
To me full livery means everthing (except for vet and farrier bills) including exercise. I have George on part livery and he is mucked out thoroughly, and then skipped out before the end of the day, hay soaked and put in (ad lib), water changed, rugs changed, feet picked out twice a day, turned out and bought in, hay put in field and fields poo picked. Feeds made up and fed, they will also bring in and hold for vets and farrier visits. I pay £410 a month for this.
 
Corona, no! Whatever you paid be it £1 or £100 I'd be extremely unhappy with that level of care in my absence. I hate rugs being left on for days on end - just think how uncomfortable that could be and it only takes a couple of minutes to do. And if your horse has access to turnout normally, why wasn't he turned out? However, if you normally keep him stabled and exercise him daily yourself, then unless you specifically asked the yard to provide him some excercise or turnout, I wouldn't necessarily think they'd done wrong. But next time I'd make sure they understood exactly what you wanted for your horse on those days they were covering for you.

At the DIY yard I'm at they charge £6.00 per day to provide cover on those days a person cannot come up to see to their horse or get another livery to cover for them. This provides giving the breakfast feed, switching rugs before morning turnout, skipping out the stable, doing the water, putting in night hay (always on the floor! unless you've pre-prepared nets in advance) and feed, bringing in in the evening and switching the horse back into its night rugs. Considering the yard charges £1 per day to turnout a horse and fetch it in again, I think the aditional £5.00 for the rest is very reasonable for emergency cover. Sure, they don't do an industrial muck out but the bed is always clean on top and fresh bedding added if needed.

It amazed me the other day when another livery was grumbling to me that her bed hadn't been fully mucked out on the previous two days when the yard had covered for her. She said, "Huh, I paid for full livery and the underneath of his bed hasn't been touched. It's cr*p, the lazy b*stards." She seemed to think for £5.00 per day (she already pays £1 per day for turnout and bring in) she qualified for comprehensive FULL LIVERY. She beds her horse on the hugest shavings bed I've ever seen - it's honestly 2 foot deep and her horse looks positive uncomfortable when he's standing looking over his stable door; his front feet on the concrete and his back end 2 foot higher on the bed. Plus, the livery herself doesn't dig underneath or turn it everyday... it would simply take too long and is a major job. But for some reason she tought the yard should!!!
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Anyway, my point is, the service you get should be dependent upon the amount paid. For an extra £5 or £6 a day I count myself lucky to get the service I do from the yard I am at. But if I were paying £15+ per day, I would expect the level of service to be stepped up accordingly.
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not full livery at all, dont know how they can call it that!

if they say its full livery, no matter what they charge they should be doing all that horses care on those days!!!

i always take their rugs off each day to check they havent got any injuries underneath and would expect full livery to include that.
 
I have what is best described as basic full livery. Our two are fed (I make up the feeds but they need water added and put into feed bowls), rug changed and turned out with hay in the field if necessary They are skipped out - I have LWP and mats so a full muck out is not required. In the afternoon they are bought in, given feed and ball and the haybar is full of hay. Rugs are changed.

If it is a day they are staying in, they are put in the school for half an hour am and am to stretch and roll and are skipped out again.

I pay £5 - £6 each horse a day for this service (Days in with extra skip cost another £1). No grooming or exercise is included.

My YO is very good, I know he will select a different rug depending on the weather, make sure they have plenty of hay and should anything else need doing, will do it and I will settle up with him later. I can go on holiday knowing they will be well looked after, albeit basically.

If I were paying £10 - £12 a day, I would expect a quick flick over and if no turn out, some form of exercise twice a day, ie horse walker, ridden, lunged or even put in the school for a stretch.
 
I pay £50pw for my full livery care in winter.(thats the service, stable, haylage, bedding & feed on top but I say what he gets and how much)

It halves to £25pw in summer as he's out 24/7

My full livery works on the principle that if I couldn't get there, George's needs would all be taken care of and it wouldn't matter. So with that in mind, he gets daily turn out (if for some reason he can't get out in the field, or for a play in the school, he will be lunged FOC). Legs washed, creams applied, held for vet etc. Doesn't include grooming or tack cleaning. Exercise extra.

But - the peace of mind I have at my yard - priceless. Hope that helps.
 
Good grief I was on part livery, and my horse got far more than that. Turned out, brought in ,hooves picked out ,brushed off if muddy ,legs washed,Rugs changed, fed, late night check.Ad lib hay.And he was an absolute so and so to do.
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