I feel like there would be a market for more expensive DIY? What would you pay?

[9tails]

With no electric this isnt going to be a premium rate yard. Mucking out with no lights is utterly awful! Theres also no school so this is limited to retired horses or people who dont work and only want to hack.

It's grass livery, therefore no stables to muck out in daylight or moonlight.

 

[Tarragon]

I have been musing about DIY after reading this thread. I have always done DIY livery, and it occurred to me that I have always paid £25 per week per pony, and that is going back 20 odd years! It is strange that the prices haven't gone up. When I started I was paying for good facilities but limited turn out and now I am paying for no facilities and unlimited turnout.
I do DIY as I want the responsibility to look after my ponies and I would be prepared to pay more if I got more for my money, e.g. facilities, hacking and unlimited turn would be my dream.
Perhaps if DIY prices went up universally (in the UK I mean), it might start to impact the number of people owning horses as a whole, which may be no bad thing.

 

[Leo Walker]

It's grass livery, therefore no stables to muck out in daylight or moonlight.

She mentions stables in her post so there must be some somewhere

 

[kc921]

I've never been at a yard which costs more than £35 a week - turn out included on weekdays.
Allowed to go out all year round and on my current yard AYTO and can stay out!
Off road hacking 3 sandschools!
Personally I wouldn't be paying more than £35-£40 a week for basic DIY even for that I'd expect turn out in the mornings, but maybe that's just my way!! ?

 

[Lady Jane]

Personally I think you usually get what you pay for. I don't know about DIY as I keep my horses at home but I have one horse at Retirement Livery (couldn't give him 24 hr turn out at home). I pay £270/month but its perfect and the owners are great. Sounds expensive but worth it for peace of mind and a lovely barn as a field shelter - essential for a very rain adverse horse - anyone who says they only use field shelters to escape the flies hasn't seen my boy when its starts to drizzle! He had just had pus in the foot and had to be stabled and his care was as good as I could have given him. But sufficient grazing and good facilities (whatever your needs) don't come cheap

 

[Firefly9410]

I call this part livery but it seems fantastic a good opportunity I would love it and not begrudge a penny.

This is a point that has also occurred to me - "DIY"s on our yard pay £60 per week, including daily turnout (every single day regardless of weather - YO brings in and turns out to maintain a proper routine), ad lib hay, straw bedding and basic feed. I pay the same despite having a 14hh pony who is out 24/7 with hay. He stays out because he and his buddy are only small and shod in front, so much less wear on the field. Our YO is very switched on and the date the big ones start coming in at night varies each year depending on weather (it was November this year) - because she includes hay and bedding in the price, it's in her interests to keep the number of horses relatively low.

The yard isn't fancy but all the basics - floodlit outdoor school, hot water hose pipe, big stables, nice off road hacking - are there. I can't understand why there aren't more people lining up for a space, but there aren't, by any means. I suspect it's just too far from local towns to have a well stocked catchment area!

 

[Anna Clara]

So as an update to all of this, I am now paying for 5 day part livery so that I have turnout and hacking and the transformation in my horse's happiness (and as a result my happiness, and as a result of that my family's happiness) is incredible in less than a week! Darling horse is now in a field with a friend for a few hours a day and I've ridden twice in one week around the farm ride and woods. Previously I hadn't ridden since December as was too worried about being bucked straight off and stressing my horse out even more. My pledge to myself and my horse is to never again get in that sort of awful situation. The rest of winter finally feels manageable.

 

[hellfire]

That’s a fantastic result for you both. Glad to hear there’s been such a positive change to the both of you and your back out riding and enjoying yourself again.

So as an update to all of this, I am now paying for 5 day part livery so that I have turnout and hacking and the transformation in my horse's happiness (and as a result my happiness, and as a result of that my family's happiness) is incredible in less than a week! Darling horse is now in a field with a friend for a few hours a day and I've ridden twice in one week around the farm ride and woods. Previously I hadn't ridden since December as was too worried about being bucked straight off and stressing my horse out even more. My pledge to myself and my horse is to never again get in that sort of awful situation. The rest of winter finally feels manageable.

 

[pansymouse]

This goes back to the problem that there are now too many horses about which can be bought very cheaply and discarded when something goes wrong. Sadly people often consider that anything more than peanuts is too much to pay as horse ownership has increased dramatically over the last say 20 years, but lack of knowledge has decreased.
l‘m sure ‘ high end’ livery yards would attract interest from those keen to enjoy their horses and people would pay accordingly if everything was in place. No mud and as much turnout sounds very attractive to me, as would the option for a competent person to assist if required eg holiday time. It would depend on viability and cost effectiveness but nothing beats having your horses at home and being able to nip out first thing or last thing.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Auslander]

I don't do DIY, other than one old boy, whose owner really wanted to look after him herself in his twilight years. I charge a premium for it (just over £300pcm) but that includes supplying hay and feed, turnout or bring in, and him being fed when the others are, so they are all in a routine. I also keep an eye on him, change rugs if necessary, bring him in early if he starts throwing himself around, and help out when vet/farrier are due.
I don't believe that anyone should charge extra for turnout - every horse should go out every day (unless it doesn't want to!) and if i can get my land back into good shape after the winter (heavy heavy clay and limited acreage), anyone can!

 

[conniegirl]

Basic DIY where I am is £175pcm, a bring in or turnout £1.50 a time. Our fields are overstocked, not fabulously maintained, school is ok but too deep for my liking, limited hacking.
You get what you pay for.

I think it is very regional
I pay £45 a week for:
Huge purpose built stable
all year turnout, 24/7 in summer in paddocks either individual or small herd depending on the horse, in winter it is during the day only and if the fields are soaking (we are on a flood plain) then we have huge barns to turn out in. Paddock are solid fencing round the edge and well maintained electric in the middle
ad-lib hay,
either ad-lib straw or 1 bag of easibed/shavings per week
YO turns out and brings in
Rug changes if needed.
CCTV
HUGE outdoor floodlit school
50+ miles of off road riding,
Friendly knowledgeable yard owner
YO will hold for farrier/vet/physio for no charge
Parking for trailer/horsebox

 

[chaps89]

@conniegirl blooming heck! I'm going to hazard a guess you're in a very different location. As you say, it definitely does vary by location.