Is Full livery worth it.

[Lex2009]

I was thinking of moving to a yard closer to home just for convenience and less driving time. I found a lovely yard but the only problem it’s full livery only. ( it doesn’t include riding my horse) I visit my horse 7 days a week I don’t no is it worth paying that money when I do see my horse 7 days a week. What’s you’re opinion .

 

[ihatework]

Is it worth it to you is the real question!!

If you are time poor then full livery (provided good full livery) is usually worth it because the time you do spend on the yard every day can be prioritised on the good stuff rather.

Just because you are on full livery doesn’t mean you can’t go to your horse every day or be involved in their care.

When you do the sums, full livery is actually pretty good value for money. On DIY by the time you have paid for the stable/grazing, your feed/hay/bedding, fuel to get there twice a day etc then you often only end up paying in the region of 5-10 per day more to have your horse done for you.

If that buys you access to a better yard and facilities than you can find locally on DIY then yes it can make it worth it IMO.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

It's expensive if you can do it yourself.

I'd rather be part livery while working from home but my yard doesn't offer it. I work full time and commute an hour each way (normally) so I'm time poor and couldn't manage without full livery.

 

[Mahoganybay]

I’ve always kept my horses on DIY visiting 2-3 per day which was lovely but also very tying, i moved my current horse to my trainers yard on full livery in February. The yard is a 40 minute drive away rather than a 5 minute drive at my previous yard.

I go see my horse 4x per week.

At first it felt strange, but now I love it. The freedom it gives me, the decisions that I don’t have to worry about (haylage supplies, turnout drama etc) when I go I really make the most of it.

When I work out the costs inc fuel it’s really not that much more expensive.

I think that if you find a full livery yard that you trust then it’s definitely worth consideration.

 

[mini_b]

Yes - for me.
I don’t have huge amounts of time on my own (work/family) so when I do go I want to spend time with my horse. It means I can go and ride/faff without having to do jobs but I do always skip, fill nets and prep feed if I have time to.

I still go every day, sometimes twice. Yard is a 10 min drive from my house and it’s on way to work/parents (for dropping off for babysitting!)

My YM is hugely experienced and truly does treat them as her own. I don’t NEED to go as I trust her implicitly.

 

[Carrottom]

When I had one on full livery it was great to be able to turn, tack up and ride if that was all I had time to do. The yard was also fine if I wanted to do everything myself if I had time. I could spend hours there grooming, riding ,cleaning tack etc. A bit like being a pony mad teen again ?

 

[Bea_millard]

Yes - ours are on full livery and you can spend time doing the stuff you want without sacrificing time. I can go for a long hack without having to worry about mucking out or poo picking. If something happens which means I can’t go down for whatever reason, I know they’re looked after. It’s expensive, but I definitely prefer it to DIY, which they were on before

 

[Pippity]

If you can find a yard/staff you trust, it's worth every penny. One of our normal grooms is off work at the moment, and I'm realising just how much I rely on her as I double-check everything her stand-in does!

For me, I travel a lot for work (normally...) and have chronic health conditions where I can suddenly crash and be unable to get out of bed for a couple of days. I'm also a good 30-40 minutes away from my yard, so if I was going down there twice a day, it would cost me a fortune. As it is, when I go down, I spend time with my horse, rather than my horse's poo.

If you've always been very hands-on and able to nip down at lunchtime to change Dobbin's rug because the weather's suddenly changed, full livery may not be for you. You have to be able to decide whether it's vital to you that every little thing is done exactly as you want, or whether you can take a step back. I've never been on DIY, so I'm perfectly happy with that, but I know other people who find it too stressful.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I'm the same as you, in that he's on part/full livery (e.g 7 day full care livery but just excluding riding or tack cleaning) but I visit daily. I really enjoyed having my horse on DIY/assisted DIY livery and looking after him myself but was struggling to find a yard with laminitic/EMS/grass sensitive friendly set up in the Spring/Summer that still provided good turn out in the winter and good hacking.

He now lives out 24/7 on a laminitic friendly set up in a lovely herd and has much nicer quality of life I could easily give him on DIY yards locally, given our circumstances.

The YO is amazing and has proven I can really trust her and that she has the horse's welfare first. I'm also benefitting from her contacts of years in the industry.

I've been there a few months now and still go up daily, but if I couldn't get there, I know he'd be more than fine

I spend more quality time with my ponio as I'm not worrying about trying to fit in poo picking, mucking out or being there for the hay delivery and being home in time to spend time with my OH before needing to go back up for a second visit.

I think, on the wrong yard, it could gave been more stressful than DIY but so far, I love it. I'd like to go back onto DIY one day, but whilst I'm working full time, part/full livery is quite the revelation

 

[AUB]

Absolutely! I only groom and ride (and make feed ready because my horse has special needs, but I do this for 5 days at a time) and it’s a bliss!

But I also have a 3 year old boy at home and work fulltime + commute, so for me it’s a necessity that I don’t need to bring out/in, muck out etc. I get to do the fun stuff and my horse is taken good care of and when everything at home crashes - as it does with a toddler - I can stay home without feeling guilty.

I would burn out quickly if I had to go up 2-3 times a day and I would feel guilty for not riding enough and not spending enough time with my family.

Full (part?) livery makes family life, work life and horse life work for me.

 

[joelb]

I'm currently blissfully happy on DIY but I've been on full livery twice and would happily pay full for my two again if only there was a suitable yard in acceptable travelling time. I visited once daily whilst on full and that was certainly an issue at my last yard who didn't appreciate me rocking up each afternoon.

For me the most important thing is standard of care and that caused me to leave full both times; sadly quality yards are lacking in my area. More than anything check out that you align with the service provider on what constitutes acceptable treatment/care. A promise to look after all horses like their own doesn't necessarily mean it's how you would expect your horse to be cared for.

 

[HelenBack]

I'm the same as you, in that he's on part/full livery (e.g 7 day full care livery but just excluding riding or tack cleaning) but I visit daily. I really enjoyed having my horse on DIY/assisted DIY livery and looking after him myself but was struggling to find a yard with laminitic/EMS/grass sensitive friendly set up in the Spring/Summer that still provided good turn out in the winter and good hacking.

He now lives out 24/7 on a laminitic friendly set up in a lovely herd and has much nicer quality of life I could easily give him on DIY yards locally, given our circumstances.

The YO is amazing and has proven I can really trust her and that she has the horse's welfare first. I'm also benefitting from her contacts of years in the industry.

I've been there a few months now and still go up daily, but if I couldn't get there, I know he'd be more than fine

I spend more quality time with my ponio as I'm not worrying about trying to fit in poo picking, mucking out or being there for the hay delivery and being home in time to spend time with my OH before needing to go back up for a second visit.

I think, on the wrong yard, it could gave been more stressful than DIY but so far, I love it. I'd like to go back onto DIY one day, but whilst I'm working full time, part/full livery is quite the revelation

Not wanting to hijack the original thread but this is really helpful for me as I'm in a very similar situation at the moment to yours before you moved. My horse is only five minutes from home and I love being able to pop up to see him whenever I want. The yard isn't able to meet his very specific needs though and I'm absolutely exhausted trying to do my best for him while still feeling like I'm failing him miserably!

I've started to look at yards further away but keep talking myself out of it and trying to make things work where we are because I don't like the idea of not having him close by. There aren't any suitable yards even vaguely near me so I'm probably looking at a good drive to try and find somewhere suitable, which makes it harder for me to get my head around. I think if I could find a set up like yours though with somebody I really trusted then it would be a better quality of life both for my horse and for me. And I'd happily pay very good money for that

 

[CanteringCarrot]

My horse is on full livery but I am still there 7 days a week and riding at least 5 of those 7 days. It's nice not having to be there at a certain time to feed, worry about feeding, supplies, bringing in or out, being there for every farrier appointment (even though I usually am), etc. Gives me time to focus on the horse. I still make up his hay nets or soak his hay if needed, and I always have something to do whether it's clean the horse, work the horse, clean rack, tidy my locker, or whatever. When working full time and going to the gym before work, it's nice not to have to worry about the horse. Plus, there are more eyes on him at the yard.

 

[McFluff]

I'm another one who finds it the best solution for me and my horse. He's on 'full' - everything except riding, hard feed (my choice) and tack cleaning. I still go up at least 6 days a week, and my time up there (usually 2 hours plus) is all quality horse time - riding, grooming, groundwork, faffing. I don't have to worry if I go on holiday, as his routine is the same, just no riding (again, my choice), and I get photo updates. He is in a nice routine with the rest of the yard (all full livery), and as a result the yard is very calm and serene. I trust the yard, and know that he will be looked after. It's also great not having to take time off for farrier, routine vet, physio etc (all are good at updating me after and/or agreeing if I need to be there). They also really help out - they've washed my horse before a show if I've been caught at work, and other nice wee touches that just make life a bit easier.
Personally, I find a flat rate year round much easier to budget for too. I choose to have him out as much as possible, but like that the stable is there if weather is awful or he needs to come off the grass for a bit or if he needs box rest etc.

 

[oldie48]

So reassuring to read this thread as we are selling up next year and Rose will move from being at home with me to being on full livery. I'm aiming to find somewhere with a decent pro rider who will ride Rose a couple of days a week as well as the full livery. I'm probably stressing more about this than moving home. I actually think a well run pro yard will suit her but they are difficult to find.

 

[Gloi]

I've never had one on full livery until this last year when I've not been in the best of health and then the lockdown. It's good to know he's okay and I don't need to go if I'm not well or if it's a foul day and as the yard is quite a way away if I go down 5 days out of 7 the difference in cost of fuel pays the difference in the livery between part and full. Sometimes once I had mucked out and done my haynets I had no energy left to ride so it's nice just to be able to just brush him and take him out. I might feel different if I was still young and fit but I'm happy to pay it at the moment.

 

[Red-1]

Mine are kept at home, but last year I was simply exhausted with mum's illness, and fed up at the prospect of taking her out of work yet again.

I knew a yard I trusted and simply left her there.

She was beautifully kept. I had some photos of her texted to me through the weeks. It was 2 weeks before I went and she was in top condition. I rode and she was going fantastically.

I prefer mine at home, but it lets me know that, when the time is right, and with the right yard, I could still be very happy at a good livery.

 

[Micropony]

Depends on the standard of care, some are great, some are really not great at all and I wouldn't trust them to look after a goldfish. Financially, especially once you've factored in the cost of your time, I think it doesn't work out much more expensive than DIY with a few extra services, especially if you don't have the storage to be able to buy in bulk.

I am another who has a horse in livery but visits daily. I really like that if I am ill, get stuck at work or am away for whatever reason, I can be completely confident my horse is being looked after and taken proper care of. But then I am incredibly lucky to have the world's most amazing YO.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I’ve been back and forth from DIY to full livery several times depending on my circumstances. It definitely has its advantages but I did find the standard of care not always great and overall much prefer DIY. I can keep two on DIY for the price of livery for one.

 

[fredflop]

The only thing about diy I like is that I can tinker with my hearts content with my horses feed

 

[baran]

The only thing about diy I like is that I can tinker with my hearts content with my horses feed

Don't see why you can't do that on full livery. Our YM is more than happy to have discussions at any time on feed!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I agree that you can also tinker your feed on full livery. Atleast in my experience. The YO feeds whatever people provide (they offer oats, a pellet, and beet pulp). Mine gets a small amount of oats to feel included at meal times and I give him his supplements when I finish riding. The YO would do this, but I have no problem doing it myself.

I put a little bit of feed, MSM, vit/min, and brewer's yeast in large zip lock bags that prepare weekly and just grab one from the bin and toss it in his bucket. Also easy for the YO to do if I'm away as it is already prepared.

 

[HeyMich]

Before I moved my horse home, I had her on full livery about 20 mins drive away. I totally trusted the YO and my horse was happy and settled. It was nice knowing I didn't have to go through the week if I didn't have time (2 young sprogs, owning/running a company whilst working full time, including lots of travel!) and she was well looked after. When I did manage a sneaky mid-week visit, it was lovely to be able to just ride, or whatever I wanted, without having to muck out! So, yes, for me, full livery was definitely worth it.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

OP, It's down to individual needs & circumstances. Id you are incredibly busy with your work & time management is difficult & you are earning a very good salary then possibly full livery would be for you. If you are not on particularly good money & you get a little cash strapped then full livery is not for you no matter how much you may want it. Simple really, you can either afford it or you van't.

 

[JGC]

I'd definitely do that for a shorter commute to the yard, OP, it so nice when you're closer to them. Mine's on full except riding, although they will ride if I ask as an optional extra. I love it and it does not stop me from spending hours at the yard faffing around, including poo-picking, skipping out and feeding, but equally, when I'm short of time and it's lashing down with rain, I can stop my for a cuddle and treats and that's it!

 

[PeterNatt]

I worked long hours and used to have my horse on Full Livery in London but I would ride my horse each day (Early Mornings/Evenings). Gave me plenty of time to ride without having to do anything else. Absolute bliss!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Don't see why you can't do that on full livery. Our YM is more than happy to have discussions at any time on feed!

I tinker with my veterans feed on a daily basis for example if he’s ridden he gets a second breakfast. I’ve never found livery yards that flexible. You can’t even guarantee they actually get given what you’ve asked them to have feed wise let alone whether they actually get the expensive supplements you’ve bought them.

 

[Jango]

I found the cost difference huge, my current DIY bill is about 250 including hay and shavings and my full livery bill (not including riding/grooming) was around 500. BUT my choices are DIY close to home vs full livery 20 to 30mins away. I struggled being tied to their schedule and didn't save any time as I was spending the time I would have done my jobs driving. If full livery was perfect, you can afford it and its closer to home then it could be a good solution for you ?.

 

[Kat]

Absolutely yes!

I have mine on full which doesn't include riding or tack cleaning or grooming, but does include all day to day care. We provide our own feed.

I visit most days but it is good to know that if I don't my horse is cared for. No asking favours, and no paying for extras.

I love that all of my time at the stables is doing the enjoyable stuff, grooming, riding, bathing, gossiping with other liveries and there is no real time pressure as the essentials are all done.

The main attraction for me is that if I am held up at work, have to travel for work or get stuck in traffic on the commute my horse isn't waiting for me to bring her in or feed her. Any days out or holidays are minimal stress because there is no change to my horse's routine and the people caring for her know her well already.

I appreciate it most on hunting or competing days when I come back to a stable that is all ready or when it snows or I am unwell and can just stay at home if I want to.

I still do stuff if I want to, the yard manager would be quite happy if I fancied filling some haynets, but I don't have to.

 

[Lex2009]

Hi everyone thanks for all the lovely replies. I have decided to move my horse to the full livery yard. I am moving her tomorrow morning it’s going to make my life a lot easier.