Is it appropriate for novice owners to be diy liveries?

I'm a DIY YO and every YO's worst nightmare is the people that THINK they know it all, when they actually don't.

IMO a true genuine "novice", who knows they're a novice and are happy to accept advice, are not so much of a problem.

I personally would not be able to accommodate a "novice" or either type here, ours is a strictly DIY set-up and if a novice did come along asking for livery we would, as politely and gently as possible, try to dissuade them from going the DIY option until they've got a little more experience on a yard somewhere. We live on-site and TBH just couldn't be dealing with someone else's horsey crises at varying intervals.
 
I think I'd rather see novices on a good DIY yard with lots of support than in full livery. They need to learn, not have someone do it for them or we'll have a nation of people who just turn up to ride their horses and do nothing else.

These people at least accept they know nothing, and have been very grateful for your help so far. While it's not your job, I think I'd be taking them under your wing a bit for everyone's sake as if your YO wants mare to go out alone when she doesn't like it, she's not helping them to learn at all.
 
I think to some extent we are all learning and even people who have owned horses for years may come across a situation they have not dealt with before and not know what to do or make a mistake.

If you are getting your first horse and are going to a DIY with no services/assistance and you don't know anyone either then if something goes wrong you have no help and you can't guarantee that one of the other liveries will provide help or support if needed.

However not all part or full livery yards will provide advice either or potentially notice if something is going wrong especially if they are a big yard with a high staff turnover so they do not get to know your horse or they do not have the time to notice something is wrong. It will also depend on how hands on the YO or YM is as some will want to get involved and enjoy helping/teaching others and some prefer to not get involved so much.

I think if you are a novice or first time owner then ideally you want to choose a yard where there will be someone who is happy to help you should you need help and don't presume that people will help so before you move on to the yard you would need to check what support is available. I would say even if you are an experienced owner then it is a good idea to have someone there to provide help especially if you are working full time and don't have friends or family to help in an emergency.

I think part of the issue with novice owners is that they don't realise how often things go wrong with horses and how useful help and assistance is.
 
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I think it totally depends on the yard, and the horse/owner combination!

If the horse is a nice, patient and straightforward person and the yard is friendly, with lots of liveries willing to offer advice and help, I think it can be an excellent way to learn.

When I was younger, we all learnt our horse care skills volunteering at our local riding school. Sadly the litigation culture has put a stop to this so I think a good yard, full of good people, can be a great starting point
 
Spit That Out said:
Ideally novice owners should have basic knowledge of horses and how to care for them, it doesn't take much to pick up a book and learn.
Although a large yard with other DIY liveries can often help novice people as there is a pool of knowledge they can depend on but it's only useful if they ask for help. QUOTE]

I agree with the first sentence but as for fellow liveries offering advice - how many times on here do we read about interfering liveries? And ime half of them haven't a clue themselves. And there are plenty of YO who know very little, although not many f them will admit it.

It is the responsibility of every-one who acquires any animal to ensure that they know how to care for it properly.
Sis and I had ridden at a good RS for 7 yrs and had a variety of experience of riding other horses before our parents bought our first horse for us to share. Dad, whose father had a horse when Dad was a child, made sure that HE knew what the horse needed and was able to help us to make sure that he was cared for properly. Our gelding lived on a farm with the daughter's pony, we renovated his stable and were very much left to our own devices.
Our gelding had been owned by a professional and knew his job well, he taught us 'horse-keeping'. There are far too many instances of novice owners buying completely unsuitable horses and then the whole thing falls apart. And once the unsuitable horse has been bought, it's too late for any YO or livery to intervene.
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