Livery Vs Horses at home?

[Bri]

Just wondering how many of you have horses at home, and how many on livery?

What would you say are the pro's & con's of your situation? And for those who have done both, how different is it having horses at home to keeping them at a livery yard?

Thanks all

 

[Catherine123]

I have them at home now but have done both.

Pros - stuff no longer go walkabout
Horses don't get any lurgie or pick up worms & no bitchiness!
Cons - No one to ride out with, help lift lorry ramp or call 999 if i knock myself out!

 

[Ranyhyn]

I have had them on my own yard and at livery.

When I was on my own yard I was about 17 and too young to be by myself, my horse took the mick and I had no-one to jolly me along. No-one to bounce off or help me out. No-one to nag me to go out riding when I didn't fancy it (and then love it!)

The pros were everything was under my control, nothing went missing and it was cheaper.

On livery
I have people to talk to, to help me, to drag me out, to go to shows with etc BUT I pay through the nose, stuff can and has gone missing and you do always ALWAYS get the yard politics and awfulness.

It's a toss up but how about livery at home and then get a few choice people in as livery - best of both worlds!

 

[Enfys]

No contest.

Home every time, if I had to board my horses somewhere I wouldn't have them - apart from the problems of finding somewhere that would take a stallion, broodmares, foals, weanlings... I'd still have to rent a yard.

Pro's:

Everything is on the doorstep, I can see paddocks from every window of the house, the barn is mere feet away.

I don't have to wait on a cold yard in the rain for the farrier, Vet, hay delivery etc. Sleep in a stable/car/caravan on foal watch.

I don't have to contend with 'curtain twitchers'. My yard, my horses, my business what I do with them, I do what I like, when I like and how I like

Cons:

Hmmmmmmm, let me think? I have an exercise track, I have a sand ring, I have jumps, a round pen, indoor is going up soon, I have people to ride with should I wish to do so.

Other than not having had a single day off in 4 years (my choice, I'll get a farm sitter in if I want a break) I can't think of a single con.

 

[Bri]

Thanks guys, interesting to hear people's opinions. Enfys you certainly do a very good job of selling the idea of having them at home!!
Is there anything in particular you need to think about when you have them at home? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but having always had them on livery just wonder how difficult it would be to adjust to having them at home instead?

 

[louisesb]

I have to say that I have done both, livery and at home and also done DIY/part & full and without doubt at home is definitely the best! Ok, I miss a sand school, however next door neighbour has helpfully just had one built which I can use, but the hacking on my doorstep is fantastic - I can go out for two hours and only have to go on the lane that goes through the middle of our woods. I have made major sacrifices to keep them at home, but honestly the livery yard owners round me are all nuts! Love I can do what I want when I want, move paddocks when I feel like it, nothing goes missing, I walk the dogs out to see the horses every morning etc etc and most importantly no annoying/rude/alcoholic (yes I've had one of these) livery yard owners!! It does help that my other half will now feed them if needed and the next door neighbour will look after them if we're both away.

 

[dozzie]

I'm not sure it is cheaper tbh once you factor in the mortgage and maintenance.

The up side is you can do what you like, how you like and when you like.

The downside is maintenance, no-one to ride with or help if you have a problem, and always needing companion horses.

It is easy to say take in liveries but I like my privacy,

 

[Enfys]

I'm not sure it is cheaper tbh once you factor in the mortgage and maintenance.

It is if you have at least 10 horses at any given time

 

[gonebananas]

I have had them on my own yard and at livery.

When I was on my own yard I was about 17 and too young to be by myself, my horse took the mick and I had no-one to jolly me along. No-one to bounce off or help me out. No-one to nag me to go out riding when I didn't fancy it (and then love it!)

The pros were everything was under my control, nothing went missing and it was cheaper.

On livery
I have people to talk to, to help me, to drag me out, to go to shows with etc BUT I pay through the nose, stuff can and has gone missing and you do always ALWAYS get the yard politics and awfulness.

It's a toss up but how about livery at home and then get a few choice people in as livery - best of both worlds!

i have the same problem!! i'm 17 now nearly 18 and i'm not exactly experienced enough i constantly need someone to help me out when i'm riding cos my horse is a nightmare sometimes and really does take the mick but i have lessons very regular now so we're picking up again. i also miss having people to hack out with and i go slightly insane occasionally(well the neighbours think so)when i start talking to myself having my own yard is definitley cheaper at £100 per month with 4 horses than livery would
i was on livery before and i couldn't cope with the bitchyness and the YO moaning constantly. i got bitched about cos i have it quite good with a couple of decent horses and my grandpa helping me out a lot. basically jealousy! i think now i have my own yard(not actually at home but 5 mins walk down the road) i'll never go back i love it!! just be prepared to have to fix fences and do a lot of manual work in your free time instead of riding but the satisfaction is well worth it IMO.
btw when i left the bitchy people were nice to me, saying oooh yeah we should come put our horses with yours this summer...pffft yeah right get lost!!

 

[Honey08]

Mine are at home, but before I met my husband, who does them when I'm away with work, I just had one mare on full livery.

Livery - pros
Horse was looked after well when I was away.
If weather was bad I knew she would be fine if my focus wouldn't make it!
Company - people to hack out with (although hardly anyone rode on that yard!)
Competition - having just returned to the area, one fierce competitior introduced me to local rc and shows, however that friendship went a bit cool once my horse started to win more than hers!
Hay and straw provided by yard.


Livery - cons
Horse is never quite as well looked after as you would yourself, or done to your own peculiar standards!
Turnout was in big fields as one herd, which, when my tarty mare was in season, resulted in a big fight and my mare getting injured.
YO/M could be hard work sometimes.


Home - pros
Looking out of your window at your horses grazing in the field.
Having the yard exactly as you want it.
Things are exactly where you leave them.
Horses are turned out where and when you want.
Our horses are calm, so no fights or problems.
Routine is totally up to you.
Friends with horses can come and stay.
You are there if the weather is bad (snow).

Home - cons
Everything is down to you. Its much more expensive than you think!
ie, getting fields rolled, hay delivered, fencing, creosoting etc.
You never get a lie in (unless, like us, you have a groom a day a week or two!)
Nobody onsite to hack with (but lots of people around to arrange with!), but I like hacking alone anyway!
Overall its just a nice feeling!

 

[Enfys]

. Enfys you certainly do a very good job of selling the idea of having them at home!!
Is there anything in particular you need to think about when you have them at home? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but having always had them on livery just wonder how difficult it would be to adjust to having them at home instead?

Hmmmmm, having them at home you do have to become a Jack of all Trades, or have a very obliging handyman on call There is always something that needs doing. Invest in a quad and a trailer, a roller and a harrow. My quad is worth its' weight in gold.

You can't rely on your YO to supply hay/bedding, or to mend a broken fence or leaky roof etc, or to turn out/bring in if you are ill. On the other hand, if you are ill you simply look out of the window, see that everything is upright and have hay and go back to bed for a bit more

No rules about turnout, if you want them out, leave them out. If you have them in, then it doesn't matter what time they get mucked out - no-one will know if you can't be bothered to clean stalls until 4pm!

It isn't hard to adjust to having them at home at all, unless you perhaps enjoy the company and hustle and bustle of a busy yard. Many people find having horses at home quite lonely with no one to chat to or ride with.

You also have to adjust to hearing them screeching their silly heads off and having to run out (like I just have) to see what is going on. In this case it was just because some geese (aliens of course!) had landed in the pond and had set everyone off.

 

[rubyrumba]

I found having my horses at home very lonely and I much prefer them back at livery

 

[Enfys]

I found having my horses at home very lonely and I much prefer them back at livery

Case in point Many people feel as you do and I can absolutely see your point, in my case I am a miserable old cowbag and much happier with my own company.

Saying that, I have some lovely, lovely Owners with me, I enjoy their company but love being able to choose whether I want to be sociable or not.

 

[Jericho]

I love having them at home because of the freedom to do what I want but it's lonely and I would like to ride out occasionally with someone else and it can be a pain to have to do all the maintenance, such as muck heap removal, hay deliveries yourself.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wouldn't go back to livery for all the tea in China (as the saying goes).
To be fair we were on a small livery yard, YO was very helpful most of the time and other liveries left us alone for the most part. We had 4 on livery and just had them in one field.
At home we still have 4 (different ones) and can do exactly as we please with them. Sister and I live together on our smallholding, so we having a hacking partner available most of the time and always have someone to discuss any problems with. We also have neighbours with horses, so often have other people to ride with.
The downsides are that we have to do all the maintenance, (unless we can find a willing volunteer). We have no all-weather surface, mind you we didn't at livery either, so schooling has to be done in the field and becomes impossible in winter. Of course you always have to have at least 2 horses, so that you have a companion, which isn't necessary on a livery yard. Another drawback is the amount of mud that gets into your kitchen - oh and the sheep that are supposed to improve your grass that also end up in the kitchen!
I would recommend joining a local RC to any-one who keeps their horses at home. It's an excellent way to meet other local people to ride with.

 

[rubyrumba]

Another bad point I thought of was when I bought a load of haylage in and at least half the bales were mouldy! Now that was annoying but if it happens on a livery yard it doesn't really matter if there's lots of waste!

 

[TGM]

I think much depends on your own personality - I'm a self-reliant, independent kind of person, so having my horses at home is perfect for me, and I don't miss having company at all. Plus OH and daughter are horsey, and I have horsey neighbours too, so there are people to ride out with if I want to, although normally I prefer riding on my own anyway.

Things I love about having horses at home:

* Being able to check on horses easily and quickly, particularly a boon when one is poorly or injured.
* Being able to turn out as much as I want and mix the horses in any way I want.
* Stuff not going missing
* No yard politics, or people whispering that you are feeding too much/too little, under-rugging/over-rugging, riding too much, riding too little etc!
* Reduced petrol costs
* Complete control over what I feed and when
* Not having to put up with other people's annoying habits or listen to their long hypochondriacal tales!
* Makes early starts to shows much easier

In the middle of winter we do miss having a sand school occasionally, but there are a couple locally we can hack to and the hacking here is fantastic, so really makes up for the lack of a school!

 

[Inchy]

I'm lucky in that i get the best of both worlds...my horses are at home, and i run a livery yard!

So have the horses on my door step, the liveries money pays for my horses, i always have people to ride with, plenty of four legged companions for my horses and people i can ask to do my horses if i'm not around for a day or two!

I am extremely lucky in that i have the best liveries i have ever come across, no bitchiness, no competition, everyone is helpful and tidy...and only the odd thing goes walkabout...but i'm just as guilty of that as they are!

 

[celia]

We've had ours on livery in the past but now have them at home. I would never go back to livery! We were always completely DIY so the levels of care/responsibility haven't changed but it is so nice to just walk out the back door and have them there.

I don't have the issue of getting lonely/having no one to ride with as my sister also rides. I wouldn't mind if it was just me though - I like having my own space. The major pro for me is that you can do exactly what you like with no-one saying 'why are you doing that?' or 'this way is better' (even when they mean well it's still irritating!).

We're lucky as we have a neighbour who cuts hay/harrows etc in return for grazing his sheep on our land as otherwise you would probably find some hidden costs in the field upkeep/maintenance. I suppose lack of facilities could be a problem too but we have incredible hacking straight off the farm and we're hoping to get an arena in before next winter (although we'll probably have to get a couple of liveries in to help pay for it!).

 

[Booboos]

The best thing about having them at home is being able to arrange their routine, out if you want them out, in when you want them in, ridden when they need riding etc. The worst thing is that you have to do everything yourself, so no more sleeping in (not even Sundays or Christmas day), you have to become very handy and a lot of jobs are heavy and hard to do.

 

[mystiandsunny]

I have a field within a couple of miles, so almost 'at home'. I found that more time was taken up with maintenance until we'd worked out a good routine that suited us, so initially much more time consuming then settled down. I love the peace and quiet during the week, but do have sharers so there are people around at weekends and to go to shows with. OH rides too, so again not completely alone. It so is nice being able to do what you want, when you want, to be able to buy hay in bulk so it's cheaper, to be able to put stuff down and know it'll still be there later! Field is rideable in most of the year so I'm lucky there, and yes I miss having jumps and an arena (and a proper muck heap that someone else arranges to be taken away), but not enough to outweigh the pros!

 

[Anonnymouse]

I keep my horse at livery because of my hectic lifestyle and long working hours. I just don't have the time to do everything myself.

 

[bumblelion]

I'v done both but would always keep them at home now! Love the fact that I'm not so tied into a routine as I was on livery, as the last yard I was on had all horses in by 2.30pm everyday so I had to be there or mine would be left out going mad!! Plus it's quieter, less stressful, I can do what I want when I want, no fighting over the menage. I don't get moaned at if my baby cries and I can leave her in her cot for a nap whilst I pop out to bring in etc! My only downsides are muck heap removal and if I have an accident, no one would know!

 

[BigRed]

My horses are at my home. I like it that way. I don't want to get involved in the politics and unpleasantness you hear about on yards. I also like to stick to my own timetable. No-one steals my stuff. I am responsible for keeping to my own standards.

I would say the only time I miss "help" is when I recently bought a new horse. I could have done with the moral support of other riders and would probably have struggled through with the difficult horse, as it was I felt the safe thing to do, was sell her.

As I typically keep my horses for 10 years, it is not a problem that I encounter very often.

 

[malibooth]

We have a kind-of combination of the 2!

I keep my 2 horses at a DIY yard which is actually behind the house I'm renting. Its only a very small yard with one other horse-owner so we don't have any bitching or borrowing-without-asking.

We have the benefit of living next door to the horses, but we also have the landlord to do all of the maintanence tasks (muck heap, fields etc).

Only downside is we don't have an arena. We're riding in a section of our field now, but havent been able to most of winter so horses are pretty unfit!

I'd say 'At Home' is my preference to 'Livery'!

 

[Bri]

Thanks for all the opinions everyone. Luckily OH not only rides, but is also a carpenter/builder so maintenance etc wouldn't be a problem! Think I would definitely miss having company on occasion but I guess that can be solved by sharers or getting liveries in.

 

[Alfie&Milo]

Here's my example -

I'm feeling rough rough rough at the moment with illness and all it takes is a wander out the door to get my po's in and out to the field and then I can wander back inside to the warm.

And when I'm not ill, I love to just sit in the field and watch them and take pictures, without people giving me funny looks and bitching about my horses! I have control over what happens with them and as it happens there's no worry about no one to ride with as my friend keeps her horse on the farm too

Keeping them at home - looooove it

 

[Jaffa1]

I keep mine at home now - have done for about 6 months - before that they were at a livery yard/riding school.

I love having them at home and enjoy bumbling up and down to the stables to see them whenever I fancy. Especially useful when one is ill. I also love seeing them from the windows I don't struggle with having no-one to ride with - I enjoy riding on my own. I have transport and an arena a 15min drive away so go there once a week as I have no facilities at my place except stables and LOTS of grass!

The bad news is that I struggle when I have to go away for a night with work. We are very isolated here and I have to rely on my (used to be non horsey but now can feed and rug and spot if a horse is sick) OH which I don't like doing. I also miss having the use of an arena without having to transport my horse.

Overall - I wouldn't change having them at home - it is a dream come true.

 

[Paddy Irish]

Thanks for all the opinions everyone. Luckily OH not only rides, but is also a carpenter/builder so maintenance etc wouldn't be a problem! Think I would definitely miss having company on occasion but I guess that can be solved by sharers or getting liveries in.

Exactly - this is what I've done , I used to have mine at livery but the yard politics can be dreadful and my horse was often left out last so she'd fret ( then I'd fret ) Now I'm lucky to have my own place and I've solved the riding alone issue by having one livery , she's dedicated and confident and is happy to do my horse if needed and visa versa , we have a sand school which is great , and it's good to have someone on hand for those second opinion moments..We can rotate paddocks and plan our worming programme etc..it's the best of both for me..

 

[MagicMelon]

I have always kept my horses at home, but I also currently ride a horse who's at livery so have sort of sampled that way. I think it depends what you've been brought up with, I love the freedom of keeping my horses at home. I can do anything I want with them, whenever I want. At livery, I always have to think about other peoples horses - like if you take a horse in then you cant leave one on its own so you have to take that one in too etc. There's also a huge degree of chatting! That sounds really miserable, and its nice a few times but I think I'd struggle to get anything done quickly! I also hate people watching me ride which quite often they seem to do on yards.