MMMM Full livery winge

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eahotson

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O.K I keep one stocky native 14.hh pony on full livery. I pay £95 a week which includes mucking out, turnout,bedding,hay rug changes .We have a sandschool and all year round turnout inclding24 hours in summer but still pay full price).What I pay is prety well top wack for over here.Bed has never been over generous, adequate might best discribe it.Extra bedding or shavings extra. He gets a haynet at night with very tiny hard feed(couldn't care less about that) but I don't think any mornng feed of any discription as he is going out on the grass. ell there is no nutrition in that now and it is very overgrazed anyway.Well he has started to bed eat. Something he has never done before and he has sstarted doing this since the cold weather started.I think he needs more hay but none seems forthcomingand I think the YO is hinting that I should buy more straw. Iam not normally a mean person but I feel I am paying enough.I pay promptly and have regular lessons there plus she does some schooling for me and none of that is particularly cheap.My little cob doesn't have rugs so no work there.She charges the same whether you have a small cob or a17hh warmblood.He looks well enough to be fair and seems to have plenty of energy. What do you think?
 
For that price on full livery if hay is included I'd expect him to be given pretty much ad-lib hay at this time of year really. Maybe start talking about wanting to change him onto shaving which would cost her more! Hay mght seem like a cheaper option for them then and they might be a little more helpful!
 
at that price I would expect adequate food for your horse's size. In that you're paying the same amount as people with much bigger horses that presumably eat more I think you're perfectly entitled to expect a bit more hay in the cold weather
 
For that price you should be getting ad-lib haylage and a shavings bed. I'd get yourself some rubber mats as well if they are stingy on bedding. Maybe have a look around the area at other yards, many have raised standards over the last few years and if you don't look you won't know if you're missing out on a better deal nearby!
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I pay 130 a week for full livery and training - which includes at least an hour a day of serious work for my 17 hand warmblood & lessons. He has a thick bed of shavings, gets clipped & trimmed for me in the pirce & never looks hungary!! I'd be looking for a new yard myself if I was in your position.
 
I have my cob on full livery at the moment, and have the same problem....he comes in at about 4.30pm for the night, and by 6.30pm, he's not got a wisp of haylege left.

He is dropping weight (which won't hurt him) but, in my opinion, restricting his fibre intake isn't the way to do this - it'll probably end up causing ulcers/colic. I was on DIY until October, and I used to feed him loads of hay, but well soaked (24 hours) so he had stacks of fibre going into him, but very few calories.

Anyhow, I'm finding myself going to the yard every day just to feed him more haylege, which kinda makes being on full livery a bit of a pointless exercise!

So, we're voting with our feet and moving back to DIY!
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That really is top whack for this area isn't it? For that sort of money I'd expect him to be living in the lap of luxury. Unless you absolutely love the yard I'd be thinking about looking elsewhere!
 
If you really are paying top price for your area, then this is very miserly of them! I'm paying about the average price for full livery in our area (Berkshire, £150 pw) and it includes not only ad lib hay/haylage but any amount of hard feed and supplements, etc. - basically whatever the horse needs to thrive and be in excellent condition.

In fact, the YO/Stud Manager feeds my boy (Arab stally) three different types of top quality hay/haylage every day, to tempt him to eat more (he gets bored with just one type, and starts chucking it around and playing with it instead of eating).

Oh, and this includes backing and schooling as well, and full grooming every day - plus turning out and bringing in twice a day (they find he is calmer if he gets 2 turnouts) - and they monitor him constantly while he's out cos he hoons about a lot and they're concerned he might injure himself. On wet (slippery) days he goes in the sand school, with obstacles put up to prevent him getting up too much speed.

They fuss over him as though he were their own most precious horse - always trying to find better ways to keep him calm and put weight on him.

OK, this place may be exceptional, but it sounds as though you are not even really getting what I would call 'full livery'!
 
That is a lot of money for what you are getting imo. I would expect him to be getting ad lib forage and a good thick bed for that. He should be having enough hay to have a bit left over in the morning especially if not getting breakfast.

He's probably eating the bed as he needs to chew and if there's no grass that should be compensated for when he comes in, make a fuss and look around for alternatives
 
I agree. Full livery round here is circa £100 for a good deep shavings bed and add lib hay or haylage. If he's not getting much hard feed, which he probably dosn't need with his breeding i would agree with custards mum & expect to see some hay left in the net in the morning. You're paying, ask for him to have it or vote with your feet.
 
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