questions concerning UK livery

[CELINEB]

hello,

I have a horse in France (I'm french)and foreseen to live in England for several times. I have no idea of the livery in UK and would like have some information on it; how to find a livery, is it easy to find one, is it expensible. What I need to look to be sure that it is a good place,.....

Thank you for your help

céline

 

[jewel]

price depends on area and what type of livery you want?

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

livery costs are dependent on local demand and land availability/cost and also how close the stables is to competition centres.

So in the wilds of remote places a basic livery would be very cheap maybe £40 a month, but in London might not be available at all or if it was could cost £300 a month (just for a stable and turnout).

what kind of arrangements would you be looking for and where in the UK? there is certain to be a user on the forum in that area who can advise and help!

 

[Booboos]

There are a number of different kinds of livery depending on what you want to do with your horse and how much help you need:

DIY livery (Do It Yourself): you rent the facilities (stable, turn out, use of arena, etc.) but do everything yourself, i.e. turn out, bring in, muck out, ride, groom, handle for vet/farrier. This is a cheapest kind. Some yards will sell you their hay/straw, some will offer some services at an extra cost, e.g. bring in weekdays, in other yards people will help each other out.

Part livery: you get some services, usually turn out, bring in, much out. You get to ride and groom. Many yards offer this 7 days a week, others weekdays only. You will need to ask specifically what they will do for the price, i.e. will they change rugs, pick out hooves, wash down legs, etc.

Full livery: you get everything done for your horse including riding. Who rides the horse and what they do with it will depend on the agreement. Some people put their horses on this kind of livery if they need bringing on, schooling or help with overcoming problems, so the horse will be ridden by a specific trainer who will work on specific things. Others simply don't have enough time and need someone to hack or lunge the horse a couple of times a week - again ask carefully what is included in the price, but this should include all handling and taking care of the horse. This is the most expenssive type of livery and can cost quite a bit, especially if you go with a well known rider. Some types of arrangement include competing your horse for you, but you would need to discuss the details with the rider.

Working livery: this is an option if you stable your horse in a riding school. They get to use your horse for lessons/hacks in exchange for cheaper livery. You need to be careful exactly what you agree to, i.e. how many hours work for your horse, what kinds of riders will get on him, etc. This can be a very economical way to keep a horse, but your horse would need to be suitable for a riding school.

When looking at yards the sorts of things people consider are:
- are there turn out facilities? Some horses are kept in 24/7 and happy but most need turn out. Does the yard have all year turn out? Some yards have very restricted grazing in the winter because of the bad weather (e.g. out every third day). Also, how are horses turned out, e.g. is there individual turn out, or in small groups or a large herd? What is likely to suit your horse?
- are there riding facilities? An arena is very handy especially in the winter and if you enjoy schooling. Access to hacking is important to people who enjoy it. A yard on a very busy road may make hacking too dangerous. Some yards have access to off road hacking which is a big attraction (in England you can ride horses on public roads which can be dangerous as some drivers are nuts, or on bridleways which are fantastic but not available everywhere!). Some yards are also competition centres, so you may want to go somewhere where they hold regular competitions for you to join in.
- what help and support is there? An experienced yard owner can be very helpful and some people go to a specific yard to train with a specific trainer.
- size and friendliness. Some people prefer very large yards with all mod cons, others prefer smaller, more intimate yards. In either case it's worth seeing if people seem happy there as a bitchy yard is a horrible place to be.

I am sure I have left loads out, but that seems to be quite a lot to be getting on with!!