Reassure me please! Going from DIY to assisted livery...worrying?

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merliebug

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Hi All,

This weekend I moved my horse from a DIY yard near me, to a part/ assisted yard a little further away... Much better facilities and a calmer environment for my accident-prone horse, but I'm finding it really hard not having the same involvement. Admittedly at the moment I'm off work (the 11 day trick with the Bank Holidays) so am still mucking out and going down there twice (a longer trip than I'm used to) but find it odd not doing feeds/ haynets, etc. I am, admittedly, a bit of a worrier/ control freak, but wondered if anyone else managed the transition and got through this phase?
I guess it will be easier when I'm back at work and in a routine.

Thanks in advance :-)
 
Just look forward not having to do all the hard work. Instead look forward to having more time to ride, groom and generally enjoy spending time doing the fun stuff. I'm sure your horse is in good hands :D.
 
Ooh, no help I'm afraid, I hate other people doing my boys! Lol....I'm a control freak too and not sure I ever could go to part livery!
 
I love knowing that my boys routine is kept if I get stuck at work.
You can always say you want to help out and do his feed a few times - mine's on full livery and I do the odd job every now and then
 
Tr0uble said:
Ooh, no help I'm afraid, I hate other people doing my boys! Lol....I'm a control freak too and not sure I ever could go to part livery!
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Agree with above im afraid - my daughter has recently taken an interest in our horse after not bothering for months and though im pleased she is keen again i do worry like mad.
She now likes to go and bring him in and ride him in the school but i end up ringing her every 5 minutes - have you done this, have you done that - i hate it and yes i know its horrible and i try so hard not to show her but hes my baby!
 
Hey, enjoy the thought of having a lie in, when the rain is lashing down and the wind is howling outside and you don't have to get up at silly time to muck out. I moved from my mothers house when she sold it, (we had 2 horses on the yard and ran it our way) ie poo picking, field rotation etc and I moved to DIY/assisted livery. Still got up at 5 in the morning to attend to horse and stable before work, but lovely not to have to rush home after work or worry that I was delayed at work for a couple of hours and my horse would be stomping around in the dark ,churning up the field wanting to come in, as we have a field policy that no horse is left out on their own. Am looking forward to having a lie in sometimes on my day off in the winter knowing that my horse will be turned out. I think it is a case of trusting the YO, if I can adapt then anyone can, I used to fuss around my horse, take rugs off for a couple of hours if it was hot at mid-day, now I have toughened up.
 
I know exactly how you are feeling! I have always had my horses on DIY and when I got a job in London I just couldn't do it so she went on livery. It was hard to let go, but she is at a great yard and I have a ver good relationship with the YO. Now it means that the time spent at the yard us spent with the horse rather than doing chores; I was worried that I'd lose the bind with my horse, but actually it's grown as she no longer associates me with food.
My advice, choose your part livery carefully, one who will keep you involved, discuss your horse's needs with you and who tends to follow similar stable management principles to you - when you've got this you'll wonder why you didn't go onto livery sooner!!

Good luck, it's a big step and I do still miss the control, but now I spend more time riding and having fun than mucking out.

Lucy
 
Thank you! Yes, that's true, just hard to let go a bit! Plus at the moment he's not rideable (one of the reasons for us moving was the medical paddock) so I guess I just feel a bit useless. Still going at least once a day (twice until he's settled) and YO is lovely, I just find it really weird. I guess I need to wait till I'm back at work to be grateful for not having to get there at 6am!

Did anyone else find this to start with?!
 
Haha I am abseloutley no help at all as I did this and 6 months later went back to DIY as am a control freak and didnt like it at all :p! Getting up early was more than worth it hehe
 
My horse has just gone from being at home to full livery! :O As brilliant facilities and competitions on site it is so easy! However I didn't like it at first, it felt so wierd just turning up riding and leaving again! I would much prefer part livery but they don't do it at the yard. I am normally bringing her in or turning out when I go to ride as well so hopefully this helps. I was worried my horse would forget me but shes there with her head over the door when she first sees me and until I leave so I think our bond is still there :) So basically don't worry too much, your still doing something and still there everyday and you will soon get used to the extra help! :)
 
I am on an assisted livery yard where it means just that- ASSISTED. We still need to muck out/do haynets etc.... if you enjoy doing haynets etc why dont you just carry on doing them? Im sure the yard staff wont complain! Although our horses are brought in and turned out everyday by staff, there are some people who make the twice daily journey because they like to do it themselves. Mad if you ask me, but each to their own!:D
 
I've done it, and after about 2 weeks I loved it. It meant I knew that I didnt need to worry if I was late/couldnt make it up/was ill etc. It also meant that in those situations my horse was used to being caught by YO etc so wouldnt play up for them in an emergency. It meant I could have a lie in with the OH so we could spend some time together! And as its only assissted you are still the key point in your horse's life. Im now back on DIY as mine is only 2 and lives out 24/7 365 days a year so there is nothing to assist with!
 
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