Retirement Livery?

Blizzard

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I am in the process of buying a new house/farm. It includes over 40 hectares of excellent grazing land so I'm am considering doing retirement livery.

My question is, what would you expect from retirement livery?

So far I intend to include:
* Large paddocks with field shelters
* Staff on site 24/7
* Hay/basic feed included as needed.
* Feet trimming
* Basic veterinary care
* Horses checked twice daily

I plan to charge £80-£100 a month for this. The owner is not required to visit at all, although is of course welcome to.

Is there anything else you'd want/ expect if sending your horse to retirement livery?
 

Blizzard

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No if you look at my post on the left you can see I am in South Africa. Our winters are very mild (more like a UK summer) Also we get no rain in winter for 6 months, so horses can live out all year and don't need much hay even in winter.

Cost wise my only costs will be £10 a horse every 6 weeks for a trim, dewormer, and a small amount of hay/hard feed in winter.
Rugs/ special feed etc will be at the owners expense.
 

Hells Bells

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I was going to say the same!!!

I'm completely unaware of the costs over there, but it sounds lovely.

As the others have said, provided that you are covering your costs adequately, then I think its a great idea.

If the horses require extensive veterinary help, is that then paid for by the owner?
 

Blizzard

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Yes gg definitely, we will only cover cuts and minor injuries that can be handled with basic first aid. Anything requiring a vet would be covered by the owner. We are looking at taking about 30 horses on retirement livery, and keeping them in large fields in groups of about 10.
 

Hells Bells

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Well then I'd say you would be providing good services for the owners.

I can imagine it will provide great piece of mind for a lot of people, who cannot afford full livery for their old boys and girls, but could not bear to sell them on.

Welldone you, and all the best of luck!
 

Blizzard

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Thanks gg.

Yes it's very difficult for people to keep horses into old age here if you don't have your own land, because we don't really have DIY or part livery. It is all full livery and as such you're looking at around £200 a month for an ok yard. When you consider minimum wage here is less than that a month, then keeping a horse at livery is much more expensive when you compare it relatively to the UK.

We have a horse farm at the other side of SA with about 40 horses on. That is a riding school/stud/livery however given we will be living at the new place I want to limit the 'people traffic' coming onto the farm every day, hence me looking at retirement livery :)
 
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