Should i DIY???

[Benefice1]

Am having a bit of a dilema at the moment, i currently have my horse on full livery, when i got him the lady knew the owners of the yard and she was having problems with him, i had him on loan for six months and then brought him in April 05. The owners of the livery yard are also my friends, i had one of their horses on loan for a number of years.
For full livery i pay a fairly small amount - £50 a week, but i also help out and get money off my bill. The facilities are great, indoor and outdoor school, all year turnout, great hacking and i have great friends who i ride out with.
My problem is i would quite like to look after him myself, the livery yard make all the decisions with regards to what they feed, how much they feed, when they go out when they come in etc etc. Although i spend a lot of time with him it isnt the same as if i was looking after him full time. But.... i would feel bad about leaving and its unlikely the facilities would be anywhere near as good.
What are other peoples views on full/diy livery?? Also wondered for those that are on DIY, how much do you norm spend per month??

So.......do i

 

[SillyMare]

With those facilities for that price - stay where you are!! Mucking out is not what it is cracked up to be!!

Funny they don't let you have any input into his feeding though - if you are worried then you should definitely say something. Having said that, if he is doing well with whatever he is on then I'm not sure I wuld rock the boat.

 

[allijudd]

if you like the yard why not talk to the owner and ask her to let you have more responsibility...then if you find it too much you can also go back to full....

diy gives you the opportunity to bond better with your horse

 

[Benefice1]

Yeah i could do, i know i have a great deal, as im a friend, i get everything cheaper than everyone else, and my horse doesnt keep weight on very well so eats about double what everyone else does and i never have to pay extra!

Thats what i thought, although i feel i have a good bond with him as he is a complete git with everyone else, jumps around and spooks when being led out, jumps on them, pushs them around etc etc, with me he is a lamb, never does anything!

 

[Parkranger]

I tend to muck out at weekends only - didn't buy a horse to pick up his poo in the week!

Re. feed, that's ridiculous! He's your horse so you decide what he's fed. If they're your friends then explain that you want to make the decisions re. his feed etc.

If I had a yard near enough though I'd go DIY....purely so I could get my own hay etc as you then have a say in quality.....

So....stay were you are and tell them you want assisted DIY (ie turnout, muckout in week and feeding in mornings or evenings....)

One thing I will say is that I think it's good for horses to have some routine in their lives (ie turnout/feed at the same time) aslong as they don't get clingy to that routine (if that makes sense)

God, I rabbit on!

 

[AmyMay]

I put DIY - because I would always want to do my horse myself.

However, full livery does not mean that you don't get a say in how your horse is managed. You do, and you pay someone else to make sure it happens as you want.

If you like where you are and really don't want to move - have a chat with them.

Explain that you want to decide how the horse is managed (ie what it's fed etc.) and see how they feel. After all YOU are the customer. If they can't accomodate what you want - then move.

 

[Benefice1]

You dont rabbit on at all!

Thats a good idea i might suggest it to them but im not overly hopeful!!

With regards to food, they are all on the same food i.e 'just grass' and pasture nuts but obviously different quantities!! To be fair if he is dropping weight then they do adjust it accordingly but i just think that its not just about upping the food, think he could do with something a bit 'more' if you know what i mean!!

I completely agree with the whole routine thing and he doesnt get clingy, last night all the others went out about 6 and he stayed in all on his lonesome while i mucked the stables out until about 8. Was gonna ride but thunder and lightening put me off!! And he was absolutely fine.

 

[crackerjack]

on DIY i pay £34 a week for the plus bedding hay normally £15 a month varies between summer winter and feed nearly nothing as he is such a good doer. It may seem like a good idea to do it all yourself but on a cold dark winters night you might miss livery a bit!
I think maybe you could have a word with the YO/YM and ask to have a bit of input in the rountine like food and turnout,

 

[Benefice1]

I know i have it good as most other livery yards round here charge in excess of £70 a week and i dont have to worry about farrier etc as the one who comes to the yard is excellent, and we have a chiro lady who lives up the road...

I used to work at a riding school and the dark cold nights were a killer!

Think as long as i make sure i go down a lot and speak to them about having more of an input then think im onto a good thing...

 

[sham]

I put go DIY. He's your horse, and you should be making the decisions(obviously unless you're happy with them doing so..but sounds as though you're not?)

Do they not offer a DIY service? Might be worth asking if they'd consider.

 

[Benefice1]

Not overly...but maybe i could buy what feed i want him on and they could take a bit off my livery for that?! Really think i need to speak to them!!

No they dont, the problem with that is then they would be fed at different times, turned out at different times which would disrupt things and could cause problems, can see their point.

 

[CSYMolly]

For £50 and good facilities I'd jump at full livery, I pay a LOT more than that for DIY! You can spend quality time with your horse grooming, cuddling etc. Have a word about feed, if you don't ask you don't know. Unless you're really unhappy I'd stay as you are. I love looking after my horse but I would love someone to muck her out during the week so I could get on and do other things.

 

[Parkranger]

I think it's a business thing to be honest - pony nuts and a bit of chaff is cheaper than trying something else!

Perhaps if you'd have moved yards and started again you can start as you mean to go on, but just tell them you're not comfortable with them deciding what your horse is eating.....

Good luck! x

 

[Bertie1]

I used to be on full livery, but went DIY a couple of years ago.

I went DIY because I got fed up with the lack of control over my horse, and people never do things they way I want them done! I guess I'm a bit of a control freak though!

I'm much happier on DIY, I even prefer to do the mucking out myself. But I think it's the feeding that is the most important - I'm in control, and I can make slight adjustments according to what work they're doing without having to discuss it with anyone. The worst is when people try to argue with you about what you want your horse to be fed..grrr.

I can't believe you only pay £50 a week though for full livery, with all those facilities!! I pay £45 a week for DIY, and that includes ad lib haylage and some assistance e.g fetching in, turning out, feeding (my already prepared feeds of course!!)

We have good facilities, loads of turnout and massive stables, so I'm happy to pay it, but it does make your deal sound great, doesn't it!

 

[katelarge]

I was on assisted DIY and paid between £270 and £300 a month, so full livery for 200 a month is a steal! Why not ask if you can have a trial week or month on DIY and see how that goes?

I think you'd be mad to leave a place with great facilities and turnout, and remember if you move your horse it's a big upheaval for them, and they can refuse to settle, creating a whole new set of problems! People want to hang on to their liveries so get a bit assertive and try the trial month - at least then you'll know if it's working or not.

On the plus side, DIY does mean your horse bonds with you more, and most people with experience look after their own own horses to a slightly higher standard than any staff do. BUT it is EVERY day, Xmas, birthday, etc, holidays and poorly days and hung over days, freezing cold sleet and burning hot sun. I used to have to cycle to my horse through all that too! Also if you go DIY and you do need some assistance once in a while you need to be very organised about letting the yard know in plenty of time or you'll mess them around.

Your call!

 

[Benefice1]

they used to be on calm and condition, but now there are more horses, its about half the price to feet the nuts, they have openly said that!

Thanks will definately have a word!!

 

[Benefice1]

I really do have a great deal, and...up until this month it was only £45!!

I think its mainly the feed thing that annoys me, i feed them on a mon and wed and he always gets a lot more when i do it!!! hehe

Am going to consider what i would want him fed, i could always make them up, all they would need to do is to plonk it in!!

 

[Benefice1]

The upheaval was also on my mind, he isnt the most placid of horses so really wouldnt want to upset him or make any problems.

I know i would be mad to leave, i just need to be brave and have more of a say in how i want him looked after etc, afterall it is me thats payiny them!!

 

[vicm2509]

I have always been DIY as I like to look after my horse myself and would personally not consider full livery as my job allows flexibility if I need to go down to my horse in the day for any reason (I work for my dad

)

The summer is easy so if you make your decision now you may regret it in the winter as the workload is so much bigger so your riding time may end up less.

Also there are other things to consider. If you were DIY and your horse was on box rest for instance would you be able to get down the yard early to feed, afternoons to check on him and evenings aswell? On the other hand most yards will have someone there who will check on him for you. I know on our yard the first one down feeds all the horses (feeds are just left outside the your stable if you want them fed).

But for £50 a week you are getting a good deal with good facilites. Is it possible for you to talk to the YO about having more flexibility or maybe doing him yourself a few days of the week?

 

[Munchie]

Go DIY!!!
Have always had mine on DIY up until recently as he's gone to school for a few weeks. The yards very nice and the staff are all friendly etc but its horrible not being able to do him myself. Feel completely redundant when I'm there at the moment!
Previously I was thinking of putting him full when we move, but after this, definately not! I've found I quite like mucking out....however much I moan at the time! lol
I like having full control over him so DIY all the way for me from now on!

 

[miller]

I was in the same boat as you 18 months ago - I went DIY - the BEST move I ever made! Had been on full livery for 11 years with current horse and around 3 years with previous ponies (all at same yard)

I left behind an indoor school and have never missed it

Just about to go the final move and have him (and OH's mare) at home - hooray - only 12 days to go

 

[Tempi]

I love being DIY and wouldnt have it any other way. For the reason you said, that you can do what you want when you want and get to spend loads of time with your horse.

Im about to move yards (next friday - YAY) my current yard i pay around £140 a month for bedding/hay/stable/use of floodlite school/turnout (individual for Bloss). In new yard im going to be paying £220 a month for bedding/hay/stable/tack room/heated rug room/silica menage/individual turnout/horsewalker/feed delivered to yard. it is further from my house but im so peed off with my current yard that i just had to move!

 

[Kelly1982]

Why dont you try and come to come arrangement with the yard your at now so maybe they muck him out and turn him out for you and you bring him in and do his feed hay and water.

If they are friends of yours then surley they would undertsand.

 

[Lorian]

MOVE! I was in this situation for about 7 years. I bought my horse when I was only 12 we kept him on full livery. The same as you, the woman who ran the yard done everything. This didnt bother me at the time but then we moved house and I had to move yards. I put him on DIY livery at my new yard and really wish id done it sooner. We have a lot more of a bond now and nothing seems to be a chore, even poo picking in the rain in winter isnt too bad. It depends what you want from your horse, if you just want to ride then keep him on full livery. If he is more like a family pet that you enjoying being around and doing stuff for then you really will enjoy puttin him onto DIY.

 

[Benefice1]

Thanks for the advice everyone, its very interesting to hear everyones different views, its certainly given me alot to think about