Tell me about retirement livery please

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Tamski

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Hello

I'm thinking about taking on a couple of retirement liveries to keep my horse company.

So how does it work. Do you pay a set fee each month or week? Would you expect a summer rate and a winter rate or the same all year round? Same price for horse and pony?

I'm assuming all other costs are covered by the owner eg supplements, farrier, vet bills and worming

I'm in east Sussex so it's a very horsey area. Nice secure field with lots of natural shelter and stable available. Me here to check twice daily and turn out/ bring in, change rugs etc

So an idea of how much please. Bear in mind that hay costs me £35 for a round bale

Thanks and sorry for all the questions
 
Hi there
There is definately a demand for this, but those that do grass retirement livery generally have a decent amount of land - 50 acres plus - and make their own hay so can keep costs down. I know that the cost of full grass livery at a specialist retirement livery is between 150 and 200 pounds depending on area, this includes feed (if needed), hay in winter, farrier for trimming, worming, grooming, daily checks - at least 2 - rug changing and washing. I would have thought that cost is a consideration as a lot of people want to buy another horse, so their retiree can't be too expensive to keep. Ask how much people would be prepared to pay and what they would want. I would want 24/7 all year turnout as retired horses are often stiff/arthritic and it's better to spend as little time in a box as possible. If I did want stabling over the winter I think that £300 - £350 a month for the winter months would seem a fair price as you don't need a school or good hacking or to be near comp venues. What do other HH posters think?
 
I pay £140pcm in Devon for grass livery (huge farm). They have around 40 residents but out in groups of 6 to 10, checks 2-3 times/day, feet done, worming and ad lib hay in winter. Same charge all year round. Also get photos emailed and on facebook!
I called places in Surrey and Essex and they were around the £200 pcm mark for same service.
 
Nearest place to me is £300 pcm and for that you get this....

Year round Grass livery with shelter and well maintained fencing
Quality forage including hay and haylage in winter / vitamin and mineral licks available
Quality Hard feed in winter as required
Rubber matted, clean bedded stable.
Three Daily Checks and routine care
Winter rugging up and/or double/triple rugging as the seasons dictate
Sun cream and fly spray provided by us within the cost of the service and applied as seasons dictate
Regular thorough grooming and feet picking/deep cleansing
Minor cuts and grazes cleaned and treated
Supplements added as required at owners provision
24/7 Veterinary cover by local equine vet - horses are automatically registered with our vet
Fields rotated, harrowed and poo-picked. Troughs cleaned regularly
Feed buckets cleaned daily
Full public liability and employers liability cover held
A highly professional, well managed service with every basic need catered for
Routine feet trimming by qualified farrier
Strict worming programme and provided/administered within the service cost
Routine dentistry by qualified EDT
24/7 onsite supervision with a high level of security at all times
 
Thanks for all the replies. I wa thinking of charging £225 during the summer months and £275 during winter. What do you think?

This would include hay, hard feed and foot trimming.

I think as it would be a personal and more friendly service with only 4 horses it would suit someone looking for a bit more 121 care for their retiree instead of being out in a big herd?

Any suggestions on where to advertise? Im thinking that advertising locally in Friday ad and Horsemart is my first port of call but some people seem to send their horses miles away?
 
Using my own horses as an example

1. Gelding retired at 14 due to kissing spine.

An all in, year round price would be very attractive to me and I would like him to live in a large herd because he is a party animal and fits in well anywhere. Because he is in early retirement, is a good doer and would need minimal rugging and no hard feed for a good few years yet, I would be looking at around £140pcm. With maybe 15 years in retirement ahead of him I would have make sure I could afford his care for 15+ years @£140 a month =£25,200 :eek: (...now where is the number for the hunt :eek::D)

I would expect worming to be included so that I knew exactly what it was going to cost every month.

2. Arab mare, 19 years, not retired yet but as an example
I would like her to be in a more one to one situation. She has lived her whole life with me under the wing of a protective gelding (sadly now deceased) and I think a smaller herd would suit her better. Once again, I would need to make sure I could afford her care. Her dam lived to 30 so we are looking at a decade of more... (i'm sure I have the number for the hunt somewhere :eek::)). I still would stick around the £140 mark for her.

If my horses reached the point where their teeth started going and they required a different level of care then I would expect to pay more, whether or not I could afford it is a different matter altogether.

This sounds a bit harsh but my lovely old gelding just went to nearly 37 and for the last few years of his life the £££ really racked up and the level of care needed to keep His Majesty in tip top condition was enormous.

The deciding factor would probably be, location, grazing, facilities (back up stables) and the person running the place.

One thing that would worry me about retirement livery is owners who pay for a few months then skip off leaving you with an elderly horse that you have to either keep free of put down :(
 
You'll need to consider planning permission (neighbours/council may not be keen on private land becoming a livery), insurance (possibly best to ensure all horses you take on have some so that you don’t get left with huge vet’s bills if you make a call out for one, plus your own liability) and (income) tax for this. BHS legal line may assist.
 
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