Those of you on assisted DIY/part/full livery...

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samsam

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Just wondering...

Do you find it more difficult to create a bond with your horse? Do they recognise you as being 'mum' or 'dad'?! And how do they get on with different people doing them every day? I know some are better with this than others.

I'm only asking because I hope to be horse hunting in the not too distant future, but would probably have to go with part livery due to my job. Ideally I'd love to be DIY but during term time I just wouldn't have time to do a horse before school.. ho hum..
 
Nope, it's not more difficult. My horse isn't really a people person anyway (if you know what I mean) so it's taken ages to develop a bond with him, but he doesn't care who turns him out or brings him in! He is no different with me whether I go to the yard every day or once a week.

The only thing horses really care about is food, water, warmth and safety.
 
Nope not at all, i find taking a carrot with me every time i go to see him (go up every day to see him, dont always ride) does the trick nicely, get a nice whinny when i see him and he deff recognises me! So dont have issues bonding with him!

And he doesnt care who turns him out and feeds him etc, so long as someone does and it happens at the same time as every other horse :P! I think he prefers it as the whole yard is in the same routine rather than him having to watch other horses being fed and not being fed himself until i am up or not being turned out when other horses are
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You will form a bond with your horse through grooming and riding
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they couldnt care less who shovels the shite,lol!!
My lad is very well behaved for other people,which is nice
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and all the liveries that i deal with everyday are very well mannered for us to turn out handle etc
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nope.. i find taking a carrot with me (my horse is a carrot addict) we get on just fine.. hes not the neighing type, but alywas prickes his ears at me and looks pleased
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also i sometimes go down there in the dark as hes in a stable after school if i want a cuddle or something so although im not mucking out etc. i try and see him as much as i can.
 
Mine was too attached to me after being on box-rest and DIY livery. He was needy and clingy and completely over-reacted to me arriving/leaving.

He then moved onto full livery a few months after finishing his box rest and once settled, couldn't give two hoots about me, and that's actually a good thing! I had him back on assisted DIY for about a year, when he became a bit more bothered by me due to the fact I fed him in the morning, but has moved back onto full and is back to 'not bovvered'.

It wasn't healthy for him to be so attached, and it makes life so much easier when anyone can handle him. I miss the time spent with him, but he's not a 'people person' so as long as he has grub and a warm bed he's a happy boy.
 
Both my horses have always been on full livery, yet they recognise me as "their person". I remember having to bring in my mare one day it was very windy and the yard staff couldn't bring her in, yet she came to me straight away and walked calmly alongside me. But I do so many more things with them than stable duties - grooming, tacking up, riding, taking to shows, etc.. They also get jealous of me showing interest in other horses, which they don't of the yard staff.
 
another one whose horse has no problem in bonding - as the others said, its you who will actually spend time with your horse so thats what counts. I have been on DIY and when I moved to part, didn't change how my horse reacted to me. It affected me though! while I relished not having to worry about being at the yard set times twice a day, I did miss knowing I had complete control over how he was cared for!
 
not at all. one of mine was on part and it meant that the time i did spend with him was quality time, not time mucking out etc etc. now i'm on DIY i find that in the mornings all i do is feed and turnout anyway so that doesn't exactly create a bond.

Its the spending time with them, fussing them, grooming, riding etc that creates the bond.
 
I have always been on DIY for years but alongside this have my "serious" competition horse at full livery. I do find that I haven't bonded quite so much with him although as the others have said he definitely knows my voice and when I turn up knows the carrots are for him. I am not sure that he is a particularly cuddly horse anyway and echo above that a lot of the time you spend when they are DIY is not really with the horse anyway, it is doing the stable after you have turned them out, sweeping, tidying etc. At least when they are on full or part livery the time you spent with them is quality time not sweeping the yard time.
 
My horse was on full livery for the first 18 months I had him - but I went to the yard every day - and has been on part livery (turnout etc. on weekdays) for the past ten years. He certainly has no problem recognising me!
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I have just moved my two boys onto part livery after a life-time (17 years for my old boy) of DIY and wondering what I was soo worried about lol! They are both Arabs and very mum orientated, but as others have said, they love a set routine and really couldn't care less who turns them out and brings them in - they have no clue I don't muck them out he he!

To be honest, my two are much happier as they hate the bad weather and would have to stand out in the dark until 6.30 pm regardless every night waiting for mum.... now they are in at 3.30 pm anad have had a small feed and hay by the time i get there! Bliss!
 
When I had my boy on DIY I found he came to call from the field much quicker - just because he knew I was bringing him in for his dinner.

He's now on full livery (7 days a week) and I think we actually have a better bond. I have much more time to spend with him just grooming him / riding etc or just chilling out with him. When he was on DIY I'd spend nearly an hour at night mucking out / doing hay feeds / poo picking etc then bring him in, give him a quick check over and then usually go!

I can now get to the yard, spend a nice half hour in his indoor stable with him grooming him, talking to him (sad I know) and then ride.
 
Without being too contraversial, I think it would be more difficult.

My OH feeds whilst I hay/brush, and the horse definately recognises him as the feed man
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Horse recognises our voices across a yard (will whinny is he hears you) and knows the sond of our car engine.

When we go to bring in with other people, he will trot over to us and ignore the otherpeople.

So I don't know, I couldn't see that remaining if he didn't know who you were.

He is a very 'peopley' horse, though.
 
George is on part livery and I think we have a really good bond, he gets up when he hears my car/me coming (other people always find him snoozing!), he always looks up/comes over when he sees me. I am more than happy with the bond we have.
 
Interesting replies....after 7 years on Full, I felt I had a very good bond with my horse. I moved him onto DIY at the beginning of this year, and I think our bond is much stronger.

You think you won't have time to do him before work - but believe me, when you got into a routine, it's not a problem. A year ago I didn't think I could do one on DIY - I now have 2, and have a +2 hour commute each way to work. If you're somewhere they do services, you can always use them to help out when you're very busy.
 
I don't own Horlicks, but when I was riding every weekend, she soon got to know me as me even though she is a RS horse.
On my last day of riding her at the weekend (due to her work load increase) when I got her in and put her back out, she whinnied at me, and I have never heard her do that, unless to another horse! She is very much her own woman, in fact she is the "geezer bird" of the yard, she's well 'ard! So it was surprizing to see her show a bit of affection!
I think a horse knows who he "belongs" to and who just puts him out and poo picks etc! They can tell when they have a numpty on their back cant they!!?
 
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