to all diy'ers

From the point of view of being able to spend more 'quality time' with my horse or indeed having a little more time to myself, I'd love to be on full / part livery HOWEVER I am far too much of a control freak / very particular about the way I like things done that I would have to have a very understanding y/o or groom for it to work. Particularly when it comes to standard of mucking out / bed laying, hours of turnout and amount of hay fed.
 
I am on DIY and pay the yard to feed and turnout for me in the morning. When I looked into it, it turned out cheaper for me to do this and go straight to work in a morning than it was for me to get up earlier and go to the yard then work. At least this way my mare doesn't end up being out on her own in the dark first thing
 
People say they have to be the one to "look after" their horse. I agree with that, I like to look after mine. By that I mean grooming, chilling in the field, scratching, riding etc etc. The things my horses don't give a stuff about - like poo picking, or if they came in mucking out - anyone can do that and welcome.
 
As a livery yard owner, I only do full and part liveries. However, there is no doubt that the horses know who their real 'Mum' is and give a lovely greating when their car comes up the drive. I think it is lovely, and shows that with horses it's not all about who feeds them and does most of the day to day care. It goes deeper than that. They know they are extra special to their owners.
 
No but I would quite like to be a DIY on a yard that offers part or full livery (I could afford that now but not one local and pleasant near me) so that if I go away/cant make a day for whatever reason (hasnt happen for over 2 years!) I dont need to stress as I can put them on livery for the day/week and be able to trust he will be cared for properly :) x
 
I would probably go for full livery if I could afford it. My yard does DIY/part/full. So it would just mean i'd have more time in the evening to spend grooming/riding cuz I wouldnt be mucking out, filling water etc.
 
It would be nice to have someone to help me out every now and again but they would have to do it exactly how I like it.

I would never have mine on full livery. Besides I'm far too picky and like things done just how I would do them and from my experience staff on full livery yards just dont have time to do it.
 
I definitely would if I could afford it - the better facilities would be of benefit to me & also help in the mornings would be brilliant :)
 
Yes definitely.

I'm not that pernickety about care - as long as the horse is looked after and healthy and happy I don't really mind how their bed is mucked out!

I don't mind doing the chores particularly, but its the responsibility that is difficult sometimes - it would be nice to be able to go away for a weekend or out for the night without worrying about sorting out the horse or arranging care.

I'd still ride just as much as I do now, and still spend just as much time actually with the horse - but it would give me a bit more freedom.
 
I do love doing all the jobs :) I put mine out just before I leave in the morning and get them in as soon as i get there at night, i love having them about as i muck out etc. I fuss about and chat to them and they are always very cuddly and always look to see what I am doing so i think they dont mind me being around alot!! i totally understand about people who have said about full livery though. xxx
 
Not see that lovely expectant face every morning? NOOO! I am blessed that my dad (75 years old) goes up in winter every afternoon to bring her in as I get home from work too late to do it, but I go up every evening without fail to fuss over her and do an extra skip out. I love my time pottering about the yard.
 
I understand when people say their horse doesn't care who mucks out their stable and fills their water buckets etc...however its by doing these things that you can pick up on abnormalities such as noticing your horse has been drinking more water than usual or hasn't been touching their water all night, monitoring the sloppiness and number of poohs, even looking for worms in their pooh.
I'm not saying I obsess over these things, they only ever require a quick glance each day, but it is only by looking after my own horse that I am able to notice subtle differences that might be important for a vet if he were to take ill. Some livery yards might notice, but would they all? And would they all bother to tell you?

Ultimately I just consider doing everything I can to be part of the fun of being a horse-owner! I certainly don't look down on people who are on full livery etc, we are all different and have different life pressures and ideas about how to do things. However in some ways I pity them as I feel they are missing out.
 
I'd probably like part livery as my rime seems not what it used to be!! I've had a baby but on the flip side, I like the fact that it forces me to get up n out the house twice a day but YO does turn
out or bring in if I'm struggling
with time!
 
id still be a diy . i like doing him myself if people offer to do something for me at the yard im always the 1st to refuse i just like haveing him all to myself and if im ill oh ( his dad steps in and does him)
 
natalie_1 said:
If you had money to comfortably afford full livery,would you?

If i did have more money than i do i would still have mine on diy,but probably a yard which had nicer/modern facilitys.it wouldnt bother me traveling further as id have extra money for fuel.so yes i would stay diy bcause i love doing my horse everyday.
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No, I would stay DIY as I love being the one to look after them after all thats what I have horses for & riding is such a tiny part of horse ownership (1-2 hours a day if that)
 
No but I would pay for the poo picking to be done and mucking out. Part or full is restrictive all out at 9 in by 4 even in summer in our area :-(
 
I have done full livery in the past and found that Charlie was on rubber matting with minimal shavings bed, not enough hay to last him through the night and he was never fed the right food. He had very minimal turnout. When I moved him to diy I found a big change in him, he developed a personality, from being depressed to enjoying life again, having a big straw bed every day turnout regardless of the weather and I know that he is getting the correct amount of feed. I love seeing him in the mornngs no matter what the weather he is seen twice a day every day. I would never go back to full livery again. Having some one to bring in the afternoons would be helpful due to my shift patterns, but we manage.
 
Absolutely NOT! Most of the pleasure my horse has brought me has been in caring for her - riding her was a bonus. We have a tremendous bond and I can usually read her like a book and she knows it. I actually feel sorry for people who choose full livery and just rock up and ride. Why not spend the money on having top class lessons? I'm not having a go at people who do rely on full livery, its their choice and if you work odd hours etc it would be the only way but I do think there is a world of difference between owning a horse and caring for one. If we were talking about having your child at home or boarding school I suspect attitudes would be completely different!
 
No chance!

I enjoy all aspect of horse management, its not just about the riding, plus i'm afraid i dont trust livery yards. i'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there of course...

If i had more money...i'd have another horse....and another. :) If i had LOTS of money, i'd set up my own livery yard, which of course would be 5 Star.
 
Hmmm good question I do enjoy doing my horse and will miss not going up everyday but would love the odd day off lay in :D I may do some sort of assisted if I could afford it with maybe a couple of full days off a week.
 
I could afford my 2 on full livery, but choose to be DIY.

For the first few years I had him, my old bit was on part/full livery; I always wanted to do him myself but never thought I'd be able to with my lifestyle (work long hours with a long commute).

However we do have services at our yard which are invaluable, especially in the evenings.

I definitely have a better bond with my old boy since being DIY, and he is better for one-on-one contact too. He always nickers when he sees me, even when someone else has just fed him, so it's definitely not about food.

Also, as trottingon said, by mucking out, you can get early warning if your horse isn't quite right. I think you also just generally get to know each other better as you spend more time together. Sorry if this offends, but I often feel sorry for the full liveries at our yard as they just don't get the same experience with their horses.
 
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