Ways and Means of Keeping a Horse (While Working Full Time and Living in a City)

[CP1]

I'm in my 40s with a reasonable disposable income and I feel a mid-life crisis coming on: I want a horse, a lorry and an unnecessary amount of tack and pointless accessories.

Growing up on the edge of a town in the Pennines, stable yards and pony paddocks were common. I think there were four in walking or cycling distance of my house. The childhood ambition of horse ownership - never fulfilled - seemed quite reasonable at the time. Those yards are still in Lancashire. But I'm not.

I now live in a suburb of Birmingham. It is nice here, but it's about 3 or 4 miles to open (also busy) countryside. I work full time as a secondary school teacher. I like my job but it can demand a lot of time, emotion and energy.

It seems I've made a few wrong turns in terms of lifestyle choices vis-a-vis horse ownership, but my OH tolerates me more than I could and wouldn't cope with any other sort of lifestyle. I am frequently assured, however, that spending time away at stables is more than acceptable!

My 30 year long phase of pointing at every horse I see and plaintively whining, "I want one!" could - in theory - be coming to an end. I am now seriously looking at the feasibility of fulfilling this long held childhood ambition/middle-aged rite of passage. Which is why I'm posting on HHO: I'm looking for advice, suggestions, mentoring.

Here are my first questions - some of which are probably silly, verging on irrational. These questions are about keeping a horse at livery, since this is the way I would have to keep a horse (the allotment society are flexible, but...)

1. What are the typical full livery/part livery costs I can expect to pay close to an urban area (i.e. Birmingham)?
2. How accommodating are livery yards for:
   a) Complete ownership noobs?
   b) People who might not able to attend the yard sometimes due to work commitments? (specifically for things out of normal scope of livery)
   c) People who want to keep a carriage on the yard? (driving is my passion)
3. Aside from livery costs, how much should I put aside of other cost of ownership expenses? (piece of string questions there, sorry)
4. Do you buy a horse first, then organise livery? Or find a nice yard, then find a horse?
5. How much of a battering in my car going to get commuting to work and to the stables?
6. It's dark outside. Is it sensible to exercise my horse on the road, or would I rough-off my future horse until late February?
7. How can I get training for owning a horse?
8. What should I look for in a livery yard?
9. How should I go about finding a suitable yard?

Thanks

 

[Orangehorse]

I can't help you with costs, but I have been to a couple of good riding schools in the Birmingham area. A good school should offer training, the BHS do Owners Certificate starting at level 1, which is basic, up to level 4 which is pretty advanced. There are also Riding and Road Safety and First Aid courses available.

Are you north, south, east or west?

I'm not sure from your post how much experience you have, do you share a horse, have you owned any in the past as a child?

Decide what you really want to do. Do you want to drive, and do you have experience of driving? I suggest joining a driving club anyway, you can go and volunteer and see what is involved, and maybe find a suitable pony through the club.

Apart from livery, feed and bedding (depends on what is included) the initial costs of saddlery, stable and groom equipment (can be bought second hand), then there is the cost of insurance, worming, farrier, annual vaccinations. BHS says think about costs as buying and running a second car.

If you haven't owned a horse before, then looking for a share horse might be a good start.

 

[CP1]

... A good school should offer training, the BHS do Owners Certificate starting at level 1, which is basic, up to level 4 which is pretty advanced. There are also Riding and Road Safety and First Aid courses available.

Great advice! I've heard of the owners' cert and I ought to do that. The road safety and first aid courses are an excellent idea - I'll put that on the list of things to do.

Are you north, south, east or west?

West of Brum - handy for M5 and Clent Hills

I'm not sure from your post how much experience you have

Never owned a horse. Never looked after one by myself or shared.

Do you want to drive, and do you have experience of driving? I suggest joining a driving club anyway, you can go and volunteer and see what is involved, and maybe find a suitable pony through the club.

I've done a bit of driving (had lessons for a while, done indoor competitions with friends horses) and backstepped at competitions for years.

Thanks for that detailed answer. Some very useful ideas I will look into.

 

[stangs]

1. Here in London, full/part livery varies from 450pcm to 1500pcm. Most full livery also doesn't include exercising the horse.

2. Depends very much on the livery. E.g. on a fully livery yard with a lot of people who work on the city, it'll be very common that owners can't always be there for things - no one will judge you for it. As for not having experience with ownership, some yards will be more judgemental, some will be supportive, some will try to make you do things their way. Not sure about the carriage, that'll be something to bring up when you go view a livery.

4. You definitely want an idea of a few liveries that might work before you start looking for a horse. You can then put down a deposit to reserve a box if you want. That's what I'd recommend, but in the current market, you may find yourself spending months looking for a horse at which point the deposit becomes a bit costly.

6. Honestly, I'd recommend going for a walk along any roads you plan to drive/ride on and see what the drivers are like. If you wouldn't feel comfortable walking on the road, don't ride it. Personally, I wouldn't want to do roadwork in the dark unless the road was wide, very low speed limit, well lit, quiet, and the drivers know to slow down around horses. Your fellow liveries will also be able to advise on what the drivers are like.

7. Volunteering at a yard to get experience with yard duties, or getting a share horse. Otherwise, BHS stages and the challenge awards.

8. Everyone has their own priorities but your main focuses should be: how much turnout will be offered (and what soil and grass is always good to know), what's covered in your livery package, what the worming programme is like, the yard rules (e.g. do you want to be on a yard that allows dogs? Are there too many rules?). Otherwise: hacking routes, the general environment of the yard, the type of people at the yard, availability of facilities, availability of instruction... Tons of things you may want to consider.

9. *******, asking for recommendations on here (in the area subforums), local equestrian FB groups. You may also want to join the British Carriage Driving FB group to get more specific advice.

 

[CP1]

Thank you Stangs. Some very helpful advice and some great ideas.

I've done volunteering in the past for RDA. Very rewarding. Might see if I can find something like that locally.

 

[JackFrost]

There is/was an RDA group based near Gloucester/ top of the Severn that does driving as its thing. There were very friendly when I made contact a couple of years ago. Might be worth a visit even if you can't do it on a regular basis.

 

[CP1]

There is/was an RDA group based near Gloucester/ top of the Severn that does driving as its thing. There were very friendly when I made contact a couple of years ago. Might be worth a visit even if you can't do it on a regular basis.

Thanks. I think helping out on the odd weekend at such might be an idea

 

[HeyMich]

Why don't you look for a horse to share to get a bit of hands on experience with the owner on standby for direction and advice? Or find a good local riding school and ask about horse management lessons? The more local horsey folk (owners, instructors) you meet, the more ideas, experience and support you'll get when the time is right. Good luck xx

 

[CP1]

Or find a good local riding school and ask about horse management lessons? The more local horsey folk (owners, instructors) you meet, the more ideas, experience and support you'll get when the time is right. Good luck xx

Yes - gaining experience and getting to know local people is probably the priority for me.

A non-local friend has offered this, but it’ll just be occasional weekends I guess.

 

[Smogul]

Make sure that YO and YM are totally supportive of you carriage driving. Sooner or later another livery will complain that their horse is scared of the carriage and you should not be on yard at the same time as other liveries or that you should not be allowed access to school on the same basis as the other liveries. Yes, this will happen and on both occasions our great YM has told them "tough, get used to it".
Check school is OK for driving in - size and material used. I ended up buying another carriage with pneumatic tyres as pony was getting bogged down in deep surface.
Is there somewhere that you can store carriage under lock and key as insurance will probably not cover it otherwise. Will the storage be easily accessible? OH is great at getting carriage past farm machinery, motor bikes etc.
Do you have a reliable backstepper you can call on? Essential especially if you want to go out on road. Also, be aware you may have to cope with hostility from riders you meet whne you are out or, sometimes worse, people saying how cute this is and can they take a photograph.
If the yard offers exercise as an extra or part of the livery package, this is unlikely to be driven exercise, unless you are really lucky.
I wouldn't personally take my pony out on the road after dark, ridden or driven.

Bearing this in mind, go for it.

 

[Birker2020]

I'm in my 40s with a reasonable disposable income and I feel a mid-life crisis coming on: I want a horse, a lorry and an unnecessary amount of tack and pointless accessories.

Growing up on the edge of a town in the Pennines, stable yards and pony paddocks were common. I think there were four in walking or cycling distance of my house. The childhood ambition of horse ownership - never fulfilled - seemed quite reasonable at the time. Those yards are still in Lancashire. But I'm not.

I now live in a suburb of Birmingham. It is nice here, but it's about 3 or 4 miles to open (also busy) countryside. I work full time as a secondary school teacher. I like my job but it can demand a lot of time, emotion and energy.

It seems I've made a few wrong turns in terms of lifestyle choices vis-a-vis horse ownership, but my OH tolerates me more than I could and wouldn't cope with any other sort of lifestyle. I am frequently assured, however, that spending time away at stables is more than acceptable!

My 30 year long phase of pointing at every horse I see and plaintively whining, "I want one!" could - in theory - be coming to an end. I am now seriously looking at the feasibility of fulfilling this long held childhood ambition/middle-aged rite of passage. Which is why I'm posting on HHO: I'm looking for advice, suggestions, mentoring.

Here are my first questions - some of which are probably silly, verging on irrational. These questions are about keeping a horse at livery, since this is the way I would have to keep a horse (the allotment society are flexible, but...)

1. What are the typical full livery/part livery costs I can expect to pay close to an urban area (i.e. Birmingham)?
2. How accommodating are livery yards for:
   a) Complete ownership noobs?
   b) People who might not able to attend the yard sometimes due to work commitments? (specifically for things out of normal scope of livery)
   c) People who want to keep a carriage on the yard? (driving is my passion)
3. Aside from livery costs, how much should I put aside of other cost of ownership expenses? (piece of string questions there, sorry)
4. Do you buy a horse first, then organise livery? Or find a nice yard, then find a horse?
5. How much of a battering in my car going to get commuting to work and to the stables?
6. It's dark outside. Is it sensible to exercise my horse on the road, or would I rough-off my future horse until late February?
7. How can I get training for owning a horse?
8. What should I look for in a livery yard?
9. How should I go about finding a suitable yard?

Thanks

I'm not far from you and I have sent you a private message.

 

[bonny]

I’m a long way from you so can’t help in practical terms but I just wanted to add some encouragement as you sound like someone who definitely should follow their dreams and get a horse. I hope you can find a knowledgeable friend to help as they are worth their weight in gold but most of all, go for it, you’ve waited a long time and I hope you and your potential horse are very happy in the future ?

 

[RachelFerd]

I'm a city-living (Manchester) full time work person - will try and set out some answers below!

1. What are the typical full livery/part livery costs I can expect to pay close to an urban area (i.e. Birmingham)? - my horses are 6 miles from me (so 8 miles from the city centre). I pay around £450/month per horse for 5-day livery at a nice yard. I am DIY at weekends.
   
   
2. How accommodating are livery yards for:
   a) Complete ownership noobs? My yard is big and friendly - there are lots of newbies to ownership here. The ones that ask questions and talk to people get on fine.
   
   b) People who might not able to attend the yard sometimes due to work commitments? (specifically for things out of normal scope of livery) This needs an honest conversation with yard managers. We have a number of freelance grooms on the yard who will do all sorts of specific cover and it isn't an issue. I have to work away in London quite regularly so have entire days where I can't get there - and it is fine with some advance notice.
   
   c) People who want to keep a carriage on the yard? (driving is my passion) No experience of this... I've had my competition horses get super upset by driving horses and do dangerous things as a result, so you need to have an open and honest conversation with yard managers about how you'd get other horses used to this. There may well be more driving friendly yards out there!
   
   
3. Aside from livery costs, how much should I put aside of other cost of ownership expenses? (piece of string questions there, sorry) HAHAHA.... they will take every spare penny you ever have
   
   
4. Do you buy a horse first, then organise livery? Or find a nice yard, then find a horse? Given you're tied to a city, good yards will have waiting lists. Get on a waiting list and secure a space before committing to purchase a horse. Last thing you need is to keep moving a horse around and get stuck at bad yards. You will have to pay a reduced liverycost normally to retain the stable.
   
   
5. How much of a battering in my car going to get commuting to work and to the stables? Depends how you travel! I often cycle in good weather as it avoids traffic and my yard is only 6 miles from my house. Since i'm going in and out of town at peak times to try and ride the traffic is often HORRENDOUS. Sometimes I even run there/back!!
   
   
6. It's dark outside. Is it sensible to exercise my horse on the road, or would I rough-off my future horse until late February? I never ever ever ride on roads in the dark around here - city drivers are often thoroughly stupid about horses at the best of times. People don't expect to see horses on the road and also don't know how to behave.
   
   
7. How can I get training for owning a horse? Since you're in Birmingham, i'd go to Ingestre for stable management training.
   
   
8. What should I look for in a livery yard? Good turnout and good management first and foremost. Good access to areas to ride and exercise horses. Friendly people. I personally avoid anywhere too neat and tidy as I always suspect those yards are more focused on human things than horse things! Also go for somewhere CLOSE - i could have various fancy options 15-20 miles away, but that is TOO MUCH driving to actually enjoy my horses. I much prefer being close enough to get there after work without it being a total PITA.
   
   
9. How should I go about finding a suitable yard? Talk to people locally - ask vets, ask farriers, ask in tack shops - ask on here (you already have!). I also spent a lot of time on google maps on aerial view hunting out stables, arenas and fields from the sky and then going and visiting in person to work out if they were livery yards. The best yards very rarely have to advertise.

 

[CP1]

Make sure that YO and YM are totally supportive of you carriage driving. Sooner or later another livery will complain that their horse is scared of the carriage and you should not be on yard at the same time as other liveries or that you should not be allowed access to school on the same basis as the other liveries. Yes, this will happen and on both occasions our great YM has told them "tough, get used to it".
Check school is OK for driving in - size and material used. I ended up buying another carriage with pneumatic tyres as pony was getting bogged down in deep surface.
Is there somewhere that you can store carriage under lock and key as insurance will probably not cover it otherwise. Will the storage be easily accessible? OH is great at getting carriage past farm machinery, motor bikes etc.
Do you have a reliable backstepper you can call on? Essential especially if you want to go out on road. Also, be aware you may have to cope with hostility from riders you meet whne you are out or, sometimes worse, people saying how cute this is and can they take a photograph.
If the yard offers exercise as an extra or part of the livery package, this is unlikely to be driven exercise, unless you are really lucky.
I wouldn't personally take my pony out on the road after dark, ridden or driven.

Bearing this in mind, go for it.

Thank you Smogul

Sage advice regarding the challenges of driving in a riding environment.

 

[CP1]

I'm a city-living (Manchester) full time work person - will try and set out some answers below!

1. What are the typical full livery/part livery costs I can expect to pay close to an urban area (i.e. Birmingham)? - my horses are 6 miles from me (so 8 miles from the city centre). I pay around £450/month per horse for 5-day livery at a nice yard. I am DIY at weekends.
   
   
2. How accommodating are livery yards for:
   a) Complete ownership noobs? My yard is big and friendly - there are lots of newbies to ownership here. The ones that ask questions and talk to people get on fine.
   
   b) People who might not able to attend the yard sometimes due to work commitments? (specifically for things out of normal scope of livery) This needs an honest conversation with yard managers. We have a number of freelance grooms on the yard who will do all sorts of specific cover and it isn't an issue. I have to work away in London quite regularly so have entire days where I can't get there - and it is fine with some advance notice.
   
   c) People who want to keep a carriage on the yard? (driving is my passion) No experience of this... I've had my competition horses get super upset by driving horses and do dangerous things as a result, so you need to have an open and honest conversation with yard managers about how you'd get other horses used to this. There may well be more driving friendly yards out there!
   
   
3. Aside from livery costs, how much should I put aside of other cost of ownership expenses? (piece of string questions there, sorry) HAHAHA.... they will take every spare penny you ever have
   
   
4. Do you buy a horse first, then organise livery? Or find a nice yard, then find a horse? Given you're tied to a city, good yards will have waiting lists. Get on a waiting list and secure a space before committing to purchase a horse. Last thing you need is to keep moving a horse around and get stuck at bad yards. You will have to pay a reduced liverycost normally to retain the stable.
   
   
5. How much of a battering in my car going to get commuting to work and to the stables? Depends how you travel! I often cycle in good weather as it avoids traffic and my yard is only 6 miles from my house. Since i'm going in and out of town at peak times to try and ride the traffic is often HORRENDOUS. Sometimes I even run there/back!!
   
   
6. It's dark outside. Is it sensible to exercise my horse on the road, or would I rough-off my future horse until late February? I never ever ever ride on roads in the dark around here - city drivers are often thoroughly stupid about horses at the best of times. People don't expect to see horses on the road and also don't know how to behave.
   
   
7. How can I get training for owning a horse? Since you're in Birmingham, i'd go to Ingestre for stable management training.
   
   
8. What should I look for in a livery yard? Good turnout and good management first and foremost. Good access to areas to ride and exercise horses. Friendly people. I personally avoid anywhere too neat and tidy as I always suspect those yards are more focused on human things than horse things! Also go for somewhere CLOSE - i could have various fancy options 15-20 miles away, but that is TOO MUCH driving to actually enjoy my horses. I much prefer being close enough to get there after work without it being a total PITA.
   
   
9. How should I go about finding a suitable yard? Talk to people locally - ask vets, ask farriers, ask in tack shops - ask on here (you already have!). I also spent a lot of time on google maps on aerial view hunting out stables, arenas and fields from the sky and then going and visiting in person to work out if they were livery yards. The best yards very rarely have to advertise.

Thank you RachelFerd.

Its nice to hear from a city-dwelling equestrian. Some excellent ideas and advice, very appropriate for my situation too. I'll check out Ingestre for training courses. I have also spend time on Google Earth looking for arenas!

 

[Bernster]

I had a pony when younger (long time ago!) but once I got a horse as an adult, I realised I knew barely anything about owning or looking after one ! So I’m not sure I did it the right way but it turned out ok because I had good, experienced friends, a helpful livery yard, instructors, and I read up!

I’d start with trying out riding schools as an intro to your local horse community. You will get a sense of travel times, when you can ride, and they may do ‘own a horse’ days or similar. Then you could look for a share or part loan once you’re ready (depends how well you ride). Look at yards in the area. Then when you’ve got the start of a good network and have an idea of livery arrangements, I’d identify some possible yards that suit and then I’d look for a horse. And that’s a whole lot of other tips on the perils of buying! Especially in this market.

There are livery yards that can do extra services or full livery which I’ve always used as I’m full time and get stuck at work at times. It’s expensive but works better for me. I’ve always driven quite a way, as I was in london so ended up 30-45 mins away from the yard. There are yards with well lit indoor and outdoor schools so you can ride in the evenings or morning if you prefer. I know a few folks who are teachers and they manage fine.

There’s the bhs training courses for owners too and so much info available now.

I started about 20+ years ago and it’s been an absolute joy. Never thought it would be such a big part of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way ?

I don’t know about driving though.

 

[flat3]

OP, I live near there. I can't help with driving specifics, but I know yards and also involved with a local riding club which always welcomes volunteers and could be a good way of meeting local horsy folk?