What do you pay for DIY?

[Hormonal Filly]

A friend keeps hers 5 minutes down the road from me. Pays £100 a month DIY for ad-lib hay and straw. Grazing in with another and a stable, although stables currently being rebuilt so no stables at the moment for another month. No hard standing, no school, average hacking with some land to ride on.

I pay £180 a month DIY. Ad-lib haylage or hay, stable on the stable yard, individual grazing (big field, do as you wish and good grass) with floodlit arena although this is quite deep. Private field to ride in, hacking is quite poor. I buy my own shavings.

Friend thinks my place is ridiculously overpriced. I can’t find anywhere else with better hacking that isn’t known for being stupidly clicky so have settled for where I am thinking well, no wheres perfect!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

This is a very regionally and locally divisive cost, some apparently pay peanuts, others pay shed loads according to others. There are many threads on the same subject, a few a month.

I think your friend is very lucky to get ad lib hay, straw, stable and field for under £3.35 a day!

I dont know of anywhere that charges so little!

 

[Littlebear]

Blimey i pay around £100 a month in winter just for my hay and straw, not sure how they make money at £100 per month?
I also have one on grass livery only and even thats £120 in winter.

 

[vmac66]

£90 per month stabling grazing and use of school. Hay £28 round bale bought from yard owner. All bedding and feed bought independently.

 

[Widgeon]

Ours is really assisted DIY, but FWIW:

£240 for 24/7 turnout as long as possible (they are still out now). Ad lib hay all year round. In winter, turnout during the day, stabled at night, with shavings and very basic hard feed included. Decent outdoor arena with floodlights and good hacking. YO brings in and turns out in winter so we just have to muck out and poo pick.

That works out at less than £10 per day, and given that the YO brings in and turns out in winter, and throws hay over the fence at all other times, I think it's pretty good really.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Ours is really assisted DIY, but FWIW:

£240 for 24/7 turnout as long as possible (they are still out now). Ad lib hay all year round. In winter, turnout during the day, stabled at night, with shavings and very basic hard feed included. Decent outdoor arena with floodlights and good hacking. YO brings in and turns out in winter so we just have to muck out and poo pick.

That works out at less than £10 per day, and given that the YO brings in and turns out in winter, and throws hay over the fence at all other times, I think it's pretty good really.

Wow.. thats a bargain really!

 

[ihatework]

Last time I was on DIY it was £200 a month, hay and bedding included. Turnout/walker/floodlit school/Horsebox parking and some hacking

 

[DirectorFury]

When I was on DIY with no hay or bedding included it was £100pm. Amazing arena, boggy fields, OK stable, and not great hacking.
On a different yard DIY with hay included (but no bedding) was £240pm. No assistance, the fields were thigh deep mud soup from Sept - May, the hacking was good, and a very small (under 20x40) school with just a plain sand surface. I didn't last long there .

 

[milliepops]

DIY at my last place was £25pw. Nothing included, limited and random turnout in the winter, tiny paddocks but you could have 24/7 TO in summer if you wanted. School was not great and it was hard to get a slot to use it.

Now I'm paying £54pw but that is assisted, YO turns out and brings in during winter, and they are hayed when they come in. In summer he brings in and feeds them. School surface is better, the routine is bulletproof so the horses are content but winter TO is limited.

While it smarts a bit to have my bills doubled overnight, it's still not expensive really, and tbf the cheap place was a false economy because I spent a ton on arena hire and petrol with multiple visits per day.

 

[dixie]

Current yard £165 per month with stable, turnout (restricted in winter) and use of school.
About to move to a yard that’s £190 pm but with ad lib hay and a bale of shavings per week included, better turnout and hacking.
Previously I was renting a yard to myself and my mother for £260pm.
I think £100pm is cheap whichever part of the country you are, surely?

 

[Leo Walker]

I pay £105 total DIY and then buy in services from a freelancer. I bought a huge rectangular bale of hay for £35 delivered and in 2 weeks have used a quarter, so I reckon even feeding ad lib for 15 hours in and wasting quite a lot, its only costing me £5 a week for hay now!

 

[cindars]

Same yard since I moved to Sussex in 1979...prices have gone up but we pay £90 a month for box and 24/7 turnout no arena but great hacking and nice quiet yard. We buy in our hay locally and bedding.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I pay £175 pcm. No services or forage provided. All year t/o individual paddocks. Partially lit school, great hacking. One of the nicest set-ups available locally IMO (I’ve been there 9 years) but still not the most expensive. I don’t think I’ve come across any yards locally where they include forage in the livery price. My hay bill last year was pretty low but this year I think it’s going to double due to the dry summer and atrociously wet autumn.

 

[spotty_pony]

Quite lucky at the moment as I pay £25 per week per horse for stable and grazing and use of school at a private yard. We also have fantastic hacking. Have to buy bedding, feed and hay on top. I can turnout whenever I like and for as long as I want. Horses are in at night during the winter and out 24/7 during the summer. I also have two on grass livery and pay £10 per horse per week.

 

[FlyingCircus]

215 a month for stable, my own field (tho i do own two so they both in this field), floodlight school, horse walker, solarium and hacking in the new forest.

Fully DIY though.

 

[Mule]

DIY at my last place was £25pw. Nothing included, limited and random turnout in the winter, tiny paddocks but you could have 24/7 TO in summer if you wanted. School was not great and it was hard to get a slot to use it.

Now I'm paying £54pw but that is assisted, YO turns out and brings in during winter, and they are hayed when they come in. In summer he brings in and feeds them. School surface is better, the routine is bulletproof so the horses are content but winter TO is limited.

While it smarts a bit to have my bills doubled overnight, it's still not expensive really, and tbf the cheap place was a false economy because I spent a ton on arena hire and petrol with multiple visits per day.

Good point about the petrol and arena hire. That all adds up.

 

[EnduroRider]

£20 per week for stable, own field (but only as I have three or they'd join others in a group field), school with lights and reasonable hacking. Plus hay at £5 per bale or ad lib hay and haylage at £17 per week. The hay is perhaps a little on the pricey side given it's available pretty cheaply this year but no hassle of having to source my own and balanced by the livery being cheap! This is in north Cheshire.

 

[tankgirl1]

£25-35 per week depending on the size of your horse/pony. Includes stable, grazing, leccy, running water, CCTV, very small indoor/round pen, some of the best off road hacking in the High Peak and a bale of straw per week. Buy hay in small bales off the yard, price depending on where they buy it in from. They will turn out or bring in for £3 a pop

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Last months bill under £220 for assisted diy. large stable, large outdoor free floodlit school, small indoor school, individual paddock, indoor walker, washbox, solarium, includes trailer parking, bring in 5 days a week and this time i also had 6 bring ins at weekend. You have to supply bedding and hay. staff feed left made up feeds and left hay. West Mids.

 

[doodle]

£145 a month. Ad lib hay and straw. School lights on a token meter. Yo will do services, £1 per turnout, bring in or rug change. Will also do full which was invaluable when i was in hospital for 7 weeks. Turnout in pairs, unlimited turnout although everyone brings in at night in winter.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Now I'm paying £54pw but that is assisted, YO turns out and brings in during winter, and they are hayed when they come in. In summer he brings in and feeds them. School surface is better, the routine is bulletproof so the horses are content but winter TO is limited.

Would happily pay that for assisted! Seems I am playing quite a lot for what facilities we have then.. might be to do with the location as well..

 

[milliepops]

Would happily pay that for assisted! Seems I am playing quite a lot for what facilities we have then.. might be to do with the location as well..

i'd rather pay less for full DIY!! but it's the best yard on offer within reasonable distance so I have had to get used to not doing everything myself. I really don't think it's worth comparing prices if the yard is a good one tbh, unless there is lots of choice (there isn't around here, at least not choice of *decent* places).

 

[BOWS28]

We pay £35pw per horse that includes use of indoor and outdoor school, walker and own field and stable. We pay £20pcm for muck removal and i buy hay feed and bedding independently. Seems to be fairly reasonable priced for our area.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

(there isn't around here, at least not choice of *decent* places).

Exact the same where I am! I have friends a couple of hours away who have a huge choice of *decent* livery yards!

 

[chocolategirl]

It never fails to both surprise and depress me just how little some yards are charging☹️ I genuinely don’t know how they can be financially viable 🤷‍♀️ By the time rates, insurance, weed killer, grass seed, contractor services, maintenance costs in general, fencing etc etc etc, the list is endless, how on earth do some of these yards do it? Never mind the cost of buying the land in the first place 🤦‍♀️ The only thing I can imagine, is that they just don’t bother with many of the aforementioned list? My DIY yard runs at a loss, however, because we make our own hay and straw, which we sell to our liveries, I can just about justify keeping it going, for now anyway. If my stables weren’t always full though, I would have to seriously reevaluate things 😏

 

[Hormonal Filly]

By the time rates, insurance, weed killer, grass seed, contractor services, maintenance costs in general, fencing etc etc etc

Sorry to read that chocolategirl. My current YO does non of those, not that I'm aware of, apart from maintaining the fencing with his handy man and getting contractors in to make haylage of which he sells.
It makes a huge difference if you're honest to the tax people or not.. my previous YO also made a loss as she was honest about her liveries to the tax man, all 3 of the other yards only take cash and don't declaring it, well.. I am certain they don't anyway.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

DIY prices are bonkers, I was paying £27 a week north Manchester, stable and field, all year turnout ish (slightly crazy YO decisions notwithstanding), but standards were starting to slip.

North Wales it’s £23 per week! Amazing facilities, 50x30 floodlit school, unreal hacking, super fields and a YO who really tries for the horses. However, people round here think it’s too expensive 🤦🏼‍♀️, completely bonkers!!

 

[hopscotch bandit]

DIY prices are bonkers, I was paying £27 a week north Manchester, stable and field, all year turnout ish (slightly crazy YO decisions notwithstanding), but standards were starting to slip.

North Wales it’s £23 per week! Amazing facilities, 50x30 floodlit school, unreal hacking, super fields and a YO who really tries for the horses. However, people round here think it’s too expensive 🤦🏼‍♀️, completely bonkers!!

I think yard prices are in comparison to the cost of living in a particular area.

Forgive me if I am wrong (we holidayed in Borth recently and LOVED IT), but I always think of Wales to be sparsley populated (in places) and not many job opportunities so therefore the cost of living is cheaper, i.e. food/housing/entertainment, etc. Whereas you go to a posh area of the country and it will cost more in all those things, and in particular livery, as to have a horse is then considered to be a 'priviledged expenditure'.

I hope I've not offended you

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I think yard prices are in comparison to the cost of living in a particular area.

Forgive me if I am wrong (we holidayed in Borth recently and LOVED IT), but I always think of Wales to be sparsley populated (in places) and not many job opportunities so therefore the cost of living is cheaper, i.e. food/housing/entertainment, etc. Whereas you go to a posh area of the country and it will cost more in all those things, and in particular livery, as to have a horse is then considered to be a 'priviledged expenditure'.

I hope I've not offended you

No offence taken .

So to expand on this, North Manchester was all around £25 bare minimum where I was based, this could be just stable and grazing or maybe a school too but it was the bottom of the pack, more realistically prices were getting to the £35 region for a nicer set up.

North Wales is bizarre, 35mins from me is an amazing yard with truly super facilities (though a little lacking on the hacking front) but it is eye wateringly expensive. Other yards in and around the general area are more in line with Manchester prices, but for some reason in Ruthin, where there is a healthy population and is certainly not cheaper to live (houses are not cheap, its a commutable distance to Chester/ Wrexham), also a fairly active horsey scene so its not lack of demand especially, livery yards struggle. There is a yard that charges £50 per month and even has a basic school so not just a field or anything, which makes it really hard to get people to pay reasonable amounts for a much nicer set up. Now I would pay far more to stay on my current yard but apparently I'm in the minority...

 

[milliepops]

Oh my lordy, if the livery was £50pm I dread to think how many horses I would accumulate