Which comes first - horse or livery?

[bizzylizzy80]

I am looking to buy my first horse which I plan to keep on full livery. What do people usually do first, find a livery space or find a horse? I am worried that if I find a livery space it may take a long time to find the right horse, but what if I find a horse but have nowhere suitable to move it to??

 

[gallopingby]

I’d suggest to find a livery first, unless you can find a seller willing to livery your new horse before you find somewhere to keep him/her. Not all sellers will want to keep at livery and there’s nothing worse than a buyer who delays collecting for weeks on end. To be clear once you’ve bought a horse you should be responsible for paying for its keep.

 

[smolmaus]

Personally I would rather be stuck with a few extra weeks/ months of a stable holding fee than be rushing to find a yard and end up somewhere that doesn't actually suit me.

 

[BallyJ]

I'm in the process of horse hunting, and have paid for a stable, the livery I'm going to has very kindly offered a reduced rate for holding, but I was geared up for paying the full price.

What will happen if you find a horse and have no where to keep it? The seller wouldn't hang on for too long!

 

[Vodkagirly]

I would want livery first ideally but if you see the ideal horse advertised in the meantime still go and look.
If you find the perfect horse immediately, it might be worth paying for a more expensive livery as a short term solution.

 

[sbloom]

Hopefully you don't have to pay full rates as they won't need to supply bedding, feed, hay, but yes, livery first.

 

[Starzaan]

Livery, always.

 

[dottylottie]

definitely livery - i had a sudden change of plans with the intended stable at the last minute, and it was incredibly stressful! i was lucky that the yard where the pony my mum has looked after for 10+ years is kept had a stable free for me and the seller said she’d be happy to keep hold of her until the end of the month anyway if i was struggling to find somewhere, but it was incredibly stressful regardless. have a few options you can go to, so that if none are willing to accept a holding fee you’ll hopefully be able to find a space; i’ve heard of a few yards not accepting a holding fee for a new buyer if they’ve got someone who wants it immediately

 

[Bobthecob15]

Livery...just be prepared to pay a holding deposit. It can take months to find a horse you like that then also has to be ok at vetting...it's a process!

 

[SantaVera]

The livery as you need somewhere to keep the horse

 

[Quigleyandme]

Would you consider DIY or part livery for the first six weeks or so of horse ownership with a move to much more spendy full livery afterwards? The holding fee would be less and you might feel less pressure to compromise on the horse you buy because you are paying for space on full livery whilst you search. I don’t know how you get to know each other and build a rapport if your only involvement is paying the bills and riding it.

 

[Bernster]

These are tricky chicken and egg ones! I would prefer to have a yard/s identified and if there’s a shortage I’d put a holding deposit on your favourite. Then do your horse hunting. Good luck !