Who keeps their horse on grass livery and what breed?

Don't keep mine on livery as have ym own land, but they are all out 24/7. I have 3 - an appaloosa foal, a 2yo cob and a 15yo WB. WB was previously a very poor doer, but has thrived since being out 24/7 and has kept his weight this year.

Pros - my horses are happier and I don't have to muck out
cons - mud, mud and more mud!
 
I tried grass livery with my welsh sec a, only lasted a few months he was a miserable g*t without his home comforts so i gave in :p I would literally spend hours trying to drag him back to his field after he'd come in for a groom/lunge/ridden.

Pros - no mucking out, less rugs.
Cons - mud, more poo picking, i used more hay
 
I rent fields near my house for my two horses, an 18 year old connemara and a 4 year old friesian.

Pros:

I can manage my own land - i've been on livery and the field management was not good and halfway through summer there was no grass!!
I have no interfering - nobody messing with my horses, food, stables etc etc. Had a lot of stuff stolen at livery.
Horses are happy and seem more settled being out.

Cons:

Can be hardwork in winter to have to look after the land and fencing myself
The mud can be a problem but it will be anyway as long as horses are turned out
It would sometimes be nice to have a stable area to store my hay and stuff but i work around it by just covering it with a big tarpaulin - does the job!!


I pay £70 a month to rent the fields which are approximately 4 acres split into 3 fields. I have no "luxuries" other than running water, and a small XC course in the woods at the end of my fields :D



My horses were in private fields for a long time, then i moved to a livery yard last winter while the new fences were put in my fields and i hated it, i couldnt wait to get back to my fields!
 
Last edited:
Pros: IMO a happier, more fulfilled horse (though I know lots love coming in and mine has been stabled), good for joints, etc, reduced hay bill, no mucking out, chance for exercise, good for respiratory system, good for more natural neck muscling.

Cons: no where for box rest or in case of serious inclement weather (lightweight rug on to prevent a thorough soaking), I don't get that nice feeling of putting baby to bed, lots of poo-picking, more strain on the land.

Breed: welsh sec a (although in the past Standardbred and New Forest, too).

Cost: Was ten pounds a week but moving grazing as of tomorrow and will cost five pound a week (private land, not a yard).
 
Pros -

1) my boys get to eat as much grass, play/groom with each other and generally be horses as much and whenever they like.
2) No mucking out (my yo takes care of poo picking etc :))
3) Less faffing about with haynets

Cons -

1) Sometimes it would be handy to have a stable available for vet type things
2) one day I'll probably turn into a lardy bum from lack of mucking out type exercise!
3) less options for hanging up wet rugs etc

Breed - 1 lightweight cob
1 ID (According to his passport, I think he has TB in him too)

Cost - £28 a week per horse (Inc ad lib hay in the winter)
 
Ours are also at home, but out 24/7 - although with all the snow recently they have been coming into the barn overnight. We have a welsh mare, my thoroughbred and a native x and they all thrive on it - although keeping the weight off the welshie is sometimes a challenge!

Pros are that it is such a natural lifestyle for them - you are seriously reducing the risk of colic and it actually helps keep the weight on a lot of horses, especially thoroughbred types who stress it off in the stable. You don't have to worry about respiratory problems and they keep themselves fit mooching about all the time. Also, of course, you gain a lot of time from not having to muck out - which means more time riding/actually with the horses.

Cons - mud! I hate it. Well drained fields are a real find! Poo-picking is something I don't really mind (unless it's raining!) but I know some people hate it and you have twice as much when they're out.

I love our current set-up as we have the option of bringing them in if we want but given the choice of out 24/7 all year or in at night and out during the day I'd have them out every time! With plenty of hay and correct rugging I think any horse can winter out well.
 
Not on grass livery as such, but rent some land and keep my horses out 24/7/365.

3 Arabs and 1 TBxPRE

In fields with loads of natural shelter and all 4 are rugged accordingly.

Pros for the horses - Happy, healthy, vice free horses, maintaining their own base level of fitness. No respiratory problems, no psychological problems, able to fulfill the requirement for trickle feeding with their constant access to grazing (and hay in winter), really sure footed, not lacking exercise, don't go on hoolies when turned out as they're always out - the list goes on and on...
Pros for me - cheaper to rent own land than to go on livery, I can make my own rules and abide by my own timetable, feed what I want and as much as I want. If I'm unable to ride for whatever reason, there's no obligation to exercise the horses.

Cons - For me the only drawback is lack of cover if I needed to go away at all - but then again, I can't remember the last time we went away overnight and I haven't had a holiday away for at least 10 years, so it's not too much of a problem. Admittedly, just once in a while it would be nice to have a day off though, and simply not have to leave the house. So far in all this snow I haven't NOT made it to the horses, even though a couple of times it's meant getting the car as close as possible and walking the rest of the way, so really, the lack of cover isn't a major disaster.

Have done livery in the past and tbh had no problems with it - but having had my own (rented) place and my horses living out now for the past god knows how many years, anyone would be hard pressed to get me to go back any other way of keeping my gang.
 
Mine is moving to grass livery next year, towards the end of the winter/early spring. I think he will miss his routine of coming in with his friends because he does thrive on routine, and I know he'll miss being with his current large group of horses but he is only moving down the road (1/4 of a mile away so within shouting distance I think!) and will be with horses he already knows (same YO; she has extra land away from our main yard so I am giving up my stable to have him out 24/7). My boy is a 15yo IDxTB.

So far it seems to me the pros will be:
Good for his creaky joints to be out 24/7
Better for his waistline, I hope, as he'll be moving around more. Grass not great there so should be easier to keep on top of his weight in summer
Have access to field shelter for winter. YO has turned one of the buildings on the land into a stable so I can use that if he needs box rest or to be stabled in summer for his weight
Much cheaper for me (£15 pw including YO putting out haylage and doing water)
Can pay YO to poo pick every day if I'm not there
Hopefully I won't feel the need to ride every day for the sake of it (to keep on top of his weight) as he will exercise himself more being out

Cons:
Mud!
No running water, but we are only up the road from main yard so easy enough to bring water down
No mucking out, but lots more poo picking
No lights :(
Can't ride in the evenings in winter, unless I don every possible imaginable item of hi-viz plus lights and hack the 1/4 mile up to the main yard to use arena
Lots more very early mornings,, if I can manage to fit it around work, so that I can ride in the mornings

Hmm... I might be talking myself out of it LOL! :)
 
My own are Highland and Newfie

Pros:
No mucking out or having to buy in bedding
They move around so are warmer
They have company and are happier - neither is a fan of being in
Maintain a fair amount of fitness

Cons:
None for me :)

On our yard are 2 TB ex-racer's in m/w rugs that are both managing superbly in this weather with grass livery (very little in the way of shelter).

There are stables on yard so have the option of paying extra for stable if required box-rest.
 
I've got 2 on grass livery a tb & an anglo arab, both happy & healthy, the only con I can think off is they get absolutely filthy (the tb keeps herself clean but the anglo arab is a dirty monkey)
I've always kept my horses out & would be very unwilling to stable them as I think they are better off outside. But I've been lucky enough to find livery yards that offer grass livery & have good enough grazing to do it.
 
Pros:

Don't have to muck out.
My horse is happier out all the time than in all the time. If I could have half out half in then it'd be perfect. But beggers can't be choosers :(

Cons:

Well, I'm pretty much a Barbie (I hate the cold and anything that can get my hands dirty -.-) :X so I'd prefer to have nutty pony who lives in than a sane, sensible pony who lives out. As I said above, out and in would be perfect as my pony is fully clipped and has feather that is keen to grow back -.-
It's always a chore for me to bring him in, take his rugs off etc; then when I'm finished (I'm usually shattered by this time) put all his rugs back on and take him back up the field usually in the dark.
In the Summer though, I can't think of any cons :|

Pony in question is a 14.2hh Clydesdale x something skinny (he's super LW but has a lot of Clyde traits). He's out with a 16hh TB gelding and they're both poor doers. Get the same feed (pony doesn't do well at all with keeping weight on. not your average freshair living sort) pretty much the same type of rugs etc;
 
Last edited:
Wow thanks everyone thinking about getting a new neddie and the possibility of keeping out at grass!
Just trying to decide what breed of horse and where to keep as I work full time so in winter ride weekends (so could have weekday sharer)
and during the summer I have more daylight on my hands.
 
I have a chunky NF.

Pro's

He is happy - he hates being stabled for long periods so being stabled over night is not an option. This is the reason that he is living out, which was not my original intention when I bought him he was going to come in at night during the winter.

Other unexpected benefits are

It is much much cheaper, no bedding costs, very little hay in the summer, easier if I can't get to the yard to find someone to check him. He does not get so fat either. Don't have to get up to the yard at fixed times to bring in/turn out.

Cons

In the snow and cold weather I worry about him being too cold or not having enough to eat but he is a good doer so long term it is healthier for him to come into spring a bit slimer.

The fields are a long walk from the yard so it can take nearly an hour to bring him in if he is at the far end of the far field or to walk down and feed and check him. However this is not the case with all grass livery places and the fields we have are amazing like pony paradise with woods for shelter so we are lucky.

Cost: 135 a month, more in winter when hay is put out for them once a day if it snows. I do have a stable though which I use for storing rugs and grooming kit and he comes in for a little while to have some hay if waiting for farrier or vet or for a friend to ride out with etc.
 
1x Welsh x NF in HW rug-shes arthritic and 18

1x Welsh x Hackney in HW-shes a tart with no winter coat!!!!!!!

Have had 1x ex racer on full turnout in HW plus Stable is the worse we ever got

However some on has broodys out un rugged Ex racers

Pros:

-Access to shelter and bed when they want, very rare for Toffee (NFx)
-Keeps Toffee from stiffening up.
-I dont worry in this weather as they are already out with hay.
-morning check lasts 10 minutes
-I do what I want, fenced school, hay in field :-O, Fenced off
-No water buckets to faff with as 2x troughs
-No rug changes
-I could have 20 horses on my 3 acres if I wanted as I pay per acre not horse

Cons:
-MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD MUD
-Poo Picking, Hate it!!
-No electricity but I have a generator I keep int he car


No more.

Cost £30/ acre month plus hay and feed
 
14hh connie x irish draght mare

pro's:
she's moving about which can only be good for her
she's got constant company
she's out with a herd of mares
no mucking out (or poo picking for me! Full grass livery ;) )
good for her breathing as dust allergy
cheaper livery
less rugs as you only need decent turnouts!
Easier to find someone to "do" them for you if you go on holiday or are ill

Cons:
I can't control her weight as well as if she was in
she's always muddy!
To get grass livery she's at a yard further away and 800ft up so I haven't seen her in over a week due to snow!

Other than that nothing. She's on full grass livery so they feed once a day and check her for me, they will change rugs etc if needed. She's out with other mares who are all lovely. We have a sandschool but it's not floodlight.
 
chocolate86 said:
Pros - cons? Pros: No mucking out, no clockwatching thus no hysterical horses if one is taken out/fed without the others, no set routine --> no gatebanging/hugging to come in. Cons: None whatsoever:D
Breed?Mainly Quarter Horses, natives in other words
Cost?
Click to expand...

I keep all my horses out because I am lazy, see pro's. The majority of horses boarding with me also live out fulltime.
 
I don't have my horses out 24/7 except in the summer. I own a livery yard ith 2 horses of my own and 5 liveries. All horses have the same routine and stay out in summer but in winter they spend the worst months being turned out in the all weather turnout (with haylage).

So, pros would be less work, especially in summer. More natural for the horses (though I really think the majority of horses prefer to come in if given the choice).

Cons:
Having to constantly break ice on troughs in this weather. This should be done at least 3 times a day.

Mud fever. I never have mud fever here due to never being stood in mud.

Hunger and cold. Too many people do not feed enough hay or provide shelter.

Wet. Sometimes horses just don't get the chance to fully dry off. This can cause health problems.

Less riding. It is so much easier to ride if the horse is coming in, any way. Also there is less mud to clean off before riding with stable kept horses.

More chance of injury not being spotted.

So, the only way I would consider grass livery, would be if the horses had the run of a field and free access to a large, dry shelter with facilities to tie them up and groom/tack up under cover. Also access to a stable in case they needed to be on box rest due to injury.
 
Omg you guys have got me excited! fidgeting in my chair at 'work' and everything about the prospect of buying a new best friend to keep out in a field!
Potentially less time doing yard work more time with neddy.

I guess the only downside for me will be I work full time and winter riding during the week is a bit difficult so either a sharer or the horse will keep itself fit

:) :) :) I have the biggest grin right now. Happiest I've been since my injured loan horse went in November!
 
chocolate86 said:
Omg you guys have got me excited! fidgeting in my chair at 'work' and everything about the prospect of buying a new best friend to keep out in a field!
Potentially less time doing yard work more time with neddy.

I guess the only downside for me will be I work full time and winter riding during the week is a bit difficult so either a sharer or the horse will keep itself fit

:) :) :) I have the biggest grin right now. Happiest I've been since my injured loan horse went in November!
Click to expand...

Good luck with it. I hope you will make sure your new horse will have company. Nothing worse than getting a field and keeping a lonely horse.
 
I rent fields
Have 2 highlands, one shetland x and one cob type all mares
Pros
So cheap £50 a month, lots of fields, nice area, great farmer, have shelters as well, great hacking, and can do what i want with no one to interfere.
Cons
No electricity, no school however in summer have field to use
 
Can't keep my horse on grass livery around here due to one big con - control of weight / access to grass (H/W gypsy cob). He would probably be fine out 24/7 with shelter if I had access to poor quality grazing or better yet some grass-free turnout, but it's all improved diary pasture around here.

Don't make the mistake of thinking a good doer will be fine out at grass (depending on the grazing and amount of exercise of course). They don't necessarily exercise themselves. When I bought mine he'd been out 24/7 for 2 years with no exercise, he was in a large, varied pasture with plenty of features (river to cross, hills etc) and had company and he was SOOO fat and unfit - seriously unhealthy and how he didn't get laminitis I don't know.
 
Grass livery is brill do what you want, when you want and the horse is not waiting for you to feed, water, rug, turn in, out and so on, happy sane horses...however if you buy a good doer in particular and you dont have any dry paddocks then be prepared to become amazing at different leccy tape configurations and horse wearing a muzzle because it is hard to control the weight and health of a good doer on good pasture.

Grass livery rocks once you get the balance right and learn a few tricks. I bought one of those big plastic sheds for all my bits and bobs including feed, its green and sits quite nicely in the field, no store room you see.

Oh and Much less work, I did have the horses on livery once for 3wks, nearly killed me all that routine, riding was secondary and horse were well stressed.. miss the frieds I made there though. Good Luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top