Working Livery - does it work for anyone?

We left our previous yard due to the yo not letting us change from working livery to diy or full. We bought pony from yo and she basically it was still as if she owned the pony but with us footing the bill. My daughter would go up every day to see pony whether she was planning on riding or not and we'd only be in the gates and the yo or her kids were telling her she couldn't ride cos pony was tired from been used already. We moved as it wasn't working for us at all. However another pony on working livery who arrived before we bought our pony is still there and the owners are more than happy. It suits them not having to bring their 6 year old up every day to ride and their mucking out is done for them. The childs parents are in no way horsey so in those circumstances its ideal. I think it depends on what time you can spare every day whether it suits you or not and how you feel about others riding your horse.
 
I wouldn't do it again, I sent my horse to a well known training centre just for 6 months as I was at uni. He was calm so he got used for all the beginners which I didn't want. I picked him up and discovered he had a sore back. He was stale and I turned him away for 2 months. He came right again,but I felt so guilty and this was supposed to be one of the best training centre in the uk!!!!
 
I sent my traddie boy to equestrian college, where he was basically on "working livery" - and it worked for us!

I was in a situation where I couldn't give him as much exercise/attention as he needed and so when the opportunity came up for him to go to college it seemed like a good arrangement.

I had to accept that for the termtime I had to relinquish him to their regime and other people riding and do'ing him, but it actually worked out OK in that he adapted to the rythm of things really well and enjoyed being in a busy yard, and the workload suited him as it resolved a lot of his issues, as well as being thoroughly schooled. He was looked after really well - luxury in fact; and I had the feeling the yard staff and students were genuinely fond of him.

But this is the ONLY form of working livery I'd ever accept; I sent him to another (private) yard and he was on WL there. It was a total disaster; they let his sweet itch get totally out of hand to the extent that he'd rubbed himself raw the first weekend he was there, PLUS YO expected me to foot the total cost of shoeing even though I wasn't riding the horse at all!! The Yard Manager was fantastic, and if things had been run by her it would have been a really good yard, but the YO was a total t!t who couldn't have organised a p!ss up in a brewery. It lasted five weeks, then I brought him home.
 
Personally, I wouldn't trust anyone with my girls, ever. Short Stuff has been through enough trauma in her life & Long Legs so far remains unspoilt, despite awful treatment from last part livery YO.. But then I wouldn't be happy with not seeing them every day anyway.
I suppose it works for some people, when the horse(s) & the staff work well together, but I wouldn't risk it myself.
 
Pasture Mix said:
Personally, I wouldn't trust anyone with my girls, ever. Short Stuff has been through enough trauma in her life & Long Legs so far remains unspoilt, despite awful treatment from last part livery YO.. But then I wouldn't be happy with not seeing them every day anyway.
I suppose it works for some people, when the horse(s) & the staff work well together, but I wouldn't risk it myself.
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Fantastic names :)
 
It worked really well for us at first because Loki was only used as a lead rein horse for beginners who couldn't hold the reins at all :)

Eventually though as his laid back nature became more apparent he ended up a favorite to use for a lot of stuff and had people on him who were waaay heavier than I'd have liked and a lot of riders who jabbed him in the mouth :( By the time I left he had started to lean on my hands as a self defense, expecting to be pulled and poked poor lad :(

I couldn't have afforded it otherwise at the time so it worked out for us and it was almost a year before we encountered any problems but TBH I wouldn't do it to my poor honest boy again, there were some cringy moments where I really wish I had manned up and said something :(

Luckily no permenant damage was done and after a couple of months off and being brought back into work he's back to carrying himself and not worrying about being jabbed in the gob and the only people who ride him are well under his top weight carrying abilities :D
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
I sent my traddie boy to equestrian college, where he was basically on "working livery" - and it worked for us!

I was in a situation where I couldn't give him as much exercise/attention as he needed and so when the opportunity came up for him to go to college it seemed like a good arrangement.

I had to accept that for the termtime I had to relinquish him to their regime and other people riding and do'ing him, but it actually worked out OK in that he adapted to the rythm of things really well and enjoyed being in a busy yard, and the workload suited him as it resolved a lot of his issues, as well as being thoroughly schooled. He was looked after really well - luxury in fact; and I had the feeling the yard staff and students were genuinely fond of him.
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I had a similar experience to MJR2BT. My boy went to Plumpton College for five years while I was pregnant and the children were very young. The students adored him and catered for his every whim, I visited every weekend and had him back on grass livery for the summer holidays. Perfection!
 
Garnet said:
I had a similar experience to MJR2BT. My boy went to Plumpton College for five years while I was pregnant and the children were very young. The students adored him and catered for his every whim, I visited every weekend and had him back on grass livery for the summer holidays. Perfection!
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Yep, everyone knocks equine college but it can and does work.

But would never touch with a bargepole a private/riding school WL set-up. A lot of people see loan/WL horses as theirs to run into the ground unfortunately. THEN when its either ruined and a wreck and/or a walking vets bill - chuck it back to the owner to deal with.
 
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