Working livery - how much work?

[Teajack]

Browsing yards for full livery as a prospective owner, seen one which seems to have great facilities but over my budget. They do working livery, which I might consider if the instructors are good, but ..... this would be 2 hours a day, six days a week. Presumably that would be Mon - Sat. Given that horses deserve a day off, that doesn't leave much, also horse would probably have seen quite enough of the school by the time the owner rides. Am I being silly?

 

[ester]

TBH I wouldn't see the point in having my own if lots of other people were riding it too. I might do it if for some reason I was unable to exercise my own for an extended period but that would be it.

 

[be positive]

You are not being silly, horses are more than capable of doing 2 hours or more 6 days a week but to my mind the average RS is getting everything on their terms and being provided with a free horse to use, tack, rugs etc all with no outlay, you still pay a livery fee, vets bills, shoeing etc plus your insurance will be higher than normal.
Look elsewhere and compromise on facilities rather than have fancy facilities you never use because your horse is not available for you to ride when you want.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Working livery can work out as a good arrangement, but not IMHO if you want to ride in the school as well when it's your turn. That's too much 'school' for any horse. Also, they want him for 6 days a week, which IMHO is too much.

When I got back into horses as a newly married and skint adult, I bought a horse and put him on working livery at 2 hours per day, 5 days a week. I was then able to hack him for an hour (which is all I wantd to do in those days) on each of those 5 days plus having him completely to myself for one full day. He had to have Mondays off with the other school horses. I soon stumped up some more money and reduced his working livery hours to one per day/5 per week, which worked even better and meant that he was much more 'my' horse.

As soon as I could afford it, (and got it past my OH!), I pulled him from working livery and put him on DIY which was much better for both of us.

 

[Goldenstar]

A yard where I trained had some working livery’s they worked three hours a day twice a week when they worked two so the owners could ride them and they had one rest day .
You could do a deal if they really wanted the horse and pay a bit more and have them used twice and you could more days it’s was very flexible if the horse was useful to the school some where older well trained dressage horses .
Some were horses where a child was at university and the horse was on working livery while it’s rider was studying or taking a year out lots of different reasons .

 

[Teajack]

You are not being silly, horses are more than capable of doing 2 hours or more 6 days a week but to my mind the average RS is getting everything on their terms and being provided with a free horse to use, tack, rugs etc all with no outlay, you still pay a livery fee, vets bills, shoeing etc plus your insurance will be higher than normal.
Look elsewhere and compromise on facilities rather than have fancy facilities you never use because your horse is not available for you to ride when you want.

Yes, its not much of a deal for the owner is it. Would not want to subject the horse to any more hours in the school so would only be hacking. And that would be one day a week when its dark after work ...Also wouldn't feel much different from paying to ride one of theirs. There is a yard on my doorstep, a bit shabby and not too taken with the stabling - straight row of boxes, exposed site - but that's the only real minus.

 

[Teajack]

Working livery can work out as a good arrangement, but not IMHO if you want to ride in the school as well when it's your turn. That's too much 'school' for any horse. Also, they want him for 6 days a week, which IMHO is too much.

When I got back into horses as a newly married and skint adult, I bought a horse and put him on working livery at 2 hours per day, 5 days a week. I was then able to hack him for an hour (which is all I wantd to do in those days) on each of those 5 days plus having him completely to myself for one full day. He had to have Mondays off with the other school horses. I soon stumped up some more money and reduced his working livery hours to one per day/5 per week, which worked even better and meant that he was much more 'my' horse.

As soon as I could afford it, (and got it past my OH!), I pulled him from working livery and put him on DIY which was much better for both of us.

You're right -twelve hours a week at say £25 a lesson (didn't check) is a lot of money to be getting out of the arrangement while still charging 50% livery and leaving all the extras with the owner.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I would check out what other places offering "working livery" are offering.

Also I would want to know EXACTLY what the "sessions" would involve; i.e. is that ALL ridden work, and if so, what? Or would there be some hacking out included as well, so that its not all intense work in the school. And would this be with beginners, intermediates, or advanced riders?? All questions I'd want answers to! i.e. you don't want some novice rider using your horse's mouth as a balance-strap do you.

When my boy was on "working livery" at an equestrian college, he did a certain number of "sessions" per day, but this was not all ridden work; some sessions would be say lunging, or stable management, BHS Riding & Road Safety (just poodling round the campus), or hacking. He had designated "free time" during the week and at weekends.

I personally wouldn't be happy with the level and consistency of work that the OP has outlined; which is why I would be asking questions.

 

[splashgirl45]

when i had my first horse i had an arrangement that i would ride my horse as lead horse for 2 hours twice a week when i took the rides and i used him for 3 hours on sunday as lead horse and i rode the school horses for the other 2 rides . so basically i was working 2 evenings for 2 hours and all day sunday for half of my livery. no one else rode my horse so not the same arrangement but it worked for me at the time. i then moved to a field with stables and no facilities but didnt have to work for anyone else and could ride on my own, which was bliss....so i would say move to diy with less facilities...

 

[Pinkvboots]

I know a few people that had there horse on working livery at an equestrian college, which worked out well as mainly students rode the horse and not always in the school so the horse was hacked as well, to be honest I would prefer this to a working livery at a riding school as the horse could potentially be used for real beginners and more than likely not much hacking involved, both could really ruin a nice horse long term and undo any good schooling you have done or want to do.

 

[joosie]

I know a few people that had there horse on working livery at an equestrian college, which worked out well as mainly students rode the horse and not always in the school so the horse was hacked as well, to be honest I would prefer this to a working livery at a riding school as the horse could potentially be used for real beginners and more than likely not much hacking involved, both could really ruin a nice horse long term and undo any good schooling you have done or want to do.

Going by the general standard of riding at equestrian colleges I can't say that would appeal to me any more than a riding school would, in fact I'd be happier my horse being ridden by a complete beginner than by most college students!

 

[Pinkvboots]

Going by the general standard of riding at equestrian colleges I can't say that would appeal to me any more than a riding school would, in fact I'd be happier my horse being ridden by a complete beginner than by most college students!

Fair enough I don't blame you I personally wouldn't want either riding mine lol!

The college near me is quite good a few people I know have worked there the standard is quite high, so I suppose I am basing it on that but I imagine they are not all so good!

 

[SEL]

The boy in my avatar was on working livery when he was first gifted to me. I paid some livery and in return he did up to 5 hours a week lead rein ridden work and as many grooming / therapy sessions as they needed. He probably only did 2 - 3 hours ridden work but frustratingly the day they needed him the most was my day off! He was amazing at the therapy work.

I pulled him out of it when I got fed up with finding him left in a stable all day without hay or sufficient water - sometimes with his tack still left on. They used him when he wasn't sound and didn't tell me he'd come in lame (he was their only lead rein weight carrier). Not all riding schools are that bad and to be fair to that one it has since gone through a change of ownership.

 

[madmav]

I would be cautious of this. Riding school I used to attend, considered prestigious, uses working liveries for two hours a day. One day off a week. Was £100 a week back then, god knows what it is now. Have also seen horses lying down there with saddles on!