Working livery pros and cons

debsflo

debsflo

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I am currently contemplating a new horse that i would like to keep on livery locally as although i have stables and grazing at home i want good facilities ie arena,good hacking a good instructor as im planning to compete and want people to ride out with. I have the possibility of a working livery place on a yard nearby which is only small but is the local rda centre and a small riding school . livery involves them using horse for some lessons but i know the owner/instructor and she has v high standards of care,instruction etc. I Would have weekly instruction included, am near to big competition centre and people to ride out with. Feed ,bedding and forage is included and i would pay for vet,farrier ,dentist anything else. There are lots of positives for me but the downside is the horse will also be shared with my daughter although she is away at uni so not much. Costs will be met by me. Our only worry is whether it will feel like OUR horse as others will be riding it and whether we can still have that bond and i have always loved looking after my own. I will still have 2 at home a mini and my elderly mare but want to get out and about and have fun.. pros and cons for me to consider please. I currently work so will not have to be at yard daily unless i want to.but dont want to make the wrong decision. the horse i am looking for is similar to what they would want so thats not an issue.
 
My mare was on working livery for a couple of years. Pros - you don't have to worry about her being looked after if you can't get to the yard or are away; as she is in most days you know that rugs will be changed to something appropriate to the weather; there is always somebody to help; your horse gets a variety of work and exercise. Cons - there will be times you reserve your horse and get to the yard to find there's been a mix up so you can't ride; you will teach your horse something and find she's been ridden differently the next day and by the time you ride her again she's forgotten it. But there will be times you find your horse knows something already, or improves in some area. For me it was the peace of mind that swung it as I work full time. My mare is now on diy livery and I'm in the process of introducing a sharer, and I'm really enjoying having her to myself. But there's no right or wrong answer, just what works for you at the time.
 
I have my mare on working livery and it's working out brilliantly. The care she gets is exceptional and I'm not under so much pressure to get to the yard every day.

The way we work it is that she is the yards every Saturday as it is their busiest day (I work nearly every Saturday so that suits me perfect.) I usually ride Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She is off on a Monday as the school is closed and she is available should they need her on Wednesday and Friday. Having said that, they will go out of their way to accommodate me, I.e. If I'm in the yard on a Saturday they will usually offer to let me ride in with one of the lessons and in the past few weeks we've been competing in a dressage league so they have taken her out of lessons to suit me. If there are camps on and I'm in the yard they will always ask if I want her and if I do they use another horse although mostly I let them use her as she has come on so much since moving to the yard.

The pros for me are: reduced cost of livery, reduced pressure to get to the yard everyday, a variety of strong riders riding her (only the experienced riders are allowed to ride her), she gains more experience in things that I lack in. I.e jumping (I'm very nervous but she loves it so she gets to do that in her lessons and I concentrate on flatwork) seeing how happy the girls that ride her are when they get to use her.

The only real con for me is not really a working livery con at all - if there are other lessons on and the arenas full we can't ride as she doesn't hack out alone.

IMO because I've had such a good experience with working livery I can't see myself changing anytime soon. I would say if you trust your YO and that the horse will be used responsibly and within reason then it's worth doing!
 
I had my boy on working livery when I first got him last year. I thought it would be ideal because my working hours were longer than they'd been when I'd had horses previously and I was that much older and didn't want the same level of commitment. However, it didn't work for me or my horse and within three months I changed to DIY. I didn't have enough freedom to do the things I wanted to do with my own horse and I wasn't happy at the lack of information regarding what they were doing with him when he was being used in the school. Also several times I arranged with then when I was coming to ride only to find he was being used in the school. I found that most frustrating and upsetting. My horse loathed having to go in the school for lessons day in, day out and in the end started refusing to go forward and even bucking. My advice if you do go down the working livery route, be specific about what type of rider should be allowed to ride him and what they can do with him e.g. I wish I'd told them not to put novice weekly riders on him and that I didn't want him used for any kind of jumping lessons. Working livery works well for many but it's not for people who like to have more control over what's done with their horse. Good luck with whatever you do decide.
 
The control issue is my worry as I have my own way however the yard owner has a good reputation and is v careful about the type of riders used in fact she may help me find one as knows my ambition but also what they need. I think I will speak to the other working livery owners. As it's a small yard and only have 9 horses in total.They tend to be middle aged women like me doing local dressage , pleasure rides etc and would be nice to be part of that. I'm just anxious after years on my own turf.
 
Working livery works very well for my boy.
Pros: it's a lovely hacking yard, so he spends his days hacking out in a group, which he loves. The exercise is more than I could give him and means I don't have to restrict his grazing (he is a good doer). The yard owner is very good, and he is always ridden under supervision. He is a people person and is happy being ridden by others.
Cons: I have less control over how his kit is used - it has a tougher life than if it was just used by me. There have been rare mix-ups when I haven't been able to ride.
For him, it is the right approach.
My mare would hate it though. She is a one person horse.
 
I had my traddie on "working livery" at an equestrian college; and it worked well for us both. My boy was looked after impeccably and he was used by students of all levels.

Be aware that there is a distinct possibility that parts of your lovely bridle like the browband, reins or what-have-you, will "walk"!! Ditto those nice girth-guards you've bought specially for the saddle, plus your special stirrup leathers which you like to keep at just the right length for yourself!! Also you may find "your" rugs used on other horses in the yard......... etc etc.

Be aware that not all horses can cope with a busy yard tho' - mares in particular are more likely IMO to be stressed by this type of atmosphere.

This type of arrangement CAN work, but might not always work for everyone.

The only type of "working livery" arrangement I would consider again for mine would be an equestrian college.
 
If you get the right place, you will be fine. A lot of the people on here think it's sacrilege and you should only ever have a horse on DIY, but IMO that's a load of rubbish. I've had horses on working livery for the best part of ten years. And has generally been good.

Yes there are downsides, such as there can be mix up with your horse, and when you want to ride, and I wouldn't buy an expensive saddle/bridle at all, as when it gets broken, you will be paying for it's replacement.

Overall though I'm happy where my horse is; mainly used for hacking as opposed to school work which suits me down to the ground.
 
I had my old girl on working livery for several years until the school closed. It worked very well, she was kept very fit which meant things like PC camp and rallies were no problem for her as she was well used to doing 2 or more hours of lessons a day (compared to the other ponies/horses who were used to going for one ride a day of no more than an hour). She enjoyed the variety doing different things each lesson which meant that I could do whatever I liked because I knew she wouldn't only have been jumped/flatworked/hacked. She had good care when I wasn't there, and I enjoyed the companionship of the yard and staff when I was.
I did have my own bridle and a school bridle, couldn't afford to have 2 saddles (and it was a job to find one that would fit let alone 2) but I had saddle covers and seat savers that helped protect. I was on a huge yard, if yours is just small I wouldn't be so worried. Her stuff didn't go missing that often considering the size of the yard. Rugs never went walkabout, just small things like buckets and headcollars.
As far as your concern about bonding, if it is a horse that is suitable for working livery then they will cope fine with a variety of riders and also manage to bond with you. Mine knew who I was, that I was "special", because I did more with her than any other one rider, although she did develop some bonds with regular riders. But I spent the time grooming, taking her for inhand walks, just being with her - no-one else did that. She certainly recognised me and was pleased to see me. There are some horses that just wouldn't be suitable, so if you are buying a new horse with the intention of keeping it on WL then buy with that intent - my school helped us find my pony, and the vetting was done with WL in mind, the first one we vetted failed as not strong enough for school work, although would have passed if it was just for me and pony club.
 
debsflo said:
The control issue is my worry as I have my own way however the yard owner has a good reputation and is v careful about the type of riders used in fact she may help me find one as knows my ambition but also what they need. I think I will speak to the other working livery owners. As it's a small yard and only have 9 horses in total.They tend to be middle aged women like me doing local dressage , pleasure rides etc and would be nice to be part of that. I'm just anxious after years on my own turf.
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I think with just 9 horses you have a much better chance of knowing exactly what's going on , I think I would consider this set up for my mare and she is a worrier at times but with such a small yard the concerns over access/your stuff/overload would be much reduced. For one like mine who needs more work (weight) I think it sounds good.
 
Thank you, interesting thought about mares as that is what i want and i agree they can be more sensitive. i will have further discussion with both the yard owner and the other liveries. Once upon a time it wouldnt have suited me but it appeals now, and seems to offer more benefits than not . owner and instructor has competed at Advanced level dressage so knows her stuff.
 
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