Working Livery

Cobi

Cobi

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Hello all

Can anyone tell me your experiences of working livery, I have tried the search button with no luck... any links will be good.

Thanks :)
 
You're welcome. Am sorry I do not have any recent experiences of working liveries. It is over 30 years since there were some at my Mothers riding school, so I think any news would be out of date.
Talking of which, check the dates on the link. Some of them are a few years old so might also be inaccurate.
Happy horse hunting,
Teg :)
 
The only one I know of, which is just to the north of London, (and these prices are six years old) offered working livery for £90 a week. Your horse was used in lessons for five days a week for two hours a day. So that basically gave you one day a week to ride, if you wanted to give them a day off. A lesson with a trainee instructor was included in price. This is a proper swanky BHS yard, with good facilities but rubbish hacking. So not a great deal for you or horse. And that was a 'good yard'.
 
My first pony was on working livery for most of the time I had her. We were at Patchetts, from when it was a really friendly, old fashioned yard until the riding school closed.

It was great for us, I am the only horsey one in the family so my parents knew she would be cared for while I learned more, I could spend all day at the yard and help out with other horses when my pony was working. I had her half a day each weekend day (with occasional dispensation to have a whole day for PC shows or something), the other half day she did up to 2hrs work. During the week I could have her all day as long as she was ready for the 4:30 lesson, and she occasionally did later adult lessons. But I don't think she did more than an hour a day during the week. Mondays were holidays for the whole yard, so she stayed out - I could have ridden her but felt she deserved it off.

I could take her away for camp, I made her available for pony weeks when I was on holiday so she got loads of pampering. She was very popular so whoever had her felt very privileged as she only did one week a year!

Shoeing and vets bills were split, but being a big yard most minor injuries were dealt with in-house. She had to be insured for vets fees, and the company knew she was working livery. They provided all food and bedding. Tack and rugs were my responsibility, and I also made sure she had her own school headcollar although it did go walkabout from time to time. Generally I had a groom who cared for her as part of their selection of horses, so I knew who to go to with a problem.

For us it worked really well, sometimes it was hard to see her going off to be ridden by someone less than my ideal, but equally sometimes she had super adult riders (she was 14hh) to help improve her schooling. She did everything from leadrein up.

She worked hard - up to 8hrs a week for the school, maybe 5-6 hrs with me during the holidays - but she thrived on it and she was always fit enough for PC camp or ODE which was a lot more than many PC ponies.

Not sure how much use this is now, we had to leave maybe 13yrs ago, but I can't see that working livery can change that much - I would certainly be willing to look at it again if the situation arose that I needed to, but it really depends on the individual school. Yes, you do need to accept that not all riders will be quite what you would like (but it's unlikely that you will see many, you need to trust the school) but with the right horse the pros can be massive - peace of mind, support, schooling, and fitness.
 
It really does depend on the school. You need to be clear about how much work your pony will be expected to do and what sort of lessons they will be involved in. if they are popular will they be worked more? How much more? It is also worth checking out what will happen if they are not able to work for some reason - do you then have to pay full livery? What happens if you want your pony on a day they should be working - do you have to pay for that? One working livery locally charges the kids to take thier ponies to PC camp as they have to cover the lost lesson revenue. You also have to be clear with your insurance which can be higher.

You will have what is, really, a riding school pony. So you probably won't have that much refinement, top line etc. It is also a bit difficult to branch out and explore less well trod equestrian paths if the school is not supportive. However Working livery is a great support if you are not horsey. Plus you have the comfort of knowing that thier routine and exercise is maintained when you are not there. But from experience people tend to grow beyond it and want more say over what thier horse does, how it is managed etc.

Just like livery yards you'll find as many good experiences as bad ones. You need to check things out really carefully and make your decision!
 
I had my first horse on working livery. Unfortunately it didnt work out too well for me because he was a good allrounder and therefore ended up being used in 4 or 5 lessons a day (hourly lessons). Others on the yard with more difficult horses were rarely used.

In the end I switched him to full livery but the YO still used him in her school when she thought I wouldnt know and then said it was my fault for leaving her short of a good horse in her riding school!

I'm not sure how helpful that is. I cant remember prices but I think it was about two thirds the cost of full livery at the time.
 
Mine waa on working livery at a very small RS, who were a bit like gold dust. He was ridden 3-4 days per week, but sat and sun after lessons I used to take him for a hack, and rode in the week. It was nice to have a fit horse for showing in the summer, and they had a whole RS of nicely schooled ponies and horses, and with good instruction too their clients just didn't learnt to kick kick shove shove. Mine was a sensitive soul and there was a stoical ploddy cob on working livery too, and I think that helped, because the more sensitive riders were put on mine and those who were likely to upset him got put on the cob who didn't care :o I remember going to watch a lesson part way through once and the two ladies who usually rode the two cobs had asked to swop for the lesson, and the lady who rode mine regularly was happily taking part on the other horse, and the one who was used to the other cob was sat on him stood on the centre line, almost in tears. Poor lady + horse had had total miscommunication due to being used to riding/being ridden very differently! :o

I also got to see my chap really look after several nervous riders, and to be ridden nicely which when you're the sole rider you don't.

I was able to take him away to pony club/shows whatever on his usual working days, but I think that's rare.

I would have another on working livery on the same yard in a flash, but I think finding another yard like them (this one closed years ago) would be like hens teeth.
 
The local saddle club works there horses for a max of 2 hrs per day, and the working liveries seem to be much the same, although theres seem to be there when they need help with them rather than a long term thing. The lessons aren't exactly stressful, and if I had something like my pony again, wouldn't have a problem having him on working livery if it suited me.
I don't see a problem with a horse working three hours a day, or more, mine reguarlaly do that anyway.
 
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