Would you put your horse on working livery?

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hondatyper

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I have been in a very tough position lately and I was at the point of having to sell my horse, everyone who knows him said I should keep him or put him on loan as he's such a fab horse.

Last week I had done the advert and was at the point of going out to put it up in local tack shops etc. I spoke to lots of people I know and was putting the word round. I had worked out that i have ridden him 4 times in the last 2 months and the cost of livery has been crippling me:(

The YO came up to me at the weekend and said that she heard that I was going to sell, I said well no I can't part with him but was going to try the loan route. She has offered to reduce my livery by quite a lot and cover all his feed bedding and hay if she can use him for teaching her 2 working pupils and a couple of mums who's kids have poinies at the yard, they both have ridden before.

The working pupils are much better riders than I ever will be, the YO is a dressage rider with some pretty top class horses and the yard is BHS approved.

BUT talking to a friend the other day she said she could never do this, let others ride her horse ( she does have a faffy TB mare that goes bananas if anyone else gets on her, you have to get on in a 'certain' way and ride in a 'certain' way etc etc)

I think I have weighed up the situation, he will only be used for lessons, the riders are not novices or complete beginners and although he is a big show cob, I have told the YO he is not a pushover and can be spooky. He has always been spooky to hack alone but I know this is lack of exercise as when he's worked he is a million times better. Although he is well schooled I am hoping that this will improve his schooling and he will only be used for lessons unless I say otherwise.

So what do you think? do you let other people ride your horse? He won't be on a working livery basis like you may have at a riding school with all and sundry on him and he really needs the exercise. I have had him 5 years and know him pretty well so can monitor how he is and if his mood or personality changes. It's a lovely yard and he gets very well looked after there, I dont have any worries that they would abuse him at all.
 
if it were the choice between keeping him or loosing him and you're happy with the yard etc then i think it's a good option :)
oor - if you want to keep him to yourself - could you keep him on grass livery somewhere cheaper?
or how about a sharer?
 
In all honesty, I'd do it. you've said yourself you can't afford to keep him and don't have the time to ride him as much as he needs and this way he'll get ridden, your livery costs are going done and he's going to get the riding and attention he deserves.

If i was in your position this is what i would do and I wouldn't listen to your friend - is she going to help you pay the livery for your horse? No, so honestly....do NOT listen.
 
It sounds like this is a good option. It's not like he is on a riding school being worked 5 hours a day with any Tom, Dick and Harry bouncing around on him and hanging off his mouth.

It sounds like you trust your YO and you will be able to monitor him closely to check for any signs that the new routine isn't suiting him.

Sounds like it could work out really well.
 
I'd do it... if it's the working pupils riding him who are better anyway, then you basically get free schooling and cheaper livery costs.

At the same time, I can understand why you would want your horse to be "yours". I'd be like that, too. But see it this way - if you sold, you would inevitably let others ride your horse anyway...
 
Given that it is working pupils and not just any old riding school then I'd say yes.

It is much better for you as you will be able to ride him and keep seeing him too.

I know a few horses that have been on working livery at the riding school where I ride and for most of them it has worked really well. I wouldn't do it in my circumstances but for a lot of people it is a great solution. A couple on our yard have actually got a load of schooling done with their horse at no cost to them that they wouldn't have been able to do themselves as they are quite novicey. Others are able to keep their horse fit when they wouldn't normally be able to.

One on our yard was competing BD novice while on working livery, and stayed on working livery until he became to arthritic for regular work. A couple of others have their horses on normal livery but allow their horses to be used occasionally for higher level working pupils when required and get a reduction in their livery accordingly.
 
Yes I have. My first horse, I worked in London and wanted to be on a yard near where i lived. It didn't work for us with this particular yard as she was used for lunge lessons when under vet instructions she shouldn't have been lunged and I also often turned up to ride, having arranged that I'd be riding her to find her out on lessons or hacks - that was because she was so adaptable and could be used for beginners and BHS Stage 3 lessons and tests.

However I wouldn't rule it out again and in your circumstances with your YO I would give it a go.
 
If it was a choice of keeping your horse or selling him and having no control of his future, and you trust the YO to do as stated, then yes, I would put him into working livery. As others have said you can only benefit from the work and attention he would be getting. You'll be able to monitor him and if you aren't happy, then speak up, remember its not set in stone.

Hope it all works out for the best for you and your horsey :)
 
I read the title of your post and was all set to say 'no, never in a million years' however the situation you describe wouldn't be a typical working livery and it is a situation that I would be very willing to consider in your position.
 
QR; When I first read this I thought, no way would I put my horse on working livery...

And I still wouldn't lol..

But for your situation I think it's best for you. And to be honest I think you have a great deal here. You get to see him, ride him just others will be too! It's a far better set up, than if he were at a riding school or something as that's what I thought you originally meant. Working pupils would be great and a couple of Mums with the instruction of your YO sounds like a good deal if I am honest.
The only question is do you respect and trust your YO? As if you do I wouldn't hesitiate for your situation I think it's a fab deal... Of course if you do not think too much of your YO than that would no doubt be a different story.

Let us know how you get on. Oh out of curiosity, why have you not ridden him? (sorry being nosey!)

xxx
 
I have 2 sharers! But one said 2 weeks ago that she can't share any more one of the reasons I decided to go for this option, the other sharer is talking about going travelling this summer when she finishes uni and isn't too regular at the moment anyway.

I live near London and the cost of livery round here is high, there's not many yards that offer grass livery and to be honest the few that do I wouldn't want him there, barbed wire fencing, rugs getting nicked off their backs etc etc.

The yard I am at now has post and rail fencing, 24 hour supervision, a fab large school with excellent surface etc etc. so as far as his care is concerned I am happy with him there.

He is a big handsome show cob and if I show him he has to have a judge ride so having other people on him is of a benefit. I will look out for when they will use him hopefully I can have a little watch see how he goes! If I am not happy then I can review the situation. If I feel he's not right I will have to look at other options then. At my last yard I would only let a couple of people on him anyway, sometimes people see a cob though and think it's a beginners horse or an easy horse to ride, I have told YO what he can be like! good to hear your opinions though! it's put my mind at rest a bit more.
 
Id do it, sounds like your YO knows what she is talking about and you can keep your horse. Youur not going to have any novices on him or anyone unsupervised so it wouldnt worry me atall to be honest.
 
As the top of my post, single mum, 2 kids, have to work full time have a house to run been through a horrible horrible 4 year long separation and divorce, come out of it broke!!

So thats enough reason to not ride! I also got really down over the winter months going to the yard doing the chores never having enough time to ride, my little boy sitting in the car on his gameboy cold and bored and banging on the window to go home!!

I have done a lot of soul searching last few months as what to do with my horse I agree that a horse is a 'luxuary' item and I go without a hell of a lot to keep him, if he had been a difficult horse or something not so special then I would have sold him or loaned out months ago. Some months I am scraping the pennies out of my purse to pay for him!

But he really is a special one, one in a million, all the old sayings, but everyone who sees him just falls for him, he has a great personality and is very striking so is always noticed and remembered!!! Want to put up pics but can't get my damn phone to 'talk' to the PC!!!!!
 
working livery isnt that bad - dependant on where you are. A lot of people are to precious about their horse "only I can ride it", then it doesnt get enough exercise, and owner gets scared of it (I do realise this is a generalisation, but have seen a fair bit of it.)

All of mine have been on working livery at some point; mainly due to the fact I cant afford two on full livery. Henry is now on full livery - partly as the fact he tends to get morons on him that saw at his mouth, and partly due to the fact I was mad he was used for a jumping lesson one evening, then had a large man put on him the day after for a hack, when he was under vets orders not to be doing very much. (Had only come back into work the day before jumping lesson.) However, new horse is on working livery, and will remain so, as I dont have time to exercise both to keep them eventing fit, and neither can I afford two full livery.
 
Go for it! Sounds ideal. You will have more time and money and he will stay in his home and no doubt be spoiled to death.In the nicest possible way.
 
Sounds like it may be worth a try in these circumstances.

If you sent him on loan you may not find someone you know as well as the YO, he would be in unfamiliar surroundings, and it may be hard for you to keep an eye on him. So if it is between loan to a stranger and this very specific working livery on your current yard, the latter sounds best.

If may be good thought if you are clear from the outset that the horse is only to be used in lessons and ridden by a few named individuals.

If it does not work out it may still be easier to find a new home once he is ridden regularly.
 
I have done this before due to money problems and being in my final year at university. She was looked after impeccably by the first place she was at for 2years. It really helped me, and best of all I did not have to sell her. I took her back after 3years of her being out on loan, 2years to one place and a year to another.
The second place was naff, but this is something you can keep an eye on being as you will be there often anyway, so you can monitor closely how your horse is being cared for.
I would go for it personally.
 
If I managed to find a horsey anytime soon I would put it on working livery at the yard i work at. For a horse to be suitable for my nervous tendancies it would most likely be suitable for the students to ride.
The horses are used about 3 hours a week each, with brilliant instructors and yard staff ;) caring for them. They get as much turnout as possible and have a very easy life there. There is excellant hacking and a huge outdoor and small indoor available for owners to use whenever their horse is not in use. It is the only way I could afford to keep a horse on such an good yard.
 
Sounds ideal to me, as someone else says free schooling and cheap livery, absolute bargain. I'd probably put something in writing to YO (get her to sign a copy too) with specifics as to who can ride him and when (so he's not in lessons when you'll want to ride), plus that it's only for lessons with YO - so that way you don't get every TD&H wanting/expecting to ride him (he sounds lovely BTW)
 
If you trust the YO to have your horses best interest at heart then i'd go for it.

I had my very first pony on working livery at a relatives riding school. She had been used as a riding school pony in a previous home so she was an idea one for teaching on as it was mostly small child beginner riders there :)

The only problem i found is that we would have set times they could use her for lessons, and a few times when i went down to ride her (outside of her lesson times) she was being used in a lesson because a child has specifically requested her or they'd had a problem with another pony. This was the reason we ended up moving yards as she was an old pony and we were concerned she was getting more work that she should have been.
 
I think in a situation like this you need everything in writing about the arrangement & specially how many times a day/week your horse is going to be ridden & at what standard the riders are to be. Remember you are hoping for your horse to be schooled not just ridden around making your YO money.
 
If it is the choice between that and losing your horse, there is no choice of course.

But you need to qwatch a few lesons, make sure thay are respecting your horse and tack, and make sure he is happy. If you don;t like someone's attitude and the way they ride - speak up, dont; be backward.

One of my lads lad was in working livery when I got him, and part fo the sale agrement was that it would stay that way for 3 months (until they replaced him) - two of the ladies were really nice and doted on him, spoiled him rotten, but one bloke turned up and told everyone he had trained with blah, blah, then proceeded to give my horze a hard time as he had his massive ego trip. half way through the lesson I walked into the school, took the reins from his hand, told him to get off and f*** off - then took my horses to another yard.

Make sure you are happy.
 
Working livery NO!!. But it all depends where you are,I put a horse on work livery, had to book in to ride him, also on group lessons, didn't get to ride my horse, put on a smaller pony as he was a money earner for taller riders. Owned him for 22 years, but for 1 year, a total nightmare, till I found another livery yard. I'd rather sell or put down than put any of mine on working livery.
 
My horse was bought from the riding school, cos son fell in love with her, she is working livery and it works really good for us, we cant be there every day and the owners really care for the horses. Yes she is used to teach riders, but they know who can ride her and who is not able to. They ask me first if a long hack is planned. And I am very good friends with the y o , I am considering a 2nd horse for me, but will be on full loan as I cant ride at the moment (weight issues) when i am riding again that will be on working livery too.
 
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