Bit of fun, if you run your own DIY livery yard

newforest

newforest

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Mar 15, 2008
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What rules would you have and why?
What basics would you offer and why?

So my obvious from my other thread is that ALL gates are horse friendly and close slowly by themselves in some way.
The only leccy fencing is internal paddocks. All outer fencing is post and rail or sheep fencing backed up by any of the natural hedges, walls or banks that might be there.
All paddocks have natural or man made shelter at all times, the paddocks are set up in such a way that all horses have the option.
There would be a resident buddy for anyone whose horse didn't like being left out last for example.
All the gateways would have some sort of drainage, hardcore, grass mat so nobody sinks, slides or swims.

Just the few random thoughts to start you off.



I wouldn't necessarily live onsite.
I would have a groundsman dealing with management.
 
I’d only do part or full livery, I really hate seeing horses not getting the essentials and at least that way you are feeding and watering them because sadly there’s always one who doesn’t. Plus in a herd living out its way easier if all are fed together if you need to.

I’d have a huge barn with a large handstand and plenty of acreage all around it, set up so they could always have access no matter which field or surfaced track they’re on. The barn would easily split into 2 in case they needed to be split into 2 groups for their waistlines, and would have 2 stables in there for emergency use.
 
Having worked on a livery yard, people biggest gripping was about fields, naff fencing, mud, being the furthest field from the yard and bullying horses.

Top priority would be more grazing than the horses need. Ie not this 1½ acre per horse malarkey. It would be 4 acres per horse if thats what the land type called for.

Id probably offer a summer only grazing contract. They do it with cattle grazing so why not horses.
Dont have to think about hay over the worse months of the year.

Gateways would be fenced off. Hardcore to protect.
Id insist on regular rotation of grazing. Particularly in winter months.

Hay not to be fed in the immediate part of field. To be fed well away from gateways.

Id probably go for individual turnout to. So horses dont develop separation issues.

Id have a no mans paddock so that horses that were a pair. When one went out the other could go on that field for yummy grass to occupy there minds.

Id go for a moveable water points to avoid poaching. Hard core area if need be.

For a larger yard. Numerous separate yard/tack up and storage areas if i had enough to facilitate.
 
Jessey said:
I’d only do part or full livery, I really hate seeing horses not getting the essentials and at least that way you are feeding and watering them because sadly there’s always one who doesn’t. Plus in a herd living out its way easier if all are fed together if you need to.

I’d have a huge barn with a large handstand and plenty of acreage all around it, set up so they could always have access no matter which field or surfaced track they’re on. The barn would easily split into 2 in case they needed to be split into 2 groups for their waistlines, and would have 2 stables in there for emergency use
Click to expand...

I'm moving mine here!
 
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Jessey said:
I’d only do part or full livery, I really hate seeing horses not getting the essentials and at least that way you are feeding and watering them because sadly there’s always one who doesn’t. Plus in a herd living out its way easier if all are fed together if you need to.

I’d have a huge barn with a large handstand and plenty of acreage all around it, set up so they could always have access no matter which field or surfaced track they’re on. The barn would easily split into 2 in case they needed to be split into 2 groups for their waistlines, and would have 2 stables in there for emergency use.
Click to expand...
We sort of had that at the last place

We had the run in barn that had outside hardcore and about 15 acres. It could also have had internal stables. We used one side to bulk but the hay and straw

The owner did decide to split the herd up into mares and geldings, that just resulted in stressed horses both fence walking as the herd wasn't complete. If you start off like that and that's how they live it will work.

J was at the bottom of the pecking order. When all the horses got moved to the summer field and mine wouldn't stop eating long enough to go with them. They all waited by the fence for him to join them before they went off.
I still had to call him and go get him, he really couldn't give a fig about the fact they were all lined up 😂
 
chunky monkey said:
Having worked on a livery yard, people biggest gripping was about fields, naff fencing, mud, being the furthest field from the yard and bullying horses.

Top priority would be more grazing than the horses need. Ie not this 1½ acre per horse malarkey. It would be 4 acres per horse if thats what the land type called for.

Id probably offer a summer only grazing contract. They do it with cattle grazing so why not horses.
Dont have to think about hay over the worse months of the year.

Gateways would be fenced off. Hardcore to protect.
Id insist on regular rotation of grazing. Particularly in winter months.

Hay not to be fed in the immediate part of field. To be fed well away from gateways.

Id probably go for individual turnout to. So horses dont develop separation issues.

Id have a no mans paddock so that horses that were a pair. When one went out the other could go on that field for yummy grass to occupy there minds.

Id go for a moveable water points to avoid poaching. Hard core area if need be.

For a larger yard. Numerous separate yard/tack up and storage areas if i had enough to facilitate.
Click to expand...
I thought the guide for space was one acre for the first. 1.5 for the second making it 2.5.
That said that's not 24/7 turnout that would be the combined system.
I do wonder if some places would benefit from the all year round combined system, so people wouldn't necessarily have to stable 24/7 as the soil would not get compacted wet and full of weeds. It would actually be rested for six months of the year.
 
newforest said:
I thought the guide for space was one acre for the first. 1.5 for the second making it 2.5.
Click to expand...
Something like that.

Far too many yards work on that priniciple. Which in my book is so wrong.
No way in the world could you keep 2 horses on that little amount on my pasture. Its no wonder horses are stood knee deep in mud.
If i was running a livery the horses would have luxury as they would never have a muddy field.
 
It’s 1.5 acres for the first horse and 1 acre for every additional after the first, and that is meant to be for living out 24/7. Where I used to live that would be enough but here you need about 2 acres per horse, because of the sandy soil we don’t get the same summer growth.

newforest said:
The owner did decide to split the herd up into mares and geldings, that just resulted in stressed horses both fence walking as the herd wasn't complete. If you start off like that and that's how they live it will work.
Click to expand...
I split and change mine around all the time, they don’t fuss about it. I’ve currently got little and large separate but late spring the 2 fatties will be together, then once summer is here they’ll all be together, and I expect little and large will split again for winter.
 
chunky monkey said:
Something like that.

Far too many yards work on that priniciple. Which in my book is so wrong.
No way in the world could you keep 2 horses on that little amount on my pasture. Its no wonder horses are stood knee deep in mud.
If i was running a livery the horses would have luxury as they would never have a muddy field.
Click to expand...
My field is about 3 acres, it would just about cope with two, however with the wet winter we've just had that would be a no.

I can never understand seeing horses standing in poached fields, there should be somewhere for those animals to come off to.
It's badly managed imo/over stocked/no facilities.
You would never see farmers managing their stock like that.
 
Poached fields aren't always preventable, were I used to live we had 6 horses on 20 acres, 10 acres for winter and 2x 5 acre summer fields, sadly that winter field would always end up poached by the gate even though it was at the top of a hill, it's because it was such heavy clay as soon as there was a tiny divot it fills with water and won't drain so it progressively got worse and worse. I had similar at several other yards in that area too.
 
I only have 2 acres for the two horses. We're on sand so (so far, touching all available wood) we haven't had the mud problem. I do have to be really careful with the land though - poo pick daily, wage war on the weeds and the horses come in overnight. I have the land split into 4 paddocks, one for winter and the other 3 so I can rotate them in summer. The winter one gets bare and I feed hay, it's just so they're out really. I'd have to feed hay in summer too if the grass ran out - it's more likely to fail in dry weather because of our sandy soil. Ideally I'd like warm, showery weather please.
 
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I actually wouldn't want to run my own yard, so this is purely random.
But I think I would have floating fields anyway that simply didn't get muddy 😂
 
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