DIY livery - how do you manage yourselves? Am i doing enough?

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PatchyPony

Guest
Would appreciate answers to this...

if you are on DIY livery, how do you manage your days?

To be honest, im feeling a little out of my depth:eek: and very low :( Probably not helped by the recent changes....

I can only get over to the horses once a day. To start with back in the sunny climes of November, that was fine. Over to yard, either just to check, or to ride/poo pick. Now the weather is S***** and there is no grass I feel like what Im doing insnt enough and Im missing the support of a livery yard :eek:

When I go over I check waters and put a pile of hay in the field. The times I get over varies to be honest, but if its freezing i go over early to break ice on the water. Is that enough though..? There have been a few days when other owners at the yard have left a note saying they have given mine hay or re-broken water later in the day, so they had obviously eaten all I had given them and the water had re-frozen.

If you are on DIY do you go to your yard several times a day in the winter?

Am just wondering if it would be fairer on my horses to be back at a livery yard:confused:
 
I'm on DIY and this is my typical week day!!

Y/O turns Casper out am and provides water and hay in field.

I go up pm, muck out, do nets, make up feeds, bring in, ride, rug and put to bed. I'm up there anywhere between 1 1/2 and 3 hours per day depending on whether or not I ride or get distracted chatting with the other liveries.

If you've got people there checking on your girls when you're not there and they don't mind doing it your fine.

I frequently turn out/bring in other peoples horses when I'm there- think I turned out 5 horses yesterday! - the way I see it is I'd like people to do the same for me - and they do which is why I like a small yard.

If you're worried speak to the other liveries and make sure they are ok keeping an eye on your girls and if it makes you feel better offer to check on theirs when you're up and the're not.


ETA - weekends I go twice a day - ride, turn out, muck out etc in the morning and then bring in, ride and put to bed at night - I don't have to do this and most of the other liveries are only there once a day at the weekend as the Y/O will bring in/turn out but I'm happy to do it!
 
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Mine are on DIY livery with stables and a paddock. I go up twice a day to check them, muck out, poo pick, hay and break ice on/top up the water. Works well for me as my yard is only a 5 minute drive from home so doesn't take too long.

Is there any way of moving them to a field with more grass?
 
I'm on DIY and this is my typical week day!!

Y/O turns Casper out am and provides water and hay in field.

I go up pm, muck out, do nets, make up feeds, bring in, ride, rug and put to bed. I'm up there anywhere between 1 1/2 and 3 hours per day depending on whether or not I ride or get distracted chatting with the other liveries.

If you've got people there checking on your girls when you're not there and they don't mind doing it your fine.

I frequently turn out/bring in other peoples horses when I'm there- think I turned out 5 horses yesterday! - the way I see it is I'd like people to do the same for me - and they do which is why I like a small yard.

If you're worried speak to the other liveries and make sure they are ok keeping an eye on your girls and if it makes you feel better offer to check on theirs when you're up and the're not.


ETA - weekends I go twice a day - ride, turn out, muck out etc in the morning and then bring in, ride and put to bed at night - I don't have to do this and most of the other liveries are only there once a day at the weekend as the Y/O will bring in/turn out but I'm happy to do it!

hmmm - thats what i was on before, i would class that more as part diy.

im totally flying solo, but then mine are living out so there is no turnout in the mornings.
 
Mine are on DIY livery with stables and a paddock. I go up twice a day to check them, muck out, poo pick, hay and break ice on/top up the water. Works well for me as my yard is only a 5 minute drive from home so doesn't take too long.

Is there any way of moving them to a field with more grass?

sadly, no, not at the place im at.
 
Do you often go to the yard to find they've run out of hay and water is frozen?

Do you know many of the other liveries that you could have a chat too and come to an arrangement or is there any staff at all on site?

I totally understand your concerns - where I used to keep Casper, although it was a large yard, the DIY horses were all kept separate from the others and it was only the other DIY liveries that really checked them - I was always worried that something would happen and no one would notice but generally the liveries all helped each other out.

You often find that at most DIY livery yards the liveries have some kind of arrangement where they have a rota for feeding and checking on the horses - is there nothing like that at your yard?
 
I go up in the morning before work for 45 mins. Change rugs, turnout, muckout, put feed,water and hay in for the evening. Back home in the shower at 7am. Good start to the day, but it does mean that I MUST be in bed by 10.15PM.
When I go up at 4.30 I just bring in,change rugs and leave.

This system works for me. Means I don't spend ages chatting instead of doing jobs in the evening. In the mornings I am half asleep so have forgotten by the time I get to work that I even did all the jobs in the morning!!!I would highly reccomend getting everything done early.
When you get your new horse perhaps you could look into getting a sharer? That's what Im thinking of doing - to give myself a few evenings/mornings off a week.
 
I only visit my two once a day and I am on DIY livery too.

Can I just say though that most horse-owners will agree that January and February are the PITS for us horse-owners... the cold, the mud, the darkness, the rain and/or snow and little time to ride so it's all payment out for not a lot back. Couple this with the very recent changes in your horsey circumstances, it's hardly surprising you are feeling a little out of sorts.

Try to focus on the positives... we have passed the shortest day so they are creeping back along towards long warm summer evenings. I can't remember when you got your first horse, whether it was still summer or not (sorry :eek: ) but I bought my first one in November so I had all the pants weather to get through first - at the time I could never imagine the summer and it took a hell of a long time to come round as well. My second winter absolutely flew by though.

Hang in there :)
 
Do you often go to the yard to find they've run out of hay and water is frozen?

Do you know many of the other liveries that you could have a chat too and come to an arrangement or is there any staff at all on site?


You often find that at most DIY livery yards the liveries have some kind of arrangement where they have a rota for feeding and checking on the horses - is there nothing like that at your yard?

no staff cos its not an official livery yard, just fields and stables at a private house. There are only 2 other liveries and they arent keen on a rota, i already asked. It doesnt seem fair on them to expect them to check on mine. i think my only option is to speak to the owner and see if we can come to some arrangement whereby im supported a bit, depends if she's got the time, is happy to do that though. otherwise im wondering if Id be bettr off back at an actual 'livery yard' :confused:
 
I only visit my two once a day and I am on DIY livery too.

Can I just say though that most horse-owners will agree that January and February are the PITS for us horse-owners... the cold, the mud, the darkness, the rain and/or snow and little time to ride so it's all payment out for not a lot back. Couple this with the very recent changes in your horsey circumstances, it's hardly surprising you are feeling a little out of sorts.

Try to focus on the positives... we have passed the shortest day so they are creeping back along towards long warm summer evenings. I can't remember when you got your first horse, whether it was still summer or not (sorry :eek: ) but I bought my first one in November so I had all the pants weather to get through first - at the time I could never imagine the summer and it took a hell of a long time to come round as well. My second winter absolutely flew by though.

Hang in there :)


I got Tally in October. Yep - im feeling totally crap. Maybe ive got PMT , lol;):eek:
 
was thinking maybe it would help if I put a big round bale of hay out in the field - so they cant run out ...? what do you think? and on frozen days I'll just have to try and arrange my time better so i can get across there more than once.

problem is its not like there is a YO as such cos it isnt a really a 'yard' - as I said its someones house.. and the owner is a good friend so i dont want her to feel I am putting on her by asking for help:confused::eek:
 
Only problem with the round bales is they get trashed easily - our Y/O put one in our field the other day and what with the rain and mud, much of it got trashed and what's left the horses aren't interested in.

If you got one of the feeders through it should be ok.

Is it an automatic trough in the field?
 
Only problem with the round bales is they get trashed easily - our Y/O put one in our field the other day and what with the rain and mud, much of it got trashed and what's left the horses aren't interested in.

If you got one of the feeders through it should be ok.

Is it an automatic trough in the field?

yeah, there is an automatic watering system which works fine unless it freezes, but ive got 2 of the big trug buckets out as well.
 
I only see mine once a day to give some hay and their feeds and break any frozen water. I dont worry to much, theyre okay, if the water is frozen they will still be okay, there is alot of moisture in the grass this time of year so they can get some from that and not need to drink as much as the summer months its not like they are going more than hours without water, i wouldnt worry.
 
I'm lucky in that I have a fast flowing stream in the feild so it never freezes, but I do check / feed morning and evening - sometimes only for 5 minutes or less though! I have been putting round bales out and have a similar problem that they get trashed - last year we used the big round bales but there were another 2 horses to share them - my 1 and a half (shetland) wouldnt eat them before they went horrid - tonight I hung a big hay net which I will top up in the morning, because they were ignoring the wet remains of their last bale. I am feeding simple systems pretty much ad-lib as well - my boy isnt a good doer, I have no grass left, and he doesnt eat particularly quickly - just munches a bit and leave it. I just wish that it would stop raining and the gound dry out - the feild is so boggy I have left the gate into the lane next to my house open to let them stand on the harder ground, and they are spending most of their time making sad faces at me through the patio doors!
 
I am normally down the yard most of the day while the kids are at school,
but its christmas and I have been really ill

I check on Pickle once a day at the moment, give him hay (I will admit that if he runs out which is unlikely then other liveries will pop him some in and I would do the same for them)

I leave the water alone, if he is thirsty he will make a hole in it himself, I have found all my horses do this I am just not sure how :confused: as never seen them, I just find a hole in the ice as if its been warmed?, if you break the ice it refreezes thicker :eek:

yes he could do with more attention, he is bouncing around like an andrex puppy, but I have been ill and its tough, its only a week or so, if he was older the lack of attention for a few weeks wouldnt do any harm.

plus I know enough people walk past his field and nosey at him for me, and they would ring me in an instant if there was a problem?
 
Echo putting a ball in, just what I was going to say! A tennis ball would do, which is smaller and more easily replaced!

Are yours in a field by themselves? A round bale should be fine, my old RI used to have 2 between about 11 horses and they never trashed it!
If you are worried about them running out you could just put alot more in when you see them, or leave some right by the gate and ask someone to just literally chuck it over!?

Ours are out 24/7 on DIY and we only go once a day, to poo pick, ride and feed. They don't need hay though so that's a bit different.
 
yeah mine are out by themselves in their own field.

ive been feeling poorly as well, i just feel i have zero energy :(
 
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