Moving from Part- Full Livery to DIY

Pink Princess

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Sep 16, 2007
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Your success stories please! :D

I'm seriously considering moving yards at the moment but would also mean moving from part-full livery to DIY.

How does everyone manage - particularly those that used to be on part or full livery?

Has it been a change for the better? Or do you long for the days when you used to just have to arrive at the yard to find your horse groomed and in his or her box waiting for you?!

Just a post to gauge people's opinions and own experiences really :D

Thanks!
 
I really miss full livery!

I took Libby for 3 day/week share on DIY .. That was fine. Then the owner turned stupid and ended leaving Libby with me, meaning I was suddenly on full DIY. Not something I'd ever planned. Libby's not allowed to change yards, however, and ours only does DIY. I manage, despite working long hours. I have become good at heard torches and thermal wear!!! In summer it's wonderful because light till late but in winter I really do miss the ease of full livery :).
 
I much prefer DIY. Been doing it now for 5 years and woulnd't go back to part-livery, although it depends on the service you get I suppose. On part-livery, my horse would be forgotten and not turned out, occasionally given the wrong feed, etc. Now, there's only five horses on our yard and we all help each other out and its much better when you actually know what's going on.
 
I have been on both. Full at grass was great. If I could not get up one day I knew the water would be filled and horses checked over. Full when they came in over winter was also good but I felt I was missing out and would often do some mucking out myself.
DIY is great if its local and you have the time. Just watch that you dont end up being to helpful. And that you get something back if you help someone else.
 
I've been on both too.

I have 2 kids and was getting up at 5.30 to go and do Rocky every morning and then rushong back before the kids woke!

I loved the closeness of being on DIY but it was constant and not a lot of back up i.e. if children were ill.

I'm now on full and love it! It suits me as I know she will be taken of no matter what and it leaves weekends pretty free too. The drawback is you feel like someone else is getting the 'bond' with your horse.

The most important thing is it has to suit you and as long as you and your horse are happy then thats the main thing!
 
I looked at going to DIY and had it all planned out, but backed down at the last minute.

On Full just now and feel that I can have peace of mind that no matter what happens during my day Tyler will still get fed and cleaned every day, at the same time, by the same person.

I would love to go DIY if I had no other responsibilities but for Tylers sake as well as mine, I feel that Full Livery is the most suitable option.

The most attractyive thing to DIY for me was being able to do hsi bed myself so I know it is of my standards lol.

Jenny and Tyler
x
 
i have mine at home so do four of them, used to be 5, but i can do it to suit me ie if i have to go to an realy meeting i can chuck them out and then do the stables later.

also i work from home so again much easier for me. i don't have the travelling time. if i was working in an office, which i used to do, then i would have found it impossible to do diy unless it had been at home

i think it is a real struggle day to day if you are working full time and have to do very early mornings and late evenings, not so bad in summer but hell in winter. you have to be very dedicated.

i am lucky i can muck them out, get feeds ready so all i have to do it bring them in at night and take rugs off - and be at my desk by 9am.

i take my hat off to the folks who are out there at 0530 every morning to do their horses before they go to work... it is very very hard work.

years ago, i got the chance to buy my share horse but he was on full livery and that was what he would have had to stay on - at the time i just felt i couldn't afford £80 a week to ride at weekends only so i didn't do it.
 
i'm the other way around and i miss it! i moved from DIY because i got fed up of the yard and turnout facility and moved to a wonderful yard but its full livery and i really miss doing my boys. They are wonderfully taken care of at the new yard- the girls who work there and Yo treat them as their own and are brilliant but i really enjoyed doing them myself.
I do get to lie in in the mornings now at the weekend though!!
DIY is not hard at all- just need to allocate a bit more time in the am and pm to take care of everything, get lots of haynets made up at the weekend, feed all made up for the week so that it all runs smoothly.
Honestly you'll love having your horse to yourself ;)
 
I moved from DIY to assisted grass livery - pony gets checked every day and they fill up water etc they also offer other services eg bringing in prepare to for farrier etc as well as part livery for those horses who are stabled it suits me perfectly. I was going to go onto part livery but new pony is stable phobic so has to live out so there was no point.

Before this I was on DIY with a horse that was stabled over night in winter. DIY is great in the summer but tiring in the winter sometimes after I done my chores I was too tired to ride, it was stressful finding people to turnout or bring in, feed etc if I didnt want to come twice a day. Also I developed a shoulder problem from the lifting heavy shavings bales and the mucking out. I would say that if you do go DIY then it is useful to be at a yard who offer the extra services if you need then so if you are ill or for some reason can't make it so you know you have help.
 
i was on full livery for 8 years and i changed to DIY 5months ago and love it!! i would never go back to full as my moto is that "no one can look after your horse as well as you can"
 
I have gone from being on Full Livery for 3 years to ON MY OWN!!!!!

I rent land of a local farmer and thats me............moved this time last year and the first 6 weeks were damn hard but no way would I ever go back.
 
Thank you all for your comments - it's certainly given me a lot to think about!

I was happy on the yard, but recently things have changed and I think the service is going downhill (my horse being turned out after being clipped without being ruged up & being left without water for most of the day, some of my items mysteriously going "missing", squabbling left, right and centre, silly rules about the use of certain facilities and outside instructors using the facilities to teach) .... so am seriously looking at moving now, particularly as the possible new yard is closer to home and I know the person who runs and owns it and also provides part/full livery if required.

Where I am currently, they are only out for a maximimum of about 5 hours turn-out whereas the new yard offers 24/7 turn-out in the summer, which although isn't something I've ever had before, it would be much nicer for him and I'm sure I could cope without the mucking out! ;) The winter turnout is much better too - apparently they are quite happy for horse's to go out early in the morning and stay out until the evening.

The hacking is also really good - direct access to off road riding and fairly quite roads nearby anyway. The other facilities seem to be really good, although there's not an indoor school I suppose I can just buy some waterproof trousers and not be such a wimp! :D

There's not many liveries though and as silly as it sounds - I'm slightly worried by that ... would I miss having lots of people to ride out and giossip with? Although, I tend to hack out with only a few people at the moment anyway, and I really only chat properly to another two or three people there as the bitching that goes on is just silly, so I suppose it wouldn't be that much different!

Anyway, we are off to visit the yard 'properly' this week - so will be able to make up my mind much better then I suppose.

Thanks again!
 
When I first got my lad it was full livery but I moved pretty quickly to DIY as I love the involvement that you have with your own horse. He knows the sound of both my cars and as soon as he hears it, he calls for me! My heart melts everytime. I also felt full livery was still like me going to a riding school and i wanted to take more control.

When you first move its hard work - early mornings late nights but you do get used to it especially if you have a routine. We've just moved to a smaller yard without the bitching as i don't see anyone. I love it :D Our new yard has no yard politics, better hacking but didn't stop me worrying beforehand.

Let us know how it goes :)
 
i can't imagine not being on diy, mucking out, breakfast and dinner times are all part of the fun of owning them, but it is nice to have help there if you need it:)
 
I used to be on full. I used to have a yard full of people to chat to, go to the shop with, sit about and laugh with. I basically never used to ride, ok I did, but never for long and only when other people were.

Now I do everything myself, dont have much time to sit about. I went from having one on full livery to two on DIY. Its great, I really enjoy it :)
 
I think full livery is a great thing IF you get your moneys worth. On full livery, your horse should have a solid routine and things should generally run very smoothly. (Quite rightly so, as full is expensive!) However if you're not happy and don't feel your getting your money's worth, DIY could be an option. I'd love to be on DIY. As soon as I have my car! We'll be doing it :D Then again... the early mornings... nahh it'll be fine. I love to hear my horse snuffle in the morning :p I think you do need to be very organized for DIY though, and make sure your happy with turnout etc. I know lots of people on DIY have rows with other liveries because their horse has been brought in/not brought in. Then theres the arguments when you want your horse to stay out.. but everyone else is bringing in so they'd be all alone. So I say go for it but make sure you have it all worked out.
 
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