[jacob and Georgina]

I just wanted to ask about the sort of prices people would pay a week for a DIY livery, if they were renting one stable with an acre of land and there is lovely hacking straight from the fields, and would you pay more if there was a sand school you could use for free. Any help would be much appreciated as i really need help thanks.

[Rosemary]

Last year I was paying £30 a week for DIY livery that included grass, hay, loosebox and access to 60x40 allweather, floodlit arena and good hacking.

[jacob and Georgina]

really that sounds very cheap where in the country is that, i live in Devon and most the livery's are around £60 there is hacking right next to Dartmoor national park do you think that will make a difference and is the reason it is double the price? This is why i wanted to ask because obviously everywhere is different but i wanted to know how much is too much, and thanks so much for your reply.

[Rosemary]

Clackmannanshire

[Fi]

We are in Aberdeenshire and were offered DIY without stable, but with the use of outdoor school for £15 a week. This was 2 years ago. Full livery at the time at the same place was £100. I'd be interested to hear what current prices are. I guess it largely depends upon the facilities and location, proximity to town etc.
Regards
Fi

[gillsta]

I paid £25 per week about 5 yrs ago in Aberdeenshire. That was just grass and a shelter. It varies a great deal where you live in the country. I know folk paying £80 pw down south (ouch) I am lucky to have my lot at home now and we produce our own hay. 

[loosey]

Hi J&G

I am from Devon and even on my most expensive yard, only paid £32 per week for DIY with use of all facilities! PM me if you want to let me know where you are, I might know of someone nearby ... are you sure the price you have been quoted is for DIY nad not part?

[Rosemary]

Side issue, but this is the first year we've had the ponies at home and it's a great eyeopener. I've been working out today how much hay I'll use in a year. Our ponies are natives and are kept on minimal grazing and fed hay all year, with very minimum bucket feed (chaff, vitamins and minerals and garlic). I reckon I'll spend £720 on hay in a year for our three.

At livery, I (and no-one else in the yard) never thought about hay apart from to complain about it. The amount wasted was incredible. Not from Smokey, I must say, 'cos his intake was always restricted and he always cleaned up, but folk would be putting barrow loads in the muck heap - of course the cost was hidden in the weekly bill, so it was "free". No wonder Ken used to have apoplexy about it 

Sorry, slightly off topic but it was in my head 

[Frieslandfilly]

I run a DIY livery and we charge £100 per month per horse/pony that includes a stable, paddock and straw, plus the use of water/electric etc, we have a school with mirrors that is used free of charge by liveries and a hardstanding for horsebox. We dont recomend they keep thier tack here as we have had two tack thefts a couple of years ago. Hope that helps, we are in Oxfordshire.

[lachlanandmarcus]

The yard I used to be on in Hertfordshire (so home counties ££) charged £45 a week for DIY with good manege, secure tack storage and (for that area!) decent hacking.

Now that was in an area with limited livery spaces and lots of people wanting it, and was a good small friendly well run yard.

IMO £60 anywhere outside home counties is mad money, I certainly wouldnt pay that for DIY down there, the most I would pay for DIY in the West Country area would be £40 ish a week.

[ellied]

Depends where you are - I wouldn't pay more than £10 a week for grazing and would expect a cheaper rate for multiple animals.  With access to a stable and completely DIY I have paid £25 in the past but it wouldn't be affordable now. 

What I have done in recent years is rent grazing at agri-rates of around £90-100/acre per year, paying monthly in advance and that way have managed the numbers I keep without the commercial equestrian rates.  I'm looking again at the moment as I haven't enough here to sustain the numbers til sales get going again, but not many farmers will take ponies as grazers rather than try and charge a "livery" rate just for a field

If you're thinking of setting up a livery however, beware insurance costs