Questions to ask at livery yard

[halllv]

I have finally decided to start looking for my first horse :D I will be sharing with my daughter although it will be primarily mine. Experienced friends are going to help me with this.

I have been recommended 2 livery yards close to me and I need to call them
and ask about vacancys etc, how does this work :confused: I can't look until I have a livery but what if I can't find anything straight away?

Can you all give me an idea of questions to ask, what I'd eventually like is DIY as I only work 15 hours so have loads of free time. The thing is I realise that as newbie I will need support and ideally I'd like something like full livery for a couple of months then slowly decrease to DIY.

I do have some experience, I have been helping my friend with her horses for a while,bringing in and turning out, grooming and feet, bathing etc.( I don't ride them I'm a bit to heavy for them ) I'm also a RDA helper at the group my friend runs (she's a qualified instructor ) She's been great and says she will fully support me when I go it alone, but I don't want to feel that I'm taking advantage of her generousity. I also realise helping out and owning are very different,
Any help will be greatly appreciated, sorry its so long :)
Lynn

[Pickles]

Going gradually from full to DIY livery sound like a good idea. A good yard will be happy for you to be involved as much as possible from the start to help you learn the ropes, just because you're paying to have your new horse turned out doesn't mean you can't do it if you want to.

Point to look for/ask when viewing the yard;

What riding facilities are there and when are you allowed to use them, ie schooling arenas, jumps etc?

What is the hacking like, is traffic heavy?

When are you allowed on the yard? ie some yards close at a certain time of evening.

How flexible are they, ie if you are on DIY livery but want to go away for a weekend can you "buy in" help temporarily.

Is the yard friendly? Not really something you can ask but you want to feel like the people you meet will be welcoming as you will be spending alot of time there.

Is there secure storage for tack, feed etc?

Do the yard provide hay/bedding and if not is there storage space for you to buy in your own?

How much turnout is there, especially in winter and how do they accomodate horses that don't get along?

There's probably more but that's a good start!

[Supercali]

I would make sure you find out exactly what you do get for your money. Full and Part livery mean different things at different yards.

I used to have my horses on full livery but then had to pay extra for horses being exercised, tack cleaned, washing horses, nursing, rugs washed etc. Are hay/shavings/straw included and is there a limit on how much you can use?

Also, find out what their policy is on turnout for the horses, ours tended only to go out for an hour or so and weren't turned out at all on weekends!

Good luck with it all!

[Denbenj]

I would agree with what the others said especially if they do holiday liverys ect can be a god send sometimes, saves trying to organise and asking people favours you may not know to well!

Good luck with your search for a Horse.. Sounds like you have a really good friend there for backup if needed!

always best to have a good feel for a yard see what state the fields are in ie femcing ect..but as you said you have been recommended them so I'm sure they will be just fine!

All the best

Lenny x

[halllv]

Thanks for the replies I'm going to give them a ring tommorow and arrange a visit. I've written down all my questions as I'm sure to forget, hope they don't think thats a bit odd. OH was concerned about holidays - not that we have that many. I'll let you know how I get on :)
Lynn

[sidesaddlelady1]

It's a bit late in the day to add to this one but I would always want there to be someone living permanently on site.