# Why is retirement livery so expensive??



## Lawnlivery (10 March 2017)

Hi. Just after peoples opinions please???? I have a small livery yard offering grass livery on a DIY basis and as a way of expansion am considering offering some retirement livery. Having done my homework..... so to speak..... im amazed at how expensive it seems to be!! And i just cant figure out why????  Would more people use retirement livery if it were more reasonably priced????? Do people have their four legged friends PTS as a more viable option????
Thanks


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## xgemmax (10 March 2017)

I think because it's more like full grass livery so includes daily checks of horse, holding for vet/farrier, hay and hard feed if required? That's how I have understood it anyway


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## The Fuzzy Furry (10 March 2017)

Its full livery, often owners visit at a weekend, or possibly less often.


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## honetpot (10 March 2017)

I looked at retirement livery and its not just grass livery. You have more responsibility, the owner may be at the other end of the country, or out of the country so you so everything. The one I most impressed with had plenty of land per horse, the horse had its own stable, it had web cams so you could watch them in the field and the stable,and everything was documented with a written contract. They were full, with a waiting list.


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## Lawnlivery (10 March 2017)

Oh yes deffinately much more to it....
As you say daily checks, hay, feed, grooming, rugs etc etc..... insurance is a bit more, but i just cant get my head around how to justify what the going rate seems to be...


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## alainax (10 March 2017)

In saying that, you don't need the same facilities. Many retirees are turned away in a large herd and live a bit more rough than rider horses. You don't need a school, stables, storage, tack room etc like you do with diy. I'd imagine more people would use it if it was cheaper.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (10 March 2017)

The local retirement livery has the horses bought in daily for a few hours in summer [midgies and medication], they are checked twice in winter, they are in paddocks in summer but in winter are outside in a huge sand arena with a shelter which works no matter what the wind direction. Stabled overnight if that suits.  They are hayed all winter, it costs £60 pw per horse. It is labour intensive because they are not just on grass livery, each one has his own stable. Each one is checked over daily, and groomed lightly.
I think they can cope with ten horses, two folks look after them 24/7 and 365. A farrier visits regularly, nominal charge, and they are all kept up to date with injections, worming etc. The owner is advised of any problem which is other than minor. Video clips regularly.
If you think that is expensive, what would you expect to pay for what is essentially a two person business?


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## alainax (10 March 2017)

Exploding Chestnuts said:



			The local retirement livery has the horses bought in daily for a few hours in summer [midgies and medication], they are checked twice in winter, they are in paddocks in summer but in winter are outside in a huge sand arena with a shelter which works no matter what the wind direction. Stabled overnight if that suits.  They are hayed all winter, it costs £60 pw per horse. It is labour intensive because they are not just on grass livery, each one has his own stable. Each one is checked over daily, and groomed lightly.
I think they can cope with ten horses, two folks look after them 24/7 and 365. A farrier visits regularly, nominal charge, and they are all kept up to date with injections, worming etc. The owner is advised of any problem which is other than minor. Video clips regularly.
If you think that is expensive, what would you expect to pay for what is essentially a two person business?
		
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That sounds more like full livery than retirement. I guess the price will vary dramatically depending on services offered.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (10 March 2017)

alainax said:



			In saying that, you don't need the same facilities. Many retirees are turned away in a large herd and live a bit more rough than rider horses. You don't need a school, stables, storage, tack room etc like you do with diy. I'd imagine more people would use it if it was cheaper.
		
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Well you need stables, one per horse, you need a turnout area, and storage for forage and feed and rugs,
People are in business to make a living plus a profit, they don't need to reduce the costs to the owner. They offer a service, you have to pay for that.
If you want to offer such a service, I suggest you rent a 20 acre holding with housing for staff, and see how much profit you can make from ten horses, you will have to cover staff for holidays and for weekends and sickness, and pregnancy plus their pension, and insurance.
If you want grass livery, then you can not expect the same level of attention, obviously no individual medication and no stable available for free, only miimal vet and farrier attention welfare only,you will be charged every time the staf have to handle the horse.
That is grass livery, not retirement livery.


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## Exploding Chestnuts (10 March 2017)

alainax said:



			That sounds more like full livery than retirement. I guess the price will vary dramatically depending on services offered.
		
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Of course it will, if you have a horse which is to be retired, they still need checking and feeding and vet attention, grass livery is not the same, grass livery assumes you will remove the horse and look after it if there is a problem, it also assumes horse will cope with no extra feed.
Horses are needy, they need careful checking daily by an experienced horseperson who will take action when needed, not when owner has time to come and see it.


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## Doris68 (10 March 2017)

My retired mare (PTS nearly 2 years ago) was 29 and she received no less attention as a retired horse than she did when she was in full work.  She was at home with me, but if I'd sent her to a retirement livery (I would never have done that) I would expect her to be well looked after and given all the same treatment that she'd been used to.  A veteran horse has greater needs than a younger horse and they can go down hill very quickly, with little or no warning.  Why would it be cheap?


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## Theocat (11 March 2017)

I don't think it's expensive - £50- £60 per week for good, well-maintained grazing and shelter, forage and feed as needed, twice daily checks, rugging/ lotions and potions / medication, arranging and attending for vet and farrier visits? I think that's entirely reasonable. 

Decent grass livery, basic feed and forage alone could easily be £25 per week (and could be much more!); five pounds a day for checks and care is a bargain.


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## Theocat (11 March 2017)

Lawnlivery said:



			Oh yes deffinately much more to it....
As you say daily checks, hay, feed, grooming, rugs etc etc..... insurance is a bit more, but i just cant get my head around how to justify what the going rate seems to be...
		
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Out of curiosity - what do you think a fair rate would be? Assuming costs had to include a share per horse of the maintenance costs of grazing, forage and basic feed as required, insurance and rates, and your time to do checks / attend for visits / do all care as and when it was necessary?


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## Rowreach (11 March 2017)

Funny how people are willing to pay high rates to catteries and boarding kennels when they go away on holiday, yet think that a sub-£10/day rate for keeping a horse at retirement livery is expensive.


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## stencilface (11 March 2017)

Rowreach said:



			Funny how people are willing to pay high rates to catteries and boarding kennels when they go away on holiday, yet think that a sub-£10/day rate for keeping a horse at retirement livery is expensive.
		
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I'm not happy to pay it, but I know I have to lol.

Retirement livery is something I would consider on our land if we ever took any outside horses.  Don't mind dealing with an extra horse or two, it's the people that are a pita! We've always had a couple of companion horses anyway so in future we could have a paying one - what a novelty


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