Types of Horse Livery UK: Grass, DIY, Part and Full

The different types of horse livery in the UK suit very different horses and owners, and choosing the wrong one is one of the most common, most avoidable mistakes a horse owner can make. Someone on full livery who wanted to be more hands-on ends up resenting the arrangement. Someone on DIY who underestimated their own schedule ends up with a stressed horse and an impossible commitment. Someone with a native pony on part livery is paying for services the pony doesn't need.

A straight comparison of the four main livery types and the situations each one suits.

Typical UK livery prices at a glance

Before going through each type in detail, the five common arrangements compare on cost, what's included, and how much of your week they'll take up. These ranges reflect widely-published UK industry guidance. Figures vary by region and by yard, and the upper end of every band is typical of commuter-belt yards within an hour of London, the Home Counties, or major show centres.

| Livery type | Typical UK price range | What's usually included | Hands-on time you'll need | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Grass | £30–£60/week | Grazing, shelter, water | Daily checks, feeding, rugging | | DIY | £50–£90/week | Stable, share of grazing, infrastructure | Twice-daily, full care | | Part | £100–£200/week | Feeds, basic checks, often mucking out | A few times a week | | Full | £150–£350/week | Complete daily care | Riding only | | Working | £0–£60/week | Varies, horse worked by yard | Varies |

Counties like Surrey, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and West Sussex sit at the top of each band. Rural Northumberland, Cumbria, and parts of Wales and Scotland sit at the bottom. The same arrangement can cost 20–40% more in a commuter-belt county than it does an hour further out.

Grass livery

What it is: Your horse lives out in a field year-round, with no stable access. The yard provides the grazing, usually a field shelter, and sometimes basic care such as checking water. You handle everything else: feeding, worming, farriery, rugging.

Typical cost: £50–£150/month

Suits:

Hardy native breeds and ponies (New Forests, Welsh, Fell, Dales, Dartmoors) that are physiologically suited to outdoor living
Horses that are retired or in very light work
Owners who want low costs and are confident in outdoor horse management

Doesn't suit:

Horses that need stable access for health reasons (sweet itch, laminitis-prone horses needing controlled grazing, horses recovering from injury)
Horses that need to be in regular work and ridden in decent conditions
Owners who want consistent daily access without weather and mud complicating everything

The honest reality: Grass livery is fine for the right horse and stressful for the wrong one. A thoroughbred or warmblood on grass livery through a UK winter is not a good arrangement for the horse or the owner.

What pushes a grass livery price up: turnout split into smaller paddocks for proper grazing rotation, all-weather field shelters, hay provided through winter, and a yard owner who'll send a photo or text update when something needs attention. What keeps it cheap: large shared paddocks, no-frills shelter, and minimal yard involvement. Decide what level of oversight you need before being drawn to the lowest published price.

Looking for grass livery? Filter by livery type on the search page and check your nearest county hubs. Supply is densest in counties with more open countryside.

DIY livery

What it is: You rent a stable and a share of the grazing, and you are responsible for your horse's care: feeding, mucking out, turnout, rugging, and managing the routine. The yard provides the infrastructure; you provide the labour.

Typical cost: £80–£250/month (plus the cost of bedding, hay, and feed on top if not included)

Suits:

Owners who want to do all of their horse's care themselves and can be present at the yard daily
People who are retired, work locally, or have flexible schedules
Owners with multiple horses where doing the work themselves makes financial sense
Horses with specific management needs where the owner knows best

Doesn't suit:

Anyone who can't reliably be at the yard every day, twice a day
Owners who rely on the yard to keep things going when life gets complicated
People who want the reassurance of professional oversight

The honest reality: DIY livery is the right choice if, and only if, you can sustain the commitment. It's the arrangement most often entered into with optimism and exited from with exhaustion. Before choosing it, assess what happens when you're sick, on holiday, working late, or snowed in.

What's not included even on DIY: bedding, hay, hard feed, supplements, farrier visits, and vet bills. Add roughly £150–£300/month to the headline figure for a horse on regular work, and budget separately for shoeing every 4–8 weeks. A ten-minute conversation with a current livery on the yard about their monthly outlay is the most useful thing you can do before signing.

Hunting for a DIY yard near you? Browse livery yards by county. DIY supply tracks horse-owner population density, so counties like Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Cheshire tend to offer plenty of choice.

Part livery

What it is: The yard covers certain tasks and you cover the rest. The split varies: the yard handles morning and evening feeds, checks, and sometimes mucking out, while you manage turnout, exercise, and additional care. Exactly what's included should be specified in the agreement.

Typical cost: £250–£600/month (varies by what's included)

Suits:

Owners who work full-time but want regular, meaningful involvement with their horse
People who want a professional safety net: knowing the horse is checked and fed even when they can't make it
Horses that need consistent care but don't require the full-service arrangement of full livery
Riders prepping for low-level competition where help with feeds and basic care unlocks evening rides

Doesn't suit:

Owners who want a hands-off arrangement
Horses with intensive management needs that go beyond what part livery covers
Situations where the split of responsibilities isn't defined: vague part livery agreements are a common source of disputes

The honest reality: Part livery is the most flexible arrangement and the most widely used for a reason. It works well for most full-time working horse owners. The key is clarity on what's included. Two yards can both call themselves "part livery" while covering very different things.

A useful test before committing: get the yard to write down exactly what's covered Monday through Sunday, including weekends and bank holidays, and what triggers an extra charge. If they can't or won't, the agreement isn't defined yet, and an undefined agreement is where most part livery disputes start.

Comparing part livery options? Search by postcode to see yards within commuting distance, then check yards in your county to compare what's included for the price. Two yards an hour apart can differ by £150/month for what looks on paper like the same arrangement.

Full livery

What it is: The yard is responsible for your horse's daily care. Feeding, mucking out, turnout, rugging, and routine checks are all handled by yard staff. You turn up to ride; everything else is managed for you.

Typical cost: £600–£1,800+/month

Suits:

Owners who travel frequently or have unpredictable schedules
Competition horses that need professional yard management
Anyone who is physically unable to do yard work regularly
People who want the horse well cared for without the daily commitment

Doesn't suit:

Owners who want to be closely involved in their horse's daily management: full livery arrangements have routines that work best when owners don't disrupt them
Budget-conscious owners: full livery is the most expensive arrangement by a wide margin
Horses that don't thrive in a heavily managed routine and do better with a more flexible approach

The honest reality: Full livery is only worth the premium if the yard is good. A yard charging full livery prices and cutting corners on turnout time, feed quality, or care standards is expensive and inadequate at the same time. Read reviews from current liveries before committing.

What should already be included at full livery prices: daily turnout regardless of weather (within reason), stabled feeding to a written plan, full mucking out, rug changes through the seasons, and proactive communication when something changes. If the yard charges extras for any of those, the headline price is misleading. Ask for a full inclusions list in writing before agreeing.

Considering full livery? Compare yards by county, and pay attention to listings that publish dated availability and recent reviews. For a competition horse, also factor in the cost of regular farrier and equine vet visits. These are rarely bundled into livery fees, even at the top of the price band.

Working livery

A fifth arrangement worth mentioning: working livery involves your horse being used by the yard for lessons, hacks, or lead rein work in exchange for a reduction in livery fees. It can work well for a sensible, safe horse suitable for novice or beginner riders and for an owner who can accept some loss of control over their horse's workload.

It requires a detailed agreement covering how many hours the horse works, what work it does, who oversees its fitness and health, and what happens if the horse is injured in a lesson. Without that clarity, it's a difficult arrangement to make work.

Working livery yards are most often riding schools or training centres rather than pure liveries. Search for yards offering working livery to find the (relatively short) list in your area.

What makes livery prices vary by region

The same arrangement can cost different amounts depending on where you are in the UK. Three things drive the variation: land prices (which set the underlying cost of grazing and stable space), local horse-owner demand (commuter belts pay a premium because there's more competition for stables than supply), and proximity to good road links and competition venues.

The practical implications: if you can be flexible by 30–60 minutes on your commute or daily yard run, you'll find the same standard of care for less money one or two counties out. If you're tied to specific show venues, the premium near them is harder to avoid. And if you're moving region for work, family, or retirement, budget for the relocation to change your monthly livery cost in either direction by hundreds of pounds.

Livery cost is only part of the picture. A farrier visit every 4–8 weeks, periodic equine vet checks, and any physiotherapy work you commit to are priced regionally too, and the yards that quote a low headline livery rate often sit in areas where those associated services are also cheaper. Price all of them together for the area you're considering before committing.

Matching the types of horse livery to your horse's actual needs

The type of livery that fits your schedule is not always the type that fits your horse. A horse that needs company, consistent turnout, and professional supervision doesn't belong on a DIY yard where the owner can only visit three times a week. A native pony that needs restricted grazing doesn't benefit from full livery pricing.

When you're choosing, think about both sides. Your routine matters. Your horse's needs matter more.

Use the livery type filter on search to see only yards offering the arrangement that suits you: grass, DIY, part, or full. To compare what's available in a specific area, browse livery yards by county. Not sure what to look for on a visit? Read our guide on what to check when visiting a livery yard.

Run a yard yourself? If the comparison above sounds like the kind of clarity your prospective liveries are after, list your yard on OpenStable. The more specific your offer, the easier it is for owners to choose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between part livery and full livery? Full livery means the yard handles all daily care: feeding, mucking out, turnout, rugging. Part livery splits the responsibilities, with the yard covering feeds and basic checks and the owner handling exercise and additional care. What's included in part livery should be specified in the contract.

Is DIY livery suitable for a competition horse? It can be, if you have time to manage everything yourself or have reliable help. But DIY livery requires daily presence and a high degree of self-sufficiency. A horse in regular competition prep often benefits from the consistency that comes with part or full livery.

What is working livery and is it a good idea? Working livery involves your horse doing some work for the yard (lessons, hacks) in exchange for reduced fees. It can work well for suitable horses with a thorough written agreement. Without that agreement, the risks of overwork, injury, and disputes tend to outweigh the savings.

Can I switch livery types at the same yard? Many yards can accommodate a change, between DIY and part livery. It depends on the yard's capacity and whether their routine supports flexible arrangements. Discuss it with the yard owner before you assume a switch is possible. Get any agreement to change in writing.