Guide
Types of livery explained: DIY, part, full, grass and working
Updated
Livery types are really answers to one question: how much of the daily routine do you want to do yourself? Here's what each type covers, what it typically costs in 2026, and who it genuinely suits.
The types, from cheapest to fullest
- Grass livery, typically £25–£50 a week
- Your horse lives out in a field with water and safe fencing, and every bit of care is yours. The cheapest option and a genuinely good life for hardy natives and good-doers, but there's no stable when the weather turns, winter hay is usually extra, and riding facilities are often minimal.
- DIY livery, typically £30–£60 a week
- You rent a stable and grazing; mucking out, feeding, turnout and everything else is you, twice a day, every day, including Christmas morning. The classic budget choice, and the one that most underestimates the time commitment. Many DIY yards offer paid extras (turnout, holiday cover) that quietly bridge you toward part livery.
- Part livery, typically £80–£150 a week
- The yard takes on a defined share of the routine, commonly weekday mornings, turnout and bringing in, while you cover evenings or weekends. The sweet spot for working owners, if, and only if, the split is written down precisely.
- Full livery, typically £150–£300+ a week
- The yard does everything: feeding, mucking out, turnout, rugs, holding for the farrier, often exercise. You turn up and ride. Priced accordingly, and at competition yards with schooling included it can go well beyond £300.
- Working livery
- Usually at riding schools: a reduced rate in exchange for the yard using your horse in lessons a set number of hours a week. The discount is real, but so is the wear on your horse; pin down the hours, the rider standard and rest days in writing.
- Retirement livery
- Long-term grass or group turnout for horses done with work, usually priced near grass livery rates with care checks included. Often in cheaper regions, since you no longer need to be nearby.
All figures are typical 2026 UK prices per horse per week and vary by region and facilities; see the full price table. The honest comparison isn't price alone: DIY at £40 a week plus fourteen visits is only cheap if your time is free.
Choosing between them
- Be truthful about your mornings. DIY fails not on money but on 6:30am in February. If that picture doesn't work, price part livery from the start.
- Check what "part" means at each yard. There is no standard definition; one yard's part livery is another's DIY-with-turnout. Compare the task list, not the label.
- Watch the extras. Hay, bedding, haylage and holiday cover on top of a cheap DIY price can meet a part livery price coming the other way, see what's included.
- Facilities cost money. A floodlit school and all-weather turnout are worth paying for if you'll use them, and dead weight if you won't.