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Full Livery vs. Part Livery vs. DIY — Why This Trips People Up
This is worth its own section because I’ve seen more disputes start here than anywhere else. The three arrangements sound self-explanatory, but every yard defines them slightly differently.
Full Livery
Yard handles everything day to day — feeding, turnout, mucking out, rug changes — but “everything” can still exclude exercising the horse, holding for the farrier, or administering medication unless it’s specified.
Part Livery
A shared responsibility, and this is where the most ambiguity lives. Which days does the yard cover? Does the owner need to give notice if they can’t make it in?
DIY Livery
Day-to-day care sits with the owner, with the yard providing facilities only — but even here, questions come up fast: what happens if the owner doesn’t show up for two days?
Whatever your yard offers, write down the actual daily breakdown, not just the label. “Full livery” as a single word in a contract has caused more arguments than almost anything else on this list. For general guidance on what to expect from a yard, the British Horse Society’s guidance on choosing where to keep your horse is a solid outside reference point, particularly on what BHS-approved yards are expected to provide.
Common Mistakes Yards (and Owners) Make
Watch out for these
- Relying on a verbal or handshake agreement — even between friends, even at small yards. Memory is unreliable and expectations drift over time.
- No clear notice period — leaving both sides unsure how much warning is fair when the arrangement needs to end.
- No emergency vet authority spelled out — the single most common source of real conflict.
- Assuming “full livery” means the same thing to both parties — it rarely does until it’s written down.
- Not updating the agreement when circumstances change — a horse’s needs change, a yard’s services change; the paperwork should keep up.
If you’re setting up livery for a horse you’ve just bought, it’s worth reading through our New Horse Owner’s Essential Care Guide alongside this — a lot of the same “get it in writing” thinking applies to emergency preparedness more broadly, not just the livery contract itself. And if the fee itself is the sticking point, our horse cost calculator helps put livery pricing in context against the full cost of ownership.
Download the Free Livery Agreement Template
A ready-to-edit livery agreement covering every clause above, so you’re not starting from a blank page.
Get the Free TemplateA solid starting point — have it reviewed against your local requirements before use.
