DIY livery
a week, from$65
- Hay and arena use included
- Turn out by the yard on busy days, $4 a time
- Water and rugs checked at 21:00
Your horse's stable, field and arena, cared for your way
Hollybrook Livery Stables keeps 24 horses on full, part and DIY livery, with turnout across 40 acres, a floodlit sand arena and off road hacking straight from the gate. See what each livery covers, then ask for a stable and a look round.
24 stablesrubber matted, 3.6 by 3.6 m
40 acresrested in rotation
06:30 to 21:00staff on the yard
Who does what on each livery
The differences between liveries come down to who carries the wheelbarrow. This is how the daily jobs are shared at Hollybrook.
| Daily job | Full | Part | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning feed and hay | Yard | Yard | Owner |
| Turn out and bring in | Yard | Yard | Owner, or the yard for $4 |
| Mucking out and bedding down | Yard | Yard on weekdays | Owner |
| Rugs changed for the weather | Yard | Yard | Owner |
| Evening feed and haynets | Yard | Owner | Owner |
| Holding for farrier and vet | Yard | Yard for $8 | Owner |
| Last check of water and rugs at 21:00 | Yard | Yard | Yard |
Hay is included on every livery. Hard feed and bedding come from the yard on full livery and from the owner on part and DIY.
Liveries and weekly prices
Prices are for one horse in a standard stable, with grazing, hay, arena use and the evening check. Horses over 16.2 hands take a large stable for $10 more a week.
Part livery
a week, from$150
- Morning feed, turn out and bring in
- Weekday mucking out and rugs
- You cover evenings and weekends
Full livery
a week, from$255
- Feeds and bedding supplied
- Held for farrier, vet and dentist
- Exercise by arrangement, $15 a session
Holiday and box rest
a night, from$32
- Short stays while you travel
- Box rest after injury, on your vet's instructions
- Hand walking twice a day, $6 each
Livery is invoiced monthly in advance. A calendar month's notice ends DIY, part or full livery; holiday and box rest stays end on the departure date agreed.
Turnout through the seasons
From April to October every horse goes out daily, in small settled groups with mares and geldings kept apart. Fields are rested in rotation, droppings are picked up twice a week, and the fencing is walked every morning before the first horse leaves the yard.
When the clay turns soft in November, turnout moves to half days and to two all weather paddocks, so the winter fields can recover for spring. Horses prone to laminitis, or on restricted grazing for any reason, get a strip of their own or a bare paddock, as the owner and their vet decide.
- Mares and geldings in separate groups
- New horses introduced to one companion first
- Turnout board updated every morning
Care at the yard, in general terms
Every owner keeps their own vet, farrier and dentist. These are the yard's rules, set out so that every horse here stays safe.
New arrivals
Every new horse spends its first two weeks in a separate stable and paddock, so a cough or an infection shows itself before the horse meets the herd.
Vaccinations and papers
Vaccination records and identity papers are kept on file. What is required varies by country, so we follow local rules and your vet's advice.
Worming by testing
The yard keeps a worming plan built on regular egg counts, arranged with owners and their vets, rather than dosing every horse by the calendar.
Farrier and dentist
Owners book their own farrier and equine dentist. On full livery we hold the horse and pass on anything they mention.
When a horse is unwell
We call you first, then your vet. If you cannot be reached, we call your vet ourselves, as agreed on the form signed on arrival.
Feed charts on every door
Hay is weighed into nets for each stable. Hard feeds follow the chart on the door, written by the owner and changed only by the owner.
Around the yard
Everything here is shared by 24 horses and their owners, so the yard board keeps arena slots, turnout groups and farrier days in one place.
- 40 by 20 m sand arena, floodlit until 21:00
- Off road hacking from the gate
- Hot water wash bay
- Tack room with a locker for each horse
- Rug drying room
- Lorry and trailer parking
- Kitchen and toilet for owners
- Yard lights and cameras at night
Owners may bring their own instructor, booked into an arena slot on the yard board and covered by the instructor's own insurance. Yard staff do not teach.
Heard by the muck heap (example reviews)
The turnout board is filled in every morning, so one glance tells us which field our cob is in and who brought him in. Two winters here and not a single rug has gone astray.
Our mare needed eight weeks of box rest after a tendon injury. The yard followed the vet's plan to the letter, hand walked her twice a day and sent a photo every evening.
DIY suits the budget, and the water check at nine means nobody lies awake on a late shift. The floodlit arena is the only reason winter weeknight riding happens at all.
The barn, the arena and the bridle paths
Asked over the stable door
Is there a waiting list for stables?
Often, especially for full livery in the autumn. Send the form with the livery you want and a rough arrival date; if every stable is taken, we add you to the list and tell you honestly how long it tends to be.
Can our horse live out all year?
Not here. Winter turnout is by day, because our clay ground poaches badly in the wet. Hardy native types that do better living out may suit a yard with grass livery, and we will say so.
Who decides when the vet is called?
You do, whenever we can reach you. On arrival every owner signs a short form naming their vet and saying what we may agree to if they cannot be reached. Beyond basic first aid, we never treat a horse ourselves.
Can we bring our own instructor?
Yes, with a slot booked on the yard board and proof of the instructor's own insurance. Lessons sit in arena slots so that schooling, lunging and lessons never clash.
What notice is needed to leave?
One calendar month for DIY, part and full livery, given in writing. Holiday and box rest stays end on the agreed departure date, and any extra night is charged at the nightly price.
Do you take stallions or youngstock?
No stallions. Youngstock over two years old are welcome by arrangement and turned out in a group of their own.
Ask for a stable
Tell us about your horse, the livery you have in mind and when you would like to arrive. Within two working days you will have an offer of a stable, a time to look round, or a place on the waiting list.
- Viewings on weekdays and Saturday mornings
- Nothing is agreed until a stable is offered
- Bring the vaccination record and papers on arrival
Finding Hollybrook
The lane is narrow, so lorries and trailers should come in from the main road end and park in the bay by the arena.
Contact
Farmland about ten minutes' drive west of town, at the end of a quiet lane
Yard hours
| Yard staff on site | 06:30 to 21:00 every day |
| Owners' access | 06:00 to 22:00 |
| Office and phone | 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday |
| Viewings | By appointment, weekdays and Saturday mornings |
In an emergency
If a horse is hurt on the lane or a fence is down after hours, ring the yard phone; it diverts to the manager's mobile overnight. If a rider or handler is injured, phone your local emergency number before anything else.