Horses in the US vs UK

[freebird1]

There seems to be an ever growing chance I may end up in England. After recently selling my horse but planning on getting another in a few month, I’ve put that on hold. I have no clue where I’m going to be within the next two years. Slightly depressing, but maybe I can used this opportunity to my advantage and further my experience with horses while in the UK…

However, am not familiar with the horse scene there at all! Will be doing my own research and reading but if anyone has any experience or advice, it is greatly appreciated.

-Cost wise, is it more expensive in general to keep horses in the UK? I know prices can vary greatly (even here in the US), just looking to get an idea. Farrier, vetting, showing, etc.

-They call their boarding “livery”. Is there any difference in how livery is set up in comparison to boarding? For example, most boarding options here is full board. Is it the same over there?

-is it difficult to find a job with hotses or working student position? I understand they have the British Horse Society that gives some levels of accreditation to instructors. Would love to go for that while I’m spending my time in Britain!

-if I fall in love with a horse over there (not difficult for me to do), someone told me shipping UK to US is cheaper than vice verse. Is this true? Or will I have to swallow my dreams of ownership for even longer? Its killing me!

Any other advice on horses in the US vs UK is appreciated!

[copper1]

I lived in England for 5 years back in the 70’s and was working in a stable as I went for my BHS exams. One of the biggest differences is terminology but horses are basically horses so not that much difference. Pasture board is readily available and many horses are kept “at grass” instead of stabled. The Brits tend to be very tidy and organized about their stables which is nice but you may be appalled at the equitation though they can ride a horse! Ponies are asked to do some major jumping and they are good! show ponies are the most amazing movers! The showing routine is somewhat different which also takes some getting used to! I can’t go into prices because for one I was not paying for anything and of course over all these years quite a change in money values!

[Moon_River]

Hi, I’m from the UK and remember cooper1’s description from my childhood, but in my experience most of that is a rarity to find now (sorry cooper1! Hold on to those memories, I know I do).

It does vary round the country, particularly on price, in general terms the South East region (commuting distance of London) is the most expensive, there are some much poorer areas where things are very cheap, and there’s a lot in the middle. There is a lot of pressure on land in the country with small parcels of land such a those used for livery being increasingly sold for housing development. Pasture board (grass livery here) is very rare to find now and in my experience most horses are kept stabled at least overnight through the winter months with turnout often being on much smaller paddocks than used to be the case.

The best resource for specifics on prices in different areas is probably Horse and Hound magazine’s online forum, the closest we have to this board, and I would suggest joining there for an insight into British horsekeeping culture.

You are right that we call board livery, and within that it would be broken down into grass livery, DIY is complete self care with access to grazing and a stable, assisted DIY adds in the barn (yard!) doing a small amount of daily jobs, often morning feed and turnout. Part livery means the barn carries out more of the daily chores and full livery is total care, usually does not include exercising the horse unless additional arrangements are made, but may do. Generally accepted definitions of what full/part livery consists of can again vary by area. Most horse owners in my area choose DIY or assisted DIY. The average rate in my area is £30 a week for DIY and £100 a week for full livery. I think this is unsustainably low but that is what the market here will sustain, hence land being sold for housing…

If I could move I would go to Gloucestershire, lots of yards and dressage trainers (Carl Hester, etc) in that area.

Working with horses seems to be similar from my reading of this board, poor pay, long hours and underappreciation lead to early burnout. If you go with a plan that you are using the yard to get qualifications or other experience and do your best to ensure you are in a place where that will actually happen you’ll do fine. As a long term career, keep your options open.

The BHS has different levels of approval, look at yards that are on the “where to train” list as offering more than just a very basic level of instruction. Yard and Groom website has a fair amount of job vacancies on it although more are just being advertised on Facebook or word of mouth.

I’m out of random musings for the minute but if you’ve any specific questions I’ll do my best to answer, do join Horse and Hound, and good luck.

[freebird1]

Awesome, thanks guys! Will take a look into Horse and Hound as well.

[Foxtrot_s]

Depending where you are –

Country life is like no other - strolling with your dog along country lanes, stopping off at the pub for one or two, dog lying at your feet (yes). People are animal crazy, it is all about them. Watching the Hunt, or joining, country fairs,
there’s a closeness and a connectedness to the land and things are smaller.
Apartments, too, unfortunately.

[Willesdon]

I’m in Gloucestershire that is pretty much horse central. Within 30 minutes I have world class eventing, dressage, polo, jump and flat racing. Can’t think of any big show jumpers locally, did find a western trainer last week. Oh yeah, three hunts locally, team chasing, point to pointing… The list goes on!

Everything is smaller: cars, roads, distances to travel. There is a deep horse culture and it is comparatively easy and relatively cheap to become involved. Horse prices appear to be lower than in the USA: you can find a young eventer with points for less than £8 K. Living costs are probably far higher.

PM if you wish to ask more

[solstince]

Hi, I’m American grew up in the States, doing dressage/hunter/jumper then switched to eventing in my early 20s.
I relocated to the UK 5 years ago, so have seen first-hand the horse worlds both places.

I could probably write a book on this subject, as for a long time I was constantly compiling differences and similarities in my head. I’ve now mostly just adjusted, though and have actually just started my own stud (breeding program).

Overall I’d say horses are far less expensive and easier to access here than in the US. Real quality horses for very cheap comparatively.

Terminology off the top of my head:
boarding = livery
lesson horse = riding school horse
arena = school, menage
barn = yard
trail riding = hacking
breeding farm = stud
stall = stable, box

It’s crazy how close everything is. For example, where I live, I can pop up to Burghley as its an hour and a half away. Badminton, Gatcombe, all not far too drive… like two and a half hours. If you live Central it seems like you can drive to just about any other part of the country in about 1-4 hours!

[Anonymoose]

I am enjoying the feedback you are getting, freebird, and learning a lot too.

Is goeslikestink still around on COTH? She is in the UK and has some good posts too. You could pm her.

I’ve learned a lot here too–
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/

[rideforthelaurels16]

As someone already said: a horse is a horse, that much doesn’t change, but I think the industry and the way we approach riding and horsemanship is pretty different here. (As a point of reference I lived in the States for 10 years and worked in the industry there, including for a 4*/Olympic eventer, and have now been back in the UK for five years and have worked for top riders in a few different disciplines, been a head girl, gone freelance, and now work in equestrian journalism.)

One of the major differences that I’ve noticed is that in the UK, for the most part, we have different expectations of what a horse or rider should be able to do. We focus less on worrying about jumping heights (there isn’t an ingrained mental 3’6 barrier, as an example) as we expect a sound horse to be able to do the task at hand. So a young horse that’s jumping 2’6 courses could go for 15k in America but could be only 2-3k here. There are a lot of quality horses available and also a lot of quality riders and trainers as the BHS system really does encourage correct training. It’s a lot harder to get work as an instructor if you haven’t got a qualification.

Working pupil jobs are plentiful and more likely to be paid positions than in the States. The horse world here is a tightly-knit one: once you get to know some people you will find connections wherever you go. Competitions are closer, but more likely to fill up. Standards are high.

Prices depend so much upon where you are - have you any idea of area yet? Also, what discipline do you do?

FWIW, I would really struggle to go back to the US. I absolutely adore the industry here.

[Xanthoria]

As someone who grew up showing horses and competing in eventing and tetrathlon in the UK, then moved to the US years ago, I can give a little perspective.

Education:
I was struck when I moved to the US how there is no real training system for trainers and instructors - anyone, as others have said, can be a trainer. A farrier. And so on.

In the UK, you have to apprentice for years to become a farrier so the quality there is much higher than in the US. The BHS certifies trainers so again - higher quality. And even Pony Club is more accessible to all so kids, even those without loads of $, can ride and learn.

Cost:
With more people involved in riding overall, it leads to a much more horsey-minded nation, and as a result everything horse related is cheaper, whereas in the US it’s very expensive to ride, learn, show, buy and maintain horses.

Climate:
The climate in the UK being wetter than CA means grass grows almost year round, and as a result in some areas you can keep a horse on pasture (as little as an acre or two per horse) all year and it will do well. Here in California if you can find a pasture at all, you will get some grass growing from November to May, but you’d need 10+ acres per horse to make it work. So the rest of the year you’re trucking in hay from Oregon etc. That’s expensive.

On the down side the UK is wetter, and being further north than where I live in the US it gets dark at 4pm in the winter, but stays light past 10pm in summer.

Native breeds:
The UK has 15 native breeds of ponies. These tough little buggers are instrumental in teaching kids a secure independent seat and how to bounce! They’re also easy keepers, with great feet, so making them cheap to keep. In the US, quarter horses are the average - larger, less “evil-pony” and with expensive to keep tiny feet that seem to go wrong a lot (sorry, that’s my experience)

Riding style:
In the UK we were taught to be effective riders in the hunt field and make it happen. You whack that pony in the mouth and you’re DEAD TO ME! Just stay on no matter what It was always your fault, never the horse’s fault, if something went wrong. Sportsmanship was king: no sore losers!

In the US I don’t see kids hunting much, nor even many adults, but again I’m in CA. I used to take the same champion working hunter show pony to drag hunts, eventing and tetrathlon, and straight dressage shows, and do well. In the US, one horse per event? EQ horse. Hunter. Jumper - all different horses.

[Trakehner]

I suggest getting onto the Horse & Hound forum…it’s a great source of info and you’ll get a good idea on the Brit horse world.

It’s also the best weekly horse magazine out there…sorry COTH…but it is.