How to - Livery Yards

Several livery yards can be situated in the same locality, often even more so in rural areas where the equine population is at its highest. Chances are if a horse owner in your area is looking for livery, then you won’t be the only option! Many yard owners see other yards in their area as competition… for their clients, their facility hire, and their income. But there is no need to have a ‘them and us’ mentality, in fact creating good working relationships with fellow ya...

It is now recommended industry standard for livery yard owners to have livery contracts in place between themselves and their livery clients. This is whether you offer basic grass livery, or a fully services bespoke full livery package. Not only will this help you keep proper records of your clients, but also help both parties understand the limit of your services, payments and notice periods, and to have a clear and concise reference point in the event of any disputes that may arise. A liv...

Running a livery yard is hard, with a lot of responsibility for both running the business and being responsible for the animals in your care. Whether you run a small yard at home, or a large commercial equestrian centre, insurance should be an important consideration. There is a misconception, especially on DIY yards, that insurance is not necessary as clients are on a ‘do it yourself’ basis and should have their own horse insured but this is far from the case.  By running a...

As with any business, clients of livery yards come and go. Some horse owners move very rarely and only through necessity, others move more regularly simply because they feel a better offer comes along. Spring and autumn are the most popular times for horse owners to start thinking about moving yard, with lots of movements of equines between yards and vacancies being advertised and sought. But just because a new yard opens, or your yard owner makes changes to what they offer… are you reall...

Spring is a popular time for new yards to open, and for established yard owners to review the previous year. This can range from yards based at large equestrian centres, to people offering livery at their private yard at home. Competition is fierce for affordable livery and it’s easy to provide competitive livery rates without considering your own finances or outgoings to run the business. If you don’t correctly price your livery and the services you offer, it may...

Taking on an established yard with established clients can be a great way of entering the livery yard ‘market’, whilst others start afresh with a brand-new yard and a brand-new business. Either way, running a livery yard isn’t just about the horses, but more importantly about the overall management of the horses, facilities and the clients. Dealing with groups of horse owners who all have different needs or demands can be tough and it’s often hard to please everyone. Belo...