Livery Yards

Livery yards have been around for centuries, but every year the types of services on offer are revolutionised and a huge range of different livery packages can now be found, providing housing and care for equines of all types. This has stemmed from equine professionals - DIY yards, professional riders, studs, etc - needing to diversify to maintain healthy revenue flow against rising costs as well as meet the demands of a new generation of horse owners. Here we look at the most common types of...

Winter can be a tricky time for horse and yard owners, with shorter days, wetter weather, and less time to ride. Being prepared for the winter months in your yard can make these times easier, to plan ahead for seasonal eventualities and to make sure winter is an enjoyable time for all!

To run a successful and viable business, yard owners should be constantly looking to develop and evolve their businesses. With fierce competition to fill vacancies and find clients, being able to take additional training for yourself or your staff can allow you to provide dedicated services outside of standard livery packages, and can help you stand out from the crowd.   Over recent years the livery packages available have developed from basic DIY, Part and Full to the huge deve...

Off the back of both the cost of living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, many horse owners are tightening their belts and downgrading their livery packages. Whilst previously there was a huge demand for serviced livery packages such as Part Livery and Full Livery, yard owners are now finding it harder to fill these vacancies and are instead finding a much higher demand for Grass Livery, DIY and Assisted DIY on the basis that they are of less cost to the horse owner. But are you truly better off...

Across all industries, prices are increasing, and the equestrian industry is no different. Soaring costs for yard owners are resulting in huge difficulties for them and their clients in terms of the sustainability of running their yard or keeping their equines.   A recent investigation from SEIB Insurance Brokers confirmed this with a pair of nationwide surveys finding out how these increasing costs are affecting yard owners and their clients. The surveys confirmed that yard owners ...

As a yard owner and at a time when the cost of running a business is increasing, it is important that you put changes in place to make sure that these are reflected in the costs of your services for your clients, yet many yard owners are unsure how to deal with what is often deemed a delicate situation.   Bills - particularly electricity and fuel- have been increasing rapidly in recent weeks with many yard owners finding that this is directly affecting the running costs of their equ...

Soaring electricity prices and recent storms in the UK have highlighted issues for many business premises', and the same is certainly the case with equestrian establishments such as riding schools and livery yards.  Unfortunately, the seemingly never-ending price rises for energy bills in the UK is causing large increases in running costs for the owners of equestrian establishments who rely on electricity, mainly in the form of lighting, for their premises, security and clients use, and are...

Finding a livery yard can be hard. Not only does it need to have all the facilities and services you desire, and not be too far from home, but it also needs to be affordable. It can be even harder if you have a differing work regime or a horse with special care requirements, as you’ll need to find a yard that can accommodate these too. With the livery industry being completely unregulated, it’s also particularly important to find a yard that is run competently and professionally. ...

Health and safety must be a primary consideration for all business owners, especially those that own equestrian premises. Not only do you have a duty of care to yourself and your staff, but as a business that is classed as being “open to members of the public” – albeit your riding or livery clients – you must ensure that steps are taken to protect them as well.

Gone are the days when you could simply turn up at a yard with your horse, pay money and ‘be a livery’. The ever increasing expectations and responsibilities of yard owners means that best practice guidance requires a substantial amount of information to be checked and recorded for professional yard owners. It is important to have a paper trail, and to have detailed information on the horses in your care. In the event of any disputes, this can go a long way to helping resolve an i...

Running a livery yard can be deceiving. To many, those who have the ‘luxury’ of owning stables and grazing look like they are somewhat affluent, however, for most yard owners this could not be further from the truth! Running a livery yard is one of the least profitable sectors of the equine industry and the price of livery services has barely changed over the last 20 years. Whilst the cost of livery services is at the forefront of horse owners’ minds when choosing a new yard...

The events of 2020 have forced many yard owners into the realisation that their existing business model may no longer be viable in the long run. The management of yards and the packages on offer may need to be reviewed to meet the changing demand from horse owners. In some cases, a complete yard overhaul may be required. Unfortunately, this year has seen many yards change hands, reduce capacity or even close for good, but for those wanting to continue with their yard and move forward, there a...

Whether you have a couple of stables at home, or a large equestrian centre, if you’ve got livery vacancies, you’ll want to get them filled. The best way to do this is to advertise, but advertising can be a complicated thing and with so many yards available, getting an advert to generate enquiries means you need to put in a bit of work to make your yard shine! This advice does not just apply to our advertisers on LiveryList but should be the same for anywhere you advertise your bus...

With the changing seasons, yard owners are increasingly looking to improve their facilities and to ensure the equines in their care can remain comfortable, whilst being able to protect themselves from hot or inclement weather. Many yard owners are turning to field shelters, either in the form of smaller shelters for individual or small herd turnout, or larger barn style shelters for bigger herds. You would think that picking a field shelter would be an easy task, but with so many options on t...

Livery yard owners taking deposits from their clients is now becoming commonplace, but many yard owners are still cautious as to the implications, and that such requests may put off potential clients. Here we explain the two types of deposit, and how best to implement them on your yard. The main type of deposit is the security deposit taken upon arrival of a new livery. This is taken as a security bond, similar to that with property or vehicle rental. In the event that a livery client gets in...

We’ve all heard of making New Year resolutions. The arrival of a new year is the perfect time for you to review your previous twelve months and move forward. The same applies in business too! January is the perfect time of year to look over your yard administration and a good starting point to make any changes you’ve been considering over the previous months. An annual review is a great idea for any business, it can help you be organised and plan for the year ahead and can even save ...

Each winter that arrives seems to be wetter, making the management of horses increasingly difficult. One of the biggest challenges of a wet season is the management of grazing and turnout. With increased rain comes increased mud, often making turnout impractical or impossible at some yards, despite the best attempts of the yard owner. Many yards bring in turnout restrictions or stoppages in times of severely wet weather, which can be difficult and disappointing for horse owners who want...

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 limits of your services, payments and notice periods, and have a clear and concise reference point in the event of any disputes that may arise.

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 yard a...