Running a livery yard is part horse care, part customer service and part property management. Most of the problems owners face, from late payments and disputes to tired staff and thin margins, come back to a handful of areas. This checklist covers each one, so you can see where your yard is strong and where it could do better.
Do you know what each stable really costs?
Many yards set their prices by looking at what others nearby charge. That is a useful check, but it does not tell you whether your own prices cover your costs.
Build a simple cost model
Work out the true cost of each stable over a full year. Include:
- Feed, hay and bedding, and how prices change through the year
- Labour, including your own time if you work on the yard
- Land costs such as rent or finance, fertiliser, seed, fencing and contractors
- Utilities, insurance, repairs, equipment and muck removal
- An allowance for stables standing empty
Use the numbers to set prices
Once you know what each type of livery costs to provide, you can price with confidence. You can also see which services make money and which ones you are quietly paying for yourself.
Review prices once a year
Feed, bedding and wage costs rarely stand still. Review your prices at least once a year and give clients at least a month’s notice of any increase. Small yearly rises are usually easier for clients to accept than a large jump after several years.
What exactly does each livery package include?
Common types of livery
- DIY livery: the owner does all the work and the yard provides the stable, grazing and facilities.
- Assisted DIY: as DIY, with the option to pay for set jobs such as turning out or bringing in.
- Part livery: the yard does some of the daily work, often mucking out and turnout, and the owner does the rest.
- Full livery: the yard looks after the horse completely, and exercise may be included or charged separately.
- Grass livery: the horse lives out, with the yard checking it daily and providing field care.
Spell out the details
Even with these labels, “part livery” means different things on different yards. Write down exactly what each package covers. Who mucks out, and how often? Who turns out and brings in? Are rugs changed? What happens on competition days or when an owner is on holiday? What costs extra?
Clear written descriptions prevent most misunderstandings before they start. They also make it easier to train staff and to explain your prices to new clients.
Livery agreements and yard rules
Livery agreements
Every client should sign a written livery agreement. It should cover the services provided, the fees and when they are due, notice periods and what happens if fees go unpaid. Have it checked by a solicitor who understands equestrian businesses.
Yard rules
Yard rules explain how the yard runs day to day. They usually cover opening hours, arena bookings, safety, visitors, dogs, smoking and the use of shared areas such as the tack room and wash bay.
Owner and horse records
Keep up-to-date contact details for every owner, along with an emergency contact, their preferred vet and farrier, and written consent for emergency treatment if they cannot be reached.
Is your yard properly insured and licensed?
Insurance
Talk to a specialist equestrian insurer about the cover your business needs. This often includes public liability, employer’s liability if you have staff, and care, custody and control cover for horses that belong to other people.
Licensing
Check whether any of your activities need a licence from the local council. In England, hiring out horses for riding or lessons is a licensable activity under animal welfare licensing rules. Livery on its own is usually treated differently, but the rules depend on exactly what you offer, so ask your council if you are unsure.
Daily care, turnout and biosecurity
Written routines
Write down the daily routine, including feeding times, turnout, mucking out and health checks. This keeps care consistent whoever is on duty and makes holiday cover much easier to arrange.
A fair turnout policy
Turnout causes more arguments on livery yards than almost anything else, especially in winter. Publish a clear policy that explains when fields are used, how they are rotated and what happens when the ground is too wet.
New arrivals and vaccinations
Agree a procedure for new horses with your vet, including a period of isolation and any tests you want carried out. Set a vaccination policy and apply it to every horse on the yard. Our guide to equine biosecurity covers this in more detail.
Emergency plans
Have written plans for fire, flooding and disease outbreaks, and make sure staff know where to find them. Practise the fire plan at least once a year.
How do you keep staff and clients happy?
Looking after staff
Good yard staff are hard to find and easy to lose. Give each person a clear role, a fair rota and proper training. Safe working practices, such as correct lifting and handling, protect both your staff and your business.
Planning cover
Decide in advance who will cover holidays and sickness, including your own. A written routine and a list of each horse’s needs mean a relief groom can step in without a long handover.
Communicating with clients
Keep clients informed through a noticeboard, a group message or regular emails. Give plenty of notice of changes to fees or routines, and explain the reasons behind them.
Handling complaints
Deal with complaints quickly and calmly. Listen first, agree what will happen next and follow up in writing if the issue is serious. Most problems are much easier to fix while they are small.
Why should you review the business every few months?
Costs, demand and client needs change over time. A short review every quarter helps you spot problems early, when small changes are enough to fix them.
Questions to ask at each review
- Is the yard full, and if not, why not?
- Have feed, bedding or labour costs changed since we last set prices?
- What repairs or replacements are coming up in the next six months?
- What have clients praised or complained about recently?
- Are staff coping with the workload?
Would an outside view help? Our livery yard management service can review your yard against this checklist and help you put things right, or take on the day-to-day running for you.
