Cost increases; it's happened

[MarvelVillis]

We've been at our yard for a year now and the livery cost has only risen by £10 once to £120pcm, but it is a DIY livery yard on a working farm. We buy large hay bales from the farmer, last year they were £40 and this year they're £45 (was expecting it to be more expensive so it was a bit of a relief!)

 

[SO1]

In these cases it will be because of their personal use costs have gone up because of the increase in costs and they need to put livery fees up as they need more income to have the same standards of living.

Livery yards are commercial business and owners won't want to change their living standards to subsidise people's horse ownership and it should not be expected that they should cut back on luxury expenditure in order to keep down livery costs for their clients, though it may backfire if people leave due to increased costs or because the electric fencing is not secure as it not turned off.

A yard I know (I'm not on it) has put their rates up stating the hike in electricity prices as the reason. Funnily enough they have a heated spar and pool in their back yard and have turned the electric fencing off!!

 

[hollyandivy123]

we had an increase of £30 January 2022, another £30 in July 2022........know it is going up again and wish they would say by how much now so people can make plans...........now just under £500 for 5 day part no hard food........expecting to go to £550+ month from October/November

wow i wish i could predict the lottery numbers as i could with the prediction above! now add another £60 ............so so its up £120 per month in 10 months

 

[Bernster]

Mine ended up increasing 10% from 1 Nov. I’m cutting down on lessons and having longer spaces between physio to save some cash. Feels bad as I’m impacting other people’s incomes but it’s gotta happen. They have sourced different shavings after livery feedback.

Other yard (you know who you are ?) has been incredible and sourced cheaper stuff to avoid increased costs which is really above and beyond.

 

[teapot]

My lesson price has gone up by just shy of 10%, and is now very close to three figures for 45minutes

 

[Auslander]

Other yard (you know who you are ?) has been incredible and sourced cheaper stuff to avoid increased costs which is really above and beyond.

I may come to regret my penny pinching, now I'm filling 16 big nets a day from a round bale!

 

[ycbm]

A yard I know (I'm not on it) has put their rates up stating the hike in electricity prices as the reason. Funnily enough they have a heated spar and pool in their back yard and have turned the electric fencing off!!

Are people really turning an electric fence off to save money? Do they realise how little energy it takes to run one, about a penny a day according to my OH.
.

 

[canteron]

I'm on DIY and had a price rise in August last year but nothing since. I'm really hoping there won't be. I'm trying to do my bit and find a solution to my old boy turning on his stable light to try to save some electricity. He does it every night he's in and has done it every night for 17 years, we just can stop him. The switch is right outside his stable (he moved from his first stable as he was also tuning the main yard flood light on when he was in there. We tried a cage over the switch and he still managed it. All I can think is a plank of wood sticking out down the side of the switch to block his access but there's a tie ring on that bit of wall too and I think other horses might bang their heads on it. A grill over his door is the only other solution I can think of but that seems very drastic, especially as he's such a friendly boy who loves a groom over the door with any horses tied up outside.

I've bought my bedding for the winter, which was more than last year but not a crippling rise and our hay is included - there was sort of a rise there as previously we paid £15 a week for the time they were in but now we pay £7.50 a week all year round (apparently it made the accounting easier), last winter they were only in for 21 weeks though. I'm sure it will even up in the end.

Just as a thought, if you horse likes ‘playing’ and turning the light on - and has done for 17 years, maybe you should give him something else to play with - a ball on a string near the light switch, or stable toys etc or/and a plank up to protect it with a dummy switch or similar before making his light switching game unavailable.

He sound fun and playful, which I think is a credit to have maintained in a horse.

 

[sport horse]

I'm on DIY and had a price rise in August last year but nothing since. I'm really hoping there won't be. I'm trying to do my bit and find a solution to my old boy turning on his stable light to try to save some electricity. He does it every night he's in and has done it every night for 17 years, we just can stop him. The switch is right outside his stable (he moved from his first stable as he was also tuning the main yard flood light on when he was in there. We tried a cage over the switch and he still managed it. All I can think is a plank of wood sticking out down the side of the switch to block his access but there's a tie ring on that bit of wall too and I think other horses might bang their heads on it. A grill over his door is the only other solution I can think of but that seems very drastic, especially as he's such a friendly boy who loves a groom over the door with any horses tied up outside.

I've bought my bedding for the winter, which was more than last year but not a crippling rise and our hay is included - there was sort of a rise there as previously we paid £15 a week for the time they were in but now we pay £7.50 a week all year round (apparently it made the accounting easier), last winter they were only in for 21 weeks though. I'm sure it will even up in the end.

If your horse is playing with the light switch I think someone should be doing somethig - there are live wires inside that switch! I have done as you suggest with a plank of wood and it was marginally successful. Moving the switch is not so costly!

 

[cobsandbassets]

We're already paying £45 per week for DIY (stables; turnout; floodlit outdoor school and storage) in East Yorkshire so really hoping it doesn't increase.

 

[Uliy]

Mine went up by 20% this year!

 

[Palindrome]

I'm on DIY and had a price rise in August last year but nothing since. I'm really hoping there won't be. I'm trying to do my bit and find a solution to my old boy turning on his stable light to try to save some electricity. He does it every night he's in and has done it every night for 17 years, we just can stop him. The switch is right outside his stable (he moved from his first stable as he was also tuning the main yard flood light on when he was in there. We tried a cage over the switch and he still managed it. All I can think is a plank of wood sticking out down the side of the switch to block his access but there's a tie ring on that bit of wall too and I think other horses might bang their heads on it. A grill over his door is the only other solution I can think of but that seems very drastic, especially as he's such a friendly boy who loves a groom over the door with any horses tied up outside.

I've bought my bedding for the winter, which was more than last year but not a crippling rise and our hay is included - there was sort of a rise there as previously we paid £15 a week for the time they were in but now we pay £7.50 a week all year round (apparently it made the accounting easier), last winter they were only in for 21 weeks though. I'm sure it will even up in the end.

Have you tried duct tape over the switch?
You can remove the duct tape when you need to use it and then put it back.

 

[Chuffy99]

We had a pony that played with the light switch one night, the house lights fused and there was a huge bang, we flew outside to find pony in a heap against the far wall very shocked, couldn’t believe it hadn’t killed him, we put his survival down to the rubber mats

 

[hollyandivy123]

wow i wish i could predict the lottery numbers as i could with the prediction above! now add another £60 ............so so its up £120 per month in 10 months

And now going up again.....

 

[Barton Bounty]

And now going up again.....

What to now ?

 

[hollyandivy123]

What to now ?

30-40 a month calculation are being made.....

 

[SO1]

I expect if you are on part livery it may be due to increase in minimum wage coming up in April.

Mine went up by £100 last year. I lost Homey in July 2022 and I expect by the time I have another pony the livery will be up by another £100.

At my work some of the SLT have suggested that we will not take a pay rise this year or less of pay rise and are asking that the Board give the junior staff 12% from April. Will see how this goes down as last time the it was suggested it was felt that the senior staff may have big mortgages or kids and therefore need a decent pay rise.

And now going up again.....

 

[Barton Bounty]

30-40 a month calculation are being made.....

Crikey! Thats a lot

 

[hollyandivy123]

I get the cost rise....I made the mistake of working out the predicted cost increase on my life using the inflation rate and basic wage rise....was expecting it, I can weather this storm

But it's still a gulp

 

[PeterNatt]

Most livery yards have been faced with a substantial increase in their expenditure and are also having to increase the salaries they pay to their staff just to keep them as retaining and recruiting staff is proving very difficult indeed. Also the National Minimun Wage is increasing.

 

[jhoward]

I'm on DIY and had a price rise in August last year but nothing since. I'm really hoping there won't be. I'm trying to do my bit and find a solution to my old boy turning on his stable light to try to save some electricity. He does it every night he's in and has done it every night for 17 years, we just can stop him. The switch is right outside his stable (he moved from his first stable as he was also tuning the main yard flood light on when he was in there. We tried a cage over the switch and he still managed it. All I can think is a plank of wood sticking out down the side of the switch to block his access but there's a tie ring on that bit of wall too and I think other horses might bang their heads on it. A grill over his door is the only other solution I can think of but that seems very drastic, especially as he's such a friendly boy who loves a groom over the door with any horses tied up outside.

I've bought my bedding for the winter, which was more than last year but not a crippling rise and our hay is included - there was sort of a rise there as previously we paid £15 a week for the time they were in but now we pay £7.50 a week all year round (apparently it made the accounting easier), last winter they were only in for 21 weeks though. I'm sure it will even up in the end.

Would something like the below work?

https://www.securitysafetyproducts....oOW110JILBDjnqcRfvAgTB8c5K8SVSZBoCTT8QAvD_BwE

 

[maya2008]

30-40 a month calculation are being made.....

Surely at some point people won’t be able to afford it and will leave?

 

[YorksG]

Re the horse messing with the switch. A metal cage, like a post collecting basket may work

 

[jules9203]

I'm a very small livery yard owner. I also pay rent for my yard. When I moved here 10 yrs ago I could make a profit on the 7 boxes on DIY, charging £180 per month including ad lib hay. (Large bale 4 string hay was £25 and the muck skip was £100) Now I have 8 livery boxes. Each has to bring in £185 per month to cover the rent. Hay has increased to £45 per bale, muck skip £120 and then fertiliser by 200%. Then I have to add electric/water (now on a meter). I have changed 2 of my boxes to part livery - so then add the increase in wood pellet bedding ........
Then include the money we have spent on fencing/ the outdoor school/other facilities.....
Over 10 yrs we have increased our livery by £11 per year - doesn't seem to include my wages????
A local yard has been vilified at offering DIY at £440 per month but I think they absolutely have the costing right

 

[Sossigpoker]

Surely at some point people won’t be able to afford it and will leave?

Mine has gone up by 200 a month! I'm waiting for a space elsewhere so I can leave.

 

[Fransurrey]

I'll be really miffed if mine goes up. It went up just over a year ago to 'bring it in line with the stabled liveries', but I have a field shelter, less storage and no electricity, which they all have. I even collect rainwater in an old trough, so I don't use water to wash out buckets except during drought periods. I'll be looking in earnest to move if they raise it again, as I already think I'm paying too much, given the lack of maintenance and mark up on home grown hay.

 

[Fransurrey]

Surely at some point people won’t be able to afford it and will leave?

Already happened with one livery at our yard. I think this is the only reason it hasn't gone up, yet, as he was the yard favourite, so it must have been a shock to the owner when they left, as they were quite open about not being able to afford it anymore.

 

[Annagain]

Would something like the below work?

https://www.securitysafetyproducts....oOW110JILBDjnqcRfvAgTB8c5K8SVSZBoCTT8QAvD_BwE

We changed the switch to one that you have to turn (like a dimmer but just an on/off switch) and it seems to have foxed him so far. One of the others has started turning his on now though!