Help please! Possible livery yard!

Horse-mad

Horse-mad

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Hello, I have never really posted on here but I thought all your help would be great! So thank you so much in advance!

I have found a beautiful brick built 10 stable yard on a 17 acre plot. Beautifully maintained land so not much work straight out on the part. There will be water, electricity and a phone line once finished. Also a toilet and hopefully a ménage! I have seen the yard and know the landlord, who is not horsie at all!
So the issues are...
1. I am 18 years old, but I have always been told and aware that I have an old head on my shoulders. I have been around horses, including youngsters and difficult ones for around 10 years. I compete one horse at the moment at BE100 hoping to move to novice this year but sadly injury over the winter hasn't allowed this so I do have experience. I am lucky to have parents behind me but neither are horsie. So the big but is would liveries be put off by my age?? My gut feeling is yes! Would really appreciate others opinions.
2. I am unsure whether to have all DIY or the possibility of full or part liveries. Although weekends would be DIY but cover could be included at an extra cost. When the yard is finished I will be studying floristry at college. Which will be 2 1/2 days a week. So can easily work around this hopefully. But has anyone else has experiment of running a small livery yard around other commitments?
3. Price??? Any ideas on what I could charge for DIY, part/full livery (people always seem to have different understanding). The yard is in Bedfordshire.
DIY would be stable, field etc.
Part: feeding, rug changes, turn in/out (no mucking out)
Full: same as part just including mucking out
Exercise, plaiting, clipping and extras can be included! (what do people charge generally for this?)
Hard standing is also available for transport parking.
4. Hay, bedding, hard feed. Would DIY customers like to be able to purchase hay and bedding off me for an extra price?? Basic hard feed would be included for part and full liveries.
5. Insurance, could any of you just lead me in the right direction for this. have tried to find information but it seems very confusing!
6. The big question!! Could a small yard be profitable??
Thank you so much if you have got this far!! I really appreciate it, any feedback would be fab! :) Also if I have missed anything important (which is quite likely) I would love everyone's opinion.
 
If it was me:

1) personally I wouldn't mind as long as you were mature and knew what was best for horses etc.

2) I'd say that i'd only have DIY then you could possible take on one part-livery and see how you like it or ask one of your DIY's if they'd like Part/Full livery for two weeks or something and no extra cost to see how you cope?

3) My local yard for full livery is £150 Straw/ Hay. £153 Shavings/ Hay £155 Straw/ Haylage £158 Shavings/ Haylage. PER WEEK.
This includes:

All Hard Feed, Meadow Hay ( up to 10 kg dry weight per day) and Straw bedding as required or if you require shavings, a base bed of 6 bales (1 bale of shavings added per week) ( additional can be purchased either on a monthly basis, or individually as required).

Grooming, (grooming kit required) trimming, tack cleaning and Handling for vet, farrier, saddler, or other health professional.

Turnout if needed (Individually – weather permitting, or group turnout available 12 months of year) if NO individual turnout is available, then we will exercise 3 times a week inclusive ( or if you use group turnout option)

One lesson per week is included with your regular instructor. (This however cannot be carried over)

Use of all facilities including 60 x 60 outdoor arena 40 x 60 indoor arena to 8.00, including use of lights, ( supplement for lights after 9.00 in winter months) Farm hacking. Cross country course (use only permitted with instructional supervision). Local road and off road hacking is also excellent.

All worming, vaccinations, routine shoeing, with one of our two farriers and supplementary feeding needs organised for you.

Due to our busy competition schedule – we can assist you in getting out to competitions, including your entries, transport and grooming requirements, and training at shows if required.

Late night checks and feeds. (9.00) we ask that horses are put away by 9.00 to enable them to be groomed and fed by 9.30. If you require to ride after this time, please inform the office each day so we can alter staff rota accordingly.


And Facilities are:

60 x 60 outdoor school with Show Jumps available

60 X 40 indoor school with large mirrors, and spectating areas

Access to beautiful on and off road hacking.

Wash box and box especially for clipping, farrier, dentist etc.

BHS Cross Country Course (instructor required)

Full BE Cross Country Course in hacking distance

Excellent Access to many BD and BS Competition Venues

Competition Preparation, and assistance with competition organisation including transport

Secure Alarmed Tackroom, with storage for trunks and lockers

24 Hour Onsite Staff

Full CCTV in Operation

Packages can be tailor made to suit horse and riders individual needs to include full care and training.

All Year Round Group Turnout available

Individual turnout available (Subject to weather/ ground conditions)

Short or Long Term Full schooling, or Competition/ Training Livery available

Discounts for Multiple horses (subject to space and requirements)
 
Your age wouldn't put me off, I'd like to see how you deal with an animal and if I like that then I wouldn't care how old you are! It may well put some off, I wouldn't ever raise the issue if I were you - just act like it wouldn't even cross your mind to be an issue.

DIY with a decent, lit school will mean you can charge £25-30 in Bedfordshire. You could include hay and straw for £45 a week I should think. Yes, most DIY would prefer to buy from YO rather than have to source their own as this can become problematic.

Full livery could go up to £120 but no more unless you feel that you are really offering something quite special. Five day full would bring you about £90. For this I would want rubber matting, all year turnout but not necessarily 24/7.

I wouldn't be interested in paying a YO £120 a week if I knew that my horse was going to be completely unsupervised for 2.5 days a week. I don't know how you will manage to muck out ten (potentially) and then get to college for 9am...what about early bring in during Winter? I wouldn't want mine stood out from 7-7pm in the very worst of the Winter unless the grazing was enough to keep her well occupied.

Where is this because I know people who may well be interested in your area?
 
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I think your age is less of an issue than trying to make any money from a basic DIY yard when you have to pay rent to a landlord who is likely to want to see some return on his investment, especially if he, or you, has to pay for an arena to be put in, unless you can fill the yard with part liveries you are unlikely to break even unless the landlord is giving you extremely generous rates, you need to factor in insurance, rates, water, electric etc before you will be able to take anything out .
I think college commitments will probably prevent you from offering a top end full livery as you will be away from the yard at times when the owners may expect you to be there so by just having DIY or part you will be less restricted.
 
Thank you so much for your quick responses!! The yard will only be ready at the beginning of next year really so college will only be one academic year so I was thinking up until that point I would only have DIY liveries maybe, especially taking you opinions on board! After that time maybe start part liveries etc..
Well the landlord only built the yard for something to do and has done building work for our family so we do know each other. He is willing to give generous rates for it to be used. Might sound odd but he's not looking for a huge return just some use of the land rather than it sitting there! Insurance at the moment is the biggest thing I am worried about price wise!
 
Jesus, How i would love the money to just casually build 10 stables! Our neighbour who is only 55 likes to watch his vegetables grow and mows his grass every day - Men these days, eh?!
 
A lot depends on the hours you'll need to be at college. If you can make it work, you're far better off financially doing full or part, because you're paid for your time and you can "add value" - on DIY you'd be lucky to cover costs once you allow for rent, water, electric, maintenance, rates, insurance, etc.

Do you see this being a long term thing? Or are you intending to work as a florist after training? :)
 
And its not any yard! One of the reasons im so interested is because of the quality of it all! Brick built and in breeze blocks! No wood in sight as of yet! Will be finished with wood but there is not bringing these stable down! It also has a slate roof, unlike the yard I am at at the moment where my poor horse has a sun roof! lol
Yes I wish I could just build a lovely yard!
 
Yes well my hours would be 9:15 till 4:15 for two days then the 3rd would be a far shorter day!
I would be interested in floristry but I can imagine this being long term for the time being!
 
Hi there

I'm in exactly the location you are looking at. Basic DIY in Ampthill is thirty pounds a week for stable in beautiful american style barn, all yr turnout but not 24/7 in winter, electric, mains water, stock fencing with mains electric, individual turn out, menage, lights in field at night, owners on site, cctv ... no bedding or hay included.

Even more basic DIY at local farm in flitwick (slightly more homemade stabling, although still in old brick barns) with hay and straw ordered from farmer, menage tons of farm hacking etc is 20 a week - to my knowledge electric in the stables only.

HTH
 
Thank you all so much for your help!
Ok £30 is about the figure I was thinking! I think the quality of the building and grazing should be able to achieve that! Hopefully I managed the landlord to build a menage because if not there is no way I could afford to build one so the whole idea would be a big no no!
Dubsie that is true, I suppose it would never need to be mentioned! I just don't have a very old face :p
 
Full livery with the horses being left 2.5 days a week wouldn't bother me. Do people really expect the YO to be on site all day and possibly all night? How do my horses at home cope, with me working?
 
Ok, so I get the feeling its allot about personal preference! Which is fair enough. I wont be able to be there over night but CCTV will be installed and there is a great chance liveries would be able to see the footage from home too!
 
your age wouldnt bother me in the slightest..

what would bother me is no rules laid down from day one.... dont be lenient to your friends and you will be fine...

good opportunity -i would go for it :]
 
Interesting you all say that the age doesn't bother you, from my own personal experience, it does. I got very different responses from people when I set up my yard down in Hampshire when I was 22, if my 35 year old partner was about then people seemed a lot more keen on the place, despite the fact he had zero interest or horse knowledge outside of what he knew from racing. They would often remark, 'you are really young' the fact that I had stumped up the cash to rent the place which had amazing facilities, had a good affiliated comp record went out of the window as they looked at me like I was a child! It was only once I started to gain a reputation for sorting out difficult horses that people forgave my age!
The only other thing I can say is that DIYs never make that much profit if any. But it does sound like a lovely yard, make a business plan and go for it.
 
You would definitely want a menage, mains water, mains electric fencing etc to be able to justify the 30 quid a week around here. You can get what you are offering (with menage) for 25 a week in Cranfield ... xx

If you want to see prices for full/part livery in Ampthill, check out the sunnyside lodge livery yard - it's just between ampthill and lidlington and gives a nice break down of their charges. I have found them to be about average for the area. xxx
 
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