Help - We've been given notice......

TopTotty

TopTotty

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Hey, my landlords daughter is 16 and leaving school this year and has decided she would like to run my yard! I have been asked to leave by the end of June 2011. Currently I have 20 stables and 20 acres and 14 liveries. I need to find somewhere nearish so I can hopefully take most of my liveries with me. I am looking for either a large yard to live on and run as a livery yard, a yard where I do not live on but run as mainly a DIY yard and if I take this option also somewhere else to live where I can keep my five horses at home.
I am in NW Lancs and need to be north of Preston and south of Lancaster if possible. If anyone hears of anything at all please could you let me know. :):)
 
Oh you poor thing....what is your landlord thinking??....a 16 yr old running a yard...mmm? Disaster springs to mind.

I will have a look about for you on sites etc as I am not in your area....crikes thats an awful lot to try and re-home together...let's just hope landlord and his daughter re-think the situation and you get to stay!
 
not in your area so can not help. but it might cheer you up to think that you obviously did a great job of makeing the running of the yard look easy if the landlord thinks his 16 yo can manage it !!! I have been on 2 livery yards before going alone 12 years ago and both YO were well respected horsewomen and even they had their problems
 
Fingers crossed you find somewhere!!

Does your landlord think you will leave behind the liveries then? And thus give his daughter a ready made business to take over?

I'd try and get your liveries on side quickly
 
oh gosh how worrying for you, i'm not much help either as no where near your area, but I can understand what a worry for you, really hope something comes up for you. Echo what 'rossiroo' said... you must have done a good job to make the 16 year old think she can run it!! bet you wished tou made it look more difficult now!!
 
I've just had one thought.

You might not want to help her out at all, but could you suggest to your landlord that the 16yr old does a summers work experience with you?
Then you'll leave by September?

This would give you another couple of months to keep looking and potentially if she's working a full Summer 'running' the yard she might be put off by the idea??
I'm sure YOs have to clear up dead rats, make the muck heap stack correctly ... I'm sure all your liveries might need full livery for a week etc there will always be a few horses getting injured that you could make sure she has to treat (to show her how much knowledge she needs to have)

You'd look like the kind, supporting tennant who wants to help out your landlords daughter, and you might be able to put her off the idea of running a yard? This would then mean you could keep your yard, or have longer to find somewhere else?

I'm not sure how you'd sort in, in terms of pay but you'd make her an 'assistant manager' or something. Can quite understand that you don't want to help her at all - but just a thought as a way of putting her off the idea.

I also can't imagine many liveries will want to leave their horses with a 16yr old with no qualifications! She should at least do a course at Hartpury (or similar) first.
 
I don't live in your area and can't help there so all I can give are some suggestions of how to try to find a new yard although I'm sure you've already thought of them ;).

Call around local farmers and landowners, they are often looking for ways to boost revenue and they may have some spare land and outbuildings which you could lease from them.

Put adverts in the local tack shops and local paper classifieds.

An ad in Horse and Hound and some of the other larger horse magazines, may bring some responses.

Could you sub-let from a large boarding stables?

Go to estate agents and ask if they know of any equestrian business leases that are coming up for renewal.

Keep your eyes peeled when out and about.

Talk to people in the rural pubs; they're often a font of knowledge about what's going on in the area and who needs supplementary cash.

Good luck finding somewhere and good luck to the girl starting out on her business :). I would imagine some of the boarders will remain at her fathers yard so she will have a little head-start on getting established. Some of the liveries will go with you so you won't be starting from scratch again, so if you can find a suitable yard then it's a win-win for everyone.
 
Talk to the Auctioneers at both Lancaster and Preston farmers marts
They may well know of farmers coming up to retirement looking to diversify
 
Thanks everyone....you made me :)! The liveries know what she is like and will not stay so we are all on a hunt to find somewhere together! The landlord does think that she'll have a ready made yard!!! They are in for a shock as the liveries will not stay here even if they can not come with me. We have been together for years! :)
 
Sadly I can thelp you regarding a new yard but my horror is a 16yr old managing a yard - ffs what are the parents thinking. It is a recipe for disaster and i would never consider a yard run by 16yr old - my daughter was very sensible at 16 but no way experieinced to run a yard
 
Hmm. I'm not sure how kindly an insurance company would look at a yard run by a 16 year old either!

Is there any way the liveries could gently point out to the landlord that they would go if this happened? They could always couch it in terms of "I would love to stay, but I would feel guilty if I put the responsibility of my horse's welfare on the shoulders of one so young"...

I hope for everyone's sake that she changes her mind pdq:(
 
no help re finding a new yard, whilst i probably wouldnt move to a nice posh yard run by a 16yr old.

I keep my horses at a farm that does livery. The farmers daughter (17yr old ) runs the yard herself, her parents run the farm and have nothing to do with the horses. She is very grown up for her age, and is very mature and professional with any problems, and so well organised, i couldnt believe her age.

Having said that, if i went to a yard with a school and other facilities that offered part/full livery, schooling etc i wouldn't be happy trusting a 16yr old to manage all of this, and im sure most of your liveries will think the same
 
I am in the same position at teh mo, i have a month to find a yard for my 15 horses spoke to all the estate agents, and they all said wrong time of year if it as summer you would be fine.
So if any of you know a yard in herts,beds bucks, i am looking.
Think i would kill my non-horsey, think knows everything about horses YO, that landed me with a £4k vet bill, through complete lack of knowledge about horses.
 
miss_bird said:
I am in the same position at teh mo, i have a month to find a yard for my 15 horses spoke to all the estate agents, and they all said wrong time of year if it as summer you would be fine.
So if any of you know a yard in herts,beds bucks, i am looking.
Think i would kill my non-horsey, think knows everything about horses YO, that landed me with a £4k vet bill, through complete lack of knowledge about horses.
Click to expand...

There was one near Addington, Bucks for rent a few weeks ago - it was on H&H but not there anymore. If I can remember the name of the yard will let you know.
 
Trolt said:
I've just had one thought.

You might not want to help her out at all, but could you suggest to your landlord that the 16yr old does a summers work experience with you?
Then you'll leave by September?

This would give you another couple of months to keep looking and potentially if she's working a full Summer 'running' the yard she might be put off by the idea??
I'm sure YOs have to clear up dead rats, make the muck heap stack correctly ... I'm sure all your liveries might need full livery for a week etc there will always be a few horses getting injured that you could make sure she has to treat (to show her how much knowledge she needs to have)

You'd look like the kind, supporting tennant who wants to help out your landlords daughter, and you might be able to put her off the idea of running a yard? This would then mean you could keep your yard, or have longer to find somewhere else?

I'm not sure how you'd sort in, in terms of pay but you'd make her an 'assistant manager' or something. Can quite understand that you don't want to help her at all - but just a thought as a way of putting her off the idea.

I also can't imagine many liveries will want to leave their horses with a 16yr old with no qualifications! She should at least do a course at Hartpury (or similar) first.
Click to expand...



i think this is a brilliant idea - win win situation -gives you more time to look for a yard if she wants to take over but also gives her an idea that its not just ordering people around looking after a yard. and if she decides she doesnt want so much hard work you get to stay.

fabulous idea!
 
Trolt said:
Fingers crossed you find somewhere!!

Does your landlord think you will leave behind the liveries then? And thus give his daughter a ready made business to take over?

I'd try and get your liveries on side quickly
Click to expand...

Agree with this, I think he expects you to walk and leave a ready made bussiness behind
 
Might just want to check out the legalities of taking your clients with you - I knwo a hairdresser who is currently sueing her aprentice who went it alone and took clients with her, because it broke a contract - which is a shame, because its the client's choice!
 
Naturally said:
Might just want to check out the legalities of taking your clients with you - I knwo a hairdresser who is currently sueing her aprentice who went it alone and took clients with her, because it broke a contract - which is a shame, because its the client's choice!
Click to expand...

Good thought, although I suspect this is a different situation entirely. After all the liveries are all clients of OP not the landlord.

As for the hairdresser and apprentice, you can kinda understand that as hairdresser will have invested considerable time and money in training apprentice and if it was stipulated as a term in the contract she is within her rights to 'sue'
 
Nightmare!!!!
As a YO who also leases my yard its always a worry! Which of your places is it as dont you have 2 now (Hawthorne and Pepper Hill?) is there any chance you can rent more land at the other and extend that or at least as a temp measure?
If you have set the yard up and built it up as a business - is there any chance you can try and get a goodwill payment from him as they have said that they intend to continue to run it as a yard? i'd definatley seek legal advice about it.
i'm quite close to you so will keep my ears open for you - whats the min stables/land you
need?
i really feel for you and dread that one day i will also be posting similar!
 
So sorry to hear this, get your liveries on side if not already..although that shouldnt be hard... I would not want my hrse looked after by a 16YO let alone be on a yard managed by one!!
 
HI, I have checked my contract and the livery side of things is ok as I set up the yard and it is my business. I only rent the property from him and it was not a going concern before that it was a charity and they moved.
Good idea about the work experience but the 16 yo thinks she knows more than me now and is so far up herself that I think that is proably a non starter! They have a lot of money and it probably does not matter whether she makes a mess of it!
It is Hawthorn EC that will be moving and Pepper Hill can only have the land it comes with as I have already asked the question. - Great minds think alike! :)
I need either 15 - 20 stables and land or a house for us and five horses. I would also consider another yard like Pepper Hill that someone else lives on. :):)
 
Jeni Ball said:
I have checked my contract and the livery side of things is ok as I set up the yard and it is my business. I only rent the property from him and it was not a going concern before that it was a charity and they moved.
Click to expand...

I honestly think you would have something there...... wasnt a yard when you took it over... you've built up your business.....they are effectively taking over your business as they intend to still run it as a yard.....
i cant think of what the term is but i am 97% sure that legally there is someway they have to compensate you as they are putting you out of business - but actually taking it over!

I'd maybe try calling the federation of small businesses or someone lilke that and ask for advice.

I also hope you are going to be removing everything that you have added to the yard? For my yard, there was not a single ring to tie to/hang nets on, well, i bought about 50... now if i ever have to leave, call me petty but they'll be going with me (assuming i can get them down that is lol!) as i dare say i would get part of my money back on ebay, plus why should the 'new YO's' get it so easy?

I'll also keep my ears open, there was a yard at preston side of kirkham that was only up for rent a few months ago that would have probably suited.
 
No help on a new yard. but god wouldn't want to be a livery once you've left! My first yard was run by a 15 YO. Was like a bl00dy playground so i left after having been there a month. She just did not have a clue. Put it this way, I was on my first horse and she came to me for help & advise, which I gave when i felt i could, but didn't have the knowledge or experience myself.

Was just awful.
 
I am new to this forum..however I remember Jenni from the days where I took up riding again and had lessons at Hawthorn before buying my gelding.. all I can say is I wish you the very best in finding a new yard as you inspired me to get back out there and start being totally smitten by them and to give so much respect and appreciation to the horse.. i thank you very much for that and hope you resolve your yard problems because if anyone deserves too then it sure must be you...all the best.
 
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