How many livery yards have closed in your area?

[maisie06]

I have been out of horses for a while now, but talking with a friend and reminising made us both realise how many yards have closed their doors for good with some land sold off for development here in Sussex. In a 15 mile radius from where I live we have lost 3 20 plus horse yards and 5 smaller yards that housed up to 12 liveries, then this week heard a large riding school/livery yard will be closing as sold to developers.

Some yards are scaling back too, the one where I used to be has not replaced liveries that have left and has converted fields into secure dog runs, can't blame them really as it's a better income for minimal maintenance and the cost of the fencing soon pays for it's self. I think here in sussex horses will be pushed out and yards will be few and far between and offer only full or part ;livery as development picks up pace...

What's things like in your area?

 

[HashRouge]

I'm Sussex too but have only lived here for the last five years and my share horse's owner was saying the same thing only recently!

Whereas where my parents are, all the old yards are still up and running. I can't think of one that has closed in the last 20 years.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We seem to be losing more farms to development but one livery yard will close soon as it has been sold to a developer, one yard has sold off some land and buildings to a developer, so can only take half the number of horses that they did have and one private owner has lost rented grazing land to new houses.

 

[milliepops]

I've been on the border of 3 counties for all of my horsey life, and can't think of any that have closed - SE welsh border/west gloucestershire/south herefordshire.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

In my little area where folk can go out directly onto hacking, 6 out of 8 livery yards have closed, I've done rough arithmetic and it works out at a conservative guess of approx 48 to 50 stables gone. Go further out by 2 miles and more have gone.

Big worrying thing is the riding schools that have closed within the last 4 years round here.
In 2017 there were 5 licenced riding schools in our borough. Now there is none, not one left. 2 places operate only as livery yards and the other 3 have houses on.
The adjacent borough has lost a good few too, only 2 left out of 4 and how one of those even manages to retain a council licence I do not know.

 

[chocolategirl]

I have been out of horses for a while now, but talking with a friend and reminising made us both realise how many yards have closed their doors for good with some land sold off for development here in Sussex. In a 15 mile radius from where I live we have lost 3 20 plus horse yards and 5 smaller yards that housed up to 12 liveries, then this week heard a large riding school/livery yard will be closing as sold to developers.

Some yards are scaling back too, the one where I used to be has not replaced liveries that have left and has converted fields into secure dog runs, can't blame them really as it's a better income for minimal maintenance and the cost of the fencing soon pays for it's self. I think here in sussex horses will be pushed out and yards will be few and far between and offer only full or part ;livery as development picks up pace...

What's things like in your area?

I’m in Cheshire, it’s the opposite here, there’s too many! It means prices are kept low even for yards with fantastic facilities?‍

 

[Rowreach]

I closed (burnout) five years ago, a couple more have become specialised comp yards, and a couple have been sold off due to retirement of the farmer owners. But I know of three that have opened in recent years (young enthusiastic YOs) so provision is probably much the same in reality.

 

[SEL]

I'm in the south east and we've lost loads to housing developments. Riding school in the village I keep my horses closed their doors about 5 years ago when the owners got an offer they couldn't refuse. In the other direction a small RS got kicked out at the end of their tenancy and although the land still has horses on it there are rumours it's been allocated for future housing. My old yard closed 2019 after planning permission agreed and there's a waiting game on the yard before that - houses nearly up to field borders so owners hopeful they can sell out soon.

Lots of smaller paddocks gone because one of the local developers specialises in building 2-3 big houses on small greenfield plots.

Most of the farmland has options on it, but hey .... who needs to grow crops anyway ??

 

[DabDab]

Building is happening everywhere at the moment. Land that would never have been approved for development before is suddenly being built on. I can't think of a single village in a 3 mile radius of here that hasn't got new builds in progress or recently completed. All massive, on-top-of-each-other executive homes too, all looking completely out of place in villages of mainly country cottages.

I assume there must be something from central govt driving the current building frenzy, it seems too obvious a step change not to be.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I am in an equestrian area with access to some very well known training and competition centres and I can’t think of any yards that have closed recently. One very large riding school was sold but the instructors have moved it to a new location although it’s not quite open yet as far as I know and one privately run polo/hunter yard moved to another location so neither have actually closed. In a 5 mile radius there are at least 13 livery yards either DIY or part/full and the land around here is either owned by very established farming families or Oxford University and neither appear willing to relinquish any of it for anything.

 

[dogatemysalad]

I can't think of any yards that have closed locally. All the established yards are going strong and the equestrian centres are flourishing, despite the challenges over the last 18months.
Our biggest problem is due to the council giving planning permission on green spaces which makes off road riding more scarce.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I'm in Sussex and can't think of any that have closed locally. A pro rider's yard has relocated but as far as I'm aware, hasn't closed.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Central Scotland seems to have more coming on stream….

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There's never been very many livery yards in my area. One was sold and the new owners had enough horses of their own to fill the boxes. One relocated to the other side of the hill and in its original place a retirement livery yard has opened up. And the other one I wouldn't go anywhere near if it was the last place on earth! And that's in a 10 mile radius of me. I am so so glad I don't have to be on a livery yard!

 

[GoldenWillow]

I can't think of any livery yards that have closed, possibly one, but I do know that we have lost four of the five ridings schools that I know of.

 

[mariew]

Where I lived in South Essex there were at least 5 closed for housing development in the last 5 years in approximately a 5 to 10 mile radius. But tbh why struggle with trying to make ends meet and difficult liveries when you can get millions instantly if you sell. Sadly. At least one was a riding school.

 

[shortstuff99]

I'm in Cambridgeshire/ Huntingdonshire and so many yards and competition venues have closed now. There are barely any DIY yards anymore and even less that have all year turnout.

I can't find a BD venue under an hour from me now.

 

[Caol Ila]

Like Midlifecrisis said, I can't think of any which have closed in Central Scotland, but more seem to be opening, especially in Ayrshire, West Lothian, and Renfrewshire.

 

[criso]

Quite a few in Herts in the green belt , it's prime development land round London

 

[holeymoley]

3 closed around me in the last 10 years.

 

[millikins]

Within 5 miles I can think of 3 big yards and 2 smaller ones that have gone, only one for multiple building, the others cutting back to private use or one/two large houses. What I find equally sad is that I very rarely see kids out hacking, certainly never in groups having a hooley and my area has great off road hacking.

 

[chocolategirl]

Building is happening everywhere at the moment. Land that would never have been approved for development before is suddenly being built on. I can't think of a single village in a 3 mile radius of here that hasn't got new builds in progress or recently completed. All massive, on-top-of-each-other executive homes too, all looking completely out of place in villages of mainly country cottages.

I assume there must be something from central govt driving the current building frenzy, it seems too obvious a step change not to be.

With a population of almost 70 million and counting, I doubt it’s going to stop any time soon either ?

 

[Widgeon]

Big worrying thing is the riding schools that have closed within the last 4 years round here.
In 2017 there were 5 licenced riding schools in our borough. Now there is none, not one left. 2 places operate only as livery yards and the other 3 have houses on.
The adjacent borough has lost a good few too, only 2 left out of 4 and how one of those even manages to retain a council licence I do not know.

Yes this is my concern too, up here (North of York) we have plenty of livery yards including a couple of new ones. But the riding school has recently closed (is now livery only). The riding school I grew up at down in Surrey also closed, because of Covid. Nothing has replaced them. The big fancy "equestrian centres" are still going but little family run riding schools seem to be disappearing, which seems sad to me. I learned so much there, most of it outside of my half an hour paid weekly lesson.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I am Sussex based too and I do think that in the South East, people will have to travel further out into the 'sticks' to be able to keep their horse anywhere. There is still ample service for part liveries, but DIY yards are few and far between, and many have big downsides to them. Here it seems more common to rent land privately, I pass horses a fair bit when driving around but not many seem to be actual livery yards as opposed to 'horses in fields' if that makes any sense?

 

[AandK]

I'm in West Sussex and know of one yard near me that closed at the beginning of the year (mid sized, 12 ish horses) and one that is closing September time (larger), both DIY. There are plenty of full/part yards about but DIY is harder to find, there are yards about but most have a waiting list. I have been on the same yard for almost 9yrs, not planning to move luckily as my choices would be very limited!

 

[Renvers]

I am in Warwickshire and can't think of many that have closed in the last decade, two locally to HS2. Quite a few have stopped DIY and offer Part or Full Livery only.

We seem to be losing arable land for housing development or HS2.

 

[Annagain]

I can only think of one that's closed and another where all the liveries were served notice as the owners were selling up but the new owner has re-opened it as a livery yard and many of the original liveries have gone back there.

The yard that closed was on local authority owned land that has been earmarked for development for decades and was managed by a tenant whose 15 year lease was coming to an end. It caused a bit of consternation locally because he had known for many years the lease wouldn't be renewed but didn't tell any of his liveries until the last minute (the information was in the public domain for anyone who did a bit of digging but nobody knew it was even a possibility so nobody did until later) and was still taking new people on a few months before they were all served notice. It was big yard so there were dozens of people all looking for livery in the area at the same time.