Implications of offering Grass Livery

[MonicaL]

I have an 8 acre field I would like to offer Grass Livery on. It has no facilities - just a trough connected to the mains (brilliant in winter because it doesn't freeze!), and enclosed are to do a little riding, a section fenced off around the main gate as the "human area" and lots of trees!

What are the implications of offering Grass Livery and how responsible would I have to be for the horses? Do I need to take any kind of responsability for the horses that come on, or is each owner responsable for its own horse? I know fencing would be my resposability, but what else should I be thinking of?

Any help gratefully received!

Thank you

 

[Bosworth]

Anytime you offer livery you end up responsible, responsible for providing the liveries with somewhere to store stuff, responsible for checking they are looking after their horses, responsibility for the field, grass maintenance, field maintenance. You also need to be insured 3rd party liability in case any of your proposed liveries injures themselves in your fields. You need care and control livery incase you handle a horse and it damages itself while you are looking after it.

What happens in winter if everything freezes and people can;t get to do their horses, will you check them. You would need to pay business rates on the liveries. Also is the field agricultural or leisure land? if it is currently agricultural then you need to apply for planning for change of use.

Then you need to work out all the cost implications and decide whether the potential costs and hassle are out weighed by the income you may get.

 

[Enfys]

If you don't want any of the responsibilities Bosworth mentioned, do not offer Grass Livery, perhaps merely rent the land out (as is) with the appropriate property insurance.

You could offer your services (at a charge) if needed perhaps rather than include them in the rental which is inferred in the 'Livery' title.

The definition of Livery is the feeding, stabling and care of horses for pay

Most of my Boarders are here on what we call Pasture Board (which I suppose in the UK would be Grass Livery) that is, they live out full time, I offer various facilities including a round pen and riding arena, I check horses daily, feed, bring in for farrier and maintain the land etc, what I don't do is groom or exercise unless I am paid extra. Sometimes owners come up daily, some I don't see for weeks on end, it makes no difference to how their horses are cared for.