Just musing. Free accommodation and keep for up to two horses

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
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This is a hypothetical situation.

Would you be able to get anyone interested in free accommodation (self contained detached small annex with double bedroom, kitchenette, toilet and shower). With free keep for up to two horses, in return for running a livery yard of 8 horses (part livery)? So no outgoings (electric, water etc. all in, as well as all horse feed and bedding, stabling, grazing etc.)

I guess probably not as they would need some sort of income to cover other things such as their own food, clothes etc.

So how much extra would you have to pay?
 
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I think you'd find someone who would be interested. If it were one half of a couple and the other worked then it could be a good deal. Can't see how it would work for a single person though
 
Oo I'd snap that up! Only as I have a partner with a salary though. I wouldn't be keen on doing it myself as I'd need another job as well probably.
 
depends what you mean by running the yard, if it was a case of muck out, turn out, bring in and rug, feed in return for accommodation and livery then it is doable but the person would need to have a job in order to survive and do the yard when they were not at work, again doable, very early or later on, there are ways and means, but if you expected them to ride for you and be at the yard during normal working hours etc then no you would have to include a wage.
 
putasocinit said:
depends what you mean by running the yard, if it was a case of muck out, turn out, bring in and rug, feed in return for accommodation and livery then it is doable but the person would need to have a job in order to survive and do the yard when they were not at work, again doable, very early or later on, there are ways and means, but if you expected them to ride for you and be at the yard during normal working hours etc then no you would have to include a wage.
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Yes, I think either a couple, or would have to pay a wage.

I'm just trying to think of ways to free myself up for other business ventures and/or having the time to compete/go on holiday etc.
 
This could suit someone younger who can't afford to move out, ESP with the option of bringing/getting their own horse. Or as others have said, it could well suit a couple.

If the hours aren't too long, perhaps they could get a waitressing/bar work type job in the eve/few nights a week, to earn some pocket money? If so I know lots of younger people who would snap an opportunity like this right up! :)
 
Surely doing 8 horses, plus their own 2, on proper part livery with all the associated jobs involved with running a yard is a full time job, certainly it is during the winter and for that you would be expected to pay a wage with the accommodation as a bonus.
I cannot see how anyone could do it around a full time job without standards slipping, I am not sure the stables and accommodation would balance out the hours they would work in winter, they could possibly do something else part time but I think if you want to find someone to keep the yard well run, keep the liveries happy so they do not leave you would need to offer a decent wage or have a working pupil that could give you time off once they know how things get done.
Sorry that is not very positive but you are in a fairly competitive market and good reliable grooms/ yard managers can be very hard to find and most have high expectations of what they can earn.
 
I think you would find someone who this would suit you would need to agree how many hours per day you expected them to 'give ' you.
A good agreement would be essential to get it to work you also would have to be sure you could get them out the annex if you needed to as you would have a normal six month tenancy , so I would get some professional advice on that .
I don't think you would be able to 'retire ' completely on this sort of deal but you might get someone who would make a huge difference to you.
 
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I think a couple would work or you could just rent out the annexe to someone and pay a member of staff if may work out more cost effective that way, look into how much rent you could get.
 
I think you need to work out how many hours work per week are required and what you are giving in return on a £ for £ basis. I think you will be kliable for income tax and NI for whoever takes the job as you are giving payment inkind for work done. you need to check with the tax office,
 
Even if a couple moved in where one half of the couple had a full time job and the other was horsey and perhaps had their own horse, they may still be paying for their own vet/farrier bills, perhaps their own car, who knows what else. So that person would be working a hard full time job (it is hard -- I have done that job) and I guess have it worked out where their OH would pay for vet or farrier bills, car expenses, etc. Would that work for anyone?
 
I think its too much to ask, there should be a small wage as well at the least. People may snap it up initially, but may not stay for long..

ps, half my post went awol, I said that I thought it would be more reasonable to offer flat and one stable in return for cover on the yard two or three days a week so that you can get away but they still have the chance to have a PT job elsewhere too..
 
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A couple might be interested, but I don't think there is much chance a single person (not necessarily someone not in a relationship, but someone who doesn't live with a partner and have support from them) couldn't afford to live. Rent free is fine, but you still need food to eat!
 
I would take it up if it was either possible to find part time work, or if it were so many hours to cover the house and livery then hours after paid. Would need enough to cover food and fuel etc, minimum £100 a week, but it is the sort of thing I am looking for right now
 
I do something very similar. I do get a small wage. I have one dependant living with me. I have to rely on benefits to top up my wage. I work very hard. I get free hay and my water bill paid. I pay for everything else.
 
A friend does this. She has a cottage on the grounds. She had her own pony there free of charge but found she never had time to see to him so has put him on loan. Her husband works elsewhere, she has a wage, no idea how much.
 
Why not work it out backwards? Start with what is fair wage for hours worked, then take off what you think 'perks' are worth monitarily. If there is some cash left, that would be a reasonable wage on top.
 
If you pay a small wage You will need to understand how this would work with the minimum wage laws I think there are strict rules about what you can and canot do in this area .
 
See something like this would work for me in my situation (part of a couple though) as my OH works but I run my own small photography business and the only reason I work part time is to make sure my horses are paid for. As long as there was flexibility for when I had a wedding it would definitely work.
I think it will depend on the person you find. And you would want someone mature so maybe someone who has their own small business but works part time to cover their horses and rent would be interested.
I don't think you could expect someone to do it as a full time full time job without paying something.
 
I sometimes find deals like this when I search around for live in gardener jobs for my OH, where you get a free house in exchange for work, but if you sit down and work it out it is actually quite cheeky, one place wanted a couple to do 40 hours of work between them for free in exchange for a free cottage, it worked out at being the equivalent of paying £800 rent and bills and still having to work extra to get an actual income.
No, free house and a decent (not minimum) wage thank you, cheeky stingy *******.
 
Another perspective is that even if you went down the couple option, would the couple be comfortable with only one wage coming in. Yes, living expenses would be covered (bar food cars etc etc) by one partners working on your yard, but it would make bot parties reliant on the one wage of the partner who is working externally for everything else, which could cause arguments and disputes which a lot of people may not realise. Personally I like my independence, which means not having to justify going to buy a new dress to my partner, and my partner not having to tell me every time he's bought a new pair of shoes.

Although it may seem a bit of a pedantic argument, the logical side of me can see how it has the potential to cause a rift in future.

Personally I agree with Pip, start with a fair wage for the hours expected, deduct the rent and amenities and pay what's left as a small wage, otherwise by the sounds of it it would probably work out as less than minimum wage anyway.

Or as someone else said just rent out the space,and use the cash to pay for a groom.
 
Dogrose said:
I sometimes find deals like this when I search around for live in gardener jobs for my OH, where you get a free house in exchange for work, but if you sit down and work it out it is actually quite cheeky, one place wanted a couple to do 40 hours of work between them for free in exchange for a free cottage, it worked out at being the equivalent of paying £800 rent and bills and still having to work extra to get an actual income.
No, free house and a decent (not minimum) wage thank you, cheeky stingy *******.
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Also agree with this, I'd personally see it as exploitation if you expected someone to work full time, for what is less than minimuim wage when worked out properly, if part time (enough to be equivalent to at least minimum wage), and reasonable hours, so they could find other work or fit in with existing work, then fair enough.
 
Perhaps you could offer it as a business opportunity for someone rather than live-in help - give them the chance to develop the business by offering more by way of full livery, riding for owners etc, and allow them to keep this money - they might be able to earn enough in the week to give them some spare cash. It would probably make sense not to offer to keep their own horses, as this is two extra livery spaces that you and they could earn some money from. If they are good enough they could offer short-term schooling or sales livery to make more money from those 2 boxes. That way when they move on, they have developed your business and it is a more compelling proposition for someone else or for you to go back to.
 
The annex sounds small. So while in theory the situation sounds good for a couple in reality the living sounds quite cramped and likely only suited to someone young & single.

8 horses done properly, takes a good bulk of the day. I don't think you would find someone experienced enough to take sole charge and be utterly reliable and trustworthy on this deal.

You might however get someone who would cover 3-4 days a week which would give you a bit of your life back!!
 
Long term I'm hoping to drop my professional work down to part time and then find a reduced price accommodation & grazing/stabling deal in return for experienced yard cover, but I certainly couldn't justify sole charge of 8 liveries.
 
Sounds like a good opportunity for someone but if you want someone decent and who will be motivated you could maybe give them the opportunity to make some money by offering additional services such as full livery and riding for which they get to keep the money. Or say that you want to earn £x amount per week from the yard and almost rent it out to someone and let them pay you what you want from the yard and keep the rest, they could then rent out the two additional stables if they wanted to earn more themselves or offer additional services.
 
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