New Livery owner needing opinions

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GGRider

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Hi all
I am moving into my own business: a livery yard / riding school next month. The dream realised at last!

It needs an awful lot of investment - we're virtually starting from scratch so I am consulting as many riders as possible about what livery/riding school services you love/hate most. Please help inform my plans with your opinions. Many thanks

Sophie (BHSAI)
 
love - an outdoor school, good off road hacking vvvv important, well drained land and lots of turnout.

bad - boggy fields (fields on a flood plain) busy roads nearby xx

p.s good luck with your venture!
 
Congratulations!

Very difficult to define exactly but as a general rule of thumb the things I really appreciate is knowing where I stand from the beginning (i.e. what can and can't be done around the yard) so that I can gauge if it's a yard I would be happy in. Don't keep changing the goal posts, don't treat different liveries differently, if you mess something up or make a mistake please be honest with the owner rather than try and cover it up. And really just remember that liveries are your clients and that horses are their hobby, it's supposed to be a nice place to go!

I'm sure you will do a great job!
 
Hi
I am new to horse owning and I have found a lovely yard that does part livery, but of course it's not perfect, but the things I like:
The fact that you pay for your own hay/straw/hard feed so you can use as much/little as you like.
Having turnout facilities 365 days a year (unless weather is really awful)
The fact that they offer full livery (for a small charge) on any day if you need it.
Having a really good outdoor school that doesn't flood.
Having a diary/whiteboard where you can write things that you would like done/not done, incld booking the school for lessons.
Insistence that the yard and everyone's belongings is kept tidy (not ridiculously so though!)
That there is always someone on hand to catch / hold your horse if the vet, farrier etc is coming and you can't be there.
Knowing that the staff will call the vet immediately even if they can't get hold of you.

Things I don't like:
Horses go out at 8.30am but they are often bought in by 1.30-2pm which is a bit early in my mind.
Staff leave at 4pm so they will top up your hay then but if you aren't up in the evening it is a long time for the horses to go till morning so you have to rely on someone doing it for you.

Anyway enough of my rambling - good luck with your new venture.
 
love - well kept horses, tidy clean yard, pleasant staff, outdoor floodlit manege that isnt boggy, 24/7 TO in summer, bring in/turn out service, friendly liveries!

hate - horses having to stay in all summer, rats, muddy fields, busy roads, too many rules(horse in by 3pm, not allowed on yard at certain times etc), school to busy to use, too many horses together in fields...

...I could go on all day and I wouldn't consider myself a fussy livery! Good luck with your venture
smile.gif
 
Good:
- the yard I am at has a wood chip surface on the paths to all the fields and by the field gateways so they don't get muddy
- I love straw being included in my livery price, so I can use as much as I want and make a lovely deep bed in winter

Bad:
- if it's a riding school/livery yard it can be difficult for liveries to use the school as it's always busy with lessons
 
I like my YOs to be friendly, approachable and knowledgeable because it is good to have someone whose advice you can trust.

I like small yards with other friendly owners. I think that the YO can assist greatly in ensuring a happy atmosphere on a yard. If the YO is bitchy, has favourites, is unapproachable etc there is no hope for the clientele!

As for facilities - well an indoor school would be great but these are only usually found at large livery yards and I don't like large, busy yards because I consider riding to be a hobby and a relaxation and it is not easy to relax when the yard is seething with adults, children, horses and ponies.

A well drained outdoor school is a must for me and good, off road hacking is v important too.

Finally, I like the YO (or the grooms) to take proper care of my horses and to have complete faith in their ability and willingness to do so. I have been messed around in the past and my horse has not been fed etc and I would not like to be in that situation again (this is if you intend to offer full livery, of course).
 
Oh, I forgot to mention turnout for some reason, even though this is one of my big "must haves"! I like my horses to be turned out for at least 8 hours a day in summer and for at least 4 hours in winter, unless the weather is atrocious or the fields are flooded etc.
 
I agree with most of what has already been said, but speaking as a livery yard owner of rather too many years' experience, I'm going to come at this from the other angle!! Make sure you have a clear, written agreement with your clients right from the start, setting out exactly what each of you is responsible for, and what your charges will be. Make your charges reasonable, but do not undersell yourself - if you are good, your clients will not mind paying you!

Don't have too many rules, but remember it is your yard and you are entitled to have a few. You (or a trusty member of your staff) need to be available 24/7 in case of emergency, but that doesn't mean a client should think it's ok to ring at 11pm to ask you to turn Dobbin out next Saturday.

Amazingly, I had a client once who objected when I called out the vet to his horse in an emergency, because I didn't contact him first (the client was based abroad at the time) - so I now have this proviso written into the T&C.

Clients are right to expect turnout for their horses, but they must be reasonable about it. They wouldn't like all the horses turned out together for example, so it might be necessary for them to be swapped about so they all get a turn, rather than being out all day. Here in NI where it rains a lot, our fields in the winter are unuseable, so we have a hard-bottomed turnout area, and the horses get a couple of hours each in it, unless the weather is vile.

Having a happy yard means happy yo, happy horses, happy clients. Trust me, if a client is giving you hassle, get rid quick, cos it will upset the atmosphere of the whole yard. I've had some clients who stayed more than 10 years, others that didn't last 10 mins, but most have ended up being close friends.

Running a good yard is jolly hard work, incredibly rewarding, and as your reputation grows, so will your business, if you are good enough!!
smile.gif
Best of luck with it, you are off to a good start by getting feedback from livery clients on this thread.
 
Hey,
well done you...brill idea and would love to do it myself.
One thing I found at yards to be good was an indoor/outdoor school, nice welcoming, clean stables and friendly people. I think the worst thing is when the yard seems a little out of control and becomes grubby, fencing is left and people can be nasty.
I do not actually have my horses at a yard anymore due to a few people bossying me around and it become a pain...they feed my horses when I was there and would leave notes on my stable slaggin off the way I did things...I believe now if the YO had, had a word with them and mentioned to pack it in I might still be there...
oh and I forgot good grazing...my old pony would not do well in a field full of young horses as she might get kicked and have problems getting to the hay..so maybe a field for the retired would be good too....
hope all goes well :0)
 
How exciting!

Love: Flexibility - sometimes I do the lot - other times horse is full livery - I like that it can be changed. Somewhere to school / lunge - ideally floodlit. Turnout is also important for me. I would always choose somewhere that allows at least some turnout every day.


Hate: Very strict rules about times you can attend the yard etc. Not being able to have a choice of feeds (although understand the yard can't stock everything - I was somewhere once where every horse got the same feed... no matter what.. very frustrating!)
 
Love: Of primary importance is having a good relationship between YO and client. As a full livery, I like to know that if I ask for something and it is agreed to, it will get done. Need to trust that the YO has the horse's welfare at heart and has sufficient knowledge and wishes to provide a good service.
In terms of facilities turnout, turout, turnout. Personally there is nothing worse than having to keep a horse in when you don't want to, having poor grazing, poor fencing or having to share with other horses if that doesn't work for your horse.
Thirdly a decent schooling area that you can book for sole use if required.

Hate: Yards with an unfriendly/bitchy atmosphere. Domineering YOs. YOs that take the pee and don't provide what you are paying for /skimp on everything they can. Yards that aren't maintained when things break/wear out.
 
I'd add if you are going to run as a riding school - insurance - insurance insurance and then some more

plus I note you sign you're original posting as BHSAI - forget completely that any qualification you may have (apart from BHSI or FBHS) will make b-all difference to the clients

It's what you do - not your 'label' - that counts

don't buy the cheapest feed - I wince when I goto the feed merchants and see sacks of 'livery nuts' being loaded into a 4x4 - it's like saying everyone likes cornflakes for breakfast and is suited by them

horses are individuals - be prepared to feed the full range of available feeds from at least one reputable supplier (i.e. D&H or spillers)

never be seen to be 'running out of' hay/haylage/feed/ - the horses don't deserve to be skimped on 'cos your supplier has a breakdown -allow for that and stock up before you need to
 
Turnout
Hacking
Friendly and efficient YO
Not a very large yard, small and friendly.
Wherever the yard is I need my horses to get turnout every day of the year, because one would just not cope with being in 23 hours in a day. It's bad for their mental and physical health anyway. So I need a yard that has adequate turnout for the number of horses there. Where I am now the ground does get very boggy, but there is a good area of hardstanding in the winter fields, where the YO puts out round bales. Which leads on to... not too many horses in the field!.
Hacking, good and safe. Because to me if you can't get out and have adventures what is the point in having a horse? An arena is nice, but I've compromised where I am now, they don't have one, but everything else is great.
The YO needs to have a brain, be prepared to deal with disagreements, and not try to impose their views on handling, feeding etc on their liveries. Similar the other liveries, it's supposed to be fun having horses, and normally when it isn't it is down to the people around you.
I suppose last I'd say flexibility. I need a basic service of feed and turnout, and normally do the rest myself. But sometimes I might need more done, and I need to be able to get that easily and at a reasonable price. I also need everyone to treat each horse with sympathy and kindness. I hate yards where people are prepared to see someone else's horse unhappy and just walk away. Like leaving a stressed horse alone in a field just because his owner is held up at work. At our yard if a horse is poorly and needs to come in, if he needs company we will bring the others in for a few hours to help with that. If there is upset in a field, we try to change things around so that the horses can settle with a group they get on with. If the weather suddenly turns to blazing sun, somebody will go out and put sunscreen on the pink noses. Just common sense stuff like that. I think it's hard to get that sort of communal feeling if you have too many liveries though.
Oh heck - just thought - don't we want somewhere to make our tea and a flushing toilet??
grin.gif
 
Like good turnout 365 days a year. Paddocks of different sizes. Individual or in pairs if required. Fairness - everyone treated equally. Allow liveries to buy in there own hay or off you ( i have had friends on yards that have specified they must buy the hay from the yard and its been crap but they cannot buy it from anywhere else)! Secure area for tack/feed/rugs etc. Somewhere to make a drink, sit and natter etc.

Good luck with it.
laugh.gif
 
From the other side......

Set the ground rules from the start in writing.

Remember it is your home and people will be coming and going all day. I would set a time limit for arriving or leaving as TBH you will need to lock gates etc and dont want to have to wait for some one to leave at midnight!! Be flexible as necessary ie show days etc

You need to set the standard in terms of tidiness, cleanliness etc.

Be aware of trouble makers on the yard as your nice clients will go. Be willing to ask "problems" to leave! That is harder that you think!

Separate tack lockers stops pilfering or borrowing and not putting back!

Consider parking issues!

Make sure you insist on notice if client is going away and wants you to do horse. And set a price. Some liveries- not all- think its ok to tell you the day before they go on a 2 week holiday! Or worse leave you a note after they have gone!!

Take a months deposit in advance and have a months notice either way.

Consider your own privacy and your own belongings etc and try to keep your own things including horses separate. It sounds strange but many liveries do not consider that the yard is also your home. They only consider that it is a business and they are paying for a service. Therefore keep your home and business separate if poss!!


Charge a minimum of £25 pw diy livery with a stable and hay. If you have a mortgage to pay you might need to charge more. The charge depends on facilities of course. If you are too cheap in my experience you end up with non-payers! People who say, I havent got the money this week can I pay you next and never do!


Sorry if this offends people who keep their horses at livery and are really good clients. But sometimes you need to see the other side of the coin.


Personally I think you are very brave! I only do livery very selectively nowadays!
frown.gif
 
Clean toilets!

365 days turnout.

Flexibility - the best yard I was ever at started with the basic premise that everyone was DIY, but then had a menu of all the other services that you could add on, either all the time, or seasonally, or as one-offs if you were ill/busy/on holiday. Or you could have them help you during the week and then be completely DIY at the weekends. Most people stayed 100% DIY or maybe just had morning feed/turnout in winter, so it didn't get as complicated as it sounds. But we all appreciated the flexibility and being able to get exactly the services to suit ourselves and our horses.

Safe environment - no rubbish in the fields/broken fences/kids getting away with smoking round the back of the barn, no vehicles right in the yard apart from deliveries.

Can buy your own feed/bedding wherever you like as well as from the yard.
 
Thanks everyone, really appreciate it and keep it coming if you have more to add! As a livery customer at many yards over the years, I know what I'd like but it is great to get wider opinions. Thanks again. Sophie
 
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