Potential livery prospect - thoughts on package please

Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Hi.

Looking at taking on a small livery business, we would be living on site (but working full time Mon to fri).

Thinking about this package for £45/£50 per week -

- stable.
- paddock (or turnout in woodchop pen).
- schooling area (about 30m x 40m).
- hay & straw.
- bring in or turnout daily.
- gorgeous hacking.
- Bromsgrove area.
- max 5 horses on site.

What do you think?

Vicki
 

Ceriann

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 June 2012
Messages
2,491
Visit site
Sorry if I’m being thick - are you offering full livery? If full livery I was paying 90 a week about 5 years ago in that area. There was a school, all year turnout and they met farrier etc for you (within reason).
 

The Fuzzy Furry

Getting old disgracefully
Joined
24 November 2010
Messages
28,462
Location
Pootling around......
Visit site
Sorry, can you confirm?
DIY with hay and straw included, plus either turnout or bring in, for £45 -50 a week?

That sounds incredibly cheap, hay alone at small bale retail prices of £5 a bale, could well cost you in excess of £20 a week, that's only allowing just over half bale a day
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Thanks - assisted DIY rather than full livery.

The farm sells large bale hay so would supply at a reasonable price (would rather include / have communal to save having different people's bits and bobs of hay/ straw everywhere - ease of running/ delivering etc)
 

OlderNotWiser

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 November 2018
Messages
223
Visit site
Inclusive hay and straw sounds easier but could you cover your costs if it snowed for a week and everything was in?
Edited to say sorry - you posted as I did! Yes fixed amount is better.
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,347
Visit site
On the cheap side - but when you say ‘schooling area’ I assume this isn’t a decent surface school, which might be a problem
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
No it's a very old surface at the moment which we will look to improve but by no means a professional arena - would definitely be a hobby/ leisure/ hunt/ hacking horse yard rather than a competition yard.
 

pippixox

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 April 2013
Messages
1,860
Visit site
Around me (south east- west Berkshire) diy with similar facilities is about £45-50 a week and that normally does not include any assistance or feed. Sounds cheap to me. I would be concerned you would not be making enough to make the assistance and the cost of maintenance worth it.

Also if strorage wasn’t too bad I would be tempted to charge per bale if people could just regularly buy one off you and store in their area. As usage varies hugely. Some would take the mick if it was a help yourself basis included in price, where as those with good doers use less for the same money.
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Thanks for the feedback!

Also - would be happy with a 10 x 15m winter turnout pen (hardcore) which you can use everyday or a 20 x 20m (and a bit) to use 2 out of 3 days (trying to figure out whether to split area into 2 or 3)
 

be positive

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 July 2011
Messages
19,396
Visit site
Thanks for the feedback!

Also - would be happy with a 10 x 15m winter turnout pen (hardcore) which you can use everyday or a 20 x 20m (and a bit) to use 2 out of 3 days (trying to figure out whether to split area into 2 or 3)

If you are not turning out on grass in winter then you will have to factor in the extra hay, I would not be happy to leave unsupervised horses in such a small area all day in all weathers if you are working full time, it is not the same as them being out in a field, I think most owners would prefer field turnout even if it is a shortened day in winter.

You may need a rethink on what you are going to offer and ensure it is clear to new clients that their horses may be in either a small area or a larger area but shut in a stable for 48 hours at a time at least twice a week, if you also start rationing hay that will complicate matters when they are not getting grass to make up the difference .
 

Sussexbythesea

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 July 2009
Messages
7,764
Visit site
I know some people like it but personally I’d hate all inclusive because I don’t use straw bedding for a start and I want to feed my horse as much or as little as I want. I also want to make sure the hay quality was good and I’ve heard horror stories about being tied to the yard supplier when the crop hasn’t been very good. Something you need to think about in case you need to buy in from elsewhere during a shortage or if the quality isn’t good enough.

On yards I’ve been on that have limited storage everyone has a pallet where they keep hay and bedding for the week. Thankfully I’ve tonnes of locked storage where I am now so can buy in a fair amount at a time.
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Feedback is great. Thank you all so much.

The turnout pens are a lot to think about / research. A lot of yards near us have very limited turnout in winter and I would much rather have mine out in a pen than just in a stable. Also means easier mucking out if only going up once a day.
 

SpringArising

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 May 2014
Messages
5,255
Visit site
I pay £90 a week for assisted DIY. That includes hay, turn out and bring in.

One thing I will say is having set net sizes just wouldn't work. People WILL use more than what you say they can. For example you can't offer someone with an 11.2 the same amount of hay as someone with a 16.2 Hunter.

Is there turnout paddocks or literally just hardstanding pens?
 
Last edited:

PapaverFollis

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2012
Messages
9,544
Visit site
Do not do all inclusive straw! Forage seems to work ok because that's a bit more self limiting, although be prepared to tick people off for wasting it if they are giving it adlib! But straw! God. The yard we are on now has unlimited straw included and you can see the muck heap from the moon! HUGE barrow loads going in and coming out of stables daily. Loads of basically clean straw on the muck heap and straw blown into all corners of the yard from people pushing huge overloaded barrows around and not caring about wasting it as it flies away in the wind. Sell it by the bale and provide some kind of individual storage huts for people. Probably worth doing the same with the forage too but the potential wastage, as I say, isn't so bad.
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Thank you - the comments about straw make a lot of sense (for example my husband kicks out as if he were blind! Everything gets emptied!).

Perhaps include hay and charge for bedding? (But then I'd hate to see a horse on my own yard with a scrappy bed).
 

PapaverFollis

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2012
Messages
9,544
Visit site
Thank you - the comments about straw make a lot of sense (for example my husband kicks out as if he were blind! Everything gets emptied!).

Perhaps include hay and charge for bedding? (But then I'd hate to see a horse on my own yard with a scrappy bed).

Unlimited straw doesn't even help there. Trust me. 50% of the horses still have scrappy beds!
 

AdorableAlice

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 October 2011
Messages
13,000
Visit site
There is no shortage of yards in the area, some very decent with good facilities. Within an hours travelling are 4 excellent competition centres. The hacking isn't great in some places as the area is a rat run to the M5 junctions at Bromsgrove and Wychbold so I would be surprised if you would get decent clients in without a school. You could offer a cheap package to pony owners or retired horses maybe.
 
Joined
12 January 2019
Messages
21
Visit site
Hi - we would be in the Bentley so fantastic out riding.

There would be/ is a school just a little basic (at the moment - funds in place to improve but will never be a competition type surface - most probably a carpetride/gallop type)
 

irishdraft

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2009
Messages
1,725
Visit site
It sounds far too cheap imagine the amount of hay & straw people would be going thru if the horses only had a small hard core area. Having done all types of livery for years I wouldn't be bothering for the amount of money you would be making don't forget to factor in wear & tear to your yard plus water electric etc
 
Top