Setting up a livery help

[Rachel511]

Looking for advise on setting up a small livery- (mainy DIY) and peoples thoughts on the following 😀
Is it worth being BHS approved?
What the best surface for an indoor school is?
Has people had problems with a shared tack and feed room?

Any other tips or things that anyone has found useful would be good
Thank you 🐎

 

[SpringArising]

My favourite surface to ride on is well watered, flat sand. There's nothing worse than a deep sand school. Or rubber school with way too much surface.

Never had an issue with shared tack and feed rooms. What sort of facilities will you have? Tea and coffee makers and toilets are essential I think.

 

[Nativelover]

I’ve not set up a yard before but I can tell you what I found very useful as a DIY livery.
Lots of storage - the best storage I had was in a shared barn that was partitioned off into ‘stalls’ each stable had 1 stall, they were probably 8ft x 10ft. This was where we kept feed/hay/bedding. I kept my rugs here too as they dried well in there.

Regular delivery of hay/feed/bedding, or better still be able to buy it from the YO

Secure tack room with space for storage of boots/hats/grooming kit etc


I never had a problem with shared store areas as they were allocated spaces so nobody could have more space than another as it was per stable.

Can’t help you with a specific surface for an indoor, but a non dusty one!

A clear price list of services and an easy booking system.

Good luck!!!

 

[Ambers Echo]

No experience from a YO point of view but from the customer side:

I have always shared feed rooms and feed always goes missing. And the feed area gets really messy. And then gets rats. And no-one can do anything about it because everyone denies they are the messy one or the light fingered one!!!

I have always shared tack rooms without any problems.

It may depend on the surface you choose but we have a sand and carpet fibre arena and it is extensively used and it is regularly harrowed and topped up. If it gets left too long, the corners get far too deep which is an injury risk. I don't think you can just build an arena and leave it be. It needs to be maintained. Plus you need to be strict about poo picking it.

If it is DIY you still need to be in charge and be willing to step in and resolve disputes and lay down the law when needed. I (and many others) left a local yard with good facilities but with a hands-off YO because the resident bullies on the yard who have been there forever just hound people off it and the YO won't get involved. The livery yard world can be horrendous. My current YO has the perfect blend of friendly and reasonable, letting us manage ourselves as far as possibl;e but not hesitating to kick trouble makers off. She learned that the hard way. We now have an absolutely lovely yard because she won't tolerate sh1t stirrers, bullies etc.

However she appears to work 20 hours a day, 7 days a week and always be skint. She is FOREVER fixing fences, emptying the muck truck, harrowing the school, sweeping the yard and eleventy billion other jobs. It is a labour of love not a route to riches.

 

[Tarragon]

I have kept my ponies on DIY livery yards for years.
If I pick the best features from them all they would be:
1. Separate and private lockable storage space. The yard used wooden partitions in a side barn to create little walk in spaces big enough for feed bins etc. It was one per stable so for my two I had two knocked together. Plenty of space.
2. Secure tack room but this could be shared
3. Airy stables with convenient and managed muck heap
4. Well maintained arena that has a surface that doesn't get too deep. Personally I like a sandy. If it indoors it must be big enough to be useful and not dusty
5. Individual grazing and grazing that is suitable for native ponies (as I had two they were always turned out together)
6. No muddy gateways

None of them have had toilets or drink making facilities so perhaps these aren't so high on the list of priorities?

 

[Sasana Skye]

I have never had an issue with shared feed, storage or tack rooms. I do have a lock on my feed cabinet just because I can rather than because I think someone will help themselves. One yard I was on had individual tack lockers for every stable but this would get expensive and you'd need a lot of space.

Re. BHS approval I would personally be no more enticed towards a BHS facility than a non-BHS approved yard, so long as the facilities are in good nic that's all that matters. I have only been on one yard that was BHS approved at it was more hassle than it was worth and I found the quality no higher - and in many ways poorer - than the other yards I've been on sadly.

Agree with storage - the most underrated thing on yards imo, preferably one set storage area per stable not per person because I've found myself with two horses worth of stuff squeezed into one tiny corner. Other than that a nice livery seating or communal area with kettle and microwave would go down a treat.

 

[PeterNatt]

I would firstly look firstly at the financial viability of a small livery yard as you would have implications regarding local authority rates and also insurance which would add to your running costs. You may also have to apply for planning permission for equestrian use depending on what the present status of the existing building/land use is.

 

[eggs]

I haven't been on a livery yard for many years but when I was DIY as a child the best setup was one where there was a small store room at the back of each stable that was the length of the stable and about 4' wide where we kept our feed and tack.

The last time I was on DIY there was a shared tack room which caused no issues and a shared feed room but for sure food would go missing. Hay and bedding was also in a shared barn and would go missing but to be honest we all felt that it was the YO who was taking it!

I have my horses at home now and am very lucky to have an indoor school. We have sand and rubber but you do need to have a watering system in place. Gel surfaces do not need watering but are very expensive.

If you live on site and do go for it make sure you choose your liveries very carefully and also make sure you have the correct insurance and permissions. I looked into it and decided it just wasn't worth the hassle.

 

[pixie]

I would see what the rates would be like for the indoor school, as I can't imagine it is a very viable option for a small DIY livery, cost-wise. Even the big local livery here have looked into it many times but not been able to see how it would make sense financially.

 

[mariew]

Echo look at the financials before you do anything if you want any kind of profit. What would you be responsible for as far as maintenance goes? including fencing, Muck heap removal, water rates, Electricity costs if you run electric fencing? Business rates, insurance, income tax. I'm surprised any rented diy yard earns anything to be honest if run "legit". Even an owned one would struggle to make ends meet.

Quick google on indoor school puts business rates is at £6/m2, so around £5k per year for a 20 x 40. pretty sure a stable can be rated too if the taxman makes a visit. There's been fairly recent discussions on this in this forum i think.

I think there is a reason as to why so many yards are closing and being developed for housing. Much quicker and bigger profit.

 

[EventingMum]

I'm not sure BHS approval is worth it for DIY.
As others have said a non-dusty surface which probably means waxed is ideal. Whatever the surface it needs regular maintenance to stop it deteriorating and to prevent injuries. Unless it is waxed an indoor surface will probably need watered regularly especially in warmer weather and dependent on how you do it can take a fair amount of time not to mention the cost if your water is metered.

 

[SEL]

I've never had a problem with shared feed and tack rooms providing there's enough space for each horse's stuff.

I am a DIY livery and am really not bothered with BHS approval.