Setting up a LIVERY YARD at home...HELP PLEASE!!!

becca1305

becca1305

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Desperately appealing to all you lot in the know or who have also done this since google let me down! there doesnt seem to be anywhere telling me exactly what I have to do just random snatches of information! :p

I currently have a yard at home which I keep my horses in and I would like to start having 2 possibly 3 liveries. I have enough land and stabling, and a 1 yr old fab all weather 25x50m arena (which will be floodlit by winter).

My questions...?

1. I believe I have to apply for planning permission for change of use? I assume this is through the council, however I am concerned about this as my house is also on the property; will this affect the house/residents (say in the same way an agricultural tie would)? Once I have change of use is it true following residents do not need to continue with a livery yard if we sold the property?

2. I dont think I will become BHS approved as cannot see it being worth the cost for a few liveries..anyone disagree?

3. Is there any other documentation/ checks aside from the change of use (and insurance) that I need before I can take liveries onsite?

4. What exact insurance do I need ? I am already insured as a freelance riding instructor which I believe covers horses under my care, damage to the horse whilst I am riding it/ teaching, damage to the client, and third party damage. Unsure if this would apply on my own premises but I can check this.
a. By asking liveries to insure their horses (BHS gold or similar) and seeing proof of this does this reduce the level of insurance I need?
b. My tack and equipment is currently covered under a household policy for outbuildings, I assume I will have to change this and will insure clients tack and equipment.
c. anyone know roughly how much insurance is for a small yard?

5. Is there anything I am forgetting?!!!


Next lot of questions... What would you pay?

Use of facilities - above mentioned menage (silica sand, fibre and rubber mix rides beauuuutifully :) ), full set of jump for joy jumps, unlimited use of cold and warm water wash for horses (outside). There will also be a solarium that can be used on a meter. Injury box with connected sand area for horses on box rest/limited grazing, with direct connection to limited grazing paddock. Individual or group t/o. Full jump course set up in field in summer and dressage arena (white boards) also put down in flat field for practices.

advantages- plentiful offroad hacking, xc course within hacking distance, under 15min travel to main equestrian venue with competitions in all disciplines. semi-regular hunt meet within hacking distance. Hugeeee well drained stables with rubber matting under bedding area. Owners live on site, all fields and stabling in view from house. kept with owner's slightly pampered horses :p and treated with lots of love and care, eg weather suddenly gets colder in the eve after t/o than forecast said, their rugs will be changed again! Schooling and teaching available.

working week full livery (DIY wknds)
muck out inc fresh water, haynets etc
turn out and bring in (legwash and hoofpick if needed)
rugs changed as needed
hay/haylage (off our fields)
attendance for prearranged vet and farrier
giving breakfast and dinner feeds
daily checks for injuries and groom
NO hard feed
NO straw (I will inc this but I need to work out my costs as vary from area to area)

I was thinking around £70 per wk?

Full livery
same as working week but all 7 days
I was thinking around £85 per wk?

DIY livery
hay/haylage
morning t/o and rug change
giving breakfast feed

If you read all of this well done....if you can help..HERO!
Very very grateful if anyone can help me out :)
 
Hi

I have no idea about insurance etc but with the pricing I am currently on "Part" livery at a yard (total full livery in week and DIY at weekends) and pay £70 a week - for this we get unlimited hay/haylege, unlimited bedding, all feed (excluding supplements), they are fed am & Pm, turned out & brought in with all associated rug changes (plus any extra rug changes due to weather as you said), mucked out and bedded down, hay given etc all fields are visable from the owners house, the yard is secure with CCTV, locked gates and key fob access, we have 22 acres of grazing split into huge paddocks with a total maximum of 6 horses per paddock. The horses go out all day every day all year round :), we have a 60x40 floodlit all weather menage, full course of showjumps and about 70+ acres of off road hacking through woodland/lanes/tracks etc (so no need for roadwork - unless you want to) we are close to local riding clubs and other larger competition venues too.

We also do 7 day full livery @ £90 per week

hope this helps :)
 
As far as I know you do need to apply for change of use to your local council as you now intend to run a business. The average time for dealing with such applications is usually 8 weeks but it is worth doing because your neighbours may dob you in if you don't! Your local council's website will have details of the documentation you need to produce, but I imagine they would want you to show the access route, there might be some implications about the siting and removal of your muck heap, etc. Give them a call for more info.

As far as I understand it if you obtain the permission it doesn't change anything about the house and does not tie the next owner to running a livery yard, although they may continue to do so if they wish to.

Call around for insurance quotes, again you will need a different policy for third party liability, fire and theft than what you have as an individual owner. You may also need to carry out a risk assessment and provide some things like fire extinguishers, etc.

One more practical thing to consider is parking, toilet facilities and the contract you will use with your liveries which should state things like period of notice, responsibility for calling out the vet in an emergency, etc. The BHS is bound to have a sample contract on line.

I am sure some more knowledgeable people will come on soon with more ideas!
 
becca1305 said:
Desperately appealing to all you lot in the know or who have also done this since google let me down! there doesnt seem to be anywhere telling me exactly what I have to do just random snatches of information! :p

a. By asking liveries to insure their horses (BHS gold or similar) and seeing proof of this does this reduce the level of insurance I need?
b. My tack and equipment is currently covered under a household policy for outbuildings, I assume I will have to change this and will insure clients tack and equipment.

DIY livery
hay/haylage
morning t/o and rug change
giving breakfast feed

If you read all of this well done....if you can help..HERO!
Very very grateful if anyone can help me out :)
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Current yard charges at our place for DIY (45 horse all internal barned stables, horsewalker, small lunging indoor school, large 65 x 45 outdoor school, 55 acres post and rail, ad lib hay/haylage for @£2.50 per week, free turn out, £1 B/I, £2.00 each way weekends, trailer parking) I pay approx £225 a week.

Our tack is safe in two heavy metal containers with padlocks that you cant access with a bolt cutter. Every livery usually has their own insurance but this is not a prerequisite since the Y/O does not have insurance for her own horses and I think it is up to the livery if they choose to insure their horse or not. I can't see it would reduce your insurance cost as the two would be completely unrelated but I don't know for sure. I know our Y.O has business insurance of some sort for the yard and to cover her staff but not sure what.
 
you need care, custody and control insurance for any horses under your care especially when you are providing a service.

Insurance is very tailored to you but you will need a contract with rules that minimise risks such as wearing a hat, that they hold their own insurance etc ( which covers them for third party damage) and the cost will depend on your facilities and what you offer.

Business rates will be applicable too once you have let the council know - again depends on your facilities - someone will come round from the council and value it.
 
We state the stables offer no insurance and owners need to have insurance.

I thought about BHS approved but so much we do wouldnt get passed
like leaving rugs in stables grooming kits a trunc with all brushing boots etc , and with the cost i thought nahhhhhhhhh cant be bothered, also most of horses bring them selves in in morning you just open gate , the other half headcollars . same with turning out.
 
Thanks for all the help :)
I just want to be in the right ballpark with the costs as Im not trying to be competitive as will only take in 2-3 liveries and these spaces are already provisionally filled by people I teach and who want to put their horses with me for more frequent schooling, lessons in a good menage, and because they trust me to look after their pride and joys!
Hmm i already have care custody and control as a freelance RI *muses* will have to check with insurance if that extends to my own property :p. Thanks for the idea tho :)
Applecart I hope you mean that much a month not wk! :p. Ive thought about it and decided not to offer DIY as I dont think I can profit from it, and as its my home I would prefer not to have people in and out so often!
No insurance!! Eek. I agree, what if they sued you if their horse damaged itself on your property? I agree theyd be covered for everything else (i think!). Or does it not work like that? :S.
Parking is fine for cars we have a huge drive with a bottom section which isnt visible from the house :). Wouldnt allow lorry parking dont have the room and none of my clients mind. Now tinkering with the idea of putting an external door in to my boot room toilet tho for clients.
Will pop an armchair in the tack room (its a big room) and there is already a fridge and a kettle.
The PP and business tax seems to be as i thought, as the other info on setting up :) hadnt thought about the access tho but hopefully it will be okay! Thanks.
Apologies if i didnt respond to anyones comments or if this posts weird, using silly iphone!
 
Ps. The muck heap siting should be fine, we have a stream so we were careful where we put it in conformed to regs and its concrete base and sides, removal however maybe not as we are currently using a "friendly agreement". Any ideas what your yards do with their muck? Thanks
 
daisybe33 said:
Leviathan said:
We state the stables offer no insurance and owners need to have insurance.

QUOTE]

what happens if a livery decides to sue you, or a horse under your care escapes and causes an accident? (genuine curiosity here)
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all liveries musty have their own insurance which covered them for accident injury .
We state that there is no insurance they have to sign in the agreement that they know there isnt any all horse's also must be insured.

15 years of running this yard nothing has ever remotely come up we have had a solicitor wording the contract and agreement in which horses are kept here .


OWNERS MUST INSURE THEMSELVES AND THEIR HORSES FOR PUBLIC AND PERSONAL LIABILITY AND INSURE AND THEIR TACK, VEHICLES ETC. THE STABLES OFFER NO INSURANCE FOR RIDERS, THEIR HORSES, GUESTS OR FRIENDS.
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Leviathan I am not a solicitor but I can't see how this wording safeguards you as the livery yard owner from damage caused by your own negligence while the horses are in your care.
 
Becca -

with regards to insurance third party insurance which most contracts stipluate cover the horse owner (livery client) for any damaged caused to property, vehicles, people etc.

However if you left a gate open, fencing wasn't maintained properly etc and they got out causing the damage the liability would fall to you as yard owner which is what your insurance covers ( as well as if a livery sues you)

I agree it is very unlikely that you would ever use it but I would definately advise that you are insured.
 
Do you think I would really put on this forum all our contracts and wording?? I think not .
In the 16 years here , we run our yard to a certain standard . We have been through it with Solicitor who is fully aware of our situation, we are a small yard with limited income . I am BHS qualified thus I do know and practice safety measures. Its the same for when people come here for the clear round jumping they are fully aware they jump at their own risk.


Obviously the property is insured. I am not going into any more detail than that.
Now enough said I am off to Cyprus in 3 hours must continue to pack. see ya.
 
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