Setting up new livery yard?? Helpful tips??

[happyfeet]

Hi all posting under a different name to usually as want to keep it under wraps untill its finalised!! (ie from boss current YO) Im not a troll

Anyway viewing somewhere this week so fingers crossed its as decribed so it will be all systems go.

My dad runs his own succesfull buisness so hes going to sit down with me and go through all that stuff and help make a buisness plan.

Im planning on a part livery/full livery stables.

Any tips for a new livery yard how to make it succesfull and cost effective??

Somebodies suggested to me to use shavings only as muck heap removal is expensive and shavings creates alot less volume?? But again straw is the cheaper option.

Any tips ect greatly recieved ill will repay you with cookies and wine

 

[Geraldine]

I could be wrong but doesn't straw break down a lot quicker than shavings?

Good luck in your new venture - I would love to have my own yard.

 

[Bettyboo222]

Get the work out as much as possible
If you can keep the poo and straw seperate then people in allotments will probably want the poo
Try and rubber matting
Make things good quality
Have a decent arena or hacking if you can put a field aside for jumping
Try and offer a communial inside place, even if it is a hay loft if you have a tea/juice fund it will make an amazing difference in winter.
Have a cover over you hay if you can, once again will make an amazing difference in winter.

Hot water if possible

 

[showqa]

Start as you mean to go on and have a zero tolerance approach to bitching. As the owner, don't get overly pally with one of the liveries - then you cannot be accused of being biased in disputes. Be utterly fair and impartial and don't have favourites - that's just not professional or business - like. Good luck!!!!

 

[Honey08]

I could be wrong but doesn't straw break down a lot quicker than shavings?

Good luck in your new venture - I would love to have my own yard.

We used to bed on shavings, but it cost a fortune so we changed to straw. I expected the muckheap to be a lot bigger, but it rots down so much quicker with straw - especially in wet weather. This year it was so good that we haven't even had it moved! Its much easier to keep neat too. People who want manure don't want shavings either, but do straw.

Always have clearly set out rules and contract from the start. Even (especially) if the liveries are people that you know. You'd be suprised how some people treat you.

Pick up on things that you like from other livery yards - especially in the area.

 

[SpruceRI]

Cost out the average feed, bedding and hay requirements per horse and also how many staff you need per number of horses.

Include insurance costs, running costs (such as fencing/yard repairs, rates and water bills) to ensure you price up your livery correctly in order to make a profit. Don't underestimate the amount of money it costs to keep things in good repair!

You'll have to give people the option of bedding. I wouldn't use shavings again, they take years to rot down. Straw is a lot cheaper but doesn't work for many and is smelly and dusty so people would want the option of dust free bedding or a cleaner material.

And the option of feed, so decide what feed you will include in the price and what extras people will have to pay for.

Also, depending on the number of horses you have in, will you have enough hay storage space? Or outdoor space to store haylage? Or have a supplier that will deliver on a regular basis?

The better facilities you have, the more likely you are to fill your yard. Likewise a fair price with excellent service and being someone horse owners can trust, will stand you in good stead for making good business.

As showqa said, discourage bitching!

And good luck

 

[Monkers]

My suggestion is that you do your research carefully as regards to the services you plan to offer. Look at other yards in the area and see if they offer full and part livery, what their costs are and then call them to find out if they are full. If they are struggling to fill boxes with the high end services, then you will struggle too.
Many people can't afford full livery at the moment and part and diy might be more popular services. Hay, straw and feed are very expensive so be very carefull when you factor these costs into your charges and set usage limits.

More full/ part liveries means more costs to you, including staff costs. DIY means lower costs and lower income, but often more profit!

 

[becca1305]

Im currently setting up (well just sorting change of use planning consent) a small livery at home. The conclusion I came to from advice on here and my own calculations was that it is very difficult to make any worthwhile level of profit from renting a yard to do liveries unless perhaps on a large scale. Similarily if your buying will the income from liveries & savings from keeping your horses for "free" be worth the outlay? Hopefully it is profitable for you but I would definetely check this before buying or renting. You need to check it has the relevant planning consent to be used for business if stabling already exists, it it doesnt this costs around £350 to apply. You also need to be valued for business rates (a yearly tax) guess it depends on area, for me it was £200 value per brick built stable, £ 150 per wooden and £300 for manege. Next is insurance. They may require you to have a health and safety check (cost i havent confirmed yet) and obvs related costs to put in required items. Insurance unsure how cover works if you are renting but if you own, it will be costing me £1300 odd pounds to insure building, £600 worth of hay/bedding £1000 of jumps stored, liability for 3 liveries only and any lessons i teach (freelance), care custody and control for liveries and teaching, and able to teach on my manege. Cannot rent manege out, tack not covered, own horses insured bhs gold. And have just realised i undervalued the rebuild cost of building at £150k should have been £250k so doubtless premium will go higher. Oh insurance also covers me to teach at other premises (freelance). You must also consider costs of any extras you need to do (for me it is lights in manege which may well require pp). Also work out your costs for bedding, hay/haylage and feed if you are inc and either work out an average to cover your costs in price fluctuations or be prepared to tell liveries you need more money as prices have gone up. Essentially do NOT undervalue any cost as you will end up doing yourself way out of pocket. From what I can gather its a long hard slog to set up jumping through hoops, i just hope its worth it when its all done! I will have a couple of the clients in as liveries that i already teach and like so hoping for no problems! hope this helps, have had to do hours of research myself!

 

[becca1305]

Ps i will be using straw as i am now with my own and i get a lot in the muckheap and personally prefer it to shavings. I have huge stables so have rubber mats at the front as dont like them standing on concrete but cost to rubber mat my stables entirely makes my eyes water so nice deep straw beds for ours. Oh and make sure you have liveries sign a contract before arrival, i believe you can get a sample one off the bhs website and lay down the yard rules.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I would add one thing, you should try to make as much income per stable as possible, but of course in a recession you will be lucky to find wealthy owners who let you do all the work, and you want to avoid employing staff, which is expensive, time consuming, and they can be unreliable.
In any business you need a USP . unique selling point, in most livery yards the USPs are : location, facilities and friendly helpful staff.
The yard I am at only need the DIY's up once a day as they feed and put horses out in the morning, if required they will also bring horses in. This is unique in this area, and compensates for the limited facilities. However, they are never full as the facilities are not good enough, so make sure your manege is well constructed and truly all weather.
Be aware that as per previous postings, businesses have lots of costs which are not apparent to the client, and you have to make sure you factor for jobs like sweeping up, clearing drains, H&S, electrician, plumbing, water rates, repairing fences, coping in emergencies [equine and human], local authority licencing [charged or not charged?], certification for transporting animals for profit, organising forage, buying bedding, storage and handling, yard security, child protection [if kids are dumped on you, you may become the responsible adult] etc etc
Oh by the way, did you mention why you want to do this: you will need strong motivation and resolve to do it, and most of your work will go unrewarded!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Gosh, anybody setting up a livery yard is very brave IMO.

I only do DIY on a very small scale here; but the one thing I've learnt through the years is to trust your gut instincts and don't allow anyone on the place (or their horses) if you're at all in doubt about them.

And IF you have an unsatisfactory one, a bad apple in the barrow (either equine or human!), then get rid ASAP and don't bother standing arguing the point. There's no point in having someone around the yard who repeatedly smokes/drinks etc when you've asked them not to, and horses who kick the *****e out of everyone else and then start kicking the fences to bits and/or breaking out and taking everyone elses' horse with them.

You will need to be firm, unbiased, able to cope in a crisis (which always occur at either Bank Holidays, weekends, or middle of the night when its blowing a hoolie). And yes, echo previous post about not getting too pally with the liveries. You have to remember that they are clients rather than falling under the "friendship" designation - and even though you might want to chummy up to individuals you have to remember that you are the YO and have to be professional and detached at all times.

I don't know whether you have any horsey qualifications? I know some equine colleges offer courses/quals which might be of interest and give you a bit of "clout" if you see what I mean; there are some owners who if looking for a livery yard might expect relevant industry qualifications.

You won't get rich quick; BUT if all goes well (and good luck for you) you'll hopefully get some really nice liveries and horses who'll be your friends for ever, even if they do move on at some stage. And you'll go out in the evening in the depths of winter and everyone's horse will be in chomping hay all sweet and contented - and it will all seem worthwhile; until you turn around and notice water seeping out of somewhere, straw all over the yard, grooming kit strewn around that some hapless livery has left there etc etc - and to boot you've got to get up in the middle of the night for a vet emergency!!!! LOL.

 

[domane]

I keep my horses on a wonderful yard (DIY) and when I went to have a look around it, the owner was lovely and showed me round. She told me she was full and she'd put my name on a waiting list. When I got home I said to my OH that I felt that I had been being almost interviewed but she phoned a couple of weeks later and said someone was leaving so she had a place. Now I've been there a while I know that she does indeed suss you out for suitability for fitting in. If she likes you, you get a place, if she doesn't she's always "full"... simplez And because of that, the yard is absolutely fantastic and there is no bitching or nastiness... we're like one big family and there are over 30 stables, so it's not a small place either!

The other thing I would invest in for your paddocks would be a poo-hoover... that will go in your favour for you, in terms of ease of clearing AND will impress potential liveries if they see paddocks that are primarily clean and clear.

Obviously have a worming programme. And a clear list of yard rules that gets handed to everyone upon arrival. And stick to them!

Good luck in your venture