Starting My Own Livery , Any Tips/Advice?

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FikoR

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Im aiming to start up a small friendly livery yard in the next couple of months , I have my own place with grazing , stables , school , good hacking , fences ect...

Just wondering if anyone had any advice on the best advertising responses , how much you charge , what facilitys you have ect..

And if you enjoy it or not! Its something Ive wanted to do for a long time as Ive always wanted to work from home and for myself.

Any help would be REALLY appriciated!

Thank you :)
 
Do an awful lot of research and put together a solid business plan.

Do a search of the forum and there will be loads of threads about starting a livery yard.

Its not a romantic notion its bloomin hard work for very little if any profit and a whole load of hassle if your get the wrong people in.

I would say don't do it unless you have another form of income.
 
i have always thought I would like to do this but am not sure I would be right for it!! I do like things a certain way and when I have kept mine at livery, other liveries have annoyed me daily due to the idiotic things they do and the mess they leave. I think you have to take a step back and realise that not everyone does things the same - and this is somethign I woudl struggle with!!

Tips - have a contract, also have alist of yard rules clearly displayed so there can be no confusion!

Other than that it depends very much on what you are offering, diy, part/full?

I would have people pay a month in advance also.
 
There is a similar post to this re costings, main thing there , is you can't make a living from 8 stables, so how many do you have.
In general I would say it is better to get a job and employ a part time person who is willing and able to do things your way. You need to be very firm if you are a fussy person, if you are not firm then you will get problems, the yard should run itself. a contract is required plus a lot of patience.
 
Brandy said:
i have always thought I would like to do this but am not sure I would be right for it!! I do like things a certain way and when I have kept mine at livery, other liveries have annoyed me daily due to the idiotic things they do and the mess they leave. I think you have to take a step back and realise that not everyone does things the same - and this is somethign I woudl struggle with!!
Click to expand...

This is very good advice, I have 1 livery at my home, she is a friend's daughter, and she is very very 'laid back' in her management of her horse. I help without putting myself out because we only have a few it's easiest to keep them all in the same routine. I have learnt to tolerate some things and tell her about the things that are important to me. My husband finds it quite difficult to comprehend why I don't get annoyed by the way she does things, but if I did it would drive me mad!
 
HI,

This is a similar post to another on here, not sure ow you search.

Anyway;

Biggest costs:
Rates
Insurance
Feed/bedding
Fencing (additional if any)
Staff
lega things (contracts etc... get them done prof is a must to protect you!)

Please consider whether you can afford this by producing a non-emotional business plan.

I mean that in terms of detach from the 'dream' and look realistically.

What happens if you are sick?
What type fo lovery are you offering?
Are you really prepared to have a load of strangers on your home property?
Contracts
Payments - you will have an awful lot of initial outgoings if you are doing part/full or providing the bedding/hay etc...
Costs
Demand in your own area
Facilities
Parking
Storage - something I think most yards struggle with

Personally I would not be able to run a yard, I could not handle the politics or hassle, plus when we looked into it and spoke with my friend who runs a good sized yard, it is hard to make profit enough for a good income without it being supplemented by something else.
In the end for her, it just pays for her own 4.

Think it through as I say very thoroughly, and with all costs/potential costs in mind.
 
Sorry for my terrible spelling, it's lunchtime and I'm dashing off for food.

Sorry everyone.
 
Now you're unlikely to be wanting advice from a 17yr old so I shall just give you my views as a livery customer :D

Don't make rules that you aren't going to enforce- it's frustrating for those who abide by them to see others 'getting away with it'.

Try to have a good communication line with the customers be it personally or through a yard manager depending on how you want to run it (and be firm, it's your yard so things should be done how you want).

Make sure what is and isn't included and what any extras may cost are clearly stated in the contract and on a noticeboard if there is one.

If you have your own horses and you want to give them 'special priveliges' for example all year turnout in the closest field then establish this as your right- you wouldn't believe how many people whinge about the yard owner not putting her horses out with the rest!!!

Now as for facilities the more the better but it differs from person to person! Lots of people like a place to school even if you don't have indoor or outdoor arenas, flat grass paddocks would often be appreciated if you have the space available.
 
I made around £40 an hour painting horses. I make around 25 pence per hour looking after them. I ought to give up the livery and go back to the portrait commissions.
 
If you only have a small number of stables then don't do DIY. In fact, if you have loads of stables, don't do DIY. It will cost you more in water, electricity, maintenance, rates, you name it, than you will get back from the livery fees. Also, you have to stand back and see (some) liveries not looking aftr their horses properly. I have found that DIY liveries generally moan more and expect more for less than part liveries and full liveries. I don't mean offence by this as I wasa DIYer myself for many years and there are lots of nice people about.

Don't be afraid to gt rid of people who cause you any sort of discomfort. The livery fees really are not worth the hassle. Be fussy and don't be in a hurry to fill your stables. I now hav a lovely set of liveries and a waiting list, but I learnt the hard way and went through a few less desirables at the start.
 
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