What do livery users want?

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
At the end of this month we will be buying a local (to Faversham) equestrian centre which has suffered a steep decline in every possible way over recent years; obviously our aim is to create a superb centre which runs smoothly and hosts a comprehensive list of facilities and amenities which also makes everyone happy. We aim to initially provide all basic livery options but I am really interested to find out what people in an ideal world would want if they had an opportunity to start from scratch. All advice, suggestions and opinions gratefully received... :)
 

Amaranth99

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2012
Messages
61
Visit site
Hello,
In a perfect world (from an old grumpy) the perfect yard would have:
1. Separate areas for ponies and horses to live.
2. Bookable access to an indoor school plus communal and bookable (after 8pm before 8am) access to outdoor school
3. Inclusive of straw and hay rates
4. Advertised "extras" costs
 

Elsiecat

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 July 2012
Messages
3,975
Visit site
1. Separate areas for ponies and horses to live.

Why? If a livery moved on with a horse and a pony, wouldn't it be much better if they could be side by side (if there was two empty stables together that is).

Erm myself -

- hay & straw included
- an owner with enough confidence to chuck the trouble makers straight off
- a solarium (in dream land now though!!!!)
- horse walker (again, I'm dreaming here)
- lockable cupboards/lockers for tack etc

:D
 

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
Thank you if its 'old grumpies' who use liveries then its old grumpies I aim to please!! Please do note you quite obviously are not an old grump as you have been so generous as to forward a constructive opinion!

The centre currently has of sorts a riding school, saddlery & cafe are these on anyone's dream or are they a turn off, are these facts irrelevant and the quality of facilities atmosphere on yard a superior draw?
 

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
Elsiecat this is all great I really want dream need goals to aspire to and to know which ones are most desirable and therefore priority, horse walker, solarium, larger stables with individual lockable tack/feed rooms integrated, equine swimming pool Etc. If you have unusual suggestions please do add the logic to help many thanks all xx
 

Amaranth99

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2012
Messages
61
Visit site
Why? If a livery moved on with a horse and a pony, wouldn't it be much better if they could be side by side (if there was two empty stables )

:D

I have horses pls a 38 yr old pony and their needs are so different that their only common denominator is me!
Pony yards need lots of tie up and groom stalls in order to ride them and turn em back out whereas my horses need a bed for the night stables.
 

haras

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 June 2007
Messages
601
Visit site
my priorities are

Well fenced paddocks (post and rail; permanent post and electric; equimesh etc) with self filling troughs

well maintained paddocks (rolled, harrowed, fertilized, weed killed and reseeded)

Good worming programme for whole yard (best one I've seen used on a yard was the intelligent worming one)

Poo picked fields (or even better get a poo vacumn!)

Opportunity for individual turnout if wanted or own fields for owners with more than one horse.

Good quality stabling (with rubber matting and haybars a bonus. Some people may like the auto-drinkers, I'm not keen, but I know that they do save time.)

Sufficient storage space

24/7 turnout in summer; daytime turnout at least in winter

Space to store hay(lage) and bedding. and allowed to obtain from own source if wished

trailer/lorry parking

School with decent surface, well maintained.

Horse walker

Solarium

Wash bay

Tea/coffee room

Yard owner/manager living on site and late night checks done for all horses (including diy's)

Set of rules that are adherred to

Competitions held on site

No dogs on yard (The well behaved ones are fine, but there will always be someone who allows there dog to poop anywhere or allow it to get under other peoples horses feet)

Services as needed for diy's

Allowed to have pregnant mare on yard

Good hacking (but you can't change that!)

no bitchiness!!!!!

Gosh! Thats dreamworld!
 

MillionDollar

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2006
Messages
7,938
Location
The Best Shire
Visit site
I'm a YO of a 30 horse yard, we built the yard and over the last 5 years have found that liveries want-

Arena- A decent sized arena, but more importantly the drainage and surface must be good. And of course floodlit.
Turnout- this is becoming more of a priority now I think for a lot of people, and nearly all of the liveries we've had want individual turnout. So they all get 1 acre each which is fenced with permanent mains electric fencing.
Round Pen- Is a godsend. We do not allow any lunging in the arena and it also doubles up as a turnout pen when the weather is awful.

But THE most important thing is good management and keeping the facilities on good condition :)
 

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
You are all so lovely and forthcoming thank you so much, much of this is thankfully initial thoughts and plans but personal experiences and reiteration of priorities are so relieving to know I'm heading on the right tracks and those little gems I haven't considered I am sure will make all the difference to our liveries.
 

be positive

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 July 2011
Messages
19,396
Visit site
Something that will be useful if you have ponies or good doers is an unfertilised paddock, possibly with some hard standing so that any fatties can still get out as much as possible without risk of laminitis.
 

Shutterbug

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 May 2007
Messages
2,603
Visit site
But THE most important thing is good management and keeping the facilities on good condition :)

This.

Last large yard I was at had 10 horses per member of staff - the staff also had to prepare school horses, run back and forth from fields, do feeds, haynets, basic grooming ( which rarely got done) and run up and down to the school with lesson horses, and as a result beds were never done to a high quality (well not the quality you would expect for the price they charged) and horses were turned out late, brought in early because staff had too much to do. So sufficient staffing is something that I feel quite strongly about
 

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
Fatties always have to be considered, have a mini Shetland who cant fly the flag high enough for a good doer, sometimes the air can be a bit fresh for him ;)
As for short staff thank you for the input this is an important issue to consider but animal welfare(.... spoiling) is definitely a number one no matter what its outrageous to think this would be compromised when someone is forking out hard earned cash for their care!!
 

Catcus

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 March 2010
Messages
673
Location
Scotland
Visit site
Big fields, especially in winter! Nothing worse than small fields that are just a sea of mud by November. And big stables. Plenty of storage for tack and rugs. I'd like if my yard did separate rates for retired ones, I don't use any facilities, lights etc so would be nice to pay a little less. Just actually doing things when liveries ask is always nice, rather than being told "I'll do it today" and not doing it for a fortnight (I mean important things like fixing fences, putting hay out etc). Free parking for trailers and a car park that isn't inches deep in mud! To be honest my ideal yard would be massive fields with tons of field shelters and that's it -so probably not the best person to answer this!
 

Circe

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 January 2011
Messages
979
Location
Australia
Visit site
Oooh, my dream yard would have
Safe, well maintained fencing. Dont mind there being a strand of hotwire/ electric to keep fence chewers off the fence if needed.
Choice of individual or small herd turnouts.
Big stable with rubber mats
Hay and bedding supplied at not too much over cost price.
Indoor or covered outdoor arena
A gallops would be excellent- somewhere to have a blast without worrying about the general public
No dogs allowed - I've had too many problems on yards with dogs not being trained and a pest. ( not all like that I know, just easier not to have any dogs )
A fair/ consistant YO, someone who doesn't interfere unless asked, and wont tolerate bitching. ( not even from their friends )
If a livery asks YO if they do xzy, either say yes and do it, or say no, don't say yes and not do it and bitch about livery asking.
Staff who love horses and treat my horse as if hes their own.
Heat lamps for the horse would be good, my boy gets cold backed, so it would be lovely to be able to pop him under lamps ( stand under them with him )
secure/ dry tack room and somewhere to dry rugs.
A tea room/ somewhere to have a sit and a cuppa.
Kx
 

DW Team

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 February 2009
Messages
3,022
Location
Lincs
Visit site
Many points that I would have put have already been said but incase I have missed it I like the arenas to be kept clean of droppings and rolled or harrowed at least weekly. Jumps, fillers and poles to be kept in good order and if you don't have separte jumping school the jumps must be cleared away after use. I am very lucky were I am to have two wood chip schools, indoor school with silicon sand and an out door jumping school. A lunging pen would be a great addition as lunging can and does mess up wood chip schools.
A yard manager is always helpful. White board with chart clearly showing which schools are booked and for messages. A suggestions book. First aid kit human is a good thing. Contact numbers held by you for clients for the god forbid. One that I wish more people would do is were you are planning to hack incase your horse comes back on his/her own so you know which direction to start looking. If it were possible to ask all hacking out to wear Hi Viz (I know not always enforceable but would be nice) sorry if I have repeated what others have said before.
 

Abril

Member
Joined
15 November 2012
Messages
14
Visit site
Thank you all again so much for great in put, you're so generous. Many heads in this dept are definitely proving better than one!! Some really simple and logical suggestions and some which I'd considered but hadn't realised their popularity! x

Interesting point- How would people feel if it was highly recommended in yard rules that if you go on a hack you take your mobile and you should leave your mobile number on a board by your tack peg for ICE, then if neddy turned up solo you can be called? Obv this is no good if rider is god forbid unconscious but would suffice in all other injuries?
 

biggingerpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 March 2009
Messages
899
Visit site
I would look for:

Turnout (at least 24/7 in summer. with individual or group up to owner)

Stables (not about to collapse!!) with power/water

Good hacking. (No main roads)

Floodlit school, relatively well maintained with a few jumps.

Tea coffee facilities.

Enough storage space

Someone who could offer turn in/out in winter and full livery when on holiday.
 

TarwinBate

Active Member
Joined
1 June 2011
Messages
33
Visit site
Ideal Yard -
- Martin Collins surface school (found that it never really gets too deep)
- Hot Wash
- Big, but warm stables for night time, but my main thing is being able to turn out all winter.
- If horses do have to come in in the day in winter, horse walker is an absolute must.
-Heated Rug Room


Those are all I can think of really!!
 

SCMSL

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 February 2010
Messages
433
Visit site
For me, a good equestrian center must include:
- Separate arena for lunging: avoids trouble with out of control horses when you are trying to ride.
- Good footing on all arenas, including the one for lunging, with regular maintenance.
- Large stalls with fans and tall bedding
- Solarium
- Hot wash
- Coffee/hanging out area

As for the livery, for me it has to include:
- Hay and bedding (either straw or shavings, whichever the owner prefers)
- Cleaning of the horse and changing blankets
- Feeding at least 3 times a day
- Cleaning of tack and boots
- Tacking of the horse

I found the perfect place for me and my horse (finally) and the only thing missing is the solarium (which I'm buying for myself for x-mas).

Today's market is flooded with the same options, so either you have and extremely well provided service, or you'll be surpassed by others. There are easy things you can do that people love, for example the daily cleaning of the tack by the groomers, and it really does make a difference. You can also offer different packages, which give the client the option between a more complete and thus expensive package, or a cheaper one with just the basics.
 

horsesatemymoney

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
2,190
Visit site
I'd like a variety of livery options, that are flexible- eg if you are on DIY, you could pay for full livery when you needed it.

I'd like to be able to buy my own hay etc (even if off you) so I wouldn't feel restricted with what I could use.

Value for money, or feeling like I was getting that, but also that I was paying a fair price for good service, you need to make an income.

Setting fair goalposts, and sticking to them, being reasonable if you needed to 'tell me off' and providing what you say when liveries move on.

Option to live out 24/7 if wanted. Good grazing, sevices for DIY if t/o was restricted, included in the price. Not being penalised, or having to pay, for somebody to bring in my horse/have to leave it in, because I work and the turnout is not sufficient.

Obviously on an equestrian centre, I'd like a good outdoor (2 depending on size of yard) and an indoor- if there is a riding school attached, separate riding for liveries.

Places to tie your horse, secure storage.

Off road riding and hacking would be amazing!

Other things, solarium/wash room etc, would be nice but for me I would sacrifice those luxuries for a nice yard, fair owner and fair price.:) Good luck
 

goatbabies

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 November 2012
Messages
175
Visit site
A major problem I've seen is one individual horse who attacks the others in the field, resulting in injuries and countless ripped rugs etc. But because the lady who owns this horse is high up in the yards pecking order no one will say anything and the YO (who is good friends with this lady) won't do anything about it.

We spend a fortune repairing/replacing rugs and a lot of time (and in some cases money) tending to injuries. There is no space for the other liveries to move their horses to another field, so unless THEY move yards, this is just how it's going to be.

A good system I saw on a yard I worked at years ago was the stables were all in several big yards, but the stable doors were far apart from each other that the horses could still see each other but weren't close enough to nip at each other. Every livery got their own lockable wooden shed to keep ALL their stuff. These sheds were spacious enough to keep a lot of equipment comfortably, but if they wanted another shed they had to pay extra for it. All the sheds were kept on one separate 'shed yard' so they were all together and the yard had a very organised look and feel to it.

DIY liveries had their own muckheap, that way the staff couldn't get annoyed by the DIY'ers making a mess etc. Their muckheap got emptied by the farmer at the same time as ours. There was a DIY yard, full livery yard, the boss'/celebrity horses yard and riding school yard.
The fields were on a hill and sectioned off in to four rows - top geldings - middle mares - second middle schoolies and in the bottom paddocks were the competition horses and stallions who were turned out individually on a rota basis.

I know that's a lot of information and probably not all possible everywhere else as this yard was bloody MASSIVE (over 300 horses) but it was a very good system keeping things separate form others (my favourite being the DIY'ers had their own bit to make a mess of lol - nothing against DIY'ers but there's always the select few who don't seem able to clear up after themselves!)

Staff wise we would have a meeting first thing and be given designated jobs, ie who was on what yard that day, who was going to stay in the office doing the phones (usually someone not feeling well lol) - the phones NEVER stopped ringing in that place, who was on grooming for the day (there was a wash box and all the competition, full liveries who had asked for it, and schoolies would go in on a rota basis to get a full and proper pampering!), who was on turn out, catch in, who was in the feed room, who was cleaning tack - the place was so big that there wasn't a day tack cleaning etc didn't need done!

You get the idea, I'm just trying to point out it was a very good, organised system with plenty of communication. A few years later I worked in a place that was a disaster. We would have a 'meeting' in the morning, but that was basically just the 'top staff' taking the jobs they wanted to do and leaving us with what they didn't want to do, ie if it was raining they would choose to muck out so they didn't have to turn out and get wet! The boss was never there to rectify it either, and a lot of bullying an upset went on.

So make sure you organise the staff well, and that you are there to stop bullying, as it is so common on yards. A lot of liveries don't want to ask the staff for advice as they feel they will be patrionised and looked down on, they would much rather have a YO they can trust to be there when they need them.

I've written so much, I'll stop now, hope that was of some use anyway haha! :)
 

NooNoo59

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 December 2011
Messages
1,145
Location
kent
Visit site
All year round turnout
good fencing incl electric
lots of hardstanding/car prking spaces
lorry/trailer parking
enough storage
toilet that works!
enough lighting
school
lunge pen
safe hacking
reasonable charges/assistance

I live near faversham, think i know where you mean, can you pm me if its not a secret!
 

Scottish_Miss

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 June 2006
Messages
671
Location
Fife, Scotland
Visit site
HI

I thought I would add a few comments.

Good sized stables, safe structurally with auto drinkers. Options to have rubber mats or not.

Well maintained arenas with sensible control over external use/hire so fair to all.

Well maintained paddocks and fencing. Good management of land so some paddocks rested etc and possibly hard-standing/gravel to ease any poaching of gateways etc - safety can be compromised if your stuck in mud with 2 boisterous youngsters.

Various livery options and include extra services like turn out etc. Possibly hay/haylage and straw to be included in livery but again options for owners to use there own and store small amounts onsite.

Knowledgeable staff who know and understand what goes on - nothing worse than not seeing staff for weeks on end.

Safety to be paramount and a list of rules clearly stated for all to follow. Anyone not should be spoken to. Hopefully its just lack of understanding.

A wash bay would be nice with hot water.

Trailer/lorry parking.

Lockable tack rooms.

Kettle for those important cuppas......

main thing is maintenance in my view and provide good facility with knowledgeable staff who understand we all have different needs at time - fickle lot we are.......

best of luck you you in nee venture
 

ILuvCowparsely

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 April 2010
Messages
14,391
Visit site
jeepers some of you don't ask for much???:rolleyes:

I think the basic yard cannot offer



Option to live out 24/7 if wanted.
- Solarium
- Hot wash
-Large stalls with fans and tall bedding
-Heated Rug Room
option to buy hay from yard or bedding
etc.

Probably means you have to search long and hard.

For me




  1. schools with lights
  2. qualified owner
  3. security
  4. livery options
  5. extras
  6. wash area
  7. comon room
  8. wc
  9. routine
  10. no dogs
  11. friendly atmosphere
  12. well maintained land
  13. trailer/truck storage

Options which I would say are luxurious.

spa
pool
massage area


I do not offer buying bedding from me or hay as I would have to add cost to storing. My liveries have it delivered any time they want buy delivery suppliers.
 

Nugget La Poneh

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2012
Messages
2,477
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
Something that will be useful if you have ponies or good doers is an unfertilised paddock, possibly with some hard standing so that any fatties can still get out as much as possible without risk of laminitis.

This - a couple of woodbarked/surfaced 20x20 fenced turnouts that can be used for either lunging or remedial turnout.

Also depends on what you want to offer - DIY only, part/full only etc. This will determine which way you go as DIY'ers will want more facilities/options for turnout, but someone that is paying for full livery will want other things.

Look at what other yards are offering and aim for the middle and then this will give you room to grow and get even better :)
 

Janah

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 September 2007
Messages
2,193
Visit site
A good clean safe environment for horses and people.

Includes easy access to muck heap
Loo for humans.
Hot water.
Good fencing.
Owner on site.
Good lighting, for those dark nights.
Arena.
Approachable, non judgemental YO.
Safe tack room.
Good turn out.
Hopefully good outriding.
Starvation paddock.
 

Cocorules

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 July 2010
Messages
1,131
Visit site
But THE most important thing is good management and keeping the facilities on good condition :)

This absolutely.

Also I would suggest you have a clear ethos and yard rules. I have mostly been on yards where the liveries are allowed to get on with it, but ultimately a strong but fair YO is vital who sets sufficient minimum standards and makes people stick to them is beneficial.
 
Top