Yards and the recession

Penny Less

Penny Less

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10 March 2009
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I find it interesting that in these straightened times some yard owners are still treating their liveries like dirt. This is a general observation, not related to anyones posts.
In the SE a lot of yards have vacancies, but the people running them must not need the money as I keep hearing from various sources locally about what goes on at their yards. OK only hearing one side but it has always seemed to me that this is one business where the customer is almost never right !
 
Speaking from experience:
You get what you pay for. Dirt cheap livery Yards treat you like dirt, whereas expensive professional setups treat you as the expensive professional paying client you are. The trick is to find a good setup with a livery owner who is whollly dependent on the client for all their income and recognises the importance of keeping them sweet. They must have no bits financially outside this setup to prop them up.
 
I know there are exceptions but I agree! I think its the middle/average type yards that are worse for it? I think complete basic yards people accept what they pay for, the competition yards pay a premium and get the service expected. I can't afford full liv but hate yard hassle hence getting my own place soon! Hopefully after being on a few bad and 1 or 2 good yards I will be a decent YO! Lol x
 
Indeed, but some livery clients do have very unrealistic expectations, even on a DIY yard. I honestly don't know how YO's put up with some of them. It's no wonder some of the YO's end up so nutty, they need the patience of a saint with some clients. Me, I'd feel like punching their lights out if I was the YO, with their list of unreasonable expectations/demands. One woman on our yard was making snarky comments last week because the muck heap hadn't been emptied (It is emptied very regularly indeed, never gets to overflowing). The reason it hadn't been cleared was quite simply because it wasn't full? I ask you, there's no pleasing some people, they will always find something to complain about.

I like my DIY yard, but a few people in the area think we have a nutty YO. Personally I've always found if you're straight with her, there is no problem at all. She's a retired vet, so safe to say not stupid. I just pay my money and get on with it, no hassle at all. But then I do clean up behind myself, my dog and my horses, which of course not everyone does... And keep my kids under control.
 
When you get your own yard, you will begin to realise that it costs a fortune in time and money to firstly build everything, and then keep everything in good condition - fences, grass, stables, muckheaps etc. Then you think that it may be a good idea to get a few liveries in to help with the costs, and you watch your yard being treated like dirt and everything getting trashed, and you realise that you are babysitting nervous riders, and doing horses for people in the snow who "can't get through" (which means in their cars - heavens forbid they had to get out and walk through some snow!), and that its actually costing you time and money! As for finding someone who hasn't another income to "prop them up", that would be pretty hard - most livery yards make very little, so YOs have to have second incomes. As for hearing bad things about other yards from ex clients - usually most of these have moved yards several times in the past two or three years, so I suspect its not the yards that are the problems.

Obviously you do get some bad yards. Hopefully you can work out what sort of yard you are putting your horse on when you visit, view facilities and other liveries, and decide to go there or not. Its a two way thing. There should be respect on both sides.
 
Swings and roundabouts.

Good and bad to everything.

I am quite sure that my set up would not suit many people, I weed them out when they apply, as I am sure they do me. If a fancy stall with all the gubbins is what is wanted then I point them in the direction of my friend up the road who charges twice as much as I do, and she does the same for me. She gets the show horses, I have the novices, the broodies, the babies and the geriatrics, everyone is happy.

My clients get what it says on the tin, stall (if they pay for it) paddock, shelter, water, ad lib hay and daily care. No frills. Full pasture or stall board, I don't do DIY, I do the horses regardless of whether the owners visit daily, weekly or monthly, I don't care when they roll up. I am full, and have a waiting list.

The recession hasn't affected me in the least, this is not my only source of income but it pays for itself and allows me to keep 9 or 10 horses of my own.
 
I think it depends on the yard. Some want your livery money purely to fund their own horses and do not worry about providing decent, safe fencing and stabling for your horses or ensuring you are happy. You also get professionally run yards who are running it as a business and specifically to make a profit. In this case they insure the yard is tip top with all the facilities etc but you obviously pay considerably more in livery and the horses receive very good care!
I've been lucky in all but one of my yards to have nice yards with nice YO.
I think good yards are few and far between and I'm so happy I'm on a perfect yard :).
 
I am on what I consider to be a livery yard that is cheep but the facilities, and YO are certainly not. The YO is a cherub a real on in a million and im very fortunate. think its a shame other people dont find this.
Lou x
 
I've found you certainly don't get what you pay for - I've been on beautiful, modern yard with a supposedly 'top' Y/O on part livery (everything bar riding) to find that stable water's were regularly not cleaned/fresh (I understand just topping up in the winter, when pipes are frozen - but in the summer when there is green gunk floating in it, not on), fields were never poo picked, turn out was not nearly as much as I was told, the amount of bedding given was a joke, haylage was taken out the stable once the owner had gone, so horse was left with not nearly enough to last the night .all the liveries were purely a nuisance and they didn't want us there.

I'm now back on DIY with far fewer luxury facilities - but with a YM that is practical, approachable & puts the horses first. You also know where you stand with her - she'll be just as friendly as she was with you yesterday the following morning.

We have a a couple of oddball/silly people - but that is life and YM does a fantastic job of keeping everyone in check & maintaining facilities. :)
 
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