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Post by showringpro on Sept 8, 2013 19:16:39 GMT
hi all
im posting for a friend as she doesnt do computers lol
shes currently go through the motions to buy a livery yard 80 acres/ 80 stables huuuuuge indoor & outdoor arenas
this will be her first time owning and running a livery yard
she is dong all livery
are there any pointers and do's & dont's help at all with all aspects of runing a good yard
i have always owned my own place so cant be a great help to her
how do you make sure everyones horses are wormed was soemthing i was wondering with what will be such a big yard
thanks in advance xx
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Post by 09rebel99 on Sept 8, 2013 20:04:51 GMT
Personally these are a few things I would do.
Ask everyone to produce at least third party liability insurance (comes with BHS gold membership)
Supply wormers and add on to the bill.
I would make clear that children 14 and under aren't to be left unsupervised or in the school hols parents will just drop kids off and leave them all day.
A really important thing for me is to have a good few small paddocks that are well fenced for sickness/injury/lami/old ponies as sooooo many yards don't cater for horses coming back from injury or illness and expect them to go from box rest to a 10 acre field with a herd.
We have mares and geldings split which does make it easier, less hassle and trouble.
Another important thing for me is individual feed/tack room. I can't stand sharing as on big livery yards things tend to get borrowed and never returned.
A rug drying area/stable is a god send.
Payment a month in advance.
Wash room.
Somewhere to boil a kettle is very handy.
Also a contact sheet that needs filling in by owners with contact details, vets number and photocopies of passports all preferably kept in a fire proof lockable box or lockable filing cabinet.
A big white board or notice board at the end of each block is handy also.
With a yard that big automatic waterers would prob be a good investment if not already in.
Hope this helps :-)
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Post by caspa on Sept 8, 2013 20:16:06 GMT
09rebel99.. You can't just sell wormers, you have to have a licence from Amtra, and have an SQP available to sell the product,Defra require names and addresses of all purchasers, and lot and product code from wormer box..
If the yard is actually a farm and has cattle/sheep then it's different , some registered farmers can provide wormers..
Wormers are POM.. And can only be sold supplied by a vet,SQP or farmer as far as I'm aware..
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Post by 09rebel99 on Sept 8, 2013 20:59:48 GMT
Oh well a few livery yards I know of are being naughty then as that's what they do :-( saying that they aren't selling them as such but they purchase on behalf of the liveries so to speak and don't make money off them.
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Post by LucyHebditch on Sept 8, 2013 21:43:30 GMT
Your friend is very brave taking on a livery yard of that size! Especially if she is planning to have DIY's. Worming will be the least of her worries, that's for sure  We have a yard a quarter of the size and it's taken nearly 2 years to get DIY liveries that we like and that tow the line. Most are a complete nightmare, some are not. Like I said, 2 years and we have a settled yard If she's not done it before, taking on a yard with 80 spaces is extremely ambitious |
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Post by lisadundee on Sept 8, 2013 21:52:51 GMT
Oh well a few livery yards I know of are being naughty then as that's what they do :-( saying that they aren't selling them as such but they purchase on behalf of the liveries so to speak and don't make money off them. We often buy wormers for all the yard, getting lots of different people organised to worm 30 horses together is hard work, we buy on behalf of our liveries and charge to their livery, anyone who wants to worm themselves can but their horses aren't allowed turnout until its done. |
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Post by 09rebel99 on Sept 8, 2013 22:42:10 GMT
Your friend is very brave taking on a livery yard of that size! Especially if she is planning to have DIY's. Worming will be the least of her worries, that's for sure We have a yard a quarter of the size and it's taken nearly 2 years to get DIY liveries that we like and that tow the line. Most are a complete nightmare, some are not. Like I said, 2 years and we have a settled yard If she's not done it before, taking on a yard with 80 spaces is extremely ambitious I totally agree running a livery yard half that size is hard work, and it's correct you can't sell wormers only implement a programme or ask them to comply with the yard vets worming regime x Interesting. So what do 'producers' do when the majority if not all horses are on their yard are on full livery? Do they tell the owners they have to bring a wormer down themselves? As I said they are not 'selling' them as such but purchasing on behalf of. |
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Post by stormyskies on Sept 9, 2013 7:34:04 GMT
We have a yard with 45 horses. The key is choosing liveries carefully and not being afraid to give notice to trouble makers. We have a very strict 'no bullsh1t' rule and our liveries know how far they can take it!
A few rules we have
Under 14yrs must be supervised
We have photocopies of all passports
Any horse that leaves the yard to compete, do pleasure rides etc must have flu vaccine
All horses must have public liability insurance
Shavings or pellets only as the mess with straw is unbelievable!
They must follow our yard worming programme - we put wormer and price up on board and they out it in an envelope with horses name on front and put it in post box and when money collected I go and buy in bulk and we all worm on same day
Livery must be paid by 1st of every month. Late cheques = £20 fine, bounced cheques = £30 fine. This sounds harsh but it had to be done and as a result we now have no late or bounced cheques!
You need reasonable closing hours in the winter as we have found that people will be there up to whatever time you close, e.g. They will find something to stand and talk about in thenfreezing cold with every single light on up to midnight!. Thry are not actually doing their horses, they are just socialising or bit*hing , which is all well and good but costs us money when they could just go to the pub
Have a contract with rules and disclaimers attached
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Post by tedandgeorge on Sept 9, 2013 8:12:51 GMT
On my yard where I work we have rules which closely follow BHS:-
As others have said under 14 years must be supervised at all times.
We have to wear our hats to catch and turn out.
Hats have to worn at all time whilst on board our horses.
Hi-viz is advised to be worn whilst hacking.
Livery paid on the 1st of every month, late payment results in £25 fee.
The yard is open from 7.30am - 10pm the exception is by prior arrangement.
Every horse must be vaccinated and insured with at least thirst party liability.
Every livery is given a sheet to fill in with their horses feed details, contact details, any handling quirks or special needs.
Cleaning up after yourself including picking up droppings in the school.
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Post by sjw87 on Sept 9, 2013 8:18:22 GMT
As a livery, the thing for me is that whatever rules are in place, they must be enforced.
If you have one rule or one hundred rules, if they aren't enforced for everyone then it makes a mockery and people will take the mickey. One person being allowed to get away with breaking the rules will cause hostility so you must be prepared to enforce and have consequences for those who don't adhere to them.
Sent from my C6603 using proboards
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Post by Toaster on Sept 9, 2013 9:02:19 GMT
Sorry I cant help on the livery side of things but I think I may be able to clarify re: the worming
As I understand it the purchase of wormer in bulk is ok but the bill for livery needs to read 'worming service £20' or similar or the wormer needs to be absorbed in the livery charge so the wormer is seen as being officially administered by the purchaser (yard owner/manager)
to animals in their care and is not sold on
If a bill reads '1 x Equest Pramox £20' where the product is individually specified this is not ok as it would be seen as selling the wormer on which isnt allowed
I think thats how big yards handle it without breaking the rules
Actually... thinking about the livery I would definitely have a rule regarding dogs either not having them on the yard, having them on leads, having them under control, where they are and are not allowed, cleaning up after them etc etc (I may suggest the same about toddlers but that would be less PC lol)
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Post by sometime on Sept 9, 2013 9:09:54 GMT
All sounds fair but I would do the worming by poo counts and a simple routine for tape and encysted redworm so would have only those needing wormers wormed through trhe bulk of the year but tape and encysted redworm treated at the appropriate time. A blanket worming scheme tends to over worm and worm counts can be implemented by the YO without the relevant qualification.
I would have closed times too and a cut off timer for the electricity if it is an issue so it all goes off at say 10pm or even earlier. You would need a reset for later if providing later check if doing that or for the sick. Another way would be to do metered electricity for each person. with cards so people could purchase extra from you but that would need administrators to do
To be honest starting out is good it is existing liveries that may be a problem as starting from scratch you can have your own rules and make sure everyone signs up to them. One thing I woulld do however is check the land and make sure that there are never more horses at livery than the land can support including turn out daily 365 day a year regardless of weather. You will alway be full if you can provide that simple welfare essential. You will get squabbling and he said she said arguments at it is impossible for a group of people, especially women sadly, who cannot agree t disagree on things
So good luck to your friend if the livery is to work it has to have good welfare standards which provide the horses with the freedoms of life so many of which dont it is sad but true that many horses are confined to cells (stables) for long periods of time purely for the convenience of the owner and for the sake of overstocked land. To be honest as long as the welfare issues were of very high quality I would say that the animals come first and if the owners dont like my welfare rules then they can go elsewhere.
I am sure it can be a worthwhile and interesting business but not for the feinthearted
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Post by showringpro on Sept 9, 2013 14:16:42 GMT
hi guys
thanks very much for the great comments
i think she will have to look into the worming thing, or let owners buy their own and cannot turn out their horses til seen to be wormed???
she doesnt plan to run before she can walk as someone mentioned about taking on a lot, yes there are 80 stables but she plans on filling them slowly and selecting people that 'seem' ok, but suppose you cant tell. all i know is that shes a no bulls*** lady and quite scary lol
never thought about under 14's thats such a good idea!! nothing worse than kids running round!!
some great help ill copy them and pass them on cheers
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Post by caspa on Sept 9, 2013 15:17:39 GMT
What area is this yard in, I'd be happy to have an advert up on our board in the feed and tack shop if its in lancs!!
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