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Post by VirginYO on Oct 9, 2009 14:49:08 GMT
I have the opportunity of starting a brand new livery yard, and having never run a livery before can you all tell me what to do and what not to do....
things such as....
What would entice you to move to a new yard? What facilities are considered essential? (horse & human) What things are ususally considered extras? e.g. coin meter for arena lighting? Are people more likely to want DIY / part or full livery, and what is a fair price to pay? Do you pay weekly/monthly/cash/DD etc... What do you expect from your YO on a daily basis? ...and so on and so on,
All suggestions, likes/dislikes, if your current yard is perfect or not so perfect please tell me why!
And from current YO's - what do all the liveries do wrong??? What should I watch out for?! Are DIY liveries worth it etc etc etc....
Thanks everyone, any input appreciated!!
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Post by tuppence on Oct 9, 2009 18:26:10 GMT
Hello VYO, These are the things that I consider important (in order) 1. YEAR ROUND TURN OUT!!!!! It's no good being happy to take the money but being precious about your grass fields. Yes, this means one or two fields will get badly beaten up each year but you need to build the cost of re-seeding and rolling into your livery costs.
2. An all weather exercise area: I'm not being prescreptive here. Just something about 30M by 40M where people can ride their horses no matter how muddy the rest of the farm is.
3. Good lights in the stables
4. Potential for individual or paired turn out if it's required
5. Please remember, we love out horses and don't take very kindly to being told how to look after them by your girlfriend (sorry of this does not apply).
6. Horsebox parking would be nice
7. Hay, Haylage and straw included in the price or available to buy would be nice
8. Secure tack room
9. Possiblity for you or someone to turn out/ bring in horses at a reasonable charge (e.g £1.50 per movement or £2.50 if needed rug changing)
If I could find a happy DIY yard as above then I would pay £35 in the West Country, and more in other parts of the country.
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Babieca
Junior Member
hobbies include dressing inappropriately and missing court-order AA meetings
Posts: 134
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Post by Babieca on Oct 9, 2009 18:43:07 GMT
Essential: Someone there 24hrs. Option to have someone check/change rugs/turnout etc (at added cost-I agree with Tuppence £1.50/£2.50) All year turnout with ability to have restricted grazing/ "own" paddock. Fields eradicated of ragwort! All weather area for exercise (happy for coin meter lights). Toilet. Wash area for horses. Lockable alarmed tackroom. Horsebox parking.
Desireable: Hay/haylage and bedding to be provided added into cost of livery. Feed sales on site. Common room/caravan where riders can clean tack/have coffee etc.
Dislikes: Too many rules or none whatsoever-it has to be fun being there but on the other hand people need to know where they stand (and that cleaning/sweeping up after them isnt optional!)
I've only ever been at DIY & would happily pay up to £35/40 per week for the above. I pay cash in advance and get an invoice every month to keep me (or YO) right.
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Post by cassie30 on Oct 9, 2009 18:50:56 GMT
All of the above, not being tied to a feeding rota on a sunday in show season, no silly rules on time to be back in show season, definitely year round turnout and choice of individual turnout. Give people the choice of whether they get their own bedding and hay, even if you supply it. most of all a Lovely cheerful yard owner!!
From an ex livery yard owners point of view, clients who pay would be nice, owners using others hay, straw etc is a nightmare but not sure how you can stop it! Maybe have some kind of schedule up for the arena, or come winter they may start scrapping to get in!
Whether you choose to have kids on or not, well, its a tough one, lots of parents have pony mad kids, we had 2 seperate yards so were lucky, the children did not have to go on the adults only area and it really worked out. We were appreciated by both mums and none mums for this one!
A decent set of jumps is a great bonus, but make sure liveries aware, if they break they pay....biggest bit of advice, be strong when it counts and dont be afraid to say no if you're not happy!!
DIy people can be great and worth it if you get a good bunch, remember, you dont have to pay costs like with full livery clients, i.e shavings haylage out of it, it will work out at not much more by the time you're done, depending on what you charge of course.
One more, be friendly, but keep it professional!! not too friendly if you get me! Best of luck!x
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Post by jacob on Oct 9, 2009 19:38:49 GMT
I agree with all of the above, as a livery as well as the all year turn out, I would like good fencing and water in the fields (not having to fill water carriers and wheel to fields in barrow)
A variety of sizes stables (last yard boxes we too small, now lucky to have huge ones for my ponies) I prefer to be on a yard rather than in a barn
School needs to be maintained/harrowed regularly
Storage space, we tend to collect lots of boxes of "stuff" rugs, bandages etc etc
A wash down area with hot water would be fantastic
Good hacking
I do think there needs to be rules in place and yards need to be managed, if not, you may get liveries who think it is their job to run the yard.
I pay my livery/trailer parking by cheque a month in advance, buy all my hay and straw from Y/O but this is paid a month in arrears.
I've not found a yard that has everything
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Post by cassie30 on Oct 9, 2009 19:47:43 GMT
Heat room, rug washing machine, facilties for laminitics, i.e surfaced turnout area, a big bonus for some owners!
Charge for school lights just a small fee, you'll be amazed how many leave lights on!
Make it clear if you live on site, that there are times you do not want disturbing!
CCTV on the yard to put liveries minds at rest! And make sure the DIY's poo pick their own turnout areas!
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Post by percyp on Oct 9, 2009 20:35:44 GMT
Heya, being a YO I can tell you what I offer to my liveries. I have all full liveries, with or without riding. Some are dressage ladies who have competed to a really high level and some are owners who just like to hack.
At my yard I offer these services and facilties for full livery: Indoor School Individual Turnout - all year round and 24hr if wanted, post and railed Indoor stables and outdoor stables, all rubber matted and 12 by 14. Apart from one which is 12 by 18 to fit an 18hh horse in!! A horse walker Indoor wash bay Indoor alarmed tack room 24hr Security Lorry/trailer parking Ad-Lib hay or haylage Deep shaving or straw bed A wide range of feeds Tack cleaning A groom and rug changes are included in my full livery Use of Jumps
This is what i would expect being a horse owner on full livery. However having been on DIY in the past I would just expect a tackroom, a well fenced field and a stable/field shelter at £30 a week.
There are other bits and pieces that I havent covered. I have a contract for each owner and my number one top rule is that no-one, horse, owner or staff member should be abused by either.
Hope this helps x
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Post by 4emms on Oct 15, 2009 19:29:31 GMT
all year turnout is a definite for most owners, seen some yards where they only allow any t/o between May and September - in case the fields get trashed. The same rules for all and if it is too wet to have turnout, don't then turn out your own horses as it just breeds resentment. Secure storage space, either small locked area for one/two owners to share or extra deep stables and the back partitioned off so that they can get to it through their own stable. booking system for the arena- with penalties if regularly booked and not used.
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Post by stormyskies on Oct 20, 2009 14:49:30 GMT
this is what we offer
40 x 40 indoor school with metered lights 40 x 20 all weather outdoor - no lights Off road hackig round fields access to bridleways seperate mare and gelding turnout in big fields - min herd number 15 injury paddock available outdoor and indoor stables - minimum 12 x 12 haylage we make included in price full set of show jumps small number xc jumps storage area worming programme 24 hr supervision contract and set of sensible rules livery paid month in advance by cheque on 1st every mnth booking system for arena washing area no opening time but request people leave by 9pm unless away at hows etc guard dogs field maintenance arena maintenance tea room area someone to do added livery at reasonable prices no unsupervised children on yard under 14yrs your horse must be checked at least once every 24hrs by you or someone else 24hr turnout in summer and daily in winter
We are always full and have a waiting list.
We charge between £100 and £120 (depending on if indoor or outdoor stable) per calender month which works out at between £23 and £28 a week.
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Post by cassie30 on Oct 20, 2009 22:26:39 GMT
Thats a bargain for what you offer!! Someone up the road from me charges, or is trying to, £26 per horse, stable and half an acre! has 4 stables on it. no hacking, no school, is empty, wonder why!
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Post by skint on Oct 23, 2009 14:03:14 GMT
Stormyskies - where are you I want to come
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Post by Ziggy on Oct 23, 2009 15:12:49 GMT
Somewhere that welcolmes children! when I was looking so many places were anti children. One YO told me that she did not have children of her own and certainly did not want to hear any noise from other peoples children. Charming! I may moan but they are good children really. definitely hay and straw included in the price would be good. Whereabouts is this yard going to be not that I am thinking of moving from my private grazing at present that is for sure. I can come and go as i please, have no one looking over my shoulder and my children can run around and play to thier hearts content. Oh yes and as the owner of the field has an alottment there i also get free fruit!
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Post by sarah00000 on Oct 23, 2009 18:32:44 GMT
Ha Ha - I had the children one too! This YO - who had grownup children of her own and was wishing for grandchildren said "Oh NO, very sorry - I LOVE CHILDREN - but just dont want them here"......
She also said No arriving early at weekends, to go to shows - as it woke up her dogs........ No horseboxes or trailers allowed on the premises... No four wheel drives as her driveway wasnt strong enough...... You must buy her hay and straw, even though it was dusty and horrible.......
other than that, everything wonderful...... LOL
We named our "post childbirth piles" after her! Called them Jackey's, as she was a pain in the ARSE! What a horrible lady!
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