01/11/2025
“Safety, professionalism and peace of mind” 💕
We are so grateful for livery list and its resources for livery yard management ⭐️
£𝟷𝟻 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢… 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎? 🤔
After a recent post about the rising cost of keeping horses, we had some surprising comments — with some owners saying they’re still only paying £15 or £20 a week for DIY livery. But how can a yard possibly operate safely and compliantly for that little?
While a very small handful might have genuinely low overheads, for most, prices that low should ring serious alarm bells 🚨.
It’s usually because:
1️⃣ The yard isn’t operating compliantly — skipping costs like insurance, tax or safety policies, or
2️⃣ The yard owner doesn’t understand their true expenses and is unknowingly running at a loss.
As horse owners, we all need to do our homework 🧐. Just because a yard looks tidy or the yard owner seems friendly doesn’t mean it’s being run properly. Essential costs — insurance, utilities, bedding, hay, business rates — have all risen sharply, and no compliant yard is immune.
Before you hand over your horse and your money, make sure you’re asking the right questions… at the very least:
✅ Are they insured?
✅ Do they have Health & Safety and fire policies?
✅ Are welfare standards genuinely high?
✅ Are staff employed legally?
✅ Do they have written livery contracts?
You’re not just paying for space — you’re paying for safety, professionalism, and peace of mind 🫶🏼
We often hear people say they’re on a “private yard.” For some, that means quiet and exclusive — but for others, it’s used to avoid doing things properly and keeping their costs low. The truth is, anyone offering livery, even for just one or two horses, is running a business and must still be insured, compliant and legally registered.
Some DIY yards are now charging £60-£80 a week even with basic facilities, because by the time they add up all of their operating and staffing costs, maintenance and everything else associated to running a professional and compliant business, that is what it costs them to provide those facilities weekend week out with a consistent standard and reliable service.
A cheap yard might seem fine until something goes wrong 😔. Too many owners only discover after an accident or dispute that their yard wasn’t insured or didn’t have the proper procedures or paperwork in place.
In the absence of licensing or regulation there are still legal obligations for keeping horses, even for DIY where the landowner still has a legal responsibility for the equines on their premises. Horse owners need to know and understand the standards they should be expecting before accepting the absence of them!
‼️ The other problem with cheaper yards is that they have a high turnover due to their price meaning they may have a terrible reputation, but remain consistently full because the price of their services attracts horse owners over and above any other consideration.
As we head into autumn 🍂 — one of the busiest times for people moving yards — remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
You can find more guidance on what to ask (and why!) over on the Yard Owner Hub. Your horse’s safety, happiness and wellbeing depend on it 🐴💬
https://yardownerhub.co.uk/resources/finding-a-yard/
