Every Sunday, Cheryl Johns – founder of LiveryList and the Yard Owner Hub- draws on her knowledge and experience of the industry to provide an insightful and thought provoking article around the topic of livery yard management.
This week…
How Many Yard Owners Know What to Expect When They Open a Yard?
Many yard owners open a yard for their love of horses. They do it because they are horse people. Not because they are business people. And rarely because they are people people! Opening a yard can be a dream — it can also become an all-consuming lifestyle. It can be incredibly rewarding— but also exhausting, isolating, and overwhelming.
No one tells you that running a yard is less about grooming ponies and more about being a cleaner, mediator, accountant, maintenance technician, welfare officer, social worker, and night-shift manager — all at once. Most livery yard owners are self-employed. Many run small or family-run businesses. But many find it hard to switch off from work mode. They are expected to be available 24/7, manage unpredictable weather, welfare responsibilities, rising costs, and increasingly high client expectations — often without any formal training, guidance, or support. And let’s be honest: running a livery yard is rarely lucrative. Margins are tight. Staff are hard to find and harder to keep. Legal responsibilities are growing. And the work never, ever stops.
Yet, despite this, yard owners are expected to have it all under control — to be professional but personal, firm but kind, affordable but profitable, and above all, endlessly available. Yet with this responsibility there comes little value in what they are actually providing, least of all from clients or potential clients. With ever increasing expectation of horse owners, the increase in value of the livery industry doesn’t seem to have gone up a great deal since the mid 2010’s! Those yard owners wanting to earn a decent crust from running their yard find increasing prices near impossible faced with pricing themselves out of the local market, backlash from liveries and a mass exodus of clients. Putting further pressure on the business finances.
And even after Covid, and the cost of living crisis, and all the reports that keep highlighting the welfare issues around the way horses are kept, it amazes me there is still no defined support for yard owners. No governing body, no firm rules or guidance, no representation to British Equestrian. No one celebrating the yards that are doing it well, or highlighting the yards that aren’t. No one telling yard owner how to simply be a ‘good’ yard.
So what are the basics? In our mind there are three fundamentally important aspects to running a yard:
1. Know your costs: too many yard owners don’t understand what it costs them to run their yard and provide the services. They don’t properly calculate their livery costings before setting their charges nor factor in their own labour costs. This results in an unsustainable business that is likely subsidising their liveries whilst the yard owners end up out of pocket at the end of every month
2. Act like a business: Understand professional boundaries when it comes to clients. It doesn’t matter if your livery is your friend, your family or a neighbour they are all ultimately your business client and should all be treated one and the same. Have your ducks in a row when it comes to paperwork, livery contracts and billing – it’s the simplest way to deal with issues or disputes. Know when to switch off and have boundaries when it comes to expectations for access or communication at unsociable hours. You run the yard, it does not run you but it’s often easy for the lines to blur
3. Know what you want and who you want to be: it’s very easy to be swayed by clients about how you run the yard, what you charge or what decisions you make but it’s your business and you decide how you want it to be. The priority in your business should be you. Worry less about what other yards in your area are doing or charging and more about being the best your yard can be and telling everyone who’ll listen why it’s so good!!
The wider equestrian world benefits from the endless dedication of yard owners… but offers very little back in return. This seem ludicrous given that these people are responsible for the care and welfare of hundreds of thousands of equines in the uk every single day!
Anyone considering running a yard these days needs a good understanding of business administration, client management, marketing, financial viability… it’s so much more than just caring for horses. It can be less of a pleasure and more of a chore and can take time and effort to create a sustainable and successful yard.
Plus with the lack of regulation meaning anyone at all can open a yard and offer livery services this is constantly undermining those trying their hardest to do things properly. And when so many horse owners base their choice of yard on cost along without factoring in welfare standards, experience or business practices where is the fairness it can be disheartening to say the least.
Running a yard is hard — but no-one has to do it alone. If you find yourself sitting in your tack room, or laid in bed at night wondering how you’re supposed to keep all the plates spinning, just know this:
You’re not a bad yard owner.
You’re not failing.
You’re not weak.
You’re not the only one who doesn’t have it all figured out.
You’re running a business that requires strength, dedication, and a whole lot of time — and you deserve to be supported, not left to struggle alone.
If you’re a yard owner reading this and thinking, “This is me” — know that you’re not alone. I’ve spoken with hundreds of yard owners over the years. I hear the same stories time and again:
“I feel completely alone.”
“I had no idea what I was getting into.”
“I don’t make any money.”
That’s why back in 2020 I created The Yard Owner Hub — a completely free, dedicated space for yard owners to access all manner of guidance, templates and resources covering all aspects of practical and administrative yard management. And it’s completely free for all to access and use. It’s the least we can do to support this industry that supports us.
The Yard Owner Hub is a one-stop space for trusted resources, tools, and support for all things livery yard management. Its in collaboration with trusted equestrian charities, organisations and associations and collates all of the guidance and information in one handy place. www.yardownerhub.co.uk
And its important not to struggle alone. Yard ownership can often feel lonely and overwhelming, especially if paired with difficult clients or financial worries. But its important to reach out. If to no one else then get in touch with Riders Minds who offer great support and guidance when it comes to mental health and wellbeing
Original content by LiveryList and the Yard Owner Hub
If you’re looking for guidance and support in any aspect of running your yard, then head over to the Yard Owner Hub where you can find templates, resources and industry information on all aspects to help make your life easier
You can also join our friendly and supportive FB group especially for supporting yard owners https://m.facebook.com/groups/lyodiscussions