A new academic paper titled Labour, leisure and love: An exploration of UK livery yard management and decision-making around equine care has been released, offering an
in-depth sociological examination of livery yard management in the United Kingdom.
The study is authored by Tamzin Furtado, Elizabeth Perkins, Catherine McGowan, and Gina Pinchbeck.
The research represents, to the authors’ knowledge, one of the first attempts to explore livery yard management from a sociological perspective. It focuses on how equine care is delivered within the context of a leisure-based business and how yard owners and managers navigate the complex interplay between human and horse experiences.
The findings highlight that livery yards operate as highly distinctive businesses in which owners and managers must continuously balance a range of interconnected and often competing factors. These include the provision of appropriate horse care, the expectations and needs of clients, and the practical limitations imposed by time, cost, staffing, and facilities.
A key theme emerging from the study is the dual role of livery yard owners and managers in both business operations and equine welfare oversight. The research identifies the protective function they often perform in safeguarding horse wellbeing across their yards, as well as their role in supporting clients through decision-making and day-to-day management.
The paper also draws attention to the significant physical and emotional labour involved in running a livery yard. It suggests that beyond the visible aspects of care and facilities, yard management involves ongoing relational, organisational, and emotional work that is central to maintaining safe and functional environments for both horses and owners.
Overall, the study provides new insight into the complexity of livery yard management and contributes to a broader understanding of how equine welfare is shaped within leisure business settings in the UK.
Having helped with the initial research for this project, Cheryl Johns of LiveryList is pleased to see the findings published in the study.
She notes that the services provided through the LiveryList Yard Owner Hub, alongside existing support structures developed by herself and related organisations and initiatives such as YardWise and the British Horse Society’s approval schemes, already go some way toward providing the guidance and recognition needed for yard owners and managers.
These initiatives are designed to highlight the important role of yard owners and managers and to help reduce some of the pressures and demands placed on those working within the industry.
You can access the paper here