08/12/2025
Following last week’s post about price rises, it’s clear this topic struck a nerve! 🫢People must understand that the livery industry is like no other, totally unregulated, totally inconsistent, and improving standards benefits everyone.
No one likes to admit when keeping a horse costs more than they imagined or expected—but costs have risen across all areas of life. Just because a horse owner hasn’t had a pay rise doesn’t mean the cost of keeping their horse shouldn’t go up. Horses are always a luxury. For some people, yes, they are a way of life or something essential to them—but they’re also a huge long-term commitment in both time and money. Everyone needs a long-term plan and can’t expect costs to stay the same while owning a horse or pony.
This isn’t scaremongering, rage-bait, or defending yards that are “ripping off” horse owners—the undervaluing of the industry is a serious problem. Many good yards are closing because meeting expected standards is expensive. Almost 350 riding schools have closed since 2018, many of which also offered livery, and countless livery yards shut each year, some just a short time after opening. Sadly, the most common yards to shut are those with nice facilities, good locations, experienced staff and good standards of equine welfare and client management who end up unable to fill their spaces because horse owners aren’t prepared—or able—to pay the price. The result? We lose these good yards. Access to riding, coaching, and livery is steadily disappearing, reducing opportunities for everyone in the industry.
Every horse owner should feel confident their horse or pony is on a yard that treats them well, meets the basics like the 3 F’s (forage, friends, freedom), and treats clients fairly too. Having been on all sides—yard owner, manager, and client—I know where everyone is coming from. But the things that cost… insurance, maintenance, livery contracts, good staffing… they benefit everyone: horse owner and yard owner. We’re in the business of supporting the industry for all involved, but sometimes there are certain areas that will cause disagreements.
When good yards close, it’s not just a loss of a place to keep your horse—it affects community, education, and the overall health and welfare of horses. If this trend continues, we risk a serious decline in the quality and availability of livery services nationwide, making it harder for the next generation of riders and horse owners to access safe, well-managed facilities.
But back to the pricing. There’s no “right” or “wrong” price. Like any industry, there are high-end, mid-range, and budget options. The problem is expecting high-end standards at budget prices—or the reverse. It’s a false economy. Cost-cutting is commonplace. Of course, it doesn’t always mean neglect—it can simply mean doing less than optimal care. But over time, these corners can impact horse welfare and safety, client satisfaction, and ultimately the yard’s reputation.
It’s time horse owners start asking why some yards are cheap, rather than just focusing on questioning the expensive ones. Understanding why a yard charges the price it does is key. You don’t need a breakdown of their monthly outgoings but often it becomes glaringly obvious by doing a bit of due diligence or simply speaking to the yard owner about the standards they provide. And yes, as I’ve said a hundred times before it is possible for yards to be cheap and still be a good yard,- there are plenty of yards lucky enough to have low overheads or just take a minimum to help subsidise the cost of their own horses, but it being able to identify the yards that fall into this category, rather than a yard being cheap because they’re cutting corners, skipping legal or moral obligations, or simply don’t meet the promises they make, is the most important factor when choosing a yard.
Here’s an example. The recent budget announced increases in business rates. While there are some reliefs, many yards—especially livery yards—are unlikely to qualify. That means costs go up simply because the business is doing what it’s legally and morally obligated to do: pay business rates. Clients won’t see any direct benefit from this, and it doesn’t change the day-to-day operations of the yard—it’s just another bill to pay. So, should the yard absorb the cost or pass it on to clients? Realistically, this is an overhead of running a business. And how a business manages its overheads is exactly what determines the prices of its services—true for any business, in any industry. Is this then somehow diddling the livery clients, or is it just normal business practices that your prices should reflect your costs to run your business? And what about the yards that knowingly avoid paying business rates, they continue with no effect to their costs, no extra costs to themselves and go merrily on their way undermining the yards doing things properly and paying their way legally and morally.
When yards charge fairly and clients are educated on proper standards (both of which we encourage through the work we do), everyone benefits. This isn’t a made up issue, it’s not a marketing tool or novelty point to raise—it’s about ensuring horses are kept in safe, well-managed environments, protecting their welfare and giving owners peace of mind.
