Livery Yard Managers & happiness

Yard Managers – are they happy?

2024:  Yard managers are unlikely to be happy and stress free unless they are managing the workload, are comfortable about what is going on in their yard have enough money to live as they wish (because the yard is bringing in enough money), have happy clients and feel happy in themselves.

Many yard managers however, do not even know if they are making a profit or not.  In fact many never intended to run a ‘business’ as such – they just intended to rent out some stables to cover the cost of keepig their own horse – and for many, it ‘kind of works’.

Many yard managers know that they are bringing in enough to cover the bills and keep their horse, but….  well that’s about it as far as a business plan goes.  Yet you do not have to be financial wiz to succeed at running a yard.  You just need to know what you will need to spend your money on to keep the yard going comfortably and happily throughout the year.

You need also to be aware of things you should and shouldn’t do to keep it that way.  Plenty of managers forget to consider the little extra costs that come up throughout the year (that gate-post that needs replacing etc.), and some even forget some of the big extra costs too.  There is always maintenance, insurances, electricity, and many more things to pay for out of the income from a renting out a stable or two.

It is a fact that a great many yard managers are quietly dipping into their savings or, without realising it, going without other things, each month.  They assume they are having to do this because they are personally overspending on their hobby (their own horse). They may feel a tiny bit guilty about going to another show or clinic, or buying yet another rug for their horse when they dip into their savings.

These yard managers are not really making a living out of the yard – they are in fact just ‘surviving’ – but for how long?

Yard managers often do not realise that it is not their personal over spend which is causing them to struggle but the fact that the people using their stables (the livery clients) are not paying enough to enable their yard manager to make a proper living.   One of the problems which may be causing this is the competition from other types of yards in the area.

Struggling yard owners/managers are often heard to say – but we charge the same as many yards around us – if we increase our livery fees too much we will lose clients.

The fact is, that some yards will always survive and some won’t.  One of the reasons is simple but rarely discussed out loud.    Some yards are and always will be hard to beat on price.  Yard managers aiming to make a profit and success need to seriously think about their specific area and get to know as many yards locally as possible.

Your area may have a high equine population to draw on for clients, but consider the demographics of those who own the horses and the yards in your immediate area.  This will help you work out if your yard is likely to succeed and make a good profit and if you will be running a happy yard.

If your yard is in profit, the yard manager is usually happier and more relaxed, the yard is likely to be a happier place as a result.  The yard owner can afford to buy that extra rug for his or her horse or attend those shows.  If they can’t do those things because money is tight, they may be stressed and your yard may not be as happy as those with no financial stress.

Happiness is not just about making sufficient money of course, a whole gamut of other things are involved in having a happy yard.  Good yard managers need to be good with people and horses and have an overall realisation and understanding of what it takes to run a yard as a successful and happy business.  Good yard managers will know their area well and will understand what it takes to succeed in their area.

Yard managers and anyone looking for livery for their horse has to realise that some livery yards in this country are ‘supported’.

i.e. they have ‘other’ income or financial support. Running at a profit is not always required nor it is  the reason they are offering livery.  Sometimes it is a way of part or fully supporting someone’s hobby.

Other yards in private ownership may have big mortgages and do not have ‘support’ so have to make a decent profit to help cover the mortgage.

‘Support’ for yards may be from or by parents, husbands, partners, family etc.  The support is often simply because the supporting person/s, owns the land outright or they pay the rent on the property because they enjoy their offspring’s  / wife’ / partner’s having this equine ‘hobby’ and want them to make a success of it.  The support is often not actually seen as financial support by the family or partner – it is part and parcel of their relationship or is a family lifestyle.

Furthermore we have to remember that some of these ‘supported’ yards do not necessarily have to make a profit.  This ‘other financial support’ may well cover any shortfall in income from livery clients.  For the person actually running the yard it may also cover things like  – extra rugs for their own horse or the cost of attending clinics and shows. These yards are in fact being run on a ‘not for profit’ basis.

Bear in mind that these ‘supported’ yards may simply need to cover some or all of their costs and do not necessarily need to make a profit in order to survive and continue in ‘business’. The other local yards are bound to struggle to compete against such odds and the not for profit yards.

Perhaps both yard owners and horse owners should be more aware of supported / not for profit yards in their area.    Yard owners intending to make a profit will need to have a far more professional approach and consider all aspects of running an equestrian business if they wish to compete against supported yards in their area.

The equine industry is constantly having to keeping up with new regulations such as the government equine welfare guidelines, freelance help or employed and the FEI trimming whiskers ban amongst them.  The successful yard owner is aware and continues to upskill, train and learn.

 Article from Lingfield Equine Distance Learning – www.horse-care.uk.