Yards again! WWYD?

lauren123

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2007
3,329
1,397
113
East Yorkshire
As a lot of you on here know. I moved yards last November. I have settled in well and sox very well!!
At the time I moved it was £25 for the stable and grazing. No school but they were hoping to maybe get one. But for the time being we could use another woman's school just down the road for free.

Then around two month ago the YO was speaking about hopefully putting a school in . Once they could get a digger in and move the stuff in the way at the moment, when it had dried up. Then around a month ago they said they were hoping to get the digger in in the next few weeks. This digger hasn't actually turned up at the moment. 3 weeks ago the YO spoke about putting the livery up if we was to get the school or to pay to use the school. Which I wouldn't mind paying £5 extra for the school.

Me and the other liveries came down to the yard today to find a note, litrally a folded piece of paper with our names on it. Saying as of the first week in May the livery will be going up to £30 per week. The general going rate for DIY with stable, grazing and school is around £25 in this area. There is 2 yards that I know how charge more. The yard sox was previously at, which had; 2 schools, tack room, grazing, dressage area, show jumping area and xc course, along with a tea room. The other yard is a full livery yard but goes to DIY in the summer and that charges £30 per week, but they have a indoor and outdoor school, both very large and regular shows there.
I can understand paying £25 for grazing and stables but not really £30. Not a lot of people around here would be £120-150 per month just for stables and fields. I could understand if the money was to go towards the school. or increase it when we get the school. But not when nothing has actually changed to make the yard better. Sox is very happy here and so are the other horses. However the other liveries are students or on min wage. So there looking at moving.

They did speak to the YO who said ' just with water and that going up' I thought we were doing well on the eco side of things! So either lump it or like it. I want to like it but ... nothing has changed to up the price of the yard, infact we have 7 horses on 6 acres of land.

There aren't many yards that offer group turnout that are near to competition yards in walking distance , the hacking is good etc and its DIY. But my worry is if other leave, which their already looking into sox will be by himself and , currently all the 4 horses get on well. its a good bunch.
 
To be honest, for an increase of £5 per week I wouldn't be looking to move if you are happy there. Prices do go up and you will probably find that other yards start to increase their costs by a similar amount to keep up with the going rate. £30 per week for grazing and a stable isn't a bad deal really.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trewsers
£5 wouldnt bother me a week in the scheme of things its not much, but I would expect the school to be installed before it went up anymore!
 
Inflation happens. It sucks!!!
I seem to remember you spent a lot of time unhappy last year because sox wasn't happy at the old yard. If he's happy where he is, I'd pay the extra. Yes you may be concerned that folk will leave and that will cause issues with sox being lonely but I doubt everyone will leave and a, sure they may grumble but many will stay put because they will weigh it up and come to the same conclusion as you. Bide your time and don't make any rash decisions.
 
Up to you but there's no such thing as the perfect yard. If you're happy, stay, if not, go, but make sure it's your decision and you're not being influenced or pushed into anything by anyone else. All that matters is you and Sox. (I say this but am also in the middle of yard dilemmas so I have much empathy!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trewsers
Hmmmmmmm Id be asking what the situ with the school is.

If you can get a school or better facilities the same money as you have now then perhaps move of the herd will be going anyway and there will be changes.
 
If you and most importantly Sox are happy there I would stay and suck up the price increase, there is an awful lot to be said for a place where you are both happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trewsers
If you and most importantly Sox are happy there I would stay and suck up the price increase, there is an awful lot to be said for a place where you are both happy.
I agree with K R and Flipos Mum If your happy there and the drama is not bad stay.
Who is to say you don't move someplace else you end up not as happy at then= their price goes up too.
 
I'd stay - in the scheme of things its not such a huge leap in price. Understand you are worried in case others leave? But cross that bridge when you get to it. Even if some leave, others will come and Sox surely won't be alone.
 
I probably wouldn't begrudge a fiver increase, however I would ask the YO if that includes the increase for the school they plan to put in, if they put it up now, then try to do it again in a few months once the school is in I wouldn't be so impressed, but if they say that's part of the reason for the increase I would probably stay and worry about the herd changing as and when it does.
 
I agree with jessey. Perhaps the fiver increase is going towards the school. If so then I would be perfectly happy with that. It's a question you need to ask.

Equally prices do go up. I drew the line at my rent doubling and nothing really improving except him paying for the water and electricity being put on properly rather than piped over from the yard next door. Why he didn't just do that in the first place when he built the yard I do not know but somehow him cutting corners previously and hat going wrong and him falling out with the neighbour meant I had to pay double the rent.

Needless to say I moved and am doing much better for only £10 a month more than I was paying and 3 times the land lol!

I think if you're both happy I would put up with it but I would check there's no intention to put it up again when the school is in.
 
You say there is no reason for the price to go up but that is only to your knowledge. Most yard managers will not to share every small detail of their finances with their liveries, it's called "privacy". Any of their expenses could have gone up and you wouldn't know unless they choose to tell you. £5 is not a big rise in the grand scheme of things and I don't think it's a big price to pay for your horse's wellbeing, especially considering the issues you had on your old yard with him being so stressed and unhappy.
 
It's not no. But if we're paying to pretty much help them build the school and then after the school is built if it's ever gets built they then say. We're going to do full livery off you pop. Then we would lose out.
 
He is running a buisness and his aim is to make money at the end of the day. A school will cost in the region of £20,000 to build, and your livery increase for the whole yard won't even make him an extra £2,000 per year. If he puts a decent school in I would therefore expect the livery to raise again to £35 or even £40 per week to make a return on his investment. It doesn't make financial sense for him to put a school in unless he raises the livery fee when it is built - why would he bother to do it otherwise?

His aim is to run a buisness and make money at the end of the day. Remember that inflation and interest rates are all an all time low at the moment. When the economy picks up, prices will go up everywhere.
 
They both work , one full time and one part time. The school isn't for our benefit but for there's, for there daughter I believe. But it would appear there putting there prices up for no reason really. I spoke to one of the YOs today and they said they wasn't sure about the school. Just received a text saying the increase in price isn't to do with the school. In comparison to other yards around here part livery starts at £45 per week. Even the yard I left that was one of the most expensive in the area was only £34 per week and that had 2 schools, plus a dressage jumping and xc areas.
 
Even the yard I left that was one of the most expensive in the area was only £34 per week and that had 2 schools, plus a dressage jumping and xc areas.

Yes but were you and Sox happy there?

Stop worrying about the if's and but's - whatever happens in the future is going to happen and trying to second guess it will not help you.
If it bothers you that much you need to start looking for somewhere else again, but again being on a yard where both of you are happy is so hard to find if it were me I'd just accept it and carry on enjoying the place and my happy, relaxed horse.
 
newrider.com