How do you find out who owns livery yards?

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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I'm starting on my quest to find the perfect livery yard but I'm having problems finding out who owns them and who to call to arrange a viewing. I do plan to go and ask in local tack shops, but I thought that there would be a local buisness listing of licensed livery yards in my area? The big ones have websites which come up on google, but there are 4 yards in my village along and I can't find any of their details on the web. Do you just have to turn up in person and ask to speak to the owner? How did you all find your yards?
 
I take the odd (sometimes very odd!) livery and folk turn up at the door. I wouldn't consider anyone I hadn't met in person anyway. If there is no one in then they come back as we are usually about. From your point of view it is better to turn up on speck and see the real deal too.
Good luck in finding somewhere.
 
Word of mouth.. not everyone advertises.. the last two yards I've been on have been both found that way:smile:
 
My first two yards I was at were both small and we just turned up and asked to speak to the owner, had a quick tour, prices, facilities, expectations etc. My current yard we heard of because we were looking to move. They are a bit bigger, had held a few competitions and have a website. We called the owner and arrnaged to come and visit, met the liveries, had a look around, asked questions and that was that :) job done! :D
 
Pluck up the courage to just walk in and ask. I've done that a couple of times and it's always worked out really well :)
 
Yep, just shout out and hope somebody is there. If not I tape a note in a bag to the gate. Good livery yards very rarely advertise so between this and plugging into the horsey contacts world I can find out what I want to know.
 
Yup out of the 5 yards I have been on :
three were through word of mouth
one was by popping in to have a nosey
The current one was by phoning the local RS and asking for any numbers of local DIY yards.
 
I hated my last yard, was desperate to move. I'd had the same problem, not knowing how to find yards other than at the tack/feed shop - the only ones with websites or Yellow Pages entries were big posh places that were too expensive and not the sort of place where we'd fit in at all, me being a scruffy dossy type of person, with my little bog pony!

After yet another horrible day there I got in my car and drove round the area looking for fields with horses in and asked anyone wandering around if they knew of anything. Most said no vacancy, but told me to try so and so, and eventually one of them put me on to the place I'm at now, coincidentally by the dad of someone from work. He rang the owner to check they had vacancies, I drove straight down there to check it out and I moved Kelly the following weekend.

It was hard as I'm quite shy till I get to know people (such was the level of my desperation to move), but it worked and we're still there now. :)
 
eml said:
Sadly livery yards do not need licencing..just go knock on doors!!
Click to expand...

That would explain why I can't find a list! I'm surprised they don't need to have a licence. I would have thought that they would need to be for insurance purposes - similar to riding schools.

I have got so much to learn about how this horse owning business works!
 
Speak to anyone and everyone you know about wanting a horse. Someone will know someone who knows someone who has a horse on a yard somewhere. Thats how I did it.
I'm lucky in that I work in a fairly large office with 1,000 staff, my horse's fieldmate's owner happens to be one of those work colleagues. That's how I found my yard. I just spoke to everyone about horses and someone would say 'oh yeah, such and such has a horse'.
 
I'm in the same position as you OP! Have been out today and gone around all the yards I thought looked decent off a google search. Measured the distance between home and work to yard, ticked off (or not) the little boxes on my essentials check list (must have school, hay available on site etc), and chatted with other liveries. I just got in the car and turned up at each place as none of them answered their phones :giggle:

There are a lot of local fields with stables/ shelters in round here. Luckily my landlord knows most of the owners and has put me in touch. If you're after this sort of thing I'd recommend asking in local tack shops and riding schools, or anyone you happen to know who may have a contact with them. You could also try just knocking on the door and explaining you're looking for somewhere to keep a horse.

Good luck ;)
 
I am looking to move my first horse right now. I have had him two months and I thought I had the pefect yard. Sadly, its restricted turnout and that does not suit my boy. I made up a shortlist like Sammyantha and measured distance as I want him to be as close as possible but with the facilities I want/need.

I went so see one last Friday that was advertised in Derby House but had to call first as it did not say where it was. I just turned up at a yard today and the YO was lovely and showed me around.

A friend of mine has recently moved and she just turned up at yards too. Ok if you know where they are!!! You could also try Gumtree/preloved/ad trader. I also asked my farrier.

As I said, I thought I had the perfect yard. Kay2 on here said to me when I got Caymen " I would not be surprised if you move him, you might find your yard does not suit". I have to say, I totally dismissed this. Kay 2 - YOU WERE RIGHT!!!!:tongue::biggrin::giggle:
 
We just called in - we also walked the bridle paths in the area. Apart from seeing whether it is too muddy etc, you meet riders and can ask where they are from. And by calling in at yards, you may find a share - I was offered a share, though I didnt accept it because the traffic past a blind corner at the yard entrance really frightened me.
 
Either just call in or you could try a search of just google with your postcode and 'grass livery' for example.

:)
 
The other thing worth mentioning is yard managers and discovering contacts. Even I, an adult beginner and the lowest of the low at riding schools, got to be taught by a large number of different teachers over the years and met countless yard staff in training too. I tried to list the name of everyone who ever taught me.
As you go round livery yards, you may well bump into people you already know via your previous lessons etc. or who are friends of friends.
This network of people on local yards is invaluable - they will express opinions about yards, schools etc and also about dealers or likely horses for sale.

Dont be bashful either - or feel you arent good enough - just being around local riding schools for years on end (and caring about and being nice to horses) qualifies you as someone who is accepted locally and may well be recognised.
 
Another vote for walking in, as long as your are polite and ask who you can talk to re livery most people are more than happy to help, you're also most likely to see if there are any obvious flaws with a yard or any trouble makers if you just go for a random visit
 
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