[highhorse]

hi everyone

it used to be that livery yards werent regulated or licenced and anyone could basically set one up. is that still the case?

what about if you only offer seasonal grazing? or grazing all year with shelter? is this classed as livery?

thanks

x

[shygirl]

i dont know but i guess you need to establish if you are renting a field to one person with a maximum capacity of horses, or whether you are offering lots of individual people grass livery.
how many acres do you have?
id rather rent to a farmer than a horsey person, less hassle and less intrusion on your time. horsey people will be there all day long, a farmer twice a day.

[ellied]

Not necessarily shygirl, I have to check at least twice a day for fieldkept ponies and more when they first go in to check everything is settling ok, or if something is looking iffy.  But I rent by the field not the head, put a few over and take them out pretty prompt, ask before I do work to land/fences, they're not shod or ridden as they're breeding stock or youngstock with OAP nannies to keep things calm for the most part - so I don't see myself as more hassle than any other livestock owner.  And I imagine there would be smallholder/farmer type tenants that would be there all day if they'd rented it to be their smallholding and wanted to spend time enjoying and working and taking their kids down at weekends/holidays too..  Just saying, not all horsey folk are bad tenants or even riders..

Anyway, the original question, I think licenses are optional depending on the services you offer, to let a field for grazing you don't need one.  If you have stables, a yard, multi-owner livery arrangements, comings and goings with kiddies and pets and your machinery and public events, shows etc, it's a different matter and needs insurance to cover it at least, but not a field for grazing only.  Don't put jumps in it tho, or anything that suggests it is being used for riding in, that's planning disaster as they'll look at you for change of use and all kinds of hassle.