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The Ultimate Guide To Building An Equestrian Business

August 10, 2022.

Hi, I'm Paige, half of the duo behind Fairway Stables™

This website is the one I've been searching for, for years; a compilation of knowledge on all things horsemanship, including practical advice on how to start an equestrian business. No matter your experience level with horses or homesteading, I hope this is a place you can get lost in, and learn something along the way - we welcome everyone from vets, to lifelong ranchers, trainer, to nonprofits contributing.

Glossary of Equestrian Business Terms

Equestrian Business Ideas
What to Consider Before Starting an Equestrian Business

How to Start an Equestrian Business

Growing your equestrian business.

What Is an Equestrian Business? A Brief Overview

There’s no strict definition for an equestrian business. An equestrian is a person who rides a horse. As an adjective, equestrian can refer to anything related to horseback riding.

A business is an activity or enterprise entered into for profit. Put those together and you get an equestrian business.

Equestrian businesses can be anything that focuses on horses or horseback riding, including businesses that house or train horses, care for horses, show horses, or breed horses. It may also include the businesses responsible for managing facilities, pasture, waste removal, and more.

How Big Is the Equestrian Industry?

In the US, there are roughly 158,000 equestrian businesses and no major companies.

Each business represents a small portion of market share (<5%), While a third of US households have a horse enthusiast, only 1.3 percent own a horse. The remainder participate in horse activities or enjoy horse events.

How Much Is the Equestrian Industry Worth?

The equestrian industry is worth $122 billion and created 1.7 million jobs in the US. There’s not only direct contribution with economic activity that occurs in the horse industry itself, but also the positive ripple effect into other economic activity outside of the horse industry.

Horse Ranch

A ranch is a large farm used for raising animals, such as cattle, sheep, or horses. A horse ranch focuses specifically on horses.

Generally, a stable can refer to a building that houses horses or an establishment where horses are kept and trained.

Equestrian Facility

An equestrian facility is a facility designed to accommodate, train, or compete with horses. Based on their use, an equestrian facility may be referred to as an equestrian center, stables, riding hall, barn, livery yard, boarding stable, or ranch.

A stud farm is a term used in animal husbandry to indicate a facility for selective breeding. While stud comes from Old English and means a “herd of horses or place where horses are kept for breeding,” the modern use of the term refers to a stallion that’s currently used for breeding. Stud farms may be full breeding operations or purely stud service.

Boarding Stable

Also known as a livery yard or livery stable, a boarding stable is a facility that houses and cares for other people’s horses for a fee.

Riding Stable

A riding stable is a facility that houses horses for equestrian activities. Though separate from a boarding stable, the two may be combined. A riding school or academy may also be called a riding stable.

Barn is a colloquial term for a stable or equestrian facility. Barns are located on farms and hold equipment, grain, and sometimes horses or cows, but they’re distinct from a stable.

Farm is a catch-all term for activities related to agriculture. Though technology is reserved for food production, “farms” may include feedlots, orchards, and ranches. Properties with horses aren’t typically referred to as a horse farm (with the exception of a stud farm). The purpose and use of the facility determine which term is preferred.

21 Equestrian Business Ideas

Let’s take a look at several equestrian business ideas that can help you turn your passion into profit.

Boarding/Livery

For many horse owners or enthusiasts, keeping a horse at home isn’t an option. They still want to ride, however, so they look into a boarding or livery facility.

Generally, a boarding stable charges a monthly fee to house a horse and provide for its needs. Boarding stables offer different options for board, and the monthly charge depends on factors like pasture or turnout, location, amenities, on-site trainers and instructors, tack storage, and more.

Typically, boarding stables offer the following fee options:

This includes all the necessities for the horse, plus a stall with full turnout. Full board is the most time- and work-intensive, since owners leave all the work to the facility – they clean the stalls, feed the horse multiple times a day, and take it in and out to pasture. For a busy adult equestrian or the overwhelmed parents of a child rider, this is an ideal option.

Some boarding facilities also offer additional services for a fee, such as lessons with a qualified instructor, access to indoor or outdoor riding arenas, trails, or equipment use. Owners may have to pay for specialized feeds and supplements, grooming, blanketing, and similar services.

Typically, veterinary care and farrier care are the financial responsibility of the owner. Some facilities will maintain the same veterinarian and farrier for the entire facility, while others will allow owners to bring in their preferred professionals. For a new horse owner, having vetted and qualified professionals offers peace of mind, but an experienced equestrian may prefer their own veterinarian and farrier.

Partial Boarding

Partial boarding is essentially a timeshare with a horse. In this situation, the owner shares the use of their horse with another person in exchange for cheaper boarding fees. This arrangement may be used for owners with horses that are docile enough to be “school” horses, or lesson horses, but it may also be beneficial for a busy adult with a horse that’s suitable for another rider.

In this arrangement, both parties split the boarding costs. For example, if board is typically $500 per month, but the horse is used for lessons, the owner will only pay $250. This does involve a contract agreement to ensure that everyone is protected, which may outline how often the horse may be ridden, whether the rider can bring their own equipment, and who is responsible for farrier and veterinarian services.

Pasture Board

Pasture board can be an economical option for an owner and convenient for you. If you have land, you permit the horse to live outdoors year-round with feed, water, and a simple run-in shelter. The work and maintenance is minimal compared to a full boarding facility while giving you income from your land.

Depending on the climate, pasture board may offer additional services like blanketing in cold weather, either included or for a fee. Pasture board also requires you – or your staff – monitor the horses outside to ensure they’re cared for properly.

Pasture board is appealing for its low fees, though horses get less attentive care in this arrangement. This is ideal for occasional riders, retired older horses, horses that prefer to roam, and horses with medical conditions like recurrent airway disease (heaves).

In addition, someone with well-bred show horses or breeding horses typically want minimal turnout alone to avoid potential injuries or blemishes that affect the horse’s appearance, such as bite marks or cuts.

Self-Care Board

Self-care board is basically renting out only the facility and amenities but leaving the actual care to the owner. The horse gets a stall and access to turnout, but the owner must provide their own feed and bedding, muck out the stall, feed and water the horse, and bring it in and out from the pasture. They also handle their own arrangements for veterinary and farrier services.

For people who live near the stable, self-care board is a convenient and economical solution. They get to take a hands-on approach to their own horse’s needs, even if they don’t have land. Sometimes, groups of riding friends will take a self-care board arrangement and handle the care of each other’s horses in shifts to make chores more practical and convenient.

The downside of a self-care board is that owners don’t have schedule freedom or flexibility. They are responsible for their own horse’s care at all times and have to make arrangements for vacations or other obligations. As the facility owner, you can offer care for an extra fee when the owners are unavailable to care for their own horses.

Short-Term Boarding

If you have a facility with extra space, short-term boarding provides accommodation for horses if owners are traveling or moving. Short-term and overnight boarders can add income to an existing boarding facility and make up for empty stalls.

Many boarding facilities offer multiple types of short-term boarding with different fees, such as one-day, one-week, or one-month boarding. The traveler may supply the feed and buckets, but the facility handles the stall, bedding, turnout, and care.

Short-term boarding can be beneficial in many ways and boosts the exposure of a stable, but it’s important to have the right setup. Traveling horses can present a disease or injury risk to the other boarders, which is why owners need to supply buckets. There should be stalls and turnout that are separate from the long-term boarding clients.

Retirement Boarding

In many ways, retirement boarding is similar to a nursing home for elderly humans. Owners who no longer compete or ride – or ride only occasionally – can enjoy the benefits of boarding in a quieter facility than a competition stable. In addition to older horses, these facilities may board horses that have been put out of commission due to injury.

Retirement boarding may be structured as a full-service, partial, or self-care boarding arrangement. All the horse’s needs are cared for, including veterinary and farrier services, but in a low-key environment.

Additional Arrangements

When it comes to boarding, just about any arrangement you can imagine has been done. Some stables may work out reduced rates for owners who are willing to take on some chores, such as mucking out their own stalls. Some may offer work-exchange or working-student arrangements, which is when equestrian students do barn chores in exchange for reduced board or free lessons or training.

If you choose to offer these kinds of flexible arrangements for boarders, it’s important that all the responsibilities of both parties are outlined in the boarding contract. Those who don’t hold up their end of the arrangement will have to pay full board – or whatever the penalty is according to the contract.

Training and Instruction

Often combined with boarding facilities, training and instruction is another option for an equestrian business. Many equestrians will choose a boarding facility based on the option of an on-site instructor or horse trainer.

There are numerous paths to becoming a professional horse trainer or riding instructor. You don’t need a degree or certifications, in most cases, but you do need something to establish yourself as an authority. Typically, horse trainers and instructors have a track record of success in prominent horse show circuits or reputation for training champion horses.

If you don’t want to train or instruct yourself, you can hire an on-site trainer and instructor for your boarding clients. Ideally, the trainer and instructor should be specialized in a discipline, such as hunter/jumper or cutting.

Another option is subcontracting. In this arrangement, you may or may not provide an on-site trainer, but if you get a rider who prefers to work with their own trainer, they can pay for the use of the amenities like the indoor or outdoor arena.

In addition to on-site staff and subcontractors, many boarding facilities will bring in big-name trainers for clinics. The trainer has run of the facility for the time they’re scheduled, and students can book appointments for lessons. This is helpful for the riders, since the trainer comes to them, and they can work in the environment in which they and their horses are most comfortable.

Breeding Operation

Breeding horses is a diverse facet of equestrian business. Not for beginners to the horse world, breeding takes a lot of time, passion, and a gift for selecting solid breeding stock . Like breeding other animals, care must be taken to ensure that the foal crop is free of genetic illness and that the most desirable traits are passed through the generations.

Horse breeders are not “backyard breeders” bringing together their two mutts to sell the puppies. While that may happen, horse breeders usually focus on one pure breed and specialize in specific purposes like barrel racing, flat racing, or show jumping. They know the pedigrees of the stock inside and out, as well as what makes a horse a champion in their respective discipline.

In addition, breeding requires skill and comfort around horses. Both stallions and mares in heat can be difficult to handle, and a lot goes into the care or the breeding stock and bringing up the foals.

There are a few ways to approach a breeding operation, from boutique breeders to studding services to full-scale breeding operations. Many breeders get started by realizing an opportunity with their winning stallion or mare, or simply having a good eye for superior horses.

Full-Scale Breeding Operation

A breeding operation may be full-scale with on-site stallions, mares, and foals, as well as the necessary breeding areas and equipment. This is a big undertaking, since you’re providing land and stalls for your breeding stock and the foal crop.

One of the advantages to a full-scale breeding operation is that you can start small, however. Just a stallion and a few mares with a stable and some land can grow over the years to become dozens of horses on hundreds of acres.

Most full-scale breeding operations have their own breeding stock that’s either already owned or purchased (the latter is more expensive!). Owners may hold back some foals for future breeding, meaning they’re not offered for sale, while the others are sold for profit. These operations may also bring in new mares or stallions to diversify the crop over the years.

Usually, a full-scale breeding operation will use hand-mating and artificial insemination for their own breeding stock. They may offer stud services for artificial insemination, or they may bring an outside mare for studding.

One main difference between a breeding facility and other types of horse facilities is that it’s set up for breeding. There’s plenty of land and space for not only the current horses but the future ones as well. These facilities also have areas for hand-mating and insemination, veterinary equipment, studding, and separate pastures for individual stallions, mares, and weanlings or yearlings.

With purebred horses, there may be an additional registration process with the breed registry. The process can vary, but horses may be eligible for registration and branding that allows them to compete in breed-specific competitions and increases their value.

Some owners maximize profits by studding out their champion stallion, giving them income without running a full breeding operation. When a champion racehorse or show horse finishes its career on a high note, the owner can use that notoriety to offer the horse’s semen for a fee.

They simply offer the material to impregnate the mare, and the mare’s owner is responsible for the rest. Because the work involved in studding is less intensive than a full breeding operation, people may keep and stud a stallion at a riding or boarding facility instead of a dedicated breeding ranch.

Some studs can command fees of thousands of dollars for semen, and a male horse produces enough to pair with over 100 mares. Of course, if the stud produces a bunch of duds, the fee can plummet – it’s a gamble.

Mares have long gestation periods – typically 11 months – which is a long period to be out of commission. Pregnancy also carries risk that can lead to loss of life or loss of use. Some owners who want to breed their mare prefer to avoid this risk by using a surrogate mare, or recipient mare.

The time period in which a mare can carry a foal safely and successfully is also limited. If the mare can’t take time off of showing for breeding, surrogacy allows for multiple pregnancies from different mares in a given year while she continues to show. It also allows the mare’s owner to breed her to multiple stallions at the same time to produce a range of foals.

Reproduction is done through artificial insemination with an embryo transfer, sperm injection, and semen freezing, shipping, and storage. It’s a long process, but comparatively shorter than having a mare out of the show circuit.

The mare’s owner is responsible for the stud fee and associated costs, the cost of artificial insemination, and the veterinary care for the mare.

Also, like a stud, the surrogate mare may be part of a larger breeding facility or simply kept at a boarding or riding stable. For owners of mares that aren’t suitable for breeding or showing at a high level, surrogacy is a way to make use of their optimal breeding years.

Riding Clinics

Riding clinics are intensive training sessions that take place with a qualified equestrian instructor or trainer. Typically, these clinicians have an accomplished equestrian career in a specific discipline that qualifies them to command a high fee for training sessions.

If you’re a trainer or instructor yourself, you can provide clinics on a travel tour. Students would book appointments in advance to ensure that your time, travel, and expenses are worthwhile. In fact, some of the biggest-name trainers often have waiting lists, applications, and cut-off dates to book lessons.

With this arrangement, you would pay for use of the facility and its amenities for your clinic. Often, the students who attend will be from the same facility, but they may also travel to attend. For accomplished equestrians, this can be lucrative.

Conversely, if you own a riding stable or boarding facility, you can offer clinics. It will not only make your facility more appealing to clients, but it gives you an extra source of income. The catch is that you would need to seek and find the right opportunities.

When you bring in clinicians, it’s important that they teach the discipline that appeals to most of your clients. There is some overlap, such as a show jumper participating in a dressage clinic, bringing a clinician in English equitation won’t be appealing to a stable full of barrel racers.

Tourist Ranches

Tourist ranches, also known as dude ranches or guest ranches, are a type of vacation property that has horses for guest use. These are all-inclusive experiences that combine hospitality and horsemanship.

Dude ranches have been around since the 19 th century. Tourists enjoy the pioneer experience and nostalgia without risking their health and welfare. Many began in the West and offered activities to indulge in the “cowboy” life, but now, they come in a wide variety.

Ranches run the gamut from romantic Wild-West cattle ranches to luxurious resorts with top-notch amenities like tennis courts and heated swimming pools and spas. The beauty of them is that you can make the ranch what works best for you and the location.

For example, some ranches offer adventure experiences like hiking, whitewater rafting, cattle herding, target shooting, and fishing. Others operate similarly to a luxurious resort, but include horses and horse-related activities like trail rides. In either case, they include cabins or other accommodation for guests on the property, as well as services like dining and housekeeping.

These destinations are particularly appealing to families with kids. Often, activities are designed to keep the kids entertained, such as campfire sing-alongs and petting zoos. Many ranches have themes that inform the whole experience, such as ranches that allow guests to participate in antiquated activities like churning butter or milking goats.

The different types of guest ranches may include:

Working Dude Ranch

These types of ranches are working cattle or sheep operations. Horseback riding excursions may be reserved for those with experience with cowhorses, though some ranches may offer different excursions based on skills and experience.

This is the most authentic of the ranch experiences. Visitors expect – and want – hard work and hands-on activities. Assisting in herding cattle, grooming horses, and mucking stalls may be part of the experience.

A basic dude ranch of guest ranch caters to visitors looking for horseback riding. These are the more romanticized Wild-West ranches that teach guests the “cowboy” life and allow them to take part in iconic experiences like lassoing, driving cattle, and camping out with horses under the stars.

Generally, visitors are looking more for activities directly related to cowboy culture and fantasy, not necessarily general ranch chores or menial labor. They want to ride and rodeo, not muck stalls.

Resort Ranch

Resort ranches are the luxury ranches that offer upscale accommodations and amenities. The overall style may be frontier or working ranch, but the rooms, amenities, food, and entertainment are more like a luxury resort or cruise.

Typically, resort ranches offer a more diverse array of activities and facilities. Along with the expected ranch amenities, they may have a pool, fitness center, spa, childcare facility, fine dining, a bar, and an entertainment venue. This is more of a “glamping” ranch experience than a true frontier west experience.

Hunting Ranches

Though less common, areas with desirable game may have hunting ranches. They operate similarly to a working ranch or dude ranch, but they include hunting in the activities separate from the horseback riding.

Depending on the location, the hunting may include elk, moose, bears, or deer. Some ranches may offer captive-bred exotic game for trophy hunters, such as antelope. The high tag fee and hunting guides support the care and proliferation of a rare or threatened species.

These are the basic types of ranches, but they may combine elements of each other or offer something unique. Ultimately, the common thread is horseback riding. Whether it’s an organized trail ride, lessons, or a cattle drive, guest ranches center the experience around the horses.

There’s a lot to consider when starting a guest ranch, however. Depending on the location, it may only be able to operate seasonally. You also have to simultaneously run a hospitality business and an equestrian business.

Horse-Related Adult Retreats

Wellness or nature retreats are popular among adults. Whether focused on meditation, yoga, getting in touch with nature, women-only, or any other type of theme, these adult retreats may include equestrian activities.

The retreat may be reserved for experienced riders or beginners, but they have a theme that informs all of the activities. Journaling, meditation, life-coaching training, group therapy, nature walks, creating vision boards, and beach yoga are among the types of activities that retreats offer.

As far as the equestrian activities, it depends on the experience level of the participants. A retreat may teach basic horsemanship for beginners to horse yoga to advanced activities like team penning and barrel racing.

Like running a dude ranch, starting an equine retreat for adults means balancing the demands of a horse business and a tourist experience.

Horse Rescue

A horse rescue is a non-profit organization that cares for abused, starving, or abandoned horses. Like other rescues, horse rescues are often no-kill, volunteer-based organizations that provide a safe environment for horses, care for their basic needs, and educate the public about their welfare.

Running a horse rescue or shelter may be born of passion, but it needs to be approached like a business. Horses are expensive to care for, especially in a rehabilitation environment, and the IRS has specific requirements for non-profit status and donations.

Another aspect to consider is that rescues are run as non-profits, so the profitability isn’t widely known. Generally, these are not lucrative businesses.

Horse Leasing

Horse lovers may dream of having a horse of their own, but it’s not an option for every equestrian. For riders who are just starting out or lack the ability to buy a horse of their own, leasing a horse is an excellent alternative.

If you own a horse suitable for another rider, leasing gives you income for the privilege of allowing your horse to be ridden. You maintain ownership, care, and financial responsibility for the horse, but you’re giving a rider a chance to learn and prepare for eventual horse ownership.

For the rider, they essentially “rent” the horse and take on fewer financial responsibilities – think of it like renting an apartment vs. buying a home. If they decide they no longer want to ride or they move, they’re free of the responsibility of selling or relocating the horse.

This is an ideal arrangement for beginner riders. If they bought a horse, they may outgrow it or lose interest in the sport. Leasing acts as a “stepping-stone” in their riding career.

There are numerous types of horse lease arrangements:

Partial Lease

A partial lease, or half lease, provides the privilege of riding a horse on certain days of the week. The owner still has riding privileges, so both parties are basically “sharing” the horse. With this arrangement, the horse typically remains on the premises instead of being moved to another facility.

Most partial leases offer the ability to ride three or four days a week for a fixed monthly fee. The expenses for veterinary care or farrier services may be split, or they may fall on one party. These arrangements typically run month-to-month, rather than a long-term contract.

With a full lease, only one rider has the privilege of riding the horse. This is the closest to horse ownership for the rider, since they can choose when and how often they can ride without working around another’s schedule.

Some full lease arrangements permit the rider to move the horse to a different facility, while others require the horse stay on the owner’s premises. Full leases also come with more responsibilities and costs, such as veterinary or farrier fees and horse insurance. Still, when it comes to making decisions about care, the owner is in control.

Other Lease Arrangements

Like boarding, leasing can take on many forms. Facilities may work with lesson leases to use horses for students instead of a partial board arrangement. Quarter leases are also an option for casual riders who only want to ride a few times a week and don’t want to pay for unused riding time.

No matter the arrangement, it’s vital that all aspects of the lease are in writing. A lease is similar to other types of rentals, so the arrangement should include the terms to protect both parties.

Stable Merchandising

If you already have a breeding, riding, boarding, or training facility, merchandising is a great way to bring in extra income and boost brand exposure.

Stable merchandise is branded gear with the stable’s logo and brand colors. Prominent equestrian facilities often sell branded merchandise like zip-ups, custom dress shirts, hats, tote bags, notebooks, tank tops, socks, saddle pads, and travel mugs. These products are relevant and practical for the client and promote the facility for minimal cost.

Professional Equestrian

A professional equestrian is an elite career . The competition can be fierce, but a rider with the skill, talent, and qualifications can make a solid income. You can work from your own facility, or your business could be your personal brand.

Professional equestrians are paid to ride and show other people’s horses. If you’ve ever watched a competition, you may notice that some riders compete multiple times or in multiple events with different mounts. That’s because they’re paid to show an owner’s horse.

Owners want the best riders for their horses. They want the horses to get noticed and develop a name for themselves, which comes into play when they try to sell or breed them. Sometimes, older owners no longer ride, but they want their horse to compete and pay a professional to showcase them.

Professional equestrians also train and teach. Usually, a professional equestrian does a combination of all three, but within the same discipline or related disciplines. Professionals also have experience in other aspects of horse care and management.

The biggest challenge with becoming a professional equestrian is building your personal brand. You have to compete at high levels and win to make a name for yourself and cultivate a demand for your riding and training skills.

Horse Transport

Investing in a horse trailer, and a truck to pull it, and learning the ins and outs of driving the outfit is overwhelming to many horse owners. Offering horse transport services can be a lucrative business.

Horse owners may need transportation to shows, but you also have the option of offering long-distance hauls for owners who are moving or showing on the national level. Owners may need transportation to university veterinary hospitals or when they’re transferring to a different facility as well.

Keep in mind that the requirements to transport a horse a few hours away are vastly different from the requirements to transport them across multiple states over long periods. For example, horses on long-distance trips need a trailer with a box stall and frequent stops for water and stretching. You may also need to develop a network of short-term boarding facilities for overnight stops.

Transporting horses doesn’t take as much horse knowledge as some other types of horse businesses. The start-up costs can be significant, however, especially if you’re trying to get multiple outfits. You’ll also need liability insurance and written policies about how horses will be handled, what happens in the case of injury, and how clients will be notified about transportation status.

Local laws and regulations apply to horse transport in a state, city, and county, however. It’s important to speak with an attorney to ensure you’re doing everything by the book.

If you own a riding stable or boarding facility, you can invest in trucks and trailers to transport your clients to shows or veterinary appointments. This is usually an additional fee that can provide extra income during the show season, and you could offer your services to other horse owners in the area.

Professional Grooming

Horses need impeccable grooming for horse shows, and that’s where professional grooms come in. Children and busy adults may lack the time or knowledge to groom their own horses properly and pay for professional grooming services.

Professional grooming may include specific tasks like braiding the mane and tail for shows, but some grooms perform the entire process of bathing, brushing, picking out hooves, and tacking up, only to hand the horse off to the rider. Then, when the ride is complete, the rider hands the horse back to the groom to be walked, untacked, and rinsed off before being put away.

Grooms may also have the responsibility of cleaning tack, packing supplies for a horse show, and assisting riders with barn chores at the showgrounds.

Being a professional groom has many avenues. You can be a dedicated groom for one rider and their horse – or horses – or you can work with clients within the same facility. Owners of riding stables can offer grooming services, either themselves or from hired support staff.

Finally, there’s the option to run your own grooming business. You may begin by grooming on your own, but you can scale your business by taking on more grooms to handle clients and adopting a more managerial role.

Horse Stable Cleaning Services

The chores can add up in a facility with multiple horses. Not all boarding facility owners want to handle all the chores themselves, so they hire horse stable cleaning services.

Horse stable cleaning services may include a variety of tasks, such as mucking stalls, power-washing walls, sweeping or power-washing aisleways, racking arenas, spreading manure, scrubbing feed and water buckets, and tidying up the feed room or tack room.

Similar to grooming, you can take on work for specific clients in one facility or offer your services to multiple facilities. As you grow, you can take on more clients by hiring employees and operating a full cleaning service.

Pasture and Facility Care

Horse turnout and the grounds of a stable need maintenance like anything else. If you enjoy handiwork and landscaping, pasture and facility care is an in-demand service.

Busy stable owners are inclined to pay for professionals to maintain their outdoor areas. Some of the tasks may include inspecting and fixing turnout fences, removing weeds, dragging pasture, removing rocks, and filling holes.

Within the facility, this service may include identifying and repairing plumbing problems, fixing damaged stalls or doors, replacing worn fittings, and fixing cracked or damaged concrete. You may also be asked to update or install features or amenities.

Stable maintenance workers may stay at one facility or they may offer services to multiple facilities in the area. As with grooming and stable chores, you can expand by hiring more people to serve more clients.

Manure Removal Services

Facilities that have neither the land nor equipment to spread manure may hire a manure removal service to take care of waste. This is out of the purview of most local waste management services.

Manure can pile up quickly, so manure removal services are a must for both residential and commercial horse facilities. You can provide regular pickup or on-call pickup to haul manure away.

Along with the business requirements, waste removal may require additional state and local licensing or permits.

A tack shop can be a viable business on its own or a valuable revenue stream for a boarding or riding stable. This is essentially a retail store, so you have plenty of options for how to approach it.

Ultimately, it depends on your clientele. Boutique tack shops with high-end products and branded merchandise can do very well with brand loyalty, while a large and diverse tack shop offers a range of products to suit everyone.

You could also offer used or consignment pieces, such as used saddles and pre-owned show jackets or boots, to help clients save on products and give their old stuff new life.

In addition, you can travel to nearby shows with just a few limited necessities. It’s inevitable that a rider will forget a ratcatcher, hoof pick, or hair ribbon, causing a panic for their parents. Having these basic essentials in stock at the showgrounds almost guarantees sales and builds your brand over time.

What to Consider When Starting a Business in the Equestrian Industry

Like any business, starting an equestrian business is a big undertaking. There’s a lot to consider before you make the leap. You have to act like a business owner, not a horse enthusiast .

Time Commitment

Small business owners work 50 or 60 hours a week . You may be excited at the idea of spending your day around horses, but remember that a lot of the work involved in running an equestrian business won’t actually be spent on the horses.

An equestrian business is still a business. Much of your time will be spent handling work that’s more or less the same with every business – accounting, marketing, etc. Unless you hire or outsource that work, it falls on you.

Then you also have to take on the actual horse stuff. If you open a boarding facility, that means mucking stalls, feeding horses multiple times a day, and filling water buckets. If you open a big facility with 50 horses and minimal staff, that’s a lot of hours and balancing your workload and personal life.

Equestrian businesses need multiple contracts to operate legally. Without them, you and your business may not be protected.

Operating agreements: LLCs need to have operating agreements that determine how distributions and losses are shared, how the business is managed and taxed, and more.

Website contracts: If you have a website, you need these contracts for legal protection – a privacy policy, terms and conditions, and clear information at the footer that links the aforementioned contracts, your copyright symbol, and a disclaimer.

Equestrian businesses may need additional contracts, including:

Boarding agreement: If you’re boarding animals on your property, you must have a boarding agreement with the animal’s owner that details the timeframe and general terms of the arrangement.
Liability release waivers: If you allow anyone to ride your horse, whether one time or for a lease or lesson agreement, you need a liability release waiver to protect you in the event of an accident.
Bill of sale: If you’re selling animals, a bill of sale document is necessary to outline the details of the terms of purchase, the animal’s health, and the terms of the transfer. This is essentially a proof of purchase.
Breeding contract: If you’re breeding, you need a stringent breeding contract that includes the parties involved, the time of breeding, the fees and expenses, any health or condition guarantees, rebreeding rights, liability clauses, and more.
Transport: Transporting a horse is a big liability issue. Accidents can occur on the road or a horse can be stolen, and the business needs a contract for transporting animals for someone else.
Employment: If you’re hiring support staff for your equestrian business, you will need employment contracts for each type of employee.

Cities and counties plan to shape the character of communities with zoning and regulations. There’s no requirement for local governments to have similar land use ordinances or planning processes, even in the same county, so it’s important for you to contact the local offices to determine the laws and ordinances that apply to a commercial equestrian property.

Local zoning ordinances and codes can apply to everything from boarding and riding horses to providing lessons and designing and building stables and buildings. Avoid headaches in the future by doing your due diligence before you get the ball rolling on your business.

Once you’ve mapped out the ideas, starting your business is much simpler. The specifics will depend on the type of business you choose, but here are general steps to starting your own equestrian business.

Know Your Market

It’s not enough to just love horses to start an equestrian business. You have to know who your clients are. Without that, you could approach everything the wrong way for the people you’re trying to attract, and you’re dead in the water.

Marketing research is crucial before starting a business. Before you begin with a business plan, marketing strategy, or shopping for horse property, do some research. Check out comparable businesses in the area and see how they operate and what their clients expect, so you can plan accordingly.

Find Your Profit Motive

Often, people get into horse businesses because they’re pursuing a passion. While that’s not entirely wrong, it’s vital to pursue a business for its profit motive. If you want to “do what you love” without concern for money, you’re talking about a hobby, not a business.

A profit motive is the desire for financial gain and maximized profits. This is motivation to innovate and take risks for economic gain.

Worse yet, if you can’t find a realistic way that you can make money with your equestrian business, you may be viewed by the IRS as a tax shelter. You could be subject to an audit, and if you can’t show how you’ll earn a profit, then it’s a hobby and things can get messy with penalties and interest. Always find a profit motive and you can avoid this hassle.

Develop a Business Plan

Many business owners venture into business without a solid business plan. The business plan may be the most important step, since this can show you if your business is destined to succeed or fail.

The business plan doesn’t need to be overly formal or designed like a presentation with fancy graphics and statistics – unless you’re looking for a significant loan or investor. It’s essentially for you to analyze your business idea, costs, and revenue to see if you can create a profitable business.

Do your research and include information like:

The size and location of the market
The competition
Fixed and variable costs
Market availability

With these numbers, you can forecast how much money your business can make against your expenses each week, month, and year.

Structure Your Business

All businesses need a well-formed business plan that includes market analysis and evaluation of income potential and likely expenses. Is there a need for your business in the current market? Will you have potential clients? Can you make your business profitable?

The more research and effort you put into this in the beginning, the more stability and security you’ll have moving forward.

You also need to determine what business structure is the best for your needs and protects your personal interests from liability. Whether you choose a sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation will also determine the record-keeping and tax requirements .

Know Your Insurance Requirements

Whether it’s required in your state or not, insurance is a key component of an equestrian business. Horses and equestrian activities are inherently dangerous, and you may need multiple types of insurance to make sure you’re covered.

General liability insurance, or small business liability insurance, provides coverage for claims that result from normal business activities. You may also need commercial property insurance, which protects your business’s physical assets, such as a stable, from fire, burst pipes, storms, vandalism, theft, and explosions.

In addition, you may need liability release waivers . These agreements outline the risk the rider is taking when they ride your horse or ride in your facility. Depending on the type of business you have, these liability waivers may be general or specific to the activity.

Determine Fixed and Variable Costs

At the end of the day, businesses need to be profitable to succeed. Being profitable means you’ve covered all your expenses and you have money left over to pay yourself and continue putting money into the business.

To start, list all the expenses your business will have. This may be trickier than you think, especially when you consider fixed costs and variable costs.

Fixed costs will remain the same regardless of how much you produce. These include your rental or mortgage payments and insurance. Variable costs are costs that change based on the amount of output you produce. So, if you have a boarding facility and bring in more horses, the expenses you’d see change would include labor costs and feed, hay, and water costs.

Identify the Unique Selling Proposition

A lot of businesses fail because they can’t differentiate themselves from their competitors enough to get a foothold in the market. Whatever your business idea is, you have to find a way to be different.

With an equestrian facility, that can be more challenging. You could be surrounded by competitors, so think about what you have to offer that’s different. Maybe your stable caters to a different discipline, or you offer a more down-to-earth alternative to the snobbier, upscale facilities nearby.

Come up with reasons that your company is different from everyone else and why a client should give you their business. Once you have this, it can inform the rest of your marketing strategy.

Develop a Marketing and Branding Strategy

Marketing is a must in the modern business world. No matter how great your equestrian business is , without marketing, no one will know about it.

Marketing strategy starts with a goal. Sure, your overarching goal is to make money, but focus on goals for your campaigns like boosting brand awareness, getting more prospects, or increasing your audience on social media pages.

Then, consider your audience. Think about who they are and what appeals to them. If your audience is diverse, you can segment it and deliver more targeted campaigns. For example, you might take a different approach to attract kids for riding lessons compared to their parents. Creating segments ensures that you’re keeping your message tailored to the audience.

From there, develop ideas for your campaigns that reflect your brand. Start small with just a few marketing channels, such as email, social media, and paid search ads. Test and tweak your campaigns regularly to determine what’s working and find areas for improvement. Once you get the hang of it, you can scale your campaigns to more channels and broader audiences.

Also, consider marketing more than just your business. If you have a riding stable, think about marketing your instructor or trainer as well as the facility. If you’re breeding, you’ll need marketing campaigns for your studs, mares, and foals.

Once you have your business up and running, raking in clients, you can think about how you can grow your business to become more profitable.

Content Marketing

Content is a very useful and versatile tool in the equestrian industry. Horse owners and riders are always looking for information, and there’s so much to choose from.

You can promote content about your business, your background, and your employees. Some equestrian businesses are successful with highlighting professional riders or trainers in features, sharing stories about horses throughout history, or writing humorous articles about success and failure in the competition ring.

For niche businesses, the content can be a little narrower. For example, a professional grooming business could write content with tips and tricks for braiding, the new trends for horse show style, and guides for how to properly body clip a horse.

It’s important to be creative and understand what your audience is looking for. If you deal with beginner riders, it’s best to keep the content introductory and basic to support learning. If you’re working with high-level professionals, avoid simple topics like “how to tack up a horse.”

The way content promotes a business is by putting it in front of the audience in a less intrusive way than an ad. When a client searches for information in Google, such as “things to look for in a professional horse trainer,” they will see your content. If what they read offers value, they may seek out more content from you or look into your site and what you have to offer.

Over time, prospective clients come to view you as an authority. Then, when they need similar services, your business is top of mind.

Social Media

Virtually all consumers expect brands to be on social media, even an equestrian brand. Building an online following takes time and dedication, but it can have a significant impact on your sales and exposure.

Start by creating business accounts on the social media platforms that contain most of your audience. Share content regularly that’s appropriate for the platform, such as short video clips for TikTok and industry-focused articles on LinkedIn.

As people like or comment, be sure to interact with them and answer any questions they may have. You’ll increase the engagement of your followers, encouraging more shares and exposure to a larger audience.

Affiliate Marketing

Content not only benefits you with more authority and exposure, but it’s a wealth of opportunity for affiliate marketing. This type of marketing is performance-based and rewards businesses for traffic or leads they generate.

For an equestrian business, you have numerous products that you can review and promote in your content. For example, talking about a new hoof oil in a blog post about hoof care encourages visitors to click on the link, driving them to the affiliate site and earning you money in the process.

Email Marketing

Despite the rise of other marketing techniques, email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to get your message out there. People subscribe to an email list, so you have the benefit of an audience you already know is interested in what you have to share.

Your email campaigns can include promoted content or helpful tips and tricks for your clients, product recommendations, event reminders, updates, and more – it all depends on your business model.

To gain subscribers, create gated content for your site. This is high-value, downloadable content that subscribers can access by providing their name and email. It has to be something they can’t get elsewhere, however, such as an in-depth interview or case study.

Referral Program

Referral programs work a lot like word-of-mouth recommendations. You set up a program that incentivizes your clients or non-competing businesses to refer people from their network to your business. In exchange, one of both clients get a free gift, discount, or special perk.

While the incentive doesn’t have to be expensive, it must be worthwhile. Branded merchandise, a discount on services for the referrer and the referred, or gift cards are all good incentives to recommend your business to other people.

Diversification

Equestrian businesses are subject to the state of the economy. As a luxury, horses, riding lessons, or extra services may be among the first to leave out of the budget for many people in tight times.

Diversifying or expanding your services creates more opportunities for income streams and gives you some cushion for lean periods. Boarding facilities have a wealth of options to diversify, including offering short-term boarding, renting the facility for parties or events, offering transport for shows, or adding grooming or training services to the offer.

You can get creative when coming up with new income streams. Selling equestrian products, creating your own branded merchandise, affiliate marketing, leasing horses, and horse photography are all options to inspire you.

At some point, your business will grow past the point where you have time to handle everything on your own. You may want that control, but that’s a fast track to burnout and making mistakes that can harm your reputation in the long run.

If things seem overwhelming, consider hiring to support your business’s growth. You can start with stable hands or other support staff, or keep those hands-on activities yourself and outsource your boring business tasks like accounting and marketing.

With businesses like professional grooming or facility maintenance, you can grow easily and accommodate more clients by hiring employees to take on your overflow work. The biggest aspect of this is maintaining your standards across the board. You spent a lot of time building your reputation and client loyalty, so make sure your employees are up to those same standards.

Is Your Business Scalable?

Some equestrian businesses are scalable and others are not. The idea of scalability is that whether your fixed costs are high or low, if you can add a significant number of customers without increasing your costs proportionally, the business is scalable and becomes more profitable as it grows.

Boarding, training, instruction, and breeding are not the most scalable businesses. As you take on more clients, your costs for food, water, etc. will generally increase proportionally. Conversely, a boarding facility can offset these costs by having more paying tenants, which cover more of the cost of the rent or mortgage on the facility itself.

Consider if your business is scalable, and if it isn’t, how can you diversify what you offer to gain more growth potential?

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting a Business in the Equestrian Industry

Is the horse business profitable.

With the right planning and research, any business can be profitable. It’s less about horses than it is about being prepared and educated to develop the most successful business plan.

Where Can I Find Equestrian Businesses for Sale?

Real estate listings and websites often provide both hobby and commercial equestrian properties. You can search anywhere you’re looking to go and compare the information about the land size, existing structures, zoning, taxes, and more.

Are There Equestrian Business Awards?

The United Kingdom has Equestrian Business Awards to recognize small equestrian businesses and their care for animals and contributions to the economy. These awards include veterinarians, farriers, equine dentists, instructors, riding schools, grooms, and any other equine professional.

What Should You Know Before Buying an Equestrian Business?

Few types of property or businesses require as much knowledge as those related to horses. Before you buy an equestrian business, be sure to thoroughly evaluate the property and land to ensure it’s efficient and safe for horses to avoid future headaches.

Are There Equestrian Business Apps?

There are plenty of apps designed to help equestrian business owners succeed. Apps like CRIO help facility owners and managers track boarding, training, and breeding, while the Horse Report System offers performance tracking for equine athletes to monitor body condition, training, and health. Stable Secretary is a helpful tool for barn management and tracks horse health sheets, breeding records, and payments.

What Is the Definition of an Equestrian Business?

An equestrian business is a broad term that includes businesses that focus on horses, horsemanship, horse care, and equestrian sports or leisure activities.

Starting and running a business is no small feat. When you’re starting an equestrian business, you have the added legalities, care, and challenges of horses added to the mix. This may all seem overwhelming, but as long as you have the passion, y ou can make your equestrian business a reality !

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Homesteading.

How To Start A Livery Business

With the increasing loss of agricultural jobs, many farmers and land owners have started to look at ways to diversify and generate alternative income. A popular way to do this is to setup a livery or riding school on surplus land. In this short article, we give you an overview of the considerations you need to take into account before embarking on a new venture like this.

Experience Is Important

With proper planning and management, a livery yard or riding school can be a very profitable and rewarding business. However, if you are to make a success of it, it is important that you, or anyone you appointment to oversee the developments, has extensive experience working with horses. Many people underestimate the extent of work needed and having an experienced head on board can make the difference between success and failure.

Ask whether you have the experience necessary to make it work, or if you know anyone who does that you can afford to pay to run it for you.

Stable Management and Facilities

The facilities found at a livery yard are essential for efficient day to day management and whether it is considered an attractive location to customers looking to stable horses. From a facilities point of view, there are a number of questions you’d need to ask yourself:

How many stable units do I need to meet initial demand?
Do I have the space available to scale the business over time?
Am I able to provide an appropriate level of security on tack/animals?
Is there a facility to store hay and feed or an outdoor tap for water?
Do I need to install additional equipment like stable fencing?
Are there decent bridleways close by?
Can I provide on-site parking and toilet facilities?

Another key question to ask is whether you would be likely to be granted planning permission. Indeed this is probably the first stage of any development project so make sure you’ve gone through the proper processes before investing significant time and money in other activities. Also ask whether you are planning to offer lessons or not, as extra facilities will be needed to do so.

The start-up costs of a livery business are relatively high compared to most businesses so you’ll need some sound financial backing, at least to begin with, to invest in infrastructure and market yourself before it becomes profitable.

Business Planning

Perhaps the key question to ask before beginning a new venture like this is to ask whether the demand is there? Do you believe there are enough horse owners in the area in need of services you can provide them? What about competitors? Are there any other livery yards in the area not providing a good enough service and leaving a gap in the market that your new livery can fill? This market analysis is very important and you need to think about your strategic approach from the beginning.

As with all businesses, you will also need to think about your overheads like business rates, insurance, general maintenance, staff costs, utilities costs and account for unexpected expenses. As it is a livery yard, you need to also account for water, hay, straw and other feed – working out how these costs will affect your income and determine how to charge for services. Analysing the running costs involved in this will impact on how you plan to our your livery services as part, full or DIY.

Qualifications

Whilst qualifications aren’t necessary for running a livery yard, they can definitely go a long way in attracting future customers. Horse owners will likely want to see evidence of proficiency and you can easily take courses in stable management through the British Horse Society .

Your livery yard will also not require a license, unless you plan to offer lessons, in which case they fall with the requirements of the Riding Establishments Act 1964 . A license can be obtained through your local authority.

Legal Stuff

Because you plan to accept payment for providing a service, you need to create contracts for your customers and include details about legal liability for breach of that contract. People can get very protective over their pets so you need to make it boldly clear what is included in the contract – from responsibility of vets bills to turn outs and food.

While not compulsory for livery yards, if you plan to run a riding school alongside it you will require public liability insurance. Injuries are common in this type of business and you’ll want to ensure you are covered for every eventuality. If you employ any staff, you will also need to investigate employer’s liability insurance too.

Journey Ahead

Starting a livery yard can be an extremely challenging, but ultimately rewarding experience. We have covered only a small selection of issues to be considered in this article and you must be prepared for many more unforeseen demands. This article is designed only to give a loose idea of what to expect from what can be a demanding business venture. However, if you love horses, there are few better ways to earn a living.

If you are starting a livery yard and would like some advice on how many stables to buy, contact us today for advice or more information.

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Starting a livery yard: 6 things you should know

Starting a livery yard is pretty much every horse lovers dream. you already love looking after your own horse, why not make it full time and look after others’ horses too you’d be able to build your own little community of horse lovers, and it would be on your very doorstep. how perfect does that sound.

However, as much as we all fantasise of building our own mini equine kingdom and starting a livery yard, there are a lot of things you really need to consider before you invest in this dream. It wouldn’t be ideal if you were to invest all of your time and money into building your dream, only for it not work out due to some minor details you may have missed.

To lend you a helping hand, we’ve put together a small list of some of the thing you should consider before diving into the deep pool that is starting a livery yard.

Perhaps the most obvious but often overlooked part of running a livery yard would be yard contracts. There needs to be a written agreement between the yard owner, the manager (if they’re different people), and your livery tenants. It’s so important that you set out rules and boundaries so clients can’t overstep or endanger themselves, the horses, or other clients. It’s also vital to layout what you are and are not legally responsible for.

You’re going to need a few different types of insurance, the most essential being public liability insurance . This is uber important that you have public liability as whilst it is optional for most businesses, it is required by law that equestrian establishments. You may also want to look into personal accident cover, you never know when you may need to pay someone to fill in for you if you get into an accident – which I might add, is probably very likely since you’ll be working with horses.

Types of livery available

Before you can launch your business, you really need to figure out the packages that you’ll be able to offer.

Let’s run through the different “types” of livery that you can offer.

Green or Grass – Exactly what it says on the tin, you provide space in a field only.

DIY – This means that you provide the facilities, but the livery is in charge of caring for their own horse.

Part – Often this is a five-day full care deal, your horse will be fed, mucked out, and turned out for you – the exact offerings vary by yard.

Full – This includes all food, bedding, and care seven days per week – may also include riding.

Training – As full livery, but includes schooling sessions for your horse!

Location, location, location. People aren’t exaggerating when they talk about the importance of location for businesses . Think about how you would stand against other livery yards if there any local – what facilities do they offer? What can you offer?

Whilst you and these other livery yards may just want the best for everyone’s horses, at the end of the day, you’re running a business, and you need to think of how you can compete with your rivals. Think outside the box if you must, you just have to make yourself appealing and live up to those expectations that you set.

Also, look at local hacking routes. Very few riders aren’t actually bothered by local hacking, most want to be able to ride out and about safely with their beloved steed… which you can’t really do if the yard is surrounded by main roads.

Another important aspect of location is the local equestrian network – convenience is valuable to clients. What are the local vets and farriers like? Is there a local dentist or physio? These are the people you need to keep in mind whilst setting up your yard.

Taking care of your horse’s health should be a priority. Starting from their physical health and dental care to what food is best for them or what saddle pad they should wear. Choosing the right location to have access to all these things is a big plus. You may have many questions about proper care or cleaning techniques, veterinarians are well-equipped to provide helpful advice. With the help of knowledgeable professionals, you can easily solve whatever issue may be affecting the condition of your horses’ physical health, or what kind of saddle pad is suitable for them. For example, many vets use LeMieux saddle pads , as they offer a wide range of saddle pads based on your horses’ size and what occasion you want to present them.

Another consideration is the price you can charge for your livery spaces as you don’t want to price yourself out of the running for local horse owners business.

The price varies greatly throughout the country; we’ll run through a few examples to give you an idea of what is charged elsewhere.

North of England £10-30 per week

Midlands £5-25 per week

South £40-60 per week

North of England £25-40 per week

Midlands £15-35 per week

South £60-150 per week

North of England £55-70 per week

Midlands £45-70 per week

South £75-150 per week

North of England £80-150 per week

Midlands £65-120 per week

South £150-300 per week

North of England £95-250 per week

Midlands £75-200 per week

*Averages based on research of yards with varying facilities, from turnout only to those with indoor arenas.

What do you have to offer potential clients? A functional outdoor arena? How about an indoor? Safe riding facilities are a must. A horse walker is another handy exercise facility to offer.

It is also worth investing in a horse shower and solarium for those who wish to compete – or maybe just pamper their horse – all through the year, summer and winter.

Horse showers, electric fencing supplies and other equipment you’ll need can be purchased from online retailers in the UK .

Try to aim for all year round grass turnout as turnout time is vital to all equine mental and physical health, and having this option of turnout can turn a potential client into a definite one. Not many livery yards can offer to turn out like this, especially winter grass turnout.

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Writing a business plan – for an equestrian business

Guidance for writing a business plan for an equestrian business.

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Rural Business Advice
Planning for your Business

We all know writing a business plan has huge benefits at the start of planning a new business. Sometimes its just for yourself so you can understand your business better, sometimes you will have to do a business plan if you seek funding or finance. Importantly you need to write your plan with the reader and the purpose in mind, so before you start writing your plan ask yourself two questions:

Who are you writing the plan for?

Yourself / your parents
The bank / other lenders
Grant applications

What is the purpose of the plan?

To get a better understanding for your own use
To persuade others to let you rent/loan / have an asset or resource
To get a grant
To source finance

Structuring a written business plan – template

Summary of the business

An overall summary of your business – these are your first impressions on the reader, make it snappy and engaging.
Make it concise, and easy to read. Try to imagine you are explaining your business to a stranger on the street – would they understand it?
Include a handful of your main goals or objectives, you may find it better to split these into short-term goals (up to a year), mid-term (1-3 years) and longer-term.
Highlight key facts and figures including a financial summary which reflect your budgets
It should be no longer than two pages of A4, shorter is fine if it says it all
Because it is a summary, you should write this section after having finished the rest of your plan.

About you/your situation

This section is the opportunity to explain why you think you have the experience, ability, knowledge and commitment to be able to make this a successful business.
You should set out your relevant experience and relevant qualifications. This is particularly relevant if you are teaching. Experience doesn’t have to be in the same sector, for example, you could have customer relationship or sales experience from a different role.
Provide some detail, avoid relying on particularly emotional reasons, as to why you want to start your business.
If you want to really impress, you could also attach your CV.

The business opportunity

Clearly describe the service/s you are going to provide.
Where are you going to provide them from?
What facilities do you have? What do you need?
How are you going to differentiate your service from others locally?
What is it about your service that will make people choose you?
If you need planning permission, tell the reader where you are in that process.
Why do you consider there is a gap in the market?

Who are your customers?

This is your first opportunity to demonstrate you have really done your research and understand the market.
Be specific and set out your target market, specifically the actual people you hope will be buying from you, not a general commentary about those type of people.

See also: Identifying your target customer

If your business has already started, include information about who and what you have sold so far.
When describing your customers, break them down into individual consumers. Age, gender, location?

Industry knowledge

This is your opportunity to demonstrate you understand how your service fits into, and where within the wider industry.
You should give an overview of the industry you are entering into, and highlight any relevant facts and figures. Use economic facts and trends where available.

See also: Useful resources for market research

You should set out the market research you have undertaken and what your conclusions are. This includes research on the internet, from industry sources and from your own research such as surveys.

Sales and marketing plan

Provide a detailed overview of your marketing and sales strategy. How are you going to inform your target market about your offering?
What type of marketing are you going to undertake and why do you think it will work? Include traditional marketing (advertising, business literature, direct marketing etc) as well as digital marketing (AdWords, paid advertising, social media).
Are you also going to have your own website? Will you be able/do you need to be able to take bookings and payments online?
Don’t forget that whatever marketing you say you are going to do, the costs should then be included in the cash flow and budgets.

SWOT analysis

This shows you have considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face your business.
Strengths – good things about your business plan that gives you an edge on competitors.
Weaknesses – anything that might affect how well your business will work. This could relate to the industry, the product or you as a person. Where you identify a weakness – put an action point how you are going to address it.
Opportunities – anything which poses you with an opportunity within the industry.
Threats – what external factors could affect your business plan? For example, new regulation, your competitors.
Outline how you are going to set up your business.
Talk through who is going to undertake the work
What processes have you got into place to take bookings, card payments and online payments?
Who are your staff, what are their skills?
What legal or regulatory requirements or obligations are there and how and you are going to deal with them?

Financial budgets

You should prepare a full set of budgets that accompany your business plan, including a list and amount of capital start-up costs, cash flow forecasts and profit and loss forecast. For a new start-up venture, you should look at forecasting at least three years cash flow.
In the main text of your business plan, you should provide commentary on why you have used the figures you have and justify how you arrived at those figures.

See also: Feasibility budgeting for new businesses

You have to undertake and then show detailed research on how you arrived at your forecast sales.
Include any assumptions you have had to make.

And that’s about it. If you are approaching the bank or a lender for a large amount of money they will expect your business plan to contain sufficient detail that they can make a decision on the risk involved, so your plan will need to be pretty robust and detailed. If you are starting a small business with little investment required you may not need to go into so much detail, but even just spending some time working through each section will help you question the business plan so you can get it right in your own mind.

Finally, below are a few handy hints for your business plan:

Put a front cover on
Write it in report format, and number your paragraphs for easy reference
If it is to be emailed, PDF it
If it is to be printed and posted, print on good quality paper and bind it if possible
Write a cover letter or email
Check for obvious things like spelling
Check the format. A good font like Arial in size 11, formatted with paragraphs and numbering
Get someone you trust to read over it impartially, and for areas that are not understandable

Farm diversification, diversification ideas, rural business, rural business ideas

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Hannah Moule

The Business Barn

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Small Business Guidance

Below you will find guidance for owners and managers of equestrian establishments with regards to guidance and support for the creation and management of small businesses. This guidance is free to access and has been sourced from reputable sources.

The information contained on the Yard Owner Hub is provided for guidance only, and we encourage all users to consider their own circumstances and take professional advice where appropriate in relation to the management of their business and the equines in their care.

These resources are available free of charge to all, and always will be. All we ask is that if you use any of the documentation, or find the information contained herein useful, please consider adding your yard to LiveryList, and/ or making a secure donation to help cover the work and research that goes into providing these resources:

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Video: So you want to… set up a livery yard?

Business management
Diversification

Adding horses to a working farm could be a good fit, especially if someone in the business or family already has an equine interest.

There is a lively market for anyone who can offer grazing and stables, especially if facilities such as sand schools and cross country courses are onsite, but it can be a complicated and time-consuming enterprise.

Farmers Weekly finds out all the pros and cons of diversifying into the equestrian market.

See also: So you want to… let land and property?

Read the advice from the sector’s experts and the case study of Park Farm in Arundel, and watch the video to get further insight to how the diversification works.

Q&A with Daniella Kilsby-Steele from Bidwells’ rural team

What is the market like?

Demand very much depends on location, with the most successful yards being within proximity of a reasonably-sized population centre.

The first step when considering setting up a livery enterprise should be to write a business plan; this process should begin by researching local demand and assessing your competitors and their pricing structure.

Livery services can vary from simply providing grazing to DIY livery, part and full livery.

Are there any grants available?

Currently no national funding opportunities are available, although it is worth consulting your local authority as there are some local grants in certain regions.

We anticipate there may be some employment-focused funding available in the future, but this is not guaranteed.

What about costs?

Your business plan needs to be realistic about the costs.

Running a livery business will involve substantial overheads, including staff costs, business rates, insurance and property maintenance costs.

Depending on your situation you may also have mortgage or rental payments.

Day-to-day running costs will include electricity, water and wages.

For part and full livery, you may also supply hay, feed and bedding within your prices.

In terms of start-up costs, this will depend on what you have already and the type of livery service you are looking to offer.

For a DIY service you will need more storage space than you would for part or full livery.

To achieve higher prices, you will need better facilities, such as an arena with floodlights, stables, washing areas, a secure tack room and individual turnout areas.

If your land is not already in equestrian use, you will need to apply for planning permission and factor in planning and building costs.

What are the planning considerations?

In order to set up your livery business, you will need to obtain planning permission for the change of use of land and/or buildings to equestrian use, or for the construction of new buildings.

If you have existing stables, make sure they are not restricted to personal use through a previous planning condition.

Remember, all aspects will require planning permission, including floodlights, cross country jumps and manèges.

Obtaining planning consent for a livery yard can be challenging, particularly if you are within the green belt, a conservation area, area of outstanding natural beauty or national park where new development is often resisted.

While farm diversification is largely supported by planning policy, there are many constraints that will need to be addressed when applying for permission.

These include highways issues, parking, access to public transport, impacts on the rural area through the creation or change of use of buildings, conflict with agricultural uses and so on.

Therefore it is always best to seek advice from a consultant before submitting an application.

See also: Video: So you want to… sell milk direct from farm?

Equestrian use qualifies as “brownfield” (previously developed) land, so can offer longer term potential for redevelopment of a site.

This could be for residential or commercial use, so a livery yard can be a good stepping stone to maximising development opportunities.

What about insurance?

Most insurers will offer a standard livery yard package, which will include employers liability, public liability and care, custody and control [a liability insurance exclusion that removes indemnification for the insured when property is in their care].

Property and contents can normally be taken as required.

Any other considerations?

Your livery clients may well work full time and will need to access their horses out of normal working hours, especially if they are out competing.

Livery clients may also be demanding, and yard politics are difficult to avoid; it is important to be selective about who you allow on to your yard and to have some good ground rules.

Running the yard yourself may reduce external costs, but the cost of your own time should be included in your business plan.

External staff will need experience with horses of all types and will need to be willing to work long hours.

Reliable and experienced staff are invaluable to your reputation.

Pricing of services will be a fine balance between making a profit and being affordable for your clients.

You should consider conflicts with other uses on the farm; horses are flight animals and can easily be frightened by large farm equipment.

Good people skills are also invaluable, as you will not only be looking after horses but their owners too.

Biosecurity is an important consideration, particularly if there is a high turnover of horses.

There are many contagious equine diseases which can be picked up at horse shows or passed on through people, so having strict vaccination policies is advised.

How to add profit?

Sales of hay, feed and straw may boost profits, and services such as sales and schooling can generate additional income, if you or your staff have the expertise.

Identifying your unique selling point (USP) and marketing this to your clients can justify higher prices.

Your USP may be access to off-road hacking, unlimited turnout, proximity to local shows, or the high quality of your facilities.

What about legal agreements?

For many livery yards, the client-owner relationship is quite casual.

However, we would recommend putting agreements in place with your liveries to ensure both parties fully understand their responsibilities.

A licence should only be needed if you are offering lessons.

Accountancy advice

A livery yard can be quite time-consuming as a form of diversification but the market is definitely there, says Julie Butler, joint managing partner of Butler & Co Chartered Accountants.

To make it successful, determining what type of yard you want early in the process and attracting suitable clients is vital.

Having an interest in horses is also an advantage, as the margins can be tight, and staff can be difficult to find.

“Polo ponies on grass liveries over the winter pays well and suits the farming mentality better, because it’s livestock and grass and interested owners who want to get involved,” says Ms Butler.

“At the start, the infrastructure cost can outweigh the income, with putting in stables and paying wages, if you’re not doing it yourself.”

As with all trades, an equine business must be trading on a commercial business with a view to making a profit if it wishes to claim tax relief on trading losses.

The equine taxpayer has to be able to prove that there is a reasonable expectation of profit from the trading operation.

The VAT treatment is complicated, because there can be different levels of tax applied across the business, depending on what services are offered.

The supply of grazing is zero-rated; the supply of stabling is exempt; and full livery is standard-rated.

“Decide what you’re going to do, create a business plan, and sit down with an accountant to work it all out,” says Ms Butler.

“There is a lot of specialist knowledge required and every equine client should be considered on a case-by-case basis.”

Inheritance tax

The long-term tax implications of any diversification need to be considered carefully.

To get inheritance tax relief on a livery business, lots of services are required. DIY liveries have no inheritance tax advantage.

James Seller’s livery yard at Park Farm in West Sussex has been a work in progress for about 30 years.

A fourth-generation tenant on the 365-acre mixed farm on the Duke of Norfolk’s Arundel Estate, Mr Seller offers about 30 livery places alongside his arable and Sussex suckler herd enterprises.

Vicki Stock and James Seller in stable with horse

Vicki Stock and James Seller © Colin Miller

Yard manager Vicki Stock runs the livery business six days a week, allowing Mr Seller to focus on farming and overall strategy.

Arable and 54 head Sussex suckler herd
Livery yard offering about 30 places

The yard offers plenty of facilities, including an outside school, grass gallops and miles of off-road hacking, but the team are always thinking of improvements, such as adding more staff members to assist the owners.

“A local doctor wanted to keep horses up here so that was the reason it started,” says Mr Seller.

“We started with grass livery, then added stables to assist with the grazing management.

“We need to balance the requirements of the horses with ensuring the fields aren’t being ruined.”

Watch the video of the livery yard and continue reading below

Mr Seller has converted old cattle and lambing sheds into stables in a series of small expansions, and turned some land into a 40mx20m sand school, which he later expanded to a 50mx25m arena.

The school was the single biggest cost of the equestrian business but is also its biggest selling point, he says.

The livery’s sand school © Colin Miller

He recommends using professionals who will assist throughout the entire planning process and work out any issues in advance, and any agricultural or local knowledge is a bonus.

“Having someone on board for that is worth every penny, I don’t begrudge spending any money on that,” he said.

“My last planning application was less easy, they don’t come out to view the site anymore and I had to spend an extra £1,000 for a valuation drawing for the sand school.

“The whole thing would have been a lot more expensive without professional help.”

One of the main issues Mr Seller encountered was separating the arable unit from the equestrian enterprise and his landlord’s offices for rent on the same site.

Most of his customers have urban backgrounds so he has experienced some difficulties with working with them, such as explaining the need for the horses’ paddocks to be rotated for grassland management purposes.

Yard facilities

Miles of off-road hacking
50mx25m floodlit outside school with specialised Flexiride surface (all-weather rubber alternative over sand, which does not blow away and requires less maintenance)
Two secure tack rooms
Refreshment area
Two toilets
Grass gallops that link with bridleways
Full, part, DIY and DIY assisted livery
Warm shower for horses in winter

Currently Mr Seller has 19 DIY customers and three full liveries, and can host up to seven horses in the converted lambing shed which is separate from the rest at the top of the farm.

Some customers like the quieter atmosphere up there and some prefer to be in the thick of it with everyone else, he explains.

DIY customers are provided with a stable, some grazing and a set of rules for the unit, and otherwise look after themselves. Extra services can be added to this package on request.

Hay and bedding must be bought from Mr Seller, to prevent any contamination of his arable land. He also used to supply feed concentrates but these had low margins.

Horses can be taken care of for seven days a week on the full livery package or five days a week with part livery.

This means the team will turn the horse out and bring it in, clean the stable, and feed it, with hay, bedding, feed and wormers included.

“Having a manager here makes it easier for the customers to be independent if they want to be, knowing we could help out, rather than forcing them to work together,” says Mr Seller.

“Vicki is the second manager I’ve had and has been here for three years.

“Before if there was an issue I was having to come in to resolve it.”

The next big leap for the business is to find and maintain three stable workers to cover any holiday and sickness leave.

Advice from James Seller

This is a mature industry now so you need to see if there’s a market to fill in your area
Highways can put a stop to plans immediately. Make sure they’re on board or don’t even start
If you have got buildings to convert and just need to add divisions, you could see a three-year payback. Having to add a barn onto a vacant site will cost more and you’ll have to do it all in one hit, rather than phasing it in
The market is always changing and you have to adjust to that and be aware of what other people are offering
Sand schools are a big selling point, especially indoor ones. Groundwork will eat up a large amount of money. It can be as expensive a project as you want to make it. Don’t cut corners but you can throw too much money at it
Know what your clients want and provide for that. We looked at putting jumps out but our customers didn’t use them
Get your pricing right – are you in a hunter market or polo area or near a big urban area? If people will pay for convenience, you can charge more money, but they will expect more facilities
If you’re a tenant, you have got to have the landlord on board. As it’s a non-agricultural enterprise, you need the tenancy adjusted to account for that

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Setting up your own livery yard

Could you run your own livery yard?

What are the costs involved, reducing costs, where is the ideal location, taking over a livery, your unique selling point, marketing your livery, which services and facilities must you provide, diy livery yards, larger yards, providing a training service, protecting your hard-earned reputation.

This article explains everything you need to know about setting up your own livery yard and its maintenance. The information given here can also help you establish a strong market position for your yard.

Before letting passion rule reason, there are some fundamental issues to consider. You need to:

understand the business and the market for livery services
have savings that can be used as capital
be or at least know someone who is 'handy', otherwise you will pay through the nose for maintenance
be both a horse person and a people person.

It is advisable to have an equestrian qualification, as this reassures clients as to your soundness to look after their horse. It also means you can charge more for training, exercising or riding lessons.

Some costs are fixed and therefore unavoidable if you are to go into business, others are variable and depend on how many clients you have.

Your fixed overheads will include your mortgage or rent, business rates, insurance and property maintenance costs.

The large majority of your day to day running costs are mostly variable, including electricity, water, hay and straw, and of course wages. While your bills will be lower with fewer clients, there will still be a minimum level of costs to stay open.

You should also factor in some reserve for any emergency costs, such as a payment of excess on insurance or a one-off building repair.

You may need money to extend the facilities. For example, it might be necessary to seek planning permission to build the yard from scratch, or extend even small outbuildings or install a ménage.

Between you and your clients, there should be a legal livery contract drawn up. This protects you against damage caused to your property, either willful or through negligence. It also protects you if the client decides to sue for malpractice, as it would state your responsibilities compared to theirs.

There are means of reducing costs.

Buying hay and straw in bulk is highly recommended. Find out how much it would cost to rubber mat the stables; a one-off payment now means less straw or shavings on an on-going basis (and this also reduces the time it takes to muck out).

As with every business, shop around before purchasing for equipment - though, be mindful of your target client, as anyone paying upward of £60 a week will not appreciate a skimp on quality.

Reduce your electricity by posting 'Switch Off' signs around the yard - it only takes one forgetful person to have the bills mount up!

Limit heating costs: supply a kettle, and most clients will happily warm themselves up on hot drinks and forgive you if the tack room is stone cold. Unless you are providing a high-end service, you shouldn't need to provide central heating.

Importantly, the yard must be close to where you live. You need to be able to get there quickly in an emergency.

Additionally, you do not want the commute adding to your running costs.

Preferably you need to be within ten miles of a town to attract as many clients as possible. But you also need to be somewhere that isn't already 'saturated' with yards already. Read more about what clients are looking for when finding a livery yard .

Taking over livery stables that are currently running can be advantageous - you should already have clients, a pricing structure and facilities established.

If this is the case, you do need to investigate why it is up for sale or lease to ensure it wasn't running at a devastating loss!

Establishing a Unique Selling Point (USP) should help your business distinguish itself from other yeards, and reduce your direct competition with them. Your USP could be the type of livery you offer, or the type of training expertise, the facilities, the access to off-road hacking or the distance to local venues.

Avoid undercutting your competitors (i.e. a USP based on price alone). You may run at a loss or fall short in quality if you can't make enough money. Low prices are important to many people, but there are often factors that are more important, for which they will happily pay. This might include something you don't directly influence, such as the proximity of your yard to their home.

Once you have decided your USP and have established the business, you must advertise it.

Place adverts in local feed shops, tack shops, riding schools, newspapers or even shop windows. Don't be afraid of leafleting at local shows.

Network with local vets and farriers, as they will spread the word for you. See if it is possible to do a deal whereby they will shoe or vaccinate horses at a lower cost on one call. Clients appreciate these type of deals.

It depends on you and your circumstances.

You need to decide whether the yard is going to be your main source of income and, thus, your full-time job. This decision will dictate what type of service you are going to offer.

For someone who wants a small place where they can keep their own horse and make some money from renting the spare stables, then a DIY yard is advisable. You are responsible for the maintenance of the place; they are fully responsible for the horse. You do not have to provide a state-of-the-art service at a DIY yard since most of your clients will own horses for leisure: sometimes, a small schooling area and access to quiet lanes/bridleways will suffice.

DIY liveries seldom charge more than £40 a week, depending on facilities, and the client-owner relationship is usually quite 'casual' with cash payments per week and shorter notice periods for departure. 'Casual' relationships shouldn't mean that your attitude towards the business is casual - the yard still needs to be run as a business. We recommend using our DIY livery agreement template for 'do-it-yourself' arrangements.

There are some clients, don't forget, who are happy to hop between every DIY yard in the area. DIY yards work best when the owner isn't under financial pressure to fill every stable and can be selective about who they allow on the yard; this means you have people there you trust so that you do not feel like you have to be on-site all the time.

The larger the yard, the greater the time commitment will be for you and the greater the expenses. It is important to do the maths and determine how many stables you need to fill at what price in order to break even. If this is high, DIY might not be an option.

Part livery involves you caring for the horse's daily needs at least some if not every day of the week. You can charge between £70-120 for this per week, and it is essential to know what other yards in the area are charging so that yours matches what clients are willing to pay.

The time cost of caring for the horses may require you or someone else to live on-site. Grooms can be given accommodation on-site with rent deducted from their wages (use a service occupancy contract ); however, most grooms are young, ambitious riders so you will need to manage them and provide a code of practice to ensure they act professionally.

Full livery also requires you to provide an extensive service, including exercising the horse.

If you have expertise and qualifications in a particular discipline, then providing training is a credible option. You can offer training packages that mean the horse is housed on-site for a particular length of time, to either prepare for the upcoming season or to progress their career. This package comes at a premium rate and is often more profitable.

However, this will mean having a regular cycle of clients so you may choose to restrict it to only one or two 'slots' until you have built up a local reputation and therefore a client base.

Clients at part and full liveries expect more in terms of facilities. At a minimum, you should provide adequate toilets and changing facilities for them, a proper floodlit ménage and access to off-road hacking for their horse.

A clean and professional look is also essential. Everything must be well maintained, including adequate fencing and good muck heap management.

It is highly recommended that you seek BHS Approval - this comes at an added cost, but it shows you are willing to undergo inspection without notice and meet all the BHS' standards for a livery yard.

Lastly, once the yard is set up, do not let something small ruin its reputation.

Ensure that all the horses are thoroughly vaccinated, wormed and free of common viruses such as strangles. Make sure all areas are securely locked. Make sure all maintenance work is complete and therefore everywhere is safe. Ensure the grooms are trained and understand the routines.

It only takes one unfortunate slip-up in the early stage for the word to spread like wildfire, since the horse business runs largely on word of mouth. It pays to be extra vigilant. One way you can help protect your business is to use comprehensive legal contracts. A good contract will make clear your responsibilities, the responsibilities of the horse owner, and help protect you in claims against you that were negligent in your duties of care.

How To Boost Your Livery Yard Revenue

by Equine Business Association Mar 19, 2021

It’s something of a dream to say that you work with horses, but of course, it’s not as if it’s all a walk in the park. Indeed, there are times when running a livery yard seems very far from a walk in the park! Perhaps the most pressing concern for yard owners is trying to balance the costs. Any business that involves horses is, of course, capital-intensive, so it can sometimes feel like you’re always on the edge of financial difficulties. The good news is that there are plenty of ways that you can add revenue streams to your horse boarding business. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a handful of options that’ll help to bring in more money.

Make the Most of Space

Livery stables often have a lot of land available, so why not make sure you’re maximising the returns of your investment? While you’ll want to keep plenty of land aside for the horses that live at your stables, it might be possible to add more stables. If you’re currently at full capacity, then adding extra boxes will allow you to bring in more customers.

Adding extra stables isn’t the only way you can maximise the income from your land. If you have spare hard standing or barn space you could consider renting this space out for storage. Got an indoor arena? Local dog agility groups are always looking for enclosed under-cover areas to train in.

Add More Training

It’s likely that you’re already offering classes at your site or renting your facilities to external trainers to come in & teach, but is there a way that you could add more? Many boarding stables offer riding lessons, but there are other types, too. Can you offer rider fitness or horse groundwork sessions? What about more niche sports like horse agility or working equitation? You don’t have to be an expert in these to host the training event at your yard because you can partner with an experienced clinician to put on the training.

Transport Services

You’ll likely have vehicles as part of your business. Why not put them to good use when you aren’t using them for your own purpose? There are always people that need to transport horses (and horse-related equipment), but they may not have the vehicle needed to do so. You could consider offering a self-hire service for people who want to drive their own horses using your truck or trailer or provide a full service transport offering. You’ll need things like the right insurance, reliable vehicles & to be legally compliant. The legal requirements depend on what type of vehicle you are hiring & which country you are located in but things to consider include whether your vehicle needs a tachograph , an operating licence and if the driver needs professional certification. If you can put all those things together, then you’ll find that there’s plenty of capacity to build an income.

Nobody sets up a livery yard with the hope of getting rich. Fortunately, it is a highly rewarding profession! And if you take the tips that we’ve outlined above, then you might just find that you can bring in some extra cash that makes running the business that little bit more manageable.

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Starting a Livery Stable Business in the United Kingdom

Starting a Livery Stable Business…

Beginner’s Guide on Starting a Livery Stable Business in the United Kingdom

What Is a Livery Stable Business?

A livery stable is a boarding place for horses. Horse owners pay for a livery stable so they could keep their horses in there. There are different types of livery, and here is a list so you can familiarize yourself with each.

Competition Livery

In a competition livery, the stable owner is in charge of all the aspects of horse keeping. These aspects include grooming, feeding, regular exercise, and keeping an eye on the horses’ health. Such things are also the reason why this type of livery is the most expensive of all.

Aside from those things, a competition livery is also where a horse is prepared for local events and competitions. There are also some cases where they also have to transport the horse to the area where the event will occur. Livery owners usually transport them in a horsebox, and all the owner has to do is mount them, make the most out of the ride, and have them returned to the stables after the event.

Full Livery

On the other hand, a full livery suits horse owners who have a lot of time to ride their horse but do not prefer or cannot attend to the maintenance and everyday needs of the animal. The livery stable is the one responsible for the primary total care of the horse. However, the fees here do not include shoeing and vet care .

If you are planning about starting a livery stable business of this type, we can help you with your United Kingdom company incorporation .

The third type of livery is the DIY livery. Only accommodations are provided in this livery classification, and all the other aspects are taken care of by the owner. This means that the horse owner is the one responsible for feeding, grooming, exercising, and keeping an eye on the horse’s health. Furthermore, owners of DIY livery usually sell the feed and bedding to the owners.

Grass Livery

On the other hand, a grass livery caters to horses who are in need of supervised grazing. The horses are also provided with some sort of shelter and access to a clean water supply. The owners of the horse can just leave any supplementary feed in a secured place.

Part Livery

A part livery relies on the horse owner’s requirements. Usually, in this classification, the livery stable provides the accommodation, feeding, grazing, and mucking out, and the owner will be the one to take care of the exercise and grooming aspects. If you plan to start a part livery business, you can ask 3E Accounting to help you with your company registration in the United Kingdom .

Working Livery

This classification is usually found in riding schools. This has a lesser livery fee because the school can use the horse for a number of hours weekly for the riding lessons that they offer. However, the owner of the horse is still the one responsible for shoeing, worming, and having a vet check-up on the horse’s health.

Other Arrangements

The livery business is pretty flexible. You can offer other terms aside from providing the basic needs of the horses. Some liveries look after horses that are for sale. Their goal is to keep the horse healthy and presentable before they are shown to potential buyers. Aside from that, there are also livery stables that offer both long-term and short-term stays. You can be flexible as much as you want with your livery stable’s term as long as it generates enough income.

How to Start a Livery Stable Business?

Starting a livery stable business is not an easy thing to do. There are many factors that you should consider, such as estimating if you have enough demand, finding the right location for your store, knowing all the provisions of animal welfare, and many more. So, to make your life easier, we made a step-by-step process on how to start a livery business.

Step 1: Research

Every business starts with research. This is the most important step because this will determine if you are ready about all the possible aspects that must be considered and if your business would become a successful one.

In this step, you must be able to estimate the demand for livery stables. This will determine if you will have enough customers who will avail of your services so your business can make a profit. Once you have determined the demand, the next step is for you to choose your target market and know their needs, preferences, and other information about them.

Next, you must also research your competition. Is there another livery stable business near your area? If yes, what services do they offer? How much do they offer their services? Do they provide other perks?

Step 2: Business Conceptualization and Planning

Once you are done with your research, you must consider your findings to formulate your business strategy. In this second step, you will have to determine how you will do things your way and if your ideas are realistic and feasible. You can use these questions to help you with conceptualizing and planning your business:

What type of livery stable business will you open?
Given the space of your area, how many horses can you cater to, and what activities can you offer?
How much will you price your services?
Do you need a workforce? If yes, how many, and what are their job descriptions?
How much will you pay your workers?

When you are done thinking about these things, you can also draft your contract in this part. Remember that contracts are essential in this business because you will be entrusted with a living possession of somebody else. So, to avoid misunderstandings in the future, draft a contract.

Step 3: Consider the Legalities

You have to need your basic business permits to operationalize. Aside from that, there are also many other legal matters that you should handle when starting a livery stable business. These legalities may include ensuring animal welfare, getting additional licenses if you will operate a running school, proper disposal of manure and other wastes, fire safety, health and safety, and employment legislation. If you need help with these legalities, don’t hesitate to contact a corporate service provider in the UK .

Step 4: Promote Your Business

How will you have customers if you won’t promote your business? A successful marketing strategy can make a business thrive. You can offer discounts and other unique perks so you can stand out among your competitors. Aside from that, you should also establish the right image. Specifically, you must let people know how the horses are well-valued in your establishment, how you keep them in excellent condition, and many more.

Live Your Dream Livery Stable With Us!

If you dream of starting a livery stable business ever since then, now is the perfect time for you to work that dream! Don’t mind all the paperwork; we can be the trusty companion who will do all the hard work for you! If you are interested, contact 3E Accounting now! We are the one-stop solution for your dream business, and we offer several services such as Accounting, Secretarial, and Business Registration!

LiveryList Focus On… Making a Profit from Your Yard

Spring is a popular time for new yards to open, and for established yard owners to review the previous year. This can range from yards based at large equestrian centres, to people offering livery at their private yard at home. Competition is fierce for affordable livery and it’s easy to provide competitive livery rates without considering your own finances or outgoings to run the business. If you don’t correctly price your livery and the services you offer, it may be that it actually costs you to run your yard! Below we give some useful advice as to how to calculate what your clients should be paying and what you should be considering when calculating these costs.

Below are some guidelines, and at the bottom of the page, you will find resources relating to the content including additional information and template documents.

Many yard owners base their price on what other livery is available locally, without calculating their own outgoings to see if this is financially viable, with many yards even choosing to undercut the competition purely based on price. It’s easy to forget that yards may look the same on the outside- offering the same services or facilities in a similar location- yet the management and financial structure can be very different yard to yard, and this can hugely vary and dictate which yards make money, and which don’t.

In order to calculate what you should be charging you need to include every cost you incur through your business for each livery package, plus a contingency amount to cover price increases or unforeseen costs. You can use the preceding year’s invoices and costs as a guide. Most importantly do not forget to put a value on your own time! It may seem complicated to work out, but with the right information to hand it should only take a few minutes. To make it easy, at the bottom of the article we have included a ready to complete calculation sheet, and example calculation.

Unfortunately, you may be surprised by the outcome and find that in fact, it is costing you to run your yard. In which case you will need to raise your charges in line with the costs you have calculated. There is no point ignoring the fact or making excuses so as not to raise charges because it will make you ‘expensive’ compared to other yards or worrying that you may lose clients. Your yard is a business, and people run businesses to earn an income. If you are running a yard and working full time hours on the yard every week, on top of covering your costs, it’s not unreasonable to be expecting to earn a full-time wage! So many yard owners cover their running costs but earn the equivalent of pence per hour for all the hard labour and stress involved with running a yard.

All businesses should do an annual review of their earnings and expenditure- it just makes good business sense. Record keeping is key. Having good records of your invoices to clients, and of any expenditure will allow you to see your true costs for the business. Reviewing the previous years running costs is also a good opportunity for you to see your outgoings and think of potential ways to bring them down for future years- from changing suppliers to introducing new yard procedures. This can only benefit your business in the long run and increase profitability.

Each stable on a yard will have the same base rate. Regardless if one of your client’s horses is retired and doesn’t use the arena, or one horse less hay than the horse in the next stable, what you are looking for is an average cost per stable. The next horse in that stable might use the arena twice a day and eat twice as much as its predecessor! Remember also, the calculation sheet allows you to work out your costs and compare them to your livery charges. This does not allow for any profit, so if you want to add profit onto your livery business, you should add your preferred profit percentage to your costs (all explained on the calculation sheet below).

This is also an opportunity to review your additional service charges as well, such as holiday cover or smaller one-off services. For any services you offer, be realistic as to the time and effort it takes to carry these out. In your mind it may only take a ‘few minutes’ to bring a horse in of an evening, but realistically by the time you’ve walked to the field, caught it, brought it in, hosed its legs off, checked it over, put it in the stable, changed its rug and so on its really more like 15 minutes, maybe longer if it’s a walk to the fields or they are a pain to catch. So, you need to ensure you allow for this time used and charge fairly for your labour. If you charge £2 for this service, that’s the equivalent of £8 an hour, less if it takes you more than 15 minutes. Is this an hourly rate you would be happy to work for anywhere else? Same for offering exercise. You may well charge a rate for 30 minutes exercise, but if you must catch, groom and tack up the horse, and then turn it out again afterwards, this is considerably more time than the 30 minutes you are charging for. Review each of your services on an individual basis, working out how long each would take on average, and basing this against what you pay your staff, or an hourly rate you’d be happy to work for. If you have clients who use services a lot, a small increase can soon add up and further help cover your yard costs and labour.

You simply cannot base any of your costs on what your competitors charge. Many new yards open that are cheaper than those in the locality, this could be because their outgoings are lower, or it could be that they are purposefully under-pricing, yet naïve of their true running costs and as such may soon fall foul of this lack of funds. Underestimating costs is one of the biggest factors leading to yard closures, with the yards that under-price unable to offer the quality of management or products, maintenance of facilities, of staffing expertise that other yards can once the shortfall of funds adds up. However, do not immediately discount all cheaper yards under this umbrella, as its equally the case that they simply have lesser costs that you!

It is also a universal fact that costs increase year on year, whether this is insurance, bedding, farrier services, council rates… they will all rise over time. As such, like so many other businesses and industries, you should reflect this increase each year. A smaller, expected and well managed annual increase will be better accepted by clients than a huge leap every few years. Include in your contract a clause that allows you to review, increase, and give notice as such on a fixed date each year.

Clients have the same with their home utility bills, council tax and other household costs so there is no reason why they should not be accepting of it for livery services as well. Below is also a template price increase letter to help with your administration if this is a step you need to take.

Overall, spending an hour reviewing your costs and carrying out these calculations can make you a lot better off financially. Any business advisor or accountant would recommend an annual review of any business, and even if you see running your yard as a ‘hobby’ its worth knowing where you’re at when it comes to your finances. Its no point being the cheapest yard in the area if you may as well be paying your clients to be there!

The following is a very basic example.

Yard X has 10 liveries- all on a DIY basis (stable and grazing rent only).

Based on their 2018 costs, the yards annual outgoings, including labour, are £15,670

Adding a 10% contingency (to cover price increases, unforeseen costs etc) gives a total annual outgoing of £17,237

Divided by the number of livery spaces (in this example 10) – £1723.70

Divided by 12 to gives a ‘per calendar month’ amount per stable – £143.64

Based on this calculation, Yard X needs to be charging a minimum per calendar month of £143.64 (say round up to £145) just to cover their costs.

If, for example, they are only charging £120 per month, they are not even covering their own costs.

For the full guide, you can download the Template Calculation sheet here:

Template Livery Charges Calculation Guidance Sheet

You can find further resources and templates on this topic on the following YOH Resource pages:

Client Administration

Livery Contracts

Business Management and Planning

Facility Planning, Management and Hire

This information as provided above is intended to provide guidance and areas for consideration for those intending to enter into such arrangements, and is best advice to our knowledge at the time of publication following extensive research. Anyone proposing to enter into agreements, processes or actions based upon the information contained herein are advised to carry out their own due diligence to ensure the information above remains current and factual.

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Business Plan Tips For Starting Up & Running A Livery Yard

Thread starter seanabell
Start date 17 November 2009
17 November 2009

Hi There My dream is to one day run my own livery yard, I was wondering if you guys could help me with any tips you may have for starting your own business? I currently work in an office, but previous to that I worked with horses for around 4 years and gained my BHS Stage 1 and 2. What qualities, experience and qualifications (equestrian or other) would you expect from the owner of your livery yard? Are qualifications everything? I am thinking of carrying on with my stages and maybe teaching exams anyway but personally I think experience is more valuable. Have any of you given up a full time job to give running a livery yard a crack? Would love to hear your experiences....! Many Thanks!

Well-Known Member

a lot of patience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lloyds TSB do a very good guide to setting up your own business. Used to be able to pick it up in branches.

Call the BHS, they have a pack they will send you with an example of a contract etc. I looked at doing it earlier in the year. Make sure you think about EVERYTHING! The financial implications...yard rent or mortgage, insurance for the property and potential staff (if you are sick/ imjured/ away), business rates, maintenance etc etc. Also, do lots of research into the area you are planning to be...are there other livery yards in the area, what do they offer, can you compete with them etc on price/ facilities etc.

Ditto Fanatical - I have run my own yard for over 30 years and it used to be reasonably lucrative as an icing on the cake business. It never made enough to pay the bills as we used to improve the yard with any profit that was made. It is now a whole new ball game with every diversifying farmer within a 20 miles radius converting cow sheds etc., for horses. They are usually cheap and the fact they wouldn't know what to do if your horse got colic or looked unwell doesn't seem to bother people overley much. Also with the credit crunch more and more people are looking for year round grass livery which is quite understandable. We are flooded out with livery yards in this area and I now only have 4 liveries as opposed to always being full. Do research your area and compare prices. I was just asked to do a full livery and I worked out compared to DIY I would be getting just under £5, 7 days a week to have full responsibility for someone elses horse. It costs me £10 a day for holiday cover! Good luck anyway. We all need our dream X

Thanks Guys... That is a really big help, gives me a lot to think about, I know it will be hard work but worth it ... I miss working with horses soo much, even the endless hours!

look at www.manage-my-horse.com which you can organise all aspects of your horsey business on - really good for keeping records etc etc. Good luck!!!

Don't bother with copy and paste.

Get this complete sample business plan as a free text document.

Lawn and Garden Services Business Plan

Start your own lawn and garden services business plan

Fescue & Sons Yard Care

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

Fescue & Sons Yard Care is a residential lawn care service targeting rural middle-class homes with large yards which the owners cannot care for well on their own. Over the last three years, the prices for homes in the nearby urban area have skyrocketed. Many families in our targeted income bracket have chosen to buy larger parcels in the nearby countryside, rather than spending huge amounts on small lots in the city. However, many of them are unprepared for the level of care such large lawns require, and end up with small gardens near the house, and overgrown acreage further away.

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will start out as a partnership, owned jointly and equally by Red and Kikuyu Fescue. For the last five years, Red has worked as head landscaper at ABC Landscaping. He now has the design and lawn-care expertise, as well as the management experience, to begin his own business. Kikuyu is a graphic designer and master gardener. Her skills will be extremely useful in creating the look of our marketing materials, from brochures to business cards to newspaper ads. She will continue to work in her current job while Red manages the day-to-day details of the company.

Over the first summer, Red will be the primary employee, with some part-time help from his son, Rye. Rye has worked with Red at ABC landscaping and will continue to help out at Fescue & Sons in the summers.

In the coming spring, we will hire an additional landscaper for seasonal work, and may hire another if demand warrants. In mid-summer of Year 2 we will purchase additional equipment, including a second trailer or used truck.

As a business with largely seasonal profits, we will use the high summer revenues to support the business through the winter’s leaner months. We will have a modest profit in the first year, but expect profits over $8,000 in the second fiscal year and over $10,000 in the third year.

Lawn and garden services business plan, executive summary chart image

1.1 Objectives

Our objectives for the first three years of operation are to:

Create a service-based company whose primary goal is to exceed customers’ expectations.
Obtain contracts for yard service in at least 30 different residential homes.
Increase our number of clients served by 3% per year.
Develop a sustainable home business, being maintained by its own cash flow.

1.2 Mission

The mission of Fescue & Sons Yard Care is to provide top-quality residential and commercial yard care service. We will strive to attract and maintain customers by providing services in the most timely manner to provide 100% customer satisfaction. Our services will exceed the expectations of our customers.

1.3 Keys to Success

Experienced landscaper with excellent customer-service skills
Commitment to high quality and professionalism in every task and encounter
Small size, allowing direct management oversight of every project and employee

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will offer residential and commercial lawn care service, including lawn cutting, trimming, edging, and removal of the clippings. Most of our customers will use our services once every week or every two weeks, depending on the amount of rain we get. In this area, lawn care needs vary greatly depending on the weather, and while this year is likely to be dry, future years will probably see a return to normal rain levels, meaning faster-growing grass and weeds and more frequent lawn care.

2.1 Company Ownership

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will start out as a partnership, owned jointly and equally by Red and Kikuyu Fescue. As the business grows, the owners will consider re-registering as a limited liability company or as a corporation, whichever will better suit the future business needs.

2.2 Start-up Summary

Fescue & Sons Yard Care’s start-up costs include:

Home office equipment: file cabinet, computer system (including printer, scanner, and fax software)

Long-term assets:

Vehicle: The owners are contributing a 1998 Toyota pickup to the business

Short-term assets

Standard tool box with tools for simple repairs

Lawn and garden services business plan, company summary chart image

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will provide residential lawn care service which includes lawn cutting, edging and trimming. Optional services will be available upon customers’ requests. The service is typically offered once a week in season, but we can create a custom schedule for clients if they have beginning of the season projects, or if the weather changes their lawn care needs.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will target rural middle-class families with larger lawns or parcels of property. This population is the most likely to use a lawn care service such as ours, since they often have more acreage than they can easily care for.

Red will be canvassing neighborhoods and posting flyers to develop a clientele. We will also place advertisements in the local rural newspaper to develop visibility for Fescue & Sons Yard Care.

In the second year, Red will expand service beyond the small rural town to the urban area located 15 miles east.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will be targeting families with annual income over $50,000. The median income of $50,000 and above is targeted because they tend to have more disposable income for the care of their lawn, whereas lower income families will tend to provide their own lawn care.

Over the last three years, the prices for homes in the nearby urban place advertisements have skyrocketed. Many families in our targeted income bracket have chosen to buy larger parcels in the nearby countryside, rather than spending huge amounts on small lots in the city. However, many of them are unprepared for the level of care such large lawns require, and end up with small gardens near the house, and overgrown acreage further away.

By targeting customers with large lawns and parcels of property, we will fill the niche created by urban flight, as well as keep our margins higher than we could with small lawns. Transportation time and costs for all the equipment make it more profitable to do a few large lawns than many smaller ones.

By doing a superb job on these rural lawns in the first year, we hope to build a positive reputation which will carry over with recommendations to co-workers and friends in our customers’ former urban neighborhoods. Since we want to maximize lawn size cared for in both settings, our eventual outreach to urban dwellings will focus on high-end houses and lawns on large, often older, lots.

Lawn and garden services business plan, market analysis summary chart image

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4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Initially, we will canvass nearby homes in our rural town. Red will be basing the business out of our home, very close to the target market. Red will start by speaking with his own neighbors. Although some people are put off by solicitors, Red is their neighbor, so they will be more comfortable with him and he will be able to make his sales pitch. We will also put some small signs on our own lawn advertising our service.

Once Red has built up a steady list of customers he will begin to run advertisements in the local paper to gain access in different neighborhoods. In the second year, we will continue running ads and begin outreach to the more affluent city customers with large lawns.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

Fescue & Sons Yard Care will be working in the lawn care industry. The industry includes both residential areas (individual homes) and commercial areas (apartment complexes, business parks, schools, etc.).

The commercial side is generally serviced by larger landscaping services. The residential side is serviced by both landscaping companies and basic lawn care service companies.

The lawn care business is made up of many small companies. This occurs because of the high labor intensity and low start-up costs of the industry. The industry is vulnerable to recession, as lawn care is a luxury. Lastly, the lawn care industry is seasonal, with the high season being spring through fall. There is usually little activity in the winter, but some can be achieved by acquiring a clientele that will utilize monthly maintenance through the winter months.

4.3.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

The lawn care business can be divided into two types, residential and commercial. As a start up or one person business, it is much easier to enter into the residential market compared with the commercial market. The commercial market is dominated by larger, established companies.

Within the residential market, there are two competitors: full-scale landscaping companies and basic lawn care services. The full-scale landscaping companies will generally be handling jobs outside of Fescue & Sons’ range. They are servicing even larger homes that require other landscaping activities that need more equipment and multiple employees. The margins are therefore larger for the full-scale companies because they can charge more for the higher-skilled work. The other competitor is the basic lawn care services, not unlike Fescue & Sons Yard Care. In the residential market, the current competition is underwhelming and often lacks basic quality and professionalism.

The trend with the residential customers is that they are making their purchasing decisions based on referrals and perceived professionalism and quality of service.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

Fescue and Sons will rely on Red’s knowledge of the local community and top-quality landscaping skills. Initial outreach will involve direct canvassing of the neighborhood. This will be supplemented by ads, showing properties we have worked on, and brochures and fliers hung up in local businesses.

We will also rely on word of mouth, so part of our strategy is to treat every job as if it were the most important client we have ever had. Phone calls will be returned promptly, services will be done professionally and on time, and customers will be treated with respect.

5.1 Competitive Edge

Fescue & Sons Yard Care’s competitive edges will be our high quality work and unflagging professionalism.

During the first summer, Red will do all of the lawn care and other work, with some help from his son, Rye. Starting in May of 2006, we will hire a second, part-time employee as a landscaper. Red, Rye, and the landscaper will always work as a team, allowing for direct supervision of all workers and direct involvement with the job at hand, to ensure customers receive the high quality they expect.

Fescue & Sons Yard Care’s second competitive edge is professionalism. In our business, this means returning customer inquiries promptly, showing up on time, bringing all necessary equipment, reserving breaks for times away from the customers’ yards, and cleaning up thoroughly after ourselves when we leave. To facilitate communication, Red will have a cell phone at all times, where he can be reached directly or receive messages, if he’s in the middle of a job. Cell phone reception in most of the town is quite good, despite being a rural area.

All of these sound like simple things, but they will help us stand out from the local competition.

5.2 Marketing Strategy

Our marketing strategy in the first year relies largely on face-to-face contact between Red and potential customers, and word-of-mouth from satisfied clients. In the second year, we will place more ads, and in different papers (such as in the nearby city), as well as trying to generate more word-of-mouth from our customers.

5.3 Sales Strategy

Fescue & Sons Yard Care sales strategy will be based on one-on-one communications with potential customers. By going door to door in his own neighborhood, Red can become more familiar to these folks and take advantage of his outgoing personality.

In the start-up period (the month of June), we will set up the office, and purchase the necessary lawn care equipment. At the same time, Red will spend three to four afternoons a week, especially on weekends, going around the neighborhood to scout out problem lawns and talk to potential customers. There are at least two weekends coming up that are likely to be scorchers, when potential customers will look outside and think that the last thing they want to do is go out and mow the lawn – these are our best days to canvass the neighborhood, offering a service many do not even realize they want.

After getting in the door, Red’s challenge will be to effectively communicate his experience and skills in lawn care and related work. He will bring a portfolio of some of the nicest lawns he has worked on in the past, when working as head landscaper for ABC landscapers, and photos of our own lawn, which is more similar to the ones in the neighborhood. He is also willing to offer a free estimate and cutting for those that are interested in a possible contract. Although some of the free cuttings will not turn out to be long-term customers, our competitive prices and superior service will turn most of the leads into customers.

By year two, the business will be ready to expand outside of the neighborhood. At that point, we will place more advertisements in the local paper to generate business. When people call with questions, Red will have already built up a loyal following of customers who can serve as an effective referral system.

5.3.1 Sales Forecast

In September, we will begin advertising our end-of-year garden prep and winter maintenance services, which will supply revenue over the winter. Since the climate here is mild, many gardeners put off their seasonal clean-up and garden prep until it is too late. Weeds continue to grow all winter, long past when gardeners want to be out in the yard, and uncompleted garden prep forces them to do much more labor in the spring to get the garden back in shape.

Winter maintenance includes things like trellis and shed repairs, helping gardeners organize their supplies and seeds, and fixing or building cold frames for early vegetables.

Direct cost of sales for all of these projects includes gas for powered equipment and transportation costs, most equipment repair and maintenance, and the cost of any items used up in the process, like mower blades or edging strings. Unlike most big lawn care services, we are tracking direct labor costs as operating expenses, not direct cost of sales. These amounts can be found in the Personnel plan, and are reflected in the Profit and Loss statement.

We also plan to do occasional tree stump removal, for which the direct cost of sales is higher, since it includes the cost to rent the equipment. If this becomes a larger part of our business, we may buy our own equipment.

Lawn and garden services business plan, strategy and implementation summary chart image

5.4 Milestones

We have established some basic milestones to keep the business plan priorities in place. Red is in charge of all goals directly related to yard care and employee practices, while Kikuyu will oversee our marketing materials – brochures, business cards, ads, etc.

We have sketched out only a few milestones past the first year, as details of that implementation will become more clear in the spring of 2006. For now, we are focused on setting up the office and collecting customers.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

Red and Kikuyu have been involved in landscaping and outdoor design for over 10 years. For the last five years, Red has worked as head landscaper at ABC Landscaping. He now has the design and lawn-care expertise, as well as the management experience, to begin his own business. Red will oversee the work of his son, Rye, and a second landscaper, to be hired in the spring of 2006.

Kikuyu is a graphic designer and master gardener. Her skills will be extremely useful in creating the look of our marketing materials, from brochures to business cards to newspaper ads. She will continue to work in her current job while Red manages the day-to-day details of the company.

6.1 Personnel Plan

Rye has worked part-time at ABC Landscaping alongside his dad for over a year now, and will help out the family business during his summer breaks. His strengths include topiary design, hedge work, and edging and trimming.

In the spring of 2006, we will hire a second landscaper, and possibly a third, depending on how busy we are. We are seeking someone with at least two years of experience in the lawn care industry, with attention to detail and a good work ethic. Rye is already talking to some of his friends about possibly applying for this job, and they are good candidates. This will probably be a seasonal position, unless winter work ends up having a higher demand than expected.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

The following sections will outline important financial information.

7.1 Start-up Funding

The owners are contributing a truck worth $3,500 as a long-term asset to the business, plus $1,500 cash toward purchasing the short-term assets needed (mowers, trimmers, safety equipment, etc.). In addition, we are seeking a loan of $11,000 to fund the rest of the start-up requirements. This loan will be backed by the Fescues’ equity in their home.

7.2 Important Assumptions

The following table highlights some important financial assumptions of Fescue & Sons.

7.3 Projected Balance Sheet

The following table indicates the projected balance sheet. As we retain earnings and repay the long-term loan, our net worth will increase from $1,200 at start-up to over $21,000 by year three.

7.4 Break-even Analysis

The Break-even Analysis indicates $3,830 is needed in monthly revenue to break even.

Lawn and garden services business plan, financial plan chart image

7.5 Projected Profit and Loss

The following table and charts show our projected profit and loss. After paying reasonable salaries, we will make a modest profit in the first year, with increasing profits in future years. Our gross margins will remain around 91 or 92%. Our largest expenses as a service business are payroll and payroll taxes.

7.6 Projected Cash Flow

The following chart and table show our projected cash flow. We will repay the loan over ten years (interest payments can be found in the Profit and Loss, above). The table also shows planned purchases of additional equipment as long-term assets in the second fiscal year.

7.7 Business Ratios

The following table outlines some of the more important ratios from the Lawn and Garden Services industry. The final column, Industry Profile, details specific ratios based on the industry as it is classified by the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code, 0782.

The major difference between our ratios and the industry standard is in gross margin. The Lawn and Garden Service industry is labor intensive, and most businesses include manual labor expenses in their direct cost of sales. As a small, family-owned business without a large staff of workers, I am treating these as operating expenses, instead. If personnel costs are included, our gross margin in the first year falls around 23%, and by year three it is up around 32%, roughly the industry average.

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COMMENTS

The Ultimate Guide To Building An Equestrian Business
Also known as a livery yard or livery stable, a boarding stable is a facility that houses and cares for other people's horses for a fee. Riding Stable. ... The business plan doesn't need to be overly formal or designed like a presentation with fancy graphics and statistics - unless you're looking for a significant loan or investor. ...
How To Start A Livery Business
This market analysis is very important and you need to think about your strategic approach from the beginning. As with all businesses, you will also need to think about your overheads like business rates, insurance, general maintenance, staff costs, utilities costs and account for unexpected expenses. As it is a livery yard, you need to also ...
Starting a livery yard: 6 things you should know
DIY - This means that you provide the facilities, but the livery is in charge of caring for their own horse. Part - Often this is a five-day full care deal, your horse will be fed, mucked out, and turned out for you - the exact offerings vary by yard. Full - This includes all food, bedding, and care seven days per week - may also ...
Writing a business plan
Financial budgets. You should prepare a full set of budgets that accompany your business plan, including a list and amount of capital start-up costs, cash flow forecasts and profit and loss forecast. For a new start-up venture, you should look at forecasting at least three years cash flow. In the main text of your business plan, you should ...
Setting up Your Own Livery Yard: A Comprehensive Guide
The two main costs you'll encounter when setting up your livery yard are fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs are mandatory; without them, the business can't run. They include mortgages or rents, insurance, property maintenance, and business rates. Essentially, you'll need public liability insurance as it's compulsory for every ...
Business Guidance for Livery Yards and Equestrian Industry
Small Business Guidance. Below you will find guidance for owners and managers of equestrian establishments with regards to guidance and support for the creation and management of small businesses. This guidance is free to access and has been sourced from reputable sources. The information contained on the Yard Owner Hub is provided for guidance ...
How to run a profitable Livery Yard
In partnership with Cheryl Johns, the founder of LiveryList and the Yard Owner Hub, this exclusive webinar delves into the costs of running a livery yard. Ch...
Video: So you want to… set up a livery yard?
Farm facts. 365 acres. Arable and 54 head Sussex suckler herd. Livery yard offering about 30 places. The yard offers plenty of facilities, including an outside school, grass gallops and miles of ...
Starting And Running Your Own Livery Yard
But you also need to be somewhere that isn't already 'saturated' with yards already. Read more about what clients are looking for when finding a livery yard. Taking over a livery. Taking over livery stables that are currently running can be advantageous - you should already have clients, a pricing structure and facilities established.
How To Boost Your Livery Yard Revenue
Indeed, there are times when running a livery yard seems very far from a walk in the park! Perhaps the most pressing concern for yard owners is trying to balance the costs. Any business that involves horses is, of course, capital-intensive, so it can sometimes feel like you're always on the edge of financial difficulties.
Starting a Livery Stable Business in the United Kingdom
If you plan to start a part livery business, you can ask 3E Accounting to help you with your company registration in the United Kingdom. Working Livery. This classification is usually found in riding schools. This has a lesser livery fee because the school can use the horse for a number of hours weekly for the riding lessons that they offer ...
LiveryList Yard Owner Hub: Free Resources, Guidance and Templates
The LiveryList Yard Owner Hub is a unique resource for owners of all types of livery yards and equestrian establishments. It offers templates, resources, guidance and information on all aspects of practical and administrative management of your yard whether you are looking to set up a new yard, or review what you offer for an existing business.
LiveryList Focus On… Making a Profit from Your Yard
Yard X has 10 liveries- all on a DIY basis (stable and grazing rent only). Based on their 2018 costs, the yards annual outgoings, including labour, are £15,670. Adding a 10% contingency (to cover price increases, unforeseen costs etc) gives a total annual outgoing of £17,237. Divided by the number of livery spaces (in this example 10) - £ ...
Business Plan Tips For Starting Up & Running A Livery Yard
Business Plan Tips For Starting Up & Running A Livery Yard. Thread starter seanabell; Start date 17 November 2009; 17 November 2009 #1 S. seanabell New User. Joined ... We are flooded out with livery yards in this area and I now only have 4 liveries as opposed to always being full. Do research your area and compare prices.
Lawn and Garden Services Business Plan Example
4.1 Market Segmentation. Fescue & Sons Yard Care will be targeting families with annual income over $50,000. The median income of $50,000 and above is targeted because they tend to have more disposable income for the care of their lawn, whereas lower income families will tend to provide their own lawn care.
Livery Yard Business Plan
Livery Yard Business Plan: Anne. Login. 4.9/5. Creative Writing on Business. Writing. Nursing Management Business and Economics Economics +69. Write essay for me and soar high! We always had the trust of our customers, and this is due to the superior quality of our writing. No sign of plagiarism is to be found within any content of the entire ...
Master Plans
Facilities Master Plan 2015 (PDF) Paradise Path Master Plan 2008 (PDF) Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2013. Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update 2019. See a variety of master plans.
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Facts. 164 000 m² total area. 246 m tower height. 55 aboveground floors. 60 000 m² cold-formed glazing area. 1 floor in 6 days the speed of erection of the building frame. 1 350 underground parking capacity. 90° angle of reflection on the façade. 156° turn the building by around its axis.
Ranches For Sale Worldwide, 25 Available To Buy Now
Largest Horse Ranch Vegas Plus Real Property For Sale. Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, US. Description: Rare opportunity to own the largest horse ranch and real property in Las Vegas. Business is selling for $500,000 and the land is selling for $1,300,000. Ranch has a very successful history and...
FAQs • May I burn yard waste or household trash?
If you are located outside Moscow city limits, the Idaho Department of Lands enforces state laws regarding open burning. They may be reached at their office in Deary: (208) 877-1121. For approved burning outside city limits, but within the Moscow Rural Fire District, we ask that you notify us early on the day of your burn: (208) 882-2831.