Livery yard owners are having a hard time of it with increasing prices, and a low value on the industry means many of you are having a hard time covering costs and implementing price increases- the value of the livery industry just isn’t what it should be.
On Thursday 27th October, Horse and Hound ran an article- with our encouragement and input- to help break the stigma of price increases of livery yards, and how the industry can potentially face a crisis if horse owners simply don’t face up to realistic costs of keeping a horse in this day and age! It includes quotes from several yard owners and the president of the EEA about how they are being affected and that things simply need to change.
The feedback has been generally positive (only questioned by the selective journalism of H&H!!) and the article has made it far and wide. Most importantly it has raised the issue of expectations of livery yard pricing and the need for horse owners to be more conscious about choosing their new yard rather than basing it on cost alone! There is far more in depth discussions to be had about the implications of less-favourable yards, and the potential welfare issues that could arise from an influx of non-compliant yards thriving on price increases for yards and cost-cutting for horse owners.
LiveryList is a huge stalwart in helping yard owners have viable and sustainable businesses, and adding value to the industry. We have a number of articles coming up in the next few weeks to expand on this H&H article in more detail and to continue the conversation!