As summer arrives, many livery yards experience a shift in how the business operates. Longer daylight hours often mean clients arrive earlier in the morning or stay later into the evening, while weekends can become busier with clinics, lessons, camps and competitions.
While these activities can provide valuable income opportunities, they can also place additional pressure on yard teams. The challenge for yard owners is ensuring sufficient staff cover when needed, without creating working patterns that breach employment law or leave staff exhausted.
Understanding Working Time Rules
The Working Time Regulations still apply during the busiest periods of the year.
In most cases, workers should not work more than an average of 48 hours per week unless they have voluntarily signed a Working Time Opt-Out Agreement.
Staff are also generally entitled to:
- A 20-minute uninterrupted rest break when working more than six hours.
- 11 consecutive hours’ rest between working days.
- At least one day off each week (or two days off every fortnight).
These requirements apply regardless of how busy the yard becomes.
Yard owners should regularly review rotas and actual hours worked, particularly where staff start early, finish late or regularly attend weekend activities.
Overtime – Have Clear Rules
Summer often creates situations where staff stay later to support events or arrive earlier to prepare the yard.
If overtime is likely, ensure there is a clear policy covering:
- When overtime can be worked.
- Whether it requires management approval.
- How overtime is paid.
- Whether time off in lieu (TOIL) can be used instead.
Clarity helps avoid misunderstandings and allows both employer and employee to understand what is expected.
It is also important to ensure that any additional hours do not result in pay falling below National Minimum Wage requirements when averaged across all hours worked.
Using Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)
For some yards, TOIL can be an effective way to manage seasonal fluctuations.
For example, staff who work additional hours supporting a weekend clinic may be able to take equivalent time off during a quieter period.
If using TOIL:
- Have a written policy.
- Record all additional hours accurately.
- Set clear timescales for when TOIL must be taken.
- Ensure staff are genuinely able to use the accrued time.
TOIL arrangements work best when they are planned rather than becoming an informal arrangement that nobody tracks properly.
Don’t Forget Staff Holidays
Summer is often when staff want annual leave, but it is also when many yards are busiest.
Employers can manage this by:
- Asking for holiday requests well in advance.
- Setting the maximum number of staff who can be absent at one time.
- Restricting leave during key events where there is a genuine business need.
- Applying rules consistently across the workforce.
While employers can refuse holiday requests for valid business reasons, staff must still be allowed to take their full annual leave entitlement during the holiday year.
Bringing in Freelance Support
For many livery yards, the most effective solution is not asking existing staff to work more hours, but bringing in additional support.
However, it is important to ensure that freelancers are genuinely self-employed and not being treated as employees in practice.
Factors such as control, financial risk, the ability to substitute another worker and how the individual operates their business can all affect employment status.
Before engaging freelancers regularly, it is worth checking that the arrangement is structured correctly.
A Successful Summer Starts with Good Planning
The busiest yards are not always the ones where staff work the longest hours. More often, they are the yards that plan, manage rotas effectively and build flexibility into their workforce.
By using staggered shifts, monitoring working hours, managing overtime properly, considering TOIL arrangements and bringing in freelance support when required, livery yard owners can meet increased client demand while protecting both their business and their team.
A well-rested workforce is safer, more productive and better equipped to deliver the high standards of care that clients expect throughout the busy summer season.
If you want reputable support and expert guidance on managing your team and staying compliant with employment law, we always recommend joining the Equestrian Employers Association, where members benefit from personalised HR advice, up-to-date resources, and practical tools to run their yard with confidence.