30/03/2026
Seems to be the same on the other side of the world also
🐎 Do liveries understand the true costs of running a livery yard and are we at a point where it is no longer sustainable
I’m constantly seeing posts currently with liveries asking if it’s normal for their to be too many horses on a yard , or maintenance not done , no turnout , overcharging for hay / haylage and whilst these are real issues they use terminology such as “greedy yard owners “ squeezing more profit “ is this what people truly believe ?
I’d genuinely like to open a discussion about livery prices and whether they actually reflect the true cost of running a yard.
Average DIY livery in Scotland seems to sit somewhere around £25–£45 per week, depending on facilities and location. But with rising costs across the board, many yard owners are quietly struggling just to break even.
The reality is that running a yard now involves far more than providing a field and a stable:
• Land costs or mortgages
• Insurance, business rates & compliance
• Arena upkeep, fencing, drainage & repairs
• Water, electricity & waste management
• Machinery, fuel and constant maintenance
• Daily management time — even on DIY yards
Because prices often can’t rise enough to match costs, what happens instead?
➡️ Yards become overcrowded just to stay afloat
➡️ Maintenance gets delayed because funds aren’t there
➡️ Facilities deteriorate
➡️ Liveries become unhappy with standards
➡️ Yard owners burn out trying to do more with less
Yet if liveries reflected the true cost, DIY might realistically need to sit closer to £55–£75+ per week in many areas.
And here’s the uncomfortable question:
Are we at a point where horse ownership is actually a luxury — but pricing hasn’t caught up with that reality?
What would happen if prices had to rise dramatically to make it viable people are already struggling , many people who love their horses like family are already struggling to keep them what can be done
Many people already struggle with costs, and no one wants horses to become inaccessible. But if yards can’t make ends meet, we risk losing good yards altogether.
I already know many yard owners who are at breaking point and either closing , quitting , taking in a second job , or changing direction completely
So what can be done?
👉 Are liveries prepared to pay the real cost if it meant sustainable yards and better facilities?
👉 Should yards be more transparent about their expenses?
👉 Do we need different models of livery or shared responsibility?
👉 How do we balance affordability with long-term sustainability?
📈 Just putting this into perspective…
Over the last few years, the cost of running a yard has gone up massively. Roughly speaking, this is what many yards across Scotland/UK have been dealing with:
• Staff wages / minimum wage — up around 35–45%
• Fuel & diesel for machinery — went up hugely and still around 30–40% higher than before
• Electricity — up roughly 80–150% depending on contracts
• Gas / heating — up 70–120%
• Hay & forage costs — up 40–70%
• Bedding (shavings/straw) — up 30–60%
• Building materials & timber — up 40–80%
• Machinery repairs & parts — up 25–50%
• Contractor work (topping, rolling, muck removal etc) — up 30–50%
• Insurance — up 20–40%
• Water, drainage & general maintenance — steadily rising
• Regulations, waste disposal & compliance — constantly increasing
But in many places DIY livery has only gone up by about £5–£10 a week, if it’s increased a
👉 Ar livery prices now years behind actual running costs?
👉 Is overcrowding happening because yards have to fill spaces just to survive?
👉 What would a sustainable, realistic livery price actually look like?
Genuinely interested to hear thoughts from both yard owners and liveries as ultimately it affects us all and the long term care and welfare needs of the horses we all love
Image is AI so don’t freak out however my fields pretty much currently resemble this 😩
