Choosing a livery yard can feel overwhelming because every yard looks fine on a good day, and every advert sounds the same. The real difference shows up in the day-to-day: winter routines, consistency, clarity around services, and how problems get handled when they inevitably pop up.

This guide is designed to help shortlist the right yards before you waste time viewing five that were never going to fit. 

Start with your non-negotiables (horse + lifestyle fit)

Before you compare yards, define what “right” means for your specific horse and life. Otherwise, it’s easy to pick a yard that looks impressive, but doesn’t work on a normal week.

1) What does your horse need to stay settled and healthy?

Think in practical terms, not ideals.

• Routine sensitive? Then consistency matters more than fancy facilities.
• Good doer/weight management needed? Then turnout and grazing control matter.
• Needs monitoring or medication sometimes? Then you need a yard that can support that calmly, with clear processes.

A good yard isn’t “the best yard”; it’s the yard that fits your horse’s reality.

2) What does your week actually allow?

The biggest mismatch happens when owners choose a setup that requires more time than they reliably have.

Be honest about:

• How many visits can you manage on weekdays
• Whether mornings are realistic
• What happens when work runs late, or you’re away

If your schedule is unpredictable, prioritise yards that can keep care consistent without relying on you “making it work”.

3) What are your dealbreakers vs nice-to-haves?

Keep it simple: 3–5 dealbreakers only.

Examples of real dealbreakers:

• turnout that suits your horse (not just “available”)
• predictable routines and clear standards
• transparent pricing and services

If your schedule is unpredictable, prioritise yards that can keep care consistent without relying on you “making it work”.

3) What are your dealbreakers vs nice-to-haves?

Keep it simple: 3–5 dealbreakers only.

Examples of real dealbreakers:

• turnout that suits your horse (not just “available”)
• predictable routines and clear standards
• transparent pricing and services
  
  

Safety, welfare, and UK trust signals

In the UK, it’s worth knowing one key thing up front: there isn’t a general licensing procedure for livery yards, so standards can vary a lot from yard to yard. (The exception is when a business is hiring out horses or providing riding instruction, which is a licensed activity in the UK. )

So when you’re shortlisting, you’re basically looking for credible signals that a yard takes welfare and safety seriously, and can prove it.

Trust signal 1: Recognised approvals (useful, not perfect)

BHS Approved Livery Yard: a strong sign that a yard has been checked against an external standard. The BHS notes approval includes things like public liability insurance, compliance with health & safety expectations, and regular unannounced inspections.

ABRS+ Certified/Approved Livery Yard: another recognised scheme. ABRS+ highlights requirements such as public liability insurance, care/custody/control insurance (where applicable), livery contracts, and maintaining client/horse records.

These badges aren’t magic spells, but they’re meaningful “paper trail” indicators in an otherwise unlicensed landscape.

Trust signal 2: Fire safety that looks planned, not hopeful

Stable fires spread fast because of bedding, hay, dust, electrics, and enclosed spaces. Good yards treat fire safety like a system:

• visible, maintained fire extinguishers, and clear access routes
• sensible storage of flammables (hay, bedding) and clear rules (like smoking policies)
• a basic emergency plan (what happens, where horses go, who does what)
  
  

Trust signal 3: Basic biosecurity and parasite control

Even good yards get disease risk, but well-run yards reduce it with routines:

• a clear approach to new arrivals (isolation and monitoring for a period is commonly recommended)
• up-to-date vaccinations and sensible disease prevention habits
• a yard-level parasite control process (worming plans based on advice/testing rather than random dosing)

The big picture: you’re looking for a yard that can calmly show “this is how we keep horses safe here”, not one that relies on good intentions and crossed fingers.

Yard management and systems (where good yards feel easy, and messy yards feel stressful)

When owners say a yard is “good”, they often mean more than horse care. They mean the yard is well-managed. Things are organised, expectations are clear, and problems get handled calmly.

This is what that actually looks like in practice.

1) Clear pricing that doesn’t create awkwardness

Well-run yards make pricing feel straightforward:

• What’s included is clearly defined
• Extras are transparent, not a surprise
• Charges don’t rely on memory or “we’ll sort it later.”

Modern yards often support this with systems that make services and costs visible. For example, yards that use platforms like Cavago can present clear package pricing and services in one place, so owners aren’t guessing what’s included or what an extra might cost.

2) Communication that stays organised

A yard can be friendly and still be chaotic. The difference is whether communication is:

• easy to follow
• easy to reference later
• separated from personal chats and unrelated threads
  
  

Well-run yards keep conversations structured so requests don’t get buried. Yards that adopt software tools like Cavago often use in-app messaging to keep horse-related conversations in one place, rather than scattered across WhatsApp, calls, and texts. That means fewer missed messages and fewer misunderstandings.

3) Payments that are simple and modern

Payments are one of the most common friction points in livery, especially when it relies on:

• Cash
• Bank transfers with confusing references
• Reminders and follow-ups

Many modern yards now offer online payment options so owners can pay from home without withdrawing cash or making a separate trip just to settle a bill.

Platforms like Cavago support online payments, which makes the whole process smoother for both the yard and the owner.

4) How the yard handles “real life” situations

This is the true test of management: not what happens when everything is normal, but what happens when something changes.

A well-run yard usually has clear processes for things like:

• last-minute routine changes
• a horse needing extra monitoring
• injury or emergency escalation
• vet/farrier coordination
• resolving misunderstandings about services or extras

You don’t need perfection. You’re looking for a yard that feels prepared, not reactive.

5) The overall feeling: predictable vs improvised

A well-managed yard feels predictable:

• You know how things are done
• You know where to ask
• You know what’s included
• You know how changes get handled

If everything feels improvised, owners usually end up doing extra admin themselves, and that’s when livery starts feeling like another full-time job.