Running a livery yard is a demanding business that often requires balancing quality services with financial sustainability. Over time, costs rise due to inflation, increased costs for feed and forage, staffing costs, or other running expenses. When this happens, implementing a price increase becomes necessary to ensure the continued viability of your yard. However, discussing price rises with clients can be a sensitive topic.
Our Livery Yard Insurance team caught up with Cheryl Johns, owner and founder of LiveryList and the Yard Owner Hub, to find out the best approach to introducing price increases while maintaining trust and transparency with your clients.
1. Understand Your Costs
Before deciding on a price increase, you must first conduct a review of your existing financials to understand your operating costs and profit margins. To do this you need to work out the income and outgoings of your business over the last 12 months. On the Yard Owner Hub, you will find a Livery Charges Calculation Form and lots of other useful resources.
This not only shows you where you stand financially, but by breaking down costs across areas of spending, this exercise can also help you identify areas where costs have increased, and areas where there may be the scope to reduce costs- such as wasted ad-lib hay, more effective working routines, or shopping around for your Livery Yard Insurance.
It is also important to consider your staffing costs. Not only for employees, but also the time that you, or your family, may also spend managing the yard both physically and administratively. It’s important you apportion a suitable hourly rate to such time.
To help with your price increase, take a look at the our “Understanding the costs of running your yard” webinar.
2. Consider Local Yard Prices
This is also a good time to research the local market to compare your rates with other livery yards offering similar services. While you don’t need to match competitors exactly, having context of what others charge locally will help you understand where you sit in the market.
As with all industries, not everyone will be at the same price point. Just like you have hairdressers, landscape gardeners and roofers for all budgets, the livery industry should be the same. There is no need for you to fit in a local price bracket for your yard or services, but simply to ensure you are attracting the right type of clients to fill your vacancies and pay the prices you need to charge in order to remain a sustainable business.
3. Deciding What and When to Change
If from your calculations it is evident that a price increase is necessary, its then time to decide how much this increase will be by, and when you need to make the change. You will need to increase a suitable amount that ensures you cover your costs and is reasonable for your clients.
It is also important to consider if price increases are necessary for any of your other services that may affect your clients, such as holiday cover or coaching. Use this as an opportunity to make all changes at once.
Timing is also important. The start of a new financial year is ideal, or at the change of season when the yard routine may also change. The start of the summer can be an ideal as the overall cost of keeping equines tends to be less over the summer months and may make the change easier for your clients, whereas going into the winter, or Christmas time should be avoided.
4. Implementing the Price Changes to Your Clients
Price increases should be applied to all clients, to maintain fairness for all parties. Exceptions to the rule can often lead to issues further down the line and any reductions or discounts should be justified and the terms made very clear.
Once you’ve decided on the changes to be made, it is important to tell your livery clients with a fair amount of notice. Being clear and transparent is the best way forward, considering that your clients will need to adjust their budget. A months’ notice should suffice in most cases, and the notice of price increase should ideally be given formally in writing or by email. Ultimately a price increase is a contractual change and should therefore be treated as such. Find out more about Livery Yard Contract documentation here.
You do not need to go to lengthy explanations in your letter, but help clients see the increase as an investment in their horse’s well-being and care by emphasising the value of your services. If possible, tie the price increase to recent or planned improvements, such as upgraded facilities, enhanced security, or better-quality feed and forage. Highlighting that the price increase ensures you can continue to offer high standards can often help mitigate negative reactions
5. Be Prepared for Client Responses
Some clients may have concerns or objections to the increase. Be prepared to listen empathetically and address their feedback professionally. In cases where clients are particularly resistant, explore flexible solutions, such as phased increases or discussing alternative arrangements, if feasible. You must remember that the yard is a business, and any favouritism or discounts may cause hostility from other clients.
By giving 30 days’ notice of the price increases, then those clients who feel they are unable to accept the price changes can use that as their 30-days’ notice period to vacate their stables, equally giving you time to find a replacement livery who is willing and able to pay the new livery rates.
After implementing the increase, monitor client retention and feedback. Use this information to assess whether your communication strategy was effective and identify areas for improvement in future price adjustments.
Implementing price increases is an inevitable aspect of running a livery yard, but with careful planning, transparent communication, and a professional approach, it can be done without jeopardising trust or loyalty. By showing your clients that their horses’ care remains your top priority, you can navigate this process successfully and sustain your yard’s long-term success.
About the author

Cheryl Johns, SEIB Equestrian Business Writer and the founder of LiveryList and the Yard Owner Hub, is a qualified and experienced yard manager, marketing advisor and business consultant with experience across a range of industries.
About SEIB
SEIB have been arranging livery yard insurance and riding school insurance for over 60 years. This experience allows us to tailor policies to suit your circumstances and ensure that you and your horses are covered should the worst happen.