What to ask when you view a livery yard

A checklist for visiting a yard: turnout, hay, fees, rules, arena booking, security and the people.

A yard can look tidy on a sunny afternoon and be a different place on a wet Tuesday in February. Take this list, and if you can, visit twice: once at a busy time (a weekday evening) and once at the weekend.

Turnout

- Is there turnout all year? If not, when do the fields close and what happens instead? - Individual or group turnout? How are new horses introduced? - How many acres for how many horses? Who poo-picks and harrows? - Is there a field shelter, and is the water a trough or a stream?

Fees and what's included

- What exactly does the price include: hay or haylage, bedding, feed, turnout and bringing in? - What do extras cost (turn out, bring in, rug change, holding for the farrier)? - Is VAT included? Are prices reviewed every year? - What's the deposit, the notice period, and is there a written livery agreement?

Facilities

- Arena size and surface. Is it floodlit, and is there a booking system or a fee for lights? - Is there a horse walker, a wash box with hot water, a secure tack room? - Where do trailers and lorries park?

Hacking

- Can you get to bridleways or tracks without riding along a busy road? Ask to see the route.

Rules

- Opening hours and whether you can come at 6am or 10pm. - Can you use your own farrier, vet and instructor? - Insurance, vaccination and worming requirements. - Rules about dogs, children and visitors.

People

Ask the liveries, not just the yard owner: how long have they been there, and what would they change? A yard where people have stayed for years is telling you something. So is one where half the stables turned over last year.