Business Skills · Equestrian Professional
UKRS Livery Yard Manager Certificate
The Livery Yard Manager Course provides a comprehensive blend of hands-on horse management and professional business skills, equipping learners with the knowledge required to run a safe, compliant, and financially sustainable livery operation.
Syllabus:
- Setting Up a Yard
- Yard Administration
- Business Management
- Legal Considerations
- Practical Yard Management

The programme begins with the foundations of setting up and developing a yard, covering different types of livery arrangements, legal responsibilities for equine welfare, and the evaluation of facilities and services. Learners gain a practical understanding of yard infrastructure, maintenance planning, and business structures, ensuring that operational decisions support both horse welfare and commercial viability.
Strong emphasis is placed on client and staff management, including robust documentation, contracts, data protection, and effective communication. Students learn how to manage challenging real-world situations such as debt recovery, welfare concerns, and safeguarding responsibilities, while maintaining professional standards.
The course also develops essential financial and marketing skills, introducing bookkeeping, invoicing, budgeting, pricing, and cash flow management alongside practical marketing, customer retention, and the use of PR and social media for livery businesses.
Practical yard management remains central throughout the syllabus, with detailed coverage of biosecurity, hygiene, disease control, fire safety, maintenance, security, and day-to-day horse care. Health and safety, insurance, staff employment, and legal compliance are fully integrated to reflect the realities of managing a modern livery yard.
Overall, the course prepares learners to balance excellent horse welfare with effective business management, ensuring they can operate a professional, responsible, and successful livery yard.
Reviews
5.0 from 3 reviews- Gemma Morley
This course is exactly what I needed. It's definitely helped me with insurance- such as the custody and control insurance. Also with making a handbook for the yard and drawing up contracts. Thank you!
8 April 2026
- Katie Boddy
As a livery yard owner and experienced equestrian, I have found the course a useful check and update on my knowledge, systems and yard process as well as ensuring compliance with the latest requirements. The course has been very informative and delivered in bite-sized chunks. I would highly recommend this course to other yard owners and found the parts on business set up and different yard offerings and facility considerations particularly useful.
8 April 2026
- Shannon McEvoy Wilson
I have found this course very informative and I have learned a lot from it. I enjoyed every part of the course every topic was informative and taught me new things. I will 100% recommend this course to any of my horsey friends looking to expand their knowledge.
14 October 2025
