Livery and Stabling Agreements

Equine law & renting a stable

Most people who purchase or set up a livery stable have chosen to make this investment because they enjoy the fulfilment of working with horses. However, it is vitally important to always bear in mind that a livery stable is a business, not a hobby, and that it is necessary to ensure that a robust and comprehensive contractual framework is in place to govern your relationship with clients and to ensure that your business dealings run smoothly.

Leaving aside failures in service standards, most business disputes arise because there is a difference of opinion between the parties to the business transaction about the terms of the deal, and exactly what each party’s rights and obligations are. Minor differences in expectations can easily lead to misunderstandings which at best result in a cooling of business relations, or at worse escalate to legal disputes of heroic proportions. In order to attenuate these risks, it is advisable to base every business relationship on a professionally drafted contractual document which is clear and concise, but which anticipates all likely eventualities and issues.

There are a number of disputes which frequently arise between horse owners and the operator’s of livery stables over differing expectations, and in many cases these disagreements could have been prevented by a well-drafted contract.

• Disagreements over the level of exercise with which the livery stable will provide the horse. This is an important consideration for many horse owners when choosing a livery contract, particularly for owners who are unable o visit the horse regularly in order to exercise it themselves.
• Misunderstandings about the degree of responsibility which the livery stable will take for monitoring the horse’s health whilst it is stabled, and whether the horse owner or the livery stable is responsible for routine veterinary check-ups and inspections.
• Disputes about the degree of security which the livery stable must provide, and liability in the event of the horse being stolen. These disputes may also centre around misunderstandings about who is responsible for insuring the horse.
• Differences in opinion over what should be included in the price of standard livery, and what are optional extras for which the horse owner will have to pay additional fees.
• Allegations by the horse owner that the charging structure was never made clear to him and that he was ever warned of additional fees which might become payable.

Whilst there are many “do it yourself” alternatives available online, including template contracts and agreements, in many cases these will be insufficient for your purposes and you may need a bespoke solution. Through Law on the Web’s free “find a solicitor” service, we can help you to locate a lawyer who specialises in contracts of this type.

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Solicitors in equine law

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