A survey of horse owners on livery yards
The survey was shared in various Facebook groups and the Horse and Hounds forums. To date, 460 people have responded. I will keep the survey open for a couple of weeks and update the graphs periodically.
Data processing
For anyone interested, the survey was performed in Google Forms, data formatted in Excel and then visualised with Tableau Public. Click on the graphs to open a larger version in a new window.
First of all, so basics
Q1. Where in the UK are you?
Q2. What kind of livery yard are you at?
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Q3. Livery service type
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Q4. Number of horses kept on the yard
So a fairly good spread of location, yard type and yard size in the responses. The over-representation of the South East and East Anglia is most likely a consequence of where I advertised the survey.
The next set of questions are based on what restrictions yards have imposed on their clients.
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Q5. Changes in routine
Q6. Riding restrictions
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data. The total page can also be filtered by access restrictions.
From the total responses, 60% of yards have banned boxing horses off site and 40% do not allow jumping. Twenty percent of yards do not allow riding at all, and 17% have banned groundwork. Conversely, 40% of yards are reported as having no restrictions in place at all.
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One benefit of using Tableau is that it's easy to slice the data in a multitude of ways. Splitting the data by yard type, for example, is that commercial yards are being more strict in the activities they allow than private yards. This pattern continues the larger the yard becomes, although some of this may be due to sampling bias.
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Q7. Access restrictions
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
From the total responses, 46% of reported no change in their access to horses, with 35% only allowed at defined slots. 16% have stopped any access at all.
Again, splitting the data up reveals different patterns depending on where and how the horses are kept. Commercial yards are being much stricter than private ones, a pattern repeated the larger the yard gets. For those clients on part/full livery, any access to has been denied in over a third of responses. For those interested, I've sliced the data even further into yard type and livery type, although the power gets less reliable due to the smaller numbers in each section.
Q8. Professional restrictions
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
In addition to activities at the yard, most sites are restricting professional services in some respect. The option of farrier and veterinary treatments did not include emergency visits, so I'm assuming these will be allowed. Allowing routine visits will have to be reviewed the longer the lockdown occurs, I assume; especially farriers. Once again, commercial yards are being more restrictive than private yards.
Q9. Yard owners abiding by their own rules
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
The covid-19 restrictions have put huge amounts of stress on all of us, tempered by the fact that, for once, we really are 'all in it together'. I was therefore interested in if the yard owners / managers were leading from the front, or if it were just a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'? It does seem that a good majority are following their own rules, although 10% apparently aren't. For a business, this is likely to cause extremely bad public relations with your clients.
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Q10. How often do you see your horse
Click on the image for a larger picture.
Half the respondents reported that they are still managing to see their horses regularly, and 38% less often. The question assumes that any reduction in visiting is not due to work commitments (eg front-line staff).
Q11. My yard owner / manager is doing a good job, considering the circumstances and Government advice.
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
Time for some opinions, based on a number between 1 (disagree) and 5 (agree). The Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented and no one really knows what's for the best. As with most things, it comes down to risk management, and each yard will have their own criteria.
So how do clients think their yard owners are doing? From the totals, over half of the respondents strongly agree that owners are doing the best they can. To be honest, trying to keep everyone happy is a pretty impossible task so having ~70% scoring a 4 or more is pretty good.
If you split the data using the opinion on the yard's response on restrictions, however, the picture is a bit different, and the lower scores become more prevalent. There is also some regional variation.
Q12. My horses are being well looked after in my absence.
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
Over half the respondents gave top marks here for the question if they thought their horses were being well looked after during the pandemic. Here, the smaller yards score generally higher than the larger ones, perhaps reflecting a more personal service.
Q13. My yard owner / manager cares more for their own safety than they do for mine or my horse's
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
A somewhat provocative question this, but one that attempts to get into the rationale behind decision making (or, at least, the perception of it). Nearly half the respondents strongly disagreed with this statement, which affirms the previous questions on if the yard are doing a good job.
Again, the scores drift in accordance with the opinion on the level of the yard's response in terms of access.
Q14. How would you describe your yard owner / manager's response in regards to access and riding restrictions?
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
This is probably the most important question here, as it influences all other opinions on how yards are reacting. The majority think the balance on access vs restriction is about right, all things considering, and 13% dislike the restrictions but understand the reasoning behind them.
Over 10%, however, are clearly unhappy and think the yard's response to be disproportionately harsh. This percentage increases in commercial yards, and there is again some regional variation.
Interestingly, 10% responded that they think the yard owners should be taking more precautions.
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Q15. Do you think your horse's health has / will be adversely affected due to the restrictions imposed?
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
The good news is that nearly 80% of owners think the restrictions will not have long term health effects on their horse. 15% have concerns, however.
Q16. I will be looking to move yards when the lockdown is over.
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
Over 80% of people answering this question were not looking to move yards after Government lockdown restrictions are relaxed. The numbers change significantly when grouped by access response, however, climbing up to nearly 40% of clients who gave the 'overly draconian' answer. Annoy your clients too much, it seems, and you're likely to lose them once this is all over.
Q17. I will be recommending my yard to other people once lockdown is lifted
Click on the grey buttons for different slices of data.
Like any other business, livery yards rely to an extent on good word of mouth. This becomes even more important in the modern world of social media where news travels fast and wide. Looking at the totals, over 60% would still recommend their yard after lockdown is over, and 20% are unsure. 18% are clearly unhappy. As before, these numbers are linked to the answers on access response. In this case, being blase about the crisis is just as bad as a perceived overly-cautious response (38% vs 41% saying no).
Surprisingly, 'tough but necessary' scores just as highly as 'striking a good balance' (both 73%), indicating that good communication is key to explaining decisions and getting buy-in from your clients. It's clear that "because it's my yard and I say so" is not going to result in a positive long-term response.
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The take home message for livery yard owners is this: if your clients strongly disagree (or, more importantly, don't understand the rationale) with how you're dealing with things, they are unlikely to be quiet about it after all this is over.
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So, what can we draw from all this? Go to conclusions to find out!
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