Don’t horse around: why livery owners need to keep track of their clients

If you’re in the horses business the chances are you know something about risk.

Whether it’s race horses, show-jumping, three-day eventers or hunting, the equine world is potentially fraught with dangers.

Minimising risk

So minimising risk is part of every good horse rider’s routine before they go anywhere near the saddle, let alone a water jump.

It means checking details. Is the horse healthy and fit for purpose or is that bump on the foreleg a sign of lameness? Is the saddle the right saddle for that rider? Are crops, riding hats, stirrups or any other equipment damaged or otherwise unsuitable?

It’s all the more surprising, then, that some livery owners fail to carry out even the most basic of checks on their clients.

In some cases we have dealt with, a livery owner may not even know a client’s home address, just their mobile number or email.

Livery bills

This may not be a problem until payments for livery bills suddenly stop without notice. And then the client’s mobile phone number is constantly unattainable.

Missing payments can be compounded if the horse becomes ill or injured and needs a vet’s attention.

Suddenly, the livery business is facing vet’s bills which can quickly run into thousands of pounds for a horse which, as an asset, may only be worth a few hundred.

If you find yourself in this situation and need to track someone down, your first step should be social media.

You may well already be friends with your missing client on Facebook so you might be able to see which area they are in. The same with Twitter or Instagram.

You should also look for them on LinkedIn, where you may be able to see where they work.

Mediation service

Even if you find them on social media, it doesn’t mean that your client will want to talk to you about the debts.

If that’s the case, you might want to think about our mediation service which can help resolve debt problems before they get to court.

Horses can be a risky business. But if livery is your livelihood, you don’t want to add to that risk if you can avoid it.

If you’d like to know more about our services for livery owners and other businesses, contact us at [email protected]