livery rules

This way, you know your horse is in safe hands with our team.

Nobody likes too many rules, we all like to rely on our own common sense.

Sadly though, we in the equestrian community don’t all share the same expectations and understanding of how things should be done on the yard. At the risk of pointing out the obvious to yourselves, we have compiled a list of rules and guidance on how the livery yard might be run and on what we might expect of each other.

Our aim is not to be unfriendly, but to be clear on our standards and to provide a livery yard that is clean, safe and functions smoothly to the benefit of all clients.

general guidance

The Yard will be available to owners to access from 5.00am to 10.00pm (Unless horses are unwell or you are returning from an away day etc.)
The Yard means all areas and facilities used by the Owners/Livery Yard Loans at CEC, which includes the stables, riding schools, menages and fields.
Staff will be available for assistance between the hours of 8.00am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and 8.30am and 5.00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The Yard is a British Horse Society (BHS) approved facility and we require that all Owners handle and manage their horses in accordance with BHS best practice guidelines at all times.
Liveries must ensure Chelmsford Equestrian Centre has up to date registration forms and copies of insurance and vaccination records for your horse.
Children under the age of 14 are not permitted on the yard unless they are under the supervision of an appropriate adult.
Dogs are not allowed on the Yard at any time.
The Yard has a no smoking policy. You are only permitted to smoke in the designated area, which is the Livery Car Park.
Any injuries, accident or damage must be reported to the Yard Manager as soon as possible. If the Yard Manager is not available at the time of the accident, please ensure that you write the details in the Yard Book in the Livery Porta-cabin.
Riding without a riding hat (to standard PAS 015 or BS EN 1384) and suitable footwear is not permitted at any time.
All vehicles are to be parked in designated parking areas (overnight parking is not permitted unless by prior arrangement).
Please ensure lights are switched off, taps are not left running or unattended, and litter is thrown in the bins provided.
Please empty wheelbarrows and skips onto the muck heap.
We will endeavour to keep the Yard clean and tidy but Owners / Riders and their contractors are responsible for ensuring that the area around their stable, the front of their tack room and other areas used by them are kept clean and tidy. Please ensure that you clear up droppings / hair etc. on the Yard after they have finished grooming, shoeing etc. A cleaning charge of £5.00 may be made if we have to clean up any owners mess left on the yard.
Wheelbarrows, tools and other items left in an unsafe location or lying outside tack rooms will be removed by staff and made secure. A handling charge of £5.00 per item may be made for each item removed.

horse care and turnout

All horses must be vaccinated against equine flu and tetanus.
You may only turn out horses into fields designated by CEC.
Unless expressly agreed with the Owner, no horse must be left alone in the paddock or any of the fields at the end of the day. If you see a lone horse and you are not able to contact the owner, please advise the yard manager or one of the staff.
Geldings and mares will be maintained in single sex herds.
The Yard reserves the right in consultation with owners to plan and manage herd size and composition together with paddock allocation governed by field conditions.
Unless the weather dictates otherwise, the following “rules of thumb” will apply:
- Summer day turnout – turned out after 6.00am and brought in by 7.00pm
- Summer night turnout – turned out by 9.00pm or before sunset if earlier and brought in by 9.00am. For security and safety reasons, the Owner must write down in the Livery Book in the Livery Porta-Cabin every day that their horse is on overnight turnout.
- Reduced hours – Winter turnout. Max of 4 hours turnout – with turnout being between daybreak and sunset.
- Please note that winter turnout will be weather dependant. If poor weather prevails, we reserve the right to close the fields completely until the weather improves.
It is not recommended that owners turn out or bring in other than in daylight hours and staff will only turn out and bring in during daylight hours.
It is advised that Owners / Riders should wear their riding hat and gloves when turning out and bringing in their horses.

use of the menages

The Livery menage is available for all Liveries to use at any time whilst the Yard is open at no extra cost.
The Riding School menage is also available at no extra cost for all Liveries to use at any time whilst the yard is open and it is not required by the Riding School.
Free usage is not exclusive usage and other riders may enter the arenas subject to the following rules:-
- No more than 1 horse at a time on lunge rein exercise is allowed. Each lunge session should not exceed 20 minutes. When lunging you must move the horse across the arena to prevent rutting and damage to the surface.
- No more than 6 horses at a time on ridden exercise are allowed in the menage.
If the menages are being used by individuals to school their horses, under no circumstances must jumps be put out by other individuals, until the schooling session is finished.
Private lessons are not permitted in the riding school arenas at any time unless the instructor has booked and paid for a lesson slot at the office. Private instructors must register with us when they arrive on site. We may require them to provide evidence of their qualifications and insurance.
Private lessons in the livery arena do not have any priority over the needs of other riders and whilst other riders are using the facility, the private instructor should cease instruction.
Jumps / trotting poles may be erected for lessons/exercise but must be removed at the end of the individual session and stored securely. Jumping is only permitted on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays in both outdoor menages.
If demand for the arena is high at the time you are riding, you must restrict your riding session to 45 minutes per rider per horse.
Any droppings left by horses using any of the arenas are to be removed as soon as possible to avoid contamination.

use of the indoor school

Subject to the rules and understanding below, the indoor school is available free of charge to all Liveries at other times on a shared basis for use between the hours of 6.30am and 10.00pm throughout the year when not in use by the riding school staff and its clients.
The riding school has priority of usage and may use the school at any time in accordance with its needs without notice during its normal opening hours and for special events. The riding school will attempt to give reasonable notice of its requirements in advance, but all Liveries are advised to check at the office for availability.
Free usage is not exclusive usage and other riders may enter the arena at any time provided that there are no more than 6 riders in the school at any one time.
CEC may from time to time use CCTV to monitor the usage of the facility and may store any images it records for its own purposes, including the management of the facility to ensure compliance with rules and the promotion of CEC. By using this facility, you are agreeing to the usage of CCTV for this purpose.
Private lessons are not permitted in the indoor school at any time without the payment of a booking fee. Booking in advance at reception is required and gives exclusive use to the rider at that time.
Jumping is not permitted in the school
Any droppings left by horses using the school are to be removed at the end of each session by the Owner / Rider. In the event of their being more than 1 rider in the arena at any one time, the riders should take turns to dismount and pick up droppings as and when they occur and before they are buried into the surface. Dropping significantly reduce the life time of the school surface, cause dust etc. You may not commence riding if there are droppings left in the school by a previous rider until they have been removed.
Spectators are not permitted in the arena at any time.
All riders are entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of the facility and as such all helpers; riders and spectators should be courteous and helpful to each other. Keep noise to a minimum and follow BHS Riding Rules.