Last checked October 2026
A livery yard is selling reassurance to someone leaving an animal worth thousands in a stranger's care. Branded staff kit is one of the few visible signals that the yard is run as a business rather than as a field with stables on it. Start with gilets and fleeces for staff, add a rug or paddock sheet for the yard's own horses, and sell client kit rather than giving it away.
Most liveries compete within a fifteen-mile radius on roughly similar facilities at roughly similar prices. What separates them in a viewing is whether the place feels professionally run — and a viewing lasts about forty minutes, most of which is spent looking at stables and the people in them.
Key takeaways
- Staff kit is a sales tool during viewings, not just workwear
- Gilets and fleeces cover most of the year and most of the job
- Keep staff kit yard-owned and returned, given seasonal turnover
- Client kit sells well and markets you at every show your liveries attend
- Paddock sheets on the yard's own horses are seen by every visitor
- Budget roughly £120 to £180 per member of staff for a working set
What staff actually need
| Piece | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quilted gilet | September to May | The piece staff live in; arms free for mucking out |
| Fleece midlayer | All year | Worn and washed constantly; buy two per person |
| Waterproof or softshell | Winter turnout | Fewer needed; buy for roles not individuals |
| Polo | Summer | Smart enough for viewings and open days |
| Beanie | Winter | Cheapest visible branding there is |
Two gilets and two fleeces per person covers the realistic working week, because yard kit does not dry overnight in February. One of each is a false economy that results in staff wearing their own clothes half the time.
Staff turnover and who owns the kit
Make kit yard property: issued on arrival, returned on leaving, and written into the contract alongside everything else. Buy for roles rather than named people — two gilets in each common size rather than one per individual — so a new groom in March is kitted out from the shelf rather than waiting for an order.
Putting names on gilets feels like a nice touch and is usually a mistake at a livery yard, because it makes an expensive garment unusable the moment that person leaves. Names belong on cheap polos if anywhere.
Kit for the horses, not just the people
Paddock sheets and rugs on the yard's own horses are seen by every single person who visits, including prospective liveries walking the fields during a viewing. They are also the most visible embroidery a yard will ever commission, which cuts both ways — badly stitched kit is equally visible.
See embroidering rugs and paddock sheets for what works on each fabric, and horse kit for the range.
Client kit is a revenue line
Liveries buy yard-branded hoodies and polos readily, particularly at yards with any kind of social culture. The important thing is to sell it rather than fund it: set up an ordering page, let clients buy their own, and hold no stock.
Why this works at a livery
- No cash tied up — nothing is bought until someone has paid for it
- No sizing guesswork — each client orders their own fit
- Free marketing — your yard name appears at every show your liveries attend
- New clients can order any time — no annual bulk run to wait for
- It signals a yard worth belonging to — which is most of the point
What to budget
For a working set of two gilets, two fleeces and a couple of polos, expect roughly £120 to £180 per member of staff depending on the garments chosen. A yard with four staff is therefore looking at something in the region of £500 to £700 for a proper kit-out, plus the one-off cost of having the yard mark drawn for thread.
That drawing is a single cost. Once the file exists it is reused on every order afterwards at no further charge, so the second year costs materially less than the first. See the Mark for what that involves.
Rowley & Bowes works with livery yards, riding schools and clubs alongside the racing yards and studs around Newmarket. No minimum order, so you can add a gilet for a new groom in March without committing to a bulk run.
Kitting out the yard?
Tell us how many staff you have and send your yard logo in whatever form it exists.
Send an enquiryFrequently asked questions
What should livery yard staff wear?
A quilted gilet and a fleece midlayer cover most of the working year, with a waterproof for winter turnout and a polo for summer and viewings. Buy two gilets and two fleeces per person rather than one, because yard kit does not dry overnight in winter and staff otherwise fall back on their own clothes, which undoes the point of having a uniform.
How much does it cost to kit out a livery yard?
Roughly £120 to £180 per member of staff for a working set of two gilets, two fleeces and a couple of polos, so around £500 to £700 for a yard with four staff. Add a one-off cost for having the yard mark drawn properly for thread. That file is then reused free on every later order, so subsequent years cost noticeably less.
Should staff names go on livery yard kit?
Generally not on the expensive items. Yard staffing turns over, and a named gilet becomes unusable the moment that person leaves. Keep gilets and jackets to the yard crest only and buy for roles rather than individuals, holding a couple in each common size. If you want names at all, put them on cheap polos where losing one costs little.
Is branded kit worth it for a small livery yard?
For most yards yes, because the decision a prospective livery is making is whether to trust you with an expensive animal, and a viewing gives them very little to go on beyond how organised the place looks. Branded staff kit and paddock sheets on your own horses are among the few visible signals available. With no minimum order, a two-person yard can start with four pieces.