With numerous flood warnings in place and more heavy rain forecast, it’s important for equestrian business owners to be as prepared as possible.
This blog will provide essential information on flood warnings, early preparation, and practical steps to safeguard your horses, equipment, and facilities. Whether you're in a high-risk flood zone or want to improve your yard’s resilience, this guide offers tips on planning and long-term solutions to minimise disruption and ensure your yard’s safety.
Are you at risk of flooding?
A nearby river may be an obvious flood risk, but sometimes the risk can be less clear. You can check your situation in a number of ways:
- The Environment Agency (EA – England and Wales) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) offer an online postcode search to see if your local area is at risk
- You can sign up to Flood Warnings Direct from EA to receive warnings by phone, text or email. SEPA offer a similar warning system by phone
- Your local authority can tell you what flood prevention schemes are available or are planned in your area.
Specialist advice is also available from the National Flood Forum.
Protect your yard
If you are at risk, you can take some steps to prevent or lessen flood damage:
- Use temporary flood barriers/defences both around your yard buildings/stables and the perimeter where water can get in
- For basic and emergency protection, have sandbags or similar alternatives available
- If you have any brick buildings or stables, fit air brick covers to prevent water from entering the property which can be removed when flood waters have receded
- Fit non-return valves to drainage systems to prevent water from backing up into the yard
- Use pump and sump systems to mitigate damage.
Planning for a flood
Making your yard more resilient can reduce the impact of water entering and also aid the recovery process. Steps you can take include:
- Raising electrical sockets, fuse boxes, controls and wiring to above likely flood levels. If rewiring, bring cables down the wall to meet the raised socket so the cabling isn’t affected by floodwater
- Where possible, relocate more vulnerable items to higher levels and try to raise as much as possible above likely flood levels
- Store hay, straw and bedding above ground level to prevent water damage
- Regularly inspect fences and gates to ensure they’re as sturdy as possible to withstand flood waters
Recovery after a flood
If the worse happens and you are flooded make sure you:
- Contact our equestrian claims team on 01708 850000. We have a range of specialists who can support you in the event of a claim.
- Take photographs of areas or items affected by floodwater
- Be aware – flood water could be contaminated. Approach with caution and wash hands after coming into contact with the water
- Don’t throw away any damaged items until our claims team say it is ok to do so. We will work with you to get your yard back in use as soon as possible
Livery Yard Insurance you can rely on
We’ve been helping yards of all sizes find the Livery Yard Insurance for their needs for over 60 years. Whether you’re running a large equestrian centre, riding school, or small private livery yard, our experienced livery yard insurance team will give you the peace of mind you need.
