2 horses in 2 places

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NotAnotherChestnut

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I currently keep my two girls together at a DIY livery yard 5mins from my house... I'm toying with the idea of putting the baby on full livery 20 mins away at the place where she is being broken in as I really like it there for her. My other girl is 17 and there is an opportunity to take her to a "veterans" yard - small, quiet, adults only with everything I need for her there esp. TURNOUT in the winter - something I haven't had the luxury of this year which hasn't helped her arthritis any.

Anyway, all this rambling is leading to my question - does anyone keep their horses at 2 different places? Is it a complete nightmare? On paper it seems fine to me (given that one will be full livery) but I just don't know in practice...
 
I used to keep mine in separate places when the 3 boys were all babies. I rented some land and just ran them on (living out 24/7/365) as youngsters in the company of my elderly retired broodmare. Meanwhile, my riding horse (who I still have, but has been retired for 6 years now) was at a DIY yard 6 miles away, so that I could use the facilities and the hacking.

It wasn't easy though and if I'd have had more than one to muck out and keep exercised I could never have done it. As soon as the 3 boys were old enough to start work I had to start looking for ways to bring them all together, and was lucky enough to eventually find the yard and 8 acres I currently rent.
 
I was like you in that I had a pre veteran and a baby with totally different needs and initially they were liveried together but as the baby needed backing he had to go away so I ended up with two horse in different places for about 5 years before buying my own place.

It was great in that each individual need was met ( they were both on full livery ) and each yard was top notch but the driving between the two was very time consuming and I only saw the youngster once a month ish at one point which wasn't great.

I wouldn't do it long term if I was on part / diy livery unless you don't work.
Thats just an observation but you may find a way to make it work.
 
*pulls up a chair*
It is a complete nightmare.
I am currently tearing my hair out racing between two yards twice a day because one in one yard is critically ill and one in the other yard is also ill and then trying to get to work for 9am.
The yards are only 5 miles apart and my home is in the middle of the two. All four horses live out, you would think it would be bearable.
It is impossible.

I had them all in one place originally but the stables were turned into workshops/offices and new yard only had space for 3.

The sooner I can get them all back together again the better.
I may actually have time to ride again - whoop!
 
Yes, I had two one yard and one on another, all DIY! It wasn't great, only stuck it out for a couple of months and then moved them all to the further yard as it was the best.
 
If you've got one on full livery at one yard & you are doing diy at another then it would be manageable. We had 2 horses at 2 yards & both on diy & it was a nightmare. We were never home, spent so long at each yard doing everything & riding both & you could guarantee something we needed at one yard would be at the other. Fortunately we only had that situatiion for a month or so & then a vacancy came up & we had both together. When that happened it was great, we could relax a bit, we were happier & horses were also. I know some people have to have theirs at seperate yards but it's really difficult.
 
I had three horses on three different yards all within a couple of miles of each other. This was due to the yards having the facilities that I wanted for each horse. All three were on part livery (I count that as bring in/out, rugs changed, muck out, hay and feed).

It worked well for me but I did end up having three of everything eg. hat, chaps, etc as it was easier for me to leave what I needed at each yard.

I think it would be very different if the yards were DIY.

One of the reasons I put two of the horses on different yards was that my gelding got very attached to my mare and seemed to panic whenever she was taken off the yard. It didn't matter that he was out in the field with other horses or put in his stable with a horse next door. It made a big difference when I moved him.
 
I've got my 2 girls on different yards at the moment. It's far from ideal but it's working ok at the moment. We had to move from the old yard we were on when new owners took over and couldn't find anywhere for the girls to go together so my rising 4 year old is on my friends small yard and lives out 24/7 and the TB is on a big livery yard about 20 mins away. The TB is on DIY livery but yard gets her in for me each evening when i'm at work so it's not too bad. I need the facilities there at the moment as she's been out of work for at least 12 months and i really need a school for her but as soon as she's up and working again i'll try and move her to friends yard with my youngster (friend is trying to rent the adjoining field so there will be room for both of mine then) Winter was difficult, especially in the snow but we had to find a way to make it work somehow. Coming into summer it should be easier for you. With 1 on full livery it might not be too bad. Try it and see, if it doesn't work you can always find somewhere for them to be back together again.
 
My pony was 2 miles away at my friends farm for 5 weeks while she rodehim (only she was small enough) I had my other 2 at home, it took alot of time, you wouldn't think its a problem until you put it into practice! I'm glad he's back home now, it was far too time consuming!
 
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