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madabouthehorse

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So I come to the noble HHO’ers with another which yard would you choose.

Some background on my horses current poor health decisions- F is currently on restricted individual turnout as has injured himself, when in work we attempt a bit of BD. R is seriously laminitic, older happy hacker.

So we have my current DIY yard- Yard A:
Pros:
-Manage own field in summer so can restrict for R, and F whilst he’s injured
- 24/7 turnout in summer
- Very reasonable livery price

Cons:
-1500 miles of driving to get to the yard a month + time driving
-no facilities- have to hack and hire arena (will be tricky to rehab F)
- herd of 7 turnout over winter


Yard B
Pros:
- 10 mins away from home so less driving and time
- All the facilities- arena, walker, wash bay, solarium, small woodchip turnout pens

Cons:
- no 24/7 turnout, either out day or night
- twice the price, although after fuel savings only about £150 a month more
-minimum package is assisted and I like doing them twice a day
- small group turnout all year, can’t manage own field for R but he will only be out half the time and there is a turnout pen

I’m really torn as I’m struggling at the moment with the time and driving at current yard, and in the winter any sort of riding is pretty non existent. The new yard would help with time, enjoying horses more and facilities to rehab and ride, but I can’t help but feel guilty that the turnout situation wouldn’t be ideal for R, he deserves the best life but may spend less time in the field in favour of riding and turnout pens. I’m lucky where I am that I can manage him but everywhere I have looked at closer to home doesn’t offer that ability to manage your own field (and basically trash an area continually) , so am I wanting something that doesn’t exist?!

So…which would you choose!! All thoughts welcome but please be kind as I am just trying to do the best for ponies without burning myself out 🙏🏻
 
madabouthehorse said:
So I come to the noble HHO’ers with another which yard would you choose.

Some background on my horses current poor health decisions- F is currently on restricted individual turnout as has injured himself, when in work we attempt a bit of BD. R is seriously laminitic, older happy hacker.

So we have my current DIY yard- Yard A:
Pros:
-Manage own field in summer so can restrict for R, and F whilst he’s injured
- 24/7 turnout in summer
- Very reasonable livery price

Cons:
-1500 miles of driving to get to the yard a month + time driving
-no facilities- have to hack and hire arena (will be tricky to rehab F)
- herd of 7 turnout over winter


Yard B
Pros:
- 10 mins away from home so less driving and time
- All the facilities- arena, walker, wash bay, solarium, small woodchip turnout pens

Cons:
- no 24/7 turnout, either out day or night
- twice the price, although after fuel savings only about £150 a month more
-minimum package is assisted and I like doing them twice a day
- small group turnout all year, can’t manage own field for R but he will only be out half the time and there is a turnout pen

I’m really torn as I’m struggling at the moment with the time and driving at current yard, and in the winter any sort of riding is pretty non existent. The new yard would help with time, enjoying horses more and facilities to rehab and ride, but I can’t help but feel guilty that the turnout situation wouldn’t be ideal for R, he deserves the best life but may spend less time in the field in favour of riding and turnout pens. I’m lucky where I am that I can manage him but everywhere I have looked at closer to home doesn’t offer that ability to manage your own field (and basically trash an area continually) , so am I wanting something that doesn’t exist?!

So…which would you choose!! All thoughts welcome but please be kind as I am just trying to do the best for ponies without burning myself out 🙏🏻
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Yard B, partial turnout is okay, I've only done turnout overnight or during the day for the past 30 years. No biggy. Most people on livery are in that boat.
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Travel costs/time are better too with yard B. Along with better facilities.

If you like going twice a day maybe you could ask Yard B if they'd consider allowing you to turn out and bring in for a discount on your livery?

I'm on assisted DIY and we pay for either a turnout or a bring in each day, so the 'one way' is free but only Monday to Friday. Weekends it's something like £4.50 each way. In the Summer as most people ride after work when the staff have gone home the owners turn out overnight.

Have to say it's nice to be on a flexible yard, we are very lucky.
 
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If the £150 per month isn’t a deal breaker, yard B. Although you like doing them, the extra time saved in driving and mucking out (if they do that) is time with your horses, twice per day if you like. They don’t care who does the mucking out.
 
Birker2020 said:
Yard B, partial turnout is okay, I've only done turnout overnight or during the day for the past 30 years. No biggy. Most people on livery are in that boat.
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Travel costs/time are better too with yard B. Along with better facilities.

If you like going twice a day maybe you could ask Yard B if they'd consider allowing you to turn out and bring in for a discount on your livery?

I'm on assisted DIY and we pay for either a turnout or a bring in each day, so the 'one way' is free but only Monday to Friday. Weekends it's something like £4.50 each way. In the Summer as most people ride after work when the staff have gone home the owners turn out overnight.

Have to say it's nice to be on a flexible yard, we are very lucky.
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You’re making a lot of sense here! The minimum they do is turnout or bring in, and offer no lower level but as Abacus said this would give me more time to actually groom, ride etc. The day or night turnout doesn’t bother me so much compared to 24/7 I think it’s more that I’m worried that even just night turnout with a muzzle in summer there might be too much grass for R, which would mean potentially not going in the field every night but in a small turnout pen instead :/
 
So I’d always done 24/7 in summer but on livery was in during the day in summer, for a fatty this worked well really - stables were cool and he could stuff himself with hay so I was less worried about then restricting his access to grass (on paired turnout he was muzzled until the tb had eaten it down a bit).

But then on the costs front have you included the additional forage?
 
ester said:
So I’d always done 24/7 in summer but on livery was in during the day in summer, for a fatty this worked well really - stables were cool and he could stuff himself with hay so I was less worried about then restricting his access to grass (on paired turnout he was muzzled until the tb had eaten it down a bit).

But then on the costs front have you included the additional forage?
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Luckily I have free access to hay through work so no increase in cost there, the extra does include extra bedding though
 
If yard B’s yard would 100% suit your horse then that one. But if I had any concerns about the turn out situation I’d probably not choose that one as turn out is always over promised and under delivered.
 
Could you see if there is a track system type retirement yard or similar for R and then move F? Yard B sounds ideal for F but I don't know that I'd want an older horse in that much when they have been so used to moving around 24/7. If he has always been used to it then fine, but the change may make any bubbling arthritic changes worse for him.
 
I would go for Yard B - it will make it easier to rehab, it's closer, only a small increase in costs each month and even though there is no 24/7 turnout, you still have the option of turnout pens which is a nice alternative x
 
I would go for yard B .
You might have to spend a bit more time with the retired perhaps lead him out a bit particularly in winter ( would he do that led from your other horse?)
But being close that’s worth the money if you add in the wear and tear on the car you will be almost be even .
 
B as it's closer to home so you'll be less tired, have more time with your horses to deepen your relationship. If yard B has turnout pens they can work really well allyear round for an oldie to maximise his outdoor time, esp if you put water one end and hay the other. Potentially more friends and company for you too, and facilities so you can do all sorts.
 
So it seems that yard B is not as perfect as I thought, I went back to the yard owner to say I would like the spaces with the condition that I had daily turnout, and could use the turnout pens and got a very abrupt response… hock hit the nail on the head there with oversold turnout and underdelivering before I’d even signed a contract. Having read responses about turnout being key, I wholeheartedly agree with you, R owes me nothing and realistically yard b would have suited me and F, but not him. The nightmare search for a yard c continues…..although I’ve been looking hopelessly for months so maybe I should move somewhere cheap like Wales or Scotland and buy a tiny house and a few acres to escape the nightmare of being a livery.

Thank-you everyone for your input, it’s really appreciated!
 
madabouthehorse said:
So it seems that yard B is not as perfect as I thought, I went back to the yard owner to say I would like the spaces with the condition that I had daily turnout, and could use the turnout pens and got a very abrupt response… hock hit the nail on the head there with oversold turnout and underdelivering before I’d even signed a contract. Having read responses about turnout being key, I wholeheartedly agree with you, R owes me nothing and realistically yard b would have suited me and F, but not him. The nightmare search for a yard c continues…..although I’ve been looking hopelessly for months so maybe I should move somewhere cheap like Wales or Scotland and buy a tiny house and a few acres to escape the nightmare of being a livery.

Thank-you everyone for your input, it’s really appreciated!
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Oh crikey! Sounds like you dodged a bullet there with yard B! Hopefully Yard C makes an appearance in good time :) x
 
madabouthehorse said:
So it seems that yard B is not as perfect as I thought, I went back to the yard owner to say I would like the spaces with the condition that I had daily turnout, and could use the turnout pens and got a very abrupt response… hock hit the nail on the head there with oversold turnout and underdelivering before I’d even signed a contract. Having read responses about turnout being key, I wholeheartedly agree with you, R owes me nothing and realistically yard b would have suited me and F, but not him. The nightmare search for a yard c continues…..although I’ve been looking hopelessly for months so maybe I should move somewhere cheap like Wales or Scotland and buy a tiny house and a few acres to escape the nightmare of being a livery.

Thank-you everyone for your input, it’s really appreciated!
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Well that's 💩💩 i wish you luck finding yard C
 
Well well well… a couple of months later and I think we have a yard c! Less than 2 miles from home, pure DIY with services available when needed, with lovely stables, school and grazing. Within budget ! Large all weather turnout pens for the laminitic one when needed.

The compromise here is that they are stabled at night all year, whereas currently I stable at night in the winter, then out 24/7 or swap to night turnout. I think weighing it up this is a compromise that works, considering the laminitic one can’t have much grass and the other enjoys coming in for a nap I certainly got a better feel about the place than the other places I’ve looked. If anyone does stable at night all year I’d appreciate some stories of happiness!
 
madabouthehorse said:
Well well well… a couple of months later and I think we have a yard c! Less than 2 miles from home, pure DIY with services available when needed, with lovely stables, school and grazing. Within budget ! Large all weather turnout pens for the laminitic one when needed.

The compromise here is that they are stabled at night all year, whereas currently I stable at night in the winter, then out 24/7 or swap to night turnout. I think weighing it up this is a compromise that works, considering the laminitic one can’t have much grass and the other enjoys coming in for a nap I certainly got a better feel about the place than the other places I’ve looked. If anyone does stable at night all year I’d appreciate some stories of happiness!
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I've stabled at night year round and horses didn't seem to mind. They are out all summer now as have plenty of grass and they are all pretty much retired!
 
Sounds as if this yard is as good as it gets! We had ours in at night all year round for years and it worked well. Even when we moved and had our own field we brought them in at night, (partly because they had a habit of escaping during the night!) We then moved to Scotland and the horses have been living out for the past 6 years - but we’re hoping to build stables as there’s definitely times when I’d prefer them to be in.
 
madabouthehorse said:
Well well well… a couple of months later and I think we have a yard c! Less than 2 miles from home, pure DIY with services available when needed, with lovely stables, school and grazing. Within budget ! Large all weather turnout pens for the laminitic one when needed.

The compromise here is that they are stabled at night all year, whereas currently I stable at night in the winter, then out 24/7 or swap to night turnout. I think weighing it up this is a compromise that works, considering the laminitic one can’t have much grass and the other enjoys coming in for a nap I certainly got a better feel about the place than the other places I’ve looked. If anyone does stable at night all year I’d appreciate some stories of happiness!
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Well done, sounds ideal!
 
Nancykitt said:
Sounds as if this yard is as good as it gets! We had ours in at night all year round for years and it worked well. Even when we moved and had our own field we brought them in at night, (partly because they had a habit of escaping during the night!) We then moved to Scotland and the horses have been living out for the past 6 years - but we’re hoping to build stables as there’s definitely times when I’d prefer them to be in.
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I think as good as it gets is a good way to put it! Realistically I’m not going to get perfection, but this will suit me and help with some of my stress of the driving, whilst also meeting I hope the welfare needs of the horses
 
madabouthehorse said:
So it seems that yard B is not as perfect as I thought, I went back to the yard owner to say I would like the spaces with the condition that I had daily turnout, and could use the turnout pens and got a very abrupt response… hock hit the nail on the head there with oversold turnout and underdelivering before I’d even signed a contract. Having read responses about turnout being key, I wholeheartedly agree with you, R owes me nothing and realistically yard b would have suited me and F, but not him. The nightmare search for a yard c continues…..although I’ve been looking hopelessly for months so maybe I should move somewhere cheap like Wales or Scotland and buy a tiny house and a few acres to escape the nightmare of being a livery.

Thank-you everyone for your input, it’s really appreciated!
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Honestly I wouldn’t look at anything with turnout pens…I appreciate they are a necessity for some but in my experience it suggests they are over grazed and do not have enough turnout and usually you get a lot less turnout than the YO may initially suggest. I’d stay where you are for now x
 
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