A what would you do regarding livery yard?

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I love my Spanish horse

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Will try and keep this short so not to bore the socks of everyone! Basically have recently moved my very sweet laid back spanish stallion to a yard in Ascot, only had him a month and he seems to have settled in well, the yard is quite smart and the school always free as noone around.
Al sounds well and good but however herein lies my problem, its too blooming quiet and noone around to talk to 99% of the time! Sounds silly i know but also its not just that, the yard owner really is a misery, makes no effort to talk to you and was downright rude to my bf the other day just cos he got hay out of the wrong barn, which was the fault of another livery who told him that and then said absolutely nothing as was stood there at same time. Also when i say theres noone their thats not true, theres about 4 other liveries but they have to be the most antisocial bunch ive ever met, im quite a friendly sort and will always say hi at the very least and try and strike up a conversation, which fair enough not everyone wants to do buy half the time they dont even say hello back. Theres also noone to hack out with and the road is so fast behind the school i def wouldnt want to take a new horse down it anytime soon, its lucky he's totally unspooky tbh as the school is right on this road and it gets sooo busy. The final worry is my horse is being paid to be on full livery there, £500 pcm to do everything except ride him. Now i dont have any concerns over his care so far that seems to be all ok, what i do have a slight issue with is the fact that as the yard is so quiet the yo has to work 8 hours a day mon-fri to make ends meet and just pops back at lunchtime to check theyre ok. Now i know this isnt out of the ordinary if you keep horses at home etc and i may be overreacting, but am paying a lot of money for him to be taken care of 24/7, and heaven forbid if he were to get cast or colic during the day there would be nobody there for a good 4 hours or so. Anyone else think this is strange or am i just being silly?
Anyway, have been looking around at other yards the last few days since she had a go at bf, (which really isnt on as he has asperges and finds it difficult in meeting new people situations at the best of times, thats without someone having a go when he was only doing as instructed by fellow livery) and found a niceish place that seems very sociable, is a riding school aswell so obviously busier but has 2 schools and plenty of riding out etc. Only downside is the place is quite tatty looking, stables are all american barn type and the whole place could do with a good refurb, also id have to cycle further to get to this one (dont drive) and its an extra couple of miles so will be harder to get to in the evenings after work.
So what does everyone think, do i sacrifice smarter facilities on a quiet yard for something that has a bit of charecter and friendliness about it, or try and stick with it and accept not everyone wants to go down the yard to be friends or socialise. Eta there are one or two other places that are maybe's at the moment, but with a stallion and strict budget of £500pcm that doesnt leave a lot of choice in such an expensive area!
Sorry for the rambling waffle, chocolate fudge brownies for anyone who gets this far:D
 
I wouldn't worry too much what the place looks like, as long as it has the facilities and the care you need.

For the current yard, plus-sides are that the arena near a road could do wonders for bombproofing and getting him used to traffic. And also, having no-one around is quite often a big bonus. I'm on a private yard now with one other lady. I never see her (I do morning shifts/checks and she does evening) and to be honest that's just how I like it!!:D I can do my own thing with no-one looking down at me, telling me I'm doing stuff wrong:o, etc. Friends on "proper" livery yards are always moaning about their terrible fellow liveries. So although they might ignore you, I'd be tempted just to get on with things and ignore them. No-one to hack with is a pain sometimes, but I wouldn't swap it for the world!!:D
 
I think if the standards for the horse are both acceptable, go for the place you feel you'd be happy :) a happy owner makes a happy horse IME. :)
 
If you are trying to house a stallion on a budget on livery and without transport then you are always going to be limited on options!!!

If you are happy with the general care at this place then I would say to stay there.
I would be cautious of stabling a stallion at a riding school - that is assuming they will even let you?

I get what you are saying about 24/7 care, but let's face it, £500pcm isn't going to get you round the clock watching!!! Your horse has to cope overnight without someone on guard.
 
hummm, i would be grateful if people left me alone on a yard! when i have been on yards it's always annoyed me when you get talking to people as in the end they usually end up coming over bitching about someone else! so keeping anyway is a good thing to me!

but if i was paying that much money a month i would expect there to be someone around more often to keep an eye on the horses!
 
Thanks for the replies, ihate work i think £500pcm is a pretty reasonable budget tbh even for this area, and the transport thing will be changing as soon as i sort my driving test out its only a temporary issue. Also i chose this yard specifically as yo lives on site and i wanted an eye kept on him, maybe not 24/7 but to be out nearly all day every day when noone else is around to me takes the p8ss slightly when paying that money.
And yes ive obviously checked theyre fine to take him, theyve had stallions there before anyway and he is impeccably behaved and is currently turned out next to mares and geldings with no issues, he's much rather be eating grass!
 
Anyone else?? Its not so much the other liveries if that makes sense, its more the fact the yo spoke to dan so badly the other day, and obviously thinks badly of me for it as as blanked us both ever since. She was never exactly chatty to begin with but would expect her to at least acknowledge me, and say a simple hello when i come onto her yard!
 
I moved yards last year and it was THE best thing I have ever done. It has made me see what my priorities are for horse ownership.

Last yard was quite rustic but incredibly picturesque, on private farm land, family on site, countryside was beautiful. I thought I was sooooo happy there. I had to move house and even thought about driving the 25 mins twice a day so that I could keep her there. Even though no one else ever rode their horses there - they all preferred to fanny about in the school teaching them to bow on command and stop with a hand signal blah, blah, blah.

Then I randomly looked at another yard 2 mins from the house I was moving to. Fencing is ramshackle to say the least, winter grazing is fairly limited, not picturesque in the slightest as there is a depot yard and a caravan storage place on the land - added to this it is on the flight path to the local airport (albeit a small airport!). I ended up moving there - despite my concerns about the place and it turns out it was the best thing ever. I know now what my horse owning priorities are - in a nutshell = be around other people that ride a lot! I have gone from riding once or twice a week to riding most days, my mare is fitter, is in a herd, I am having lessons from a dressage trainer and I am aiming for my first show this summer. I would never have done this without the push and motivation from the others (and there are only three of them!).

So, a different story to yours but I worked out that the look of a place doesn't matter at all - what matters is the time that you spend with your horse and if you need others to be around so that it is more of a social experience and it will be easier for you to get out and about on your boy then move! Rustic is good!

Your boy is a BEAUT by the way!
 
Thanks miss l toe glad its not just me that thinks its slightly strange, ive only been there a month and theyve mostly been like that from the ofset, would possibly understand if been there a while but its like theyve got no intentions of even being polite to anyone different.
Billie thats sounds very similar, the grazing isnt amazing and it does look quite run down esp compared with another yard just round the corner that would also take him, but thats another £90 per month and i just cant stretch to that right now. Will have a definate think about it anyway, this place always seems to be fairly full which is a good sign comapred to other place which is almost empty and yo has to work full time to have enough money coming in, almost strikes me as her yard is more of a hobby than a business and its a bit like 'what are you doing here?' the 3 or 4 times during the week i can make it down, not the sort of atmosphere i like:(
 
I have liveried a RS before and there were two issues - the times they had their lessons on the school horses were mainly evenings and weekends when I also wanted to ride due to working during the week during the day. It was therefore very busy in the schools at the time I wanted to ride and priority was given of course to the RS lessons.

I was not on full livery but the RS did use a lot of children and teenage helpers in holidays and weekends to look after the horses, would you be happy if less experienced helpers cared for your stallion. It was very busy and my pony did not like such a busy environment and it affected his behaviour as he was unhappy. You and your horse will have to like kids.

RS tend to give priority to their lessons and with turnout their horses.

The benefits of the RS was there were plenty of people around and it was friendly, if you wanted to have a lesson you got a discount if you were a livery. It was just not the right place for me.

I am now on a livery yard where is it is friendly but fairly quiet especially at the time I go to the yard as a lot of the liveries don't work and spend more time there during the day where I go in the evenings after work. Also as my pony lives out I am more flexible with times at the weekends too so tend to come to the yard at lunch time to hack out with a friend who is also on grass livery. I also don't have a car and therefore go on a train to the yard after work and then walk.
 
I would move. A couple of miles won't make much difference. I'd expect a yard offering full livery to have staff, or at least one member of staff. What happens if the YM is ill? Or on holiday? And why bother running a full livery yard if you have to work full time because it doesn't make enough money? How on earth does she manage all the mucking out, turn out, bringing in, etc?
 
Why is it alot of horse people seem to be so far up their own backsides they find it acceptable to be rude to other horse people. Personally I would move, people like that start finding faults and taking the hay out of the wrong barn is perhaps the start of it. Clean and tidy yards are nice but if the people running them don't have any social skills (which is another trait of the horsey world) you'll end up miserable. Find a nice yard with nice people which is busy, where people help each other out and don't look down their noses at you. I'm on a farm with both kids and adults and everyone looks out for each other. There'll be people you get on with there'll be people you don't but that's life, but there's always someone to hack out with, the school may be a little busy at times so you get up early and use it before anyone else gets there. Your horse is there for you to enjoy, my pony's retired now but I still spend hours with him, more than my own family lol. I love being there and wouldn't change it for the world. And if you're near Windsor Great Park and can afford the subs to ride in there you've got it made. Good luck with your decision.
 
Thanks so1 i know what you saying about the negatives of a rc but this place they keep the liveries seperate from the rc horses anyway and its proper staff/ apprentices that muck them out, handle them etc, also lessons are only ever in 1 school at a time so theres always a school free and tbh during the week its very quiet anyway. Turnout again i know what your saying but actually they prioritise the liveries with the best firleds nearest the yard, and the rc horses are further down where the grazing isnt great. Its not amazing anyway or all eyar round but Res never went out at all in spain so is quite happy with a few hours esp in winter when its cold, dark and wet!
Mithras the thing is she has so few liveries she can cope with just her mucking and turning out etc, its literally just me on full and 3 other diy'ers so she mucks out mine and hers first thing and turns out before going to work, sometimes comes back at lunchtime to swap over and then back at around 5. I was keen on this place from the off as she lives on site, but that part she didnt mention funnily enough! Like i said as though she does it for a hobby and not a proper business, which is all good and well for her to have her cake and eat it but im paying 500 a month for her just to fit him in around her other work commitments.
 
Anja2Anjalina said:
Why is it alot of horse people seem to be so far up their own backsides they find it acceptable to be rude to other horse people. Personally I would move, people like that start finding faults and taking the hay out of the wrong barn is perhaps the start of it. Clean and tidy yards are nice but if the people running them don't have any social skills (which is another trait of the horsey world) you'll end up miserable. Find a nice yard with nice people which is busy, where people help each other out and don't look down their noses at you. I'm on a farm with both kids and adults and everyone looks out for each other. There'll be people you get on with there'll be people you don't but that's life, but there's always someone to hack out with, the school may be a little busy at times so you get up early and use it before anyone else gets there. Your horse is there for you to enjoy, my pony's retired now but I still spend hours with him, more than my own family lol. I love being there and wouldn't change it for the world. And if you're near Windsor Great Park and can afford the subs to ride in there you've got it made. Good luck with your decision.
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Thanks thats exactly my worry if shes like this now its only going to get worse, she had no right to speak to dan like that and im bloody angry about it more so than if shed said it to me, as i said he has asperges and isnt great with new people and as he was doing me a big favour helping me out before we went to a show i feel guilty putting him in that position. At the end of the day it was a mistake as she wasnt there to ask and needed hay pronto (also prob caused by this other livery who is the worst out of anyone stirring trouble) but no matter whos fault it was ive been there all of a month, and its a bit ott to practically accuse us of stealing hay when its included in my livery price anyway fgs!
Thats what i want just a bit of jollyness about the place, as you say doesnt have to be everyone getting along with everyone else but just a few friendly people to natter with would be fine rather than all but one person ignoring you, including the yo!
Funnily enough currect place is on windsor park hacking but rc is further away, not that i mind though as wouldnt have a busy road to use first and £170 a year sub to ride there!
 
Why is it that some livery yard owners seem to think that there is some special interpretation of "customer service" that only applies to them, and includes special allowances to be rude, interfering, or plain crazy:confused:.

IMHO it seems that you are paying a lot of money for someone to turn in/out and muck out around their "proper" job. I left a so-called "full livery" yard as there was no manager employed and the owner would regularly disappear on holiday for a week leaving the yard unoccupied for most of the day.

The social side of yards is always difficult, as one person's "friendly" is anothers "interfering", but I guess what is important is to find somewhere that feels right for you. I wouldn't give a stuff about a yard being a bit scruffy, as long as it is safe and clean. There are some very fancy-pants barns I would never put my horse in:eek:

Remember, you have your horse to enjoy him, and if your yard is making you or your horse unhappy then vote with your feet/hooves. I have done this a number of times and am now very happy at a yard run by a nice, professional, competent person, though there are a lot of nutters and control freaks out there. Good luck!
 
Why not put the horse on DIY livery at the yard, rather than full - that way you will get a better opportunity of mixing with people.

I would also say that your full livery charges are cheap - but I suppose that's neither here nor there.
 
Thanks outhorsed, i am very tempted by this other place despite it being a rc, spoke to the other woner today and she seems very friendly so going to go abck tommorow and have another look which will hopefully helpd me make a decision. I suppose the thing thats holding me back is the fact Res has settled in well here, but that doesnt mean to say he wont at this place and at least ill fell comfortable that someone is around to take care of him most of the time, the flip side of that being a rc its busier but cant have it both ways!
Amymay i dont have a choice at the moment, not driving and working full time 10 miles from home mean i cant get to the yard before work to do everything, i did try this for a while at last yard when i only had 8 miles to cycle to do it and that nearly killed me as was dark, wet and my bike frequently gave up on me leaving me to walk the 4 miles home! Plus working as a dental nurse it doesnt bode well to turn up looking and smelling of horse poo:D
I will be getting the driving sorted soon so hopefully that wont be a prob for much longer, but tbh i think even if was on diy it wouldnt make much difference. Theres only 3 other people there besides the yo and they just seem the types to want to keep to themselves, fair enough nofrmally but these are slightly more extreme in the fact that some do it in a way thats blatantly quite rude. Also should have said its part not full livery, only includes mucking out, bring in etc and either myself or my trainer make it down most evenings a week to excercise, groom him etc.
 
If your horse is happy where you are, be careful in where ever you think of moving to (am sure you will be).
TBH £500 pcm for full livery in Ascot is an absolute steal, I don't know of anywhere round there or between there and where I am that charges so little in comparison.
Down the lane from me there is a lovely yard with hacking (no roads at all unless you want to) and a good outdoor floodlit school and covered horsewalker & that charges £650pcm - thats for full livery Mon - Fri & horses also done completely weekend mornings, but owners have to do weekend afternoons (bring in, change rugs, hose off if needed and feed). This is no exercising or tack cleaning.
Others locally are all around the same or more for full livery, the better yards are even up to £800+)

Edited to say sorry, didn't see you were actually on part livery, hope you manage to sort out what you want :)
 
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