A what yard thread

[chaps89]

Currently have a companion pony who I need to move quite quickly for various reasons. He's retired so facilities are largely unimportant, he's on loan so I have he option to return him if needsbe but for now I'd quite like to hang onto him.

Yard 1
Turned out on just over an acre with another pony of similar size/age/dietary requirements.
Us 2 owners would share poo picking and haying between us.
Both ponies retired so never go anywhere and there's ponies in the field next door too
2 good sized field shelters, though they are at the bottom of a slope so it does get muddy around them in winter
Field is otherwise well draining
Bit of storage
No space to park my horsebox and I don't really have anywhere at home for it
Parking is on the owners drive and you walk past her house to get to the field. She's clearly fine with this as has had liveries for years, but for some reason I feel a bit funny about it
This yard is the cheaper of the 2

Yard 2
40 acres with about 30 horses, they rotate between 2 fields.
Fields are poo picked
There's trees for shelter as well as an actual shelter
Stable as well - horses can be in or out as owners wish, the only mandatory time they're in is following worming
Some storage
Also space for horsebox
Mostly the yards own horses and a handful of liveries
They do do riding lessons which term time are 3 nights a week 4.30onwards, school holidays are other times as well but not set times. I don't love kids but she says they're well behaved and ultimately pony is retired so I'm not likely to be up there for long
This yard is more expensive but still comfortably affordable

Both yards are roughly same distance from home

I need to decide pretty quickly, ultimately I think both will suit, I just can't decide on which so opening up for input!

 

[The Jokers Girl]

Absolutely yard 2, as long as it wasn't much more expensive

 

[Harry Houdini]

Currently have a companion pony who I need to move quite quickly for various reasons. He's retired so facilities are largely unimportant, he's on loan so I have he option to return him if needsbe but for now I'd quite like to hang onto him.

Yard 1
Turned out on just over an acre with another pony of similar size/age/dietary requirements.
Us 2 owners would share poo picking and haying between us.
Both ponies retired so never go anywhere and there's ponies in the field next door too
2 good sized field shelters, though they are at the bottom of a slope so it does get muddy around them in winter
Field is otherwise well draining
Bit of storage
No space to park my horsebox and I don't really have anywhere at home for it
Parking is on the owners drive and you walk past her house to get to the field. She's clearly fine with this as has had liveries for years, but for some reason I feel a bit funny about it
This yard is the cheaper of the 2

Yard 2
40 acres with about 30 horses, they rotate between 2 fields.
Fields are poo picked
There's trees for shelter as well as an actual shelter
Stable as well - horses can be in or out as owners wish, the only mandatory time they're in is following worming
Some storage
Also space for horsebox
Mostly the yards own horses and a handful of liveries
They do do riding lessons which term time are 3 nights a week 4.30onwards, school holidays are other times as well but not set times. I don't love kids but she says they're well behaved and ultimately pony is retired so I'm not likely to be up there for long
This yard is more expensive but still comfortably affordable

Both yards are roughly same distance from home

I need to decide pretty quickly, ultimately I think both will suit, I just can't decide on which so opening up for input!

You don't seem comfortable already with the first yard, walking past the owner's house, and having nowhere to park your horsebox. I think you know what yard is better for you.

 

[paddi22]

does he need to be on restricted grazing for any reason? or have grass limited.

I'd for for yard 2 in a heart beat, way more natural life for him and way more room to move. I can't see any benefit to yard one at all? you will spend your life poo picking and you are are very dependant on having a good person to share with who pulls their weight (which isn't always the case). an acre is noting size wise and will not give much stimulation or movement. yard 2 100% unless pony is lame or needs restricted grazing for some reason.

 

[chaps89]

Interesting food for thought so far, thankyou, please keep replies coming!

For a bit more info:
He is fat so can't have masses of grass, but tbh the field at yard 2 is bald, they will open up onto the longer grass soon so he will have to wear a muzzle (which he doesn't currently so not sure how he'll do with that) to start with. Or I can keep him in part of the time but that's back to two trips to the yard a day, mucking out, bedding etc which I'd slightly prefer to avoid tbh!
I've been keeping 2 ponies on an acre and a half for the last year and it's actually been fine so I'm not so worried about the smaller place. Currently the lady is using an adjoining third of an acre which has more grass but I don't think that's a regular thing.
The lady I would share with at yard 1 is a friend of a friend and I have no doubt she would pull her weight (my worry would actually be if we were on different times and she somehow ended up doing more than me! There's more pressure to behave/pull your weight when there's less of you. Not that I would dream of doing otherwise anyway but it's nice to feel a bit more relaxed about things)

I still have to poo pick at yard 2 but much less pressure on when given there's so many out there!

 

[Barlow]

Yard 2 - always handy to have access to a stable if needed and parking a horsebox anywhere other than at the yard is an inconvenience

 

[milliepops]

Yard 2 for me, but then I'd be utterly boogered without somewhere to park my lorry, as I don't even have space for my car at home, OH's van is in our only space! so it depends on how much of an issue that really is for you. it sounds like the grazing may actually be easier to manage at yard 1.