A which yard debate

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RHM

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Hey guys, need some advice I can’t see the wood for the trees!

Which yard or combination of yards should I choose 🙈 as background I have two horses, one is retired, both are very good doers.

Here is my Pro and con list:



Yard 1

15-23 min drive away - £80 p/w each DIY free box parking

Pro
  • Friends there
  • Indoor arena
  • Restricted grazing if they get fat
  • Nice tack room
  • Free lorry parking
Cons
  • Expensive so would have to have less lessons etc
  • Limited turnout in winter - only go out for a couple hours a day
  • Would be in stables round the back away from others for time being (will one of mine settle? She doesn’t mind nosy yards but likes to be able to see where it’s coming from)
  • Cobbles down to yard
  • Yard owner seems a bit intense
  • Opens at 7am - 8pm


Yard 2

£50 p/w DIY including hay and bedding 15/20 min drive but entire route gritted (only 4 min drive from yard 1)

Pros:
  • 24/7 turnout all year round if you want
  • Own field to manage how you see fit
  • Cheap
  • Good hacking straight onto bridleways
  • Can put hat out in the field
  • Very very relaxed owner can basically do what you want
  • Lovely forage
  • No opening hours can come and go as you like
  • Cameras which you can watch the horses on
  • Fields nice and flat
Cons
  • No arena
  • No one on the yard rides but could meet up with friends from yard 1
  • Water comes from a massive bowser that he fills up
  • Limited lighting
  • Cows in the barn with the horses (quite smelly)
  • No one lives on site
  • No livery services available (but I have a freelance groom currently anyways)
  • Smaller fields
  • Have to keep tack at home
  • Lorry parking at his house (quite close to home) (£5 p/w)


Yard 3

12 min drive away £36 in summer or £55 in winter for part livery (works out at £72 per week when including bedding etc)

Pros:
  • Arena with lights with nice surface
  • Amazing hacking can go for hours with no roads
  • Lots of people to ride with
  • Can use own bedding
  • Own storage space
  • Yard owner seems lovely and sensible!
  • They muck out for you in winter on their days in
  • No poo picking in summer - well managed fields (24/7 turnout)
  • Nice forage - choice of hay or haylage
  • Flexible pricing so cheaper in summer
  • Can offer full livery when needed
  • Fields nice - big and flat


Cons
  • Winter turnout options Winter turnout - every other day turnout in big field Or trash paddock with 2 at a time on your day only - “trash paddock” is actually a lovely 5 acre field flat with grass. Turnout field is next to a busy road but is double fenced. It’s rough moorland grazing but massive field. Very likely to lose shoes and has potential for injury if they bezzed about
  • Sand Turnout pen while muck out on other days
  • Might not have lorry parking
  • Can’t restrict summer turnout much. Can bring in and muzzle only pretty much though apparently not rich grazing
Help me!!
Thanks!!
 
May be it would help to list the things you want, and grouping them, marking them essential, preferable and optional.
That might help you to sort out priorities.
Some people might prioritises a school with lights for winter riding while I am a hacker and at Olympia once I watched a dressage champion who had no school and did all her dressage schooling while out hacking.
 
RHM said:
Yard 2

£50 p/w DIY including hay and bedding 15/20 min drive but entire route gritted (only 4 min drive from yard 1)

Pros:
  • 24/7 turnout all year round if you want
  • Own field to manage how you see fit
  • Cheap
  • Good hacking straight onto bridleways
  • Can put hat out in the field
  • Very very relaxed owner can basically do what you want
  • Lovely forage
  • No opening hours can come and go as you like
  • Cameras which you can watch the horses on
  • Fields nice and flat
Cons
  • No arena
  • No one on the yard rides but could meet up with friends from yard 1
  • Water comes from a massive bowser that he fills up
  • Limited lighting
  • Cows in the barn with the horses (quite smelly)
  • No one lives on site
  • No livery services available (but I have a freelance groom currently anyways)
  • Smaller fields
  • Have to keep tack at home
  • Lorry parking at his house (quite close to home) (£5 p/w)
Click to expand...
Yard 2 for the emboldened reasons. The cons are not something that have ever been a problem for me. But the smaller fields might be a problem for 2? How many fields are yours?
 
I'd go for 2 or 3, depending on how well your horses cope with being kept in.

Good forage is a big plus but amazing hacking would be a deal breaker to me!

However, I know of many horses who don't like being kept in at all, even if it's just alternate days - in which case Yard 2 would be the better option.
 
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2 or 3 depending on
I would pick 3 as having the option for full when you’re away or an emergency comes up is extremely helpful
 
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2 or 3 because turnout is the most important thing for me
If 2 had an arena it would be perfect for me - do you spend a lot of time in the school?
 
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Well if you intend to ride over winter, I would go with yard 3.

I can see yard 2 being awkward if you want to do much - it's cheap for a reason (no arena, limited lighting, no services, can't imagine the cows will be a joy to live next to if they smell!)
Keeping tack at home is also a pain - have done it and it gets to be wearing.
However, if the intention is to give your horses the winter off, yard 2 would be nice.

Yard 3 - the turnout isn't great but, many yards are like this now. Would probably suit your ridden horse but your retired horse, maybe not so much.
 
Thanks for all the votes so far guys.
I agree turnout is so important to me and has been a real bug bear in the past.
I do school a bit at the moment but only because the yard I’m on currently has very restrictive opening hours. Hacking is my preference as I tend to only jump in my lessons anyways which I box up to.

Yard 2 also is hacking distance to an arena I can hire if needed, and I think you can school in the fields in summer as someone has some jumps in their field. The hacking is good there but yard 3 hacking is exceptional.
 
Also there is the option of sending retired pony to yard 2 and keeping my horse in work at one where I can work her more.

They are quite bonded though so not sure how much stress that would cause them even with other horses around.
 
Thanks for all your help guys, I really needed a sounding board! I have decided to go for yard 3 which won the poll 😂

Will be moving in 2-3 weeks time so a bit of notice to get myself packed up. But, I won’t lie the anxiety of moving to a new yard is real 🙈
 
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