Crazydancer
Well-Known Member
Any views on this on please folks?
Im at a lovely, quiet yard, just YO, myself and 2 other owners. Mostly horses are retired or youngsters. Horses live out 24/7/365 (we do have stables for emergencies) and we have a grass arena for riding, (which will at some point in the future have a proper surface laid) this can get hard in the summer, and will become too wet to use during the winter.
I have 2 horses, a semi-retired gelding who has to live out, and a young mare bought earlier this year. I had intended getting her out and about during the summer, as she hadnt seen much of the world, so I could keep her ticking over with hacking during the winter. They share a paddock and get along nicely.
She took a long time to totally settle, and injured herself not long after she arrived, which has set us back, (along with a few other problems) so Ive only recently started riding her regularly and only just starting to feel ok on her (she is jumpier/spookier than my old gelding) but still not hacked out yet, as I wanted to feel confident on her before taking her on the roads (major A road at the end of our lane!) but about ready now.
For company to hack out I have another owners daughter to ride my gelding, or YO on hers, but she doesnt hack often as she works shifts. So the amount of progress we can make is very limited.
So I was feeling very low a few weeks ago, as I dont feel Ive got as far as Id have liked, and with the winter closing in was worrying about what to do. Even if we get out hacking, this will only be at weekends once we lose the light, and it concerns me that I couldnt lunge before hand, or exercise between w/ends, and if we do hit problems, I cant work through them.
So, someone suggested moving her to another yard with facilities. It is very close, less than ¼m, they have a lovely indoor arena, and a large floodlight outdoor arena, horse-walker, lunge pen. There are plenty of people there I could hack out with, yard is well organised, hay/straw/haylage/feed/bedding all on site. Offer supported livery, as much help as you need (at an extra cost).
Downsides are that she would be in an individual paddock, and unless someone else moves and I can have their paddock, where she would be there are no horses that live out, so she would have to come in at night. Also my gelding would be left on his own, as everyone else at the current yard has their own horses together, and no chance of changing that. Mare took ages to settle at our yard, if I move her again, I might have to go through the same again. My work means that I often have to travel, can be away overnight or home late, and also due to an illness a few years back, Im not as fit as I should be, and do suffer with lack of energy, so I am concerned about the additional work of having 2 horse at 2 yards, one of which is stabled at night. (24/7 suits me as so much more flexibility)
I did a list of pros/cons to help, but it didn't really.... I'm still torn....
Move mare to new yard:
Pros:
Use of brilliant facilities. (large indoor & floodlight outdoor arena, horse-walker, lunge pen)
Continue to ride regularly through the winter.
Plenty of people to hack out with.
Cons:
More costly in time and money
Mare may not settle very quickly, could risk further injury/difficult to ride.
Gelding left on his own.
Mare would be on her own.
2 yards to visit.
Large yard, maybe politics etc
Stay where I am-
Pros:
Horses together for company.
One yard to go to.
Mare stays settled.
Small friendly yard.
Very reasonable costs.
Cons:
Mare will only be, at best, kept ticking over until spring, at worst turned away.
Not confident about hacking once a week on a young un-educated horse. (hence if problems, turning away until spring)
Difficult to arrange company for hacking.
So any advice or input or suggestions welcome! And well done for making it to the end if you got this far!!
Im at a lovely, quiet yard, just YO, myself and 2 other owners. Mostly horses are retired or youngsters. Horses live out 24/7/365 (we do have stables for emergencies) and we have a grass arena for riding, (which will at some point in the future have a proper surface laid) this can get hard in the summer, and will become too wet to use during the winter.
I have 2 horses, a semi-retired gelding who has to live out, and a young mare bought earlier this year. I had intended getting her out and about during the summer, as she hadnt seen much of the world, so I could keep her ticking over with hacking during the winter. They share a paddock and get along nicely.
She took a long time to totally settle, and injured herself not long after she arrived, which has set us back, (along with a few other problems) so Ive only recently started riding her regularly and only just starting to feel ok on her (she is jumpier/spookier than my old gelding) but still not hacked out yet, as I wanted to feel confident on her before taking her on the roads (major A road at the end of our lane!) but about ready now.
For company to hack out I have another owners daughter to ride my gelding, or YO on hers, but she doesnt hack often as she works shifts. So the amount of progress we can make is very limited.
So I was feeling very low a few weeks ago, as I dont feel Ive got as far as Id have liked, and with the winter closing in was worrying about what to do. Even if we get out hacking, this will only be at weekends once we lose the light, and it concerns me that I couldnt lunge before hand, or exercise between w/ends, and if we do hit problems, I cant work through them.
So, someone suggested moving her to another yard with facilities. It is very close, less than ¼m, they have a lovely indoor arena, and a large floodlight outdoor arena, horse-walker, lunge pen. There are plenty of people there I could hack out with, yard is well organised, hay/straw/haylage/feed/bedding all on site. Offer supported livery, as much help as you need (at an extra cost).
Downsides are that she would be in an individual paddock, and unless someone else moves and I can have their paddock, where she would be there are no horses that live out, so she would have to come in at night. Also my gelding would be left on his own, as everyone else at the current yard has their own horses together, and no chance of changing that. Mare took ages to settle at our yard, if I move her again, I might have to go through the same again. My work means that I often have to travel, can be away overnight or home late, and also due to an illness a few years back, Im not as fit as I should be, and do suffer with lack of energy, so I am concerned about the additional work of having 2 horse at 2 yards, one of which is stabled at night. (24/7 suits me as so much more flexibility)
I did a list of pros/cons to help, but it didn't really.... I'm still torn....
Move mare to new yard:
Pros:
Use of brilliant facilities. (large indoor & floodlight outdoor arena, horse-walker, lunge pen)
Continue to ride regularly through the winter.
Plenty of people to hack out with.
Cons:
More costly in time and money
Mare may not settle very quickly, could risk further injury/difficult to ride.
Gelding left on his own.
Mare would be on her own.
2 yards to visit.
Large yard, maybe politics etc
Stay where I am-
Pros:
Horses together for company.
One yard to go to.
Mare stays settled.
Small friendly yard.
Very reasonable costs.
Cons:
Mare will only be, at best, kept ticking over until spring, at worst turned away.
Not confident about hacking once a week on a young un-educated horse. (hence if problems, turning away until spring)
Difficult to arrange company for hacking.
So any advice or input or suggestions welcome! And well done for making it to the end if you got this far!!
) I'd keep her at the same yard that she's at now, mainly because I'd rather only go to one yard on cold, dark winter mornings and evenings, secondly because she took so long to settle and would probably be the same again.
