Another which livery would you choose thread (sorry)

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Ink splotch

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(Posting under my 2nd account so as not to cause offence to anyone with my yard descriptions)

I'm looking at yards due to a change in circumstance, but I just can't seem to find the perfect yard.

Which of the following would you choose? My priorities are being able to ride all year (schooling mainly winter and hacking & schooling in summer) , and allowing my horse as much t/o as possible whilst still keeping her weight down. Also not going bankrupt in the process. Cost is a fairly important factor, but there is no point keeping a horse cheaply and then not being able to do anything with it. Time is also a factor as I work longish hours.

££££ = I would struggle to afford, £££ = ouch but doable, ££ comfortable, £ - cheap :-)

Yard A

12 miles from home and 25 from work. Assisted DIY. Very well run and well maintained smart yard. Floodlit all weather school, 5* off road hacking. 24/7 grazing summer and good grazing winter unless it gets very bad. Winter £££/ Summer ££ to £

Yard B

4 miles from home and 20 from work. DIY (no help). Laid back "rustic" yard (ok it's a bit scruffy and run down) Sand surface with lights and limited off road hacking. 24/7 grazing summer. Fields can get boggy in winter. Cost £

Yard C

8 miles from home and 13 from work. Full Livery. Tidy yard but I'm concerned about a loss of control ("we do it this way") Hacking is all road work and sand school has no lights ££

Yard D
2 miles from home and 15 to work. Part livery (DIY at weekend) Floodlit school, nice hacking. Seems a very friendly yard. ££££

Yard E - keep looking!

Thanks for any guidance :)
 
Yard A for me. It's got the facilities you need to enjoy your horse plus as it's assisted, in the dark winter months you can manage your time and travel to suit you, rather than belting all over the place to be there twice a day.

I don't think you'd enjoy yard 'B' even if it's cheap, I agree about yard C - not only if you're worried about loss of control; but also with the limited nice hacking and no lights, winter may still be a struggle to enjoy your riding.

Yard D would be my second choice, but not to the extent of making you worried about money.
 
Yard A is probably the best option but the travelling will be expensive in fuel and time, so may limit your riding during the week especially in winter with more jobs to do.
B no help could be difficult in winter , again a fair journey on a working day.
C I am surprised full livery is only ££, you would not be able to ride winter evenings and limited hacking at weekends mean not much variety, especially if the turnout is not great the horse could be bored.
D sounds the best option but is ££££, you really need to find out what is included as it may work out less than you think if it is all inclusive and less travelling at weekends at least.

I would keep looking unless option D stacks up financially when everything is taken into account .
 
A sounds a good option but you will be spending quite a bit in fuel and time.

D much closer therefore you will be saving quite a bit in both fuel and time. fuel obviously hits your pocket but you need to factor this in when comparing the price of the 2 yards. time is very important in the winter especially if the weather is bad so IMO the closest yard would be the favourite as long as it had similar turnout to A
 
Are you sure that the location of Yard D wouldn't actually cancel out the travelling costs to Yard A, therefore making the extra cost at Yard D less traumatic? It's between A and D for me...
 
Thanks everyone for your replies

It's interesting to read your responses taking my emotions out of it.

Just a few more facts..

I have done my sums and worked out the average monthly costs including fuel, stable and grazing, feeds, hay and bedding and trailer storage. Where I would do a job i.e muck out on DIY I have called it zero but I have included something for paying someone to look after my horse when I go on holiday where it isn't included. I have also included rush hour times to travel between work and yard

Yard A - £286 per month (45 mins from yard to work, 20 minutes from home 1 visit per day )
Yard - £199 per month (25 mins from yard to work 10 minutes from home 2 visits a day)
Yard C - £265 per month (28 min from yard to work, 15 minutes yard to home 4 or 5 visits per week )
Yard D - £327 per month (30 mins from yard to work , 7 minutes yard to home, 5 or 5 visits per week)

Does this change anyones view?
 
Absolutely. I would say costs between A and D are negligible and it will repay you in leaps and bounds with the least travelling and great people to spend time with :)
 
I personally would rather be on DIY having had an awful experience on Part livery. At a push I could cope seeing my horse once a day, so I would possibly be OK with assisted DIY, but would need to learn to trust them first. I'd also want the yard to be close enough to home to either walk or cycle there if required (it's happened to me before). So A or B for me, but A is possibly a bit far away. I'd also look for an option E and see if there's anything else out there.
 
If you're asking this question, may I suggest none are ideal and you maybe need to stay put if that's possible, and find something that is perfect, or be prepared to accept the one that sits happiest with you, and continue looking so you move twice.
I am with Faracat that i do not like full livery, nor seeing my horses twice, at least, daily.
Good luck what ever you decide.
 
still think its between A & D, but having my horse very close is more important to me so as I said previously as long as the turnout was equal to A, then I would choose D. HOWEVER its not me choosing so good luck with whichever you choose...
 
I had the same conundrum recently, as a quick comparison current yard worked out to be £55 a week (when hay/straw/feed was counted in) no services offered, 9 miles from home/work, 24/7 T/O in the summer but recently in the winter as it has been wet, the horses have been stabled for a weeks at a time, as there are no lights on the school then exercising was not an option during the week, so super fresh horse at the weekends. No riding all winter during the week due to the lights etc. Anyway lovely yard in general with good hacking. New yard is assisted DIY £80 a week (all feed, shavings which is 3 bales a week, hay included), floodlit fab school plus a horse walker, they turn out and get in, no 24/7 T/O but that doesn't bother me, plus in winter they go out every day but are brought in at lunch if the weather is rubbish. It's just 3 miles from home. I figured that being able to ride all winter and spend less time travelling to and from the yard was worth the extra £25 a week. The staff are really friendly and when I dropped in unannounced everything was as it should so feel confident that my horse will be well cared for. In your situation I would really consider D.
 
Ok, so here is some more info..

A is my existing yard. I have been there a number of years. I changed jobs in February and the yard is now in the opposite direction to work. Also, costs have been creeping up and I can only afford the winters by saving up over the summer. March and April were a bit of a struggle before the horses went out for summer as I had to drive 20 minutes in the wrong direction, sort my stable, turn out and leave before 7.30 to get to work on time. I was paying extra to have her brought in so I did not have to go back later I also took a salary cut when I changed job as I was so unhappy at my previous job it was making me ill, so I was really hoping I could find a yard where I would save money as paying more would really put the pressure on financially. I do occasionally cycle to the yard in summer but it takes an hour and is only feasible at weekends.

Having given D a lot of thought I could afford it over winter, but would then have to move again in the spring to somewhere cheaper. I don't really want to do that as it would unsettle my horse. I really want to find a long term solution.

C I have definitely ruled out. I wouldn't know what to do with myself with a horse on full livery and the school has no lights.

I haven't ruled out B. To be honest it's looking more and more attractive

E - I went to look at a further yard this morning which seemed ideal on paper. It's halfway between work and home and very affordable especially as they would turn out and bring in every day for me. The only issue is that I have been told that the school can be out of action for most of the winter as it always seems to either be flooded or frozen.

I'm keeping looking. I will be an expert on every yard within a 15 mile radius at this rate.....
 
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Flooding of the school is not that bad - The horse will be fine in the water even if it's just 15mins. Frozen not so much. They may want to get the drainege re-done if it's like that every winter. Whats the hacking like at E?
 
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