Another which yard?

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lhopkins_

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I know these are a common occurrence on here but reading past posts have not helped me decide what to and I am getting quite stuck with what to do.

Bought my gelding 18 months ago, moving him from 24/7 turnout to a yard which I had not originally wanted to go to buy it was the only yard with a space at the time, where he is stabled at night. At first he was a nightmare to stable (weaving and box walking) but had slowly improved even though we do have an issue very now and again. The yard is very busy ( lots of young children who run around causing havic) with about 30 horses, and you never know who's coming or going. Last summer was a nightmare, and he spend a majority of it very stressed out, and with more children with ponies now I am dreading the upcoming summer. The hacking is ok, but a lot of it requires going on roads. We have a nice ménage. The main positive for me which is keeping me there at the moment is all year turnout, but the grazing and fencing is rubbish. It's a 7 miles trip both ways.

I have now been offered a space at a small private yard with the instructor I learnt to ride with and have just starting taking my horse to have lessons with. She only has around 10 horses, 2 of which are liveries, the rest are hers. She usually only does full livery but we have been offered flexible part livery as they know us so well. The facilities are fantastic, lovely stable, 20x60 floodlit dressage ménage and endless hacking as she is situated on the edge of a woods. To add to that, it is only a 3 mile trip both ways. The big problem is though is that she has limited turnout. The grazing and fencing is fantastic, but with limited land the horses can not go out all day. In the winter they go out for a couple hours a day unless the weather is horrendous, then they won't go out at all. In the summer they go out for longer, but I will not be able to get him out all day. Overall, it has better facilitites, lovely owners who really care for their horses, it is so much quieter with no children, and it is closer to home

If he was any other horse I would move straight away, but because of the issues we had with stabling when I bought him, I am so scared that have that limited turnout will send him mad. The second yard is everything I've wanted since I've bought him and I know the owners so well it would be so ideal. Would other people sacrifice the all year turnout that does not have great grazing for somewhere with limited turnout but better grazing? I just don't know what to do.
 
Maybe it was being stabled on a big busy havoc type yard that was his problem not being stabled per se. A smaller quieter yard with a routine may well suit him. And he knows you - last time it was all new to him.
 
lhopkins_ said:
I know these are a common occurrence on here but reading past posts have not helped me decide what to and I am getting quite stuck with what to do.

Bought my gelding 18 months ago, moving him from 24/7 turnout to a yard which I had not originally wanted to go to buy it was the only yard with a space at the time, where he is stabled at night. At first he was a nightmare to stable (weaving and box walking) but had slowly improved even though we do have an issue very now and again. The yard is very busy ( lots of young children who run around causing havic) with about 30 horses, and you never know who's coming or going. Last summer was a nightmare, and he spend a majority of it very stressed out, and with more children with ponies now I am dreading the upcoming summer. The hacking is ok, but a lot of it requires going on roads. We have a nice ménage. The main positive for me which is keeping me there at the moment is all year turnout, but the grazing and fencing is rubbish. It's a 7 miles trip both ways.

I have now been offered a space at a small private yard with the instructor I learnt to ride with and have just starting taking my horse to have lessons with. She only has around 10 horses, 2 of which are liveries, the rest are hers. She usually only does full livery but we have been offered flexible part livery as they know us so well. The facilities are fantastic, lovely stable, 20x60 floodlit dressage ménage and endless hacking as she is situated on the edge of a woods. To add to that, it is only a 3 mile trip both ways. The big problem is though is that she has limited turnout. The grazing and fencing is fantastic, but with limited land the horses can not go out all day. In the winter they go out for a couple hours a day unless the weather is horrendous, then they won't go out at all. In the summer they go out for longer, but I will not be able to get him out all day. Overall, it has better facilitites, lovely owners who really care for their horses, it is so much quieter with no children, and it is closer to home

If he was any other horse I would move straight away, but because of the issues we had with stabling when I bought him, I am so scared that have that limited turnout will send him mad. The second yard is everything I've wanted since I've bought him and I know the owners so well it would be so ideal. Would other people sacrifice the all year turnout that does not have great grazing for somewhere with limited turnout but better grazing? I just don't know what to do.
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its turnout for me every time! I think it will always play on your mind if the weather turns bad for weeks and your horse cannot go out,if you move to the new yard--my advice is to stay where you are and look for another yard
 
I'd go!! As Arzada says above a quieter yard with routine may suit him down to the ground. A few years ago I moved to a yard with no winter turnout, have to say I was dreading it but all the horses were chilled and happy, they settled into a routine great. I am now on a yard which has winter turnout, needed for my unbroken young horse but its been hard work battling mud and now shes got a bit of mud rash. My only hmmm would be limited turnout in Summer, personally I nearly always bring in either over night or during the day when the flies are at there worse but Id want to know what 'not all day' means, for me I'd like them out at least working hours and not just a couple of hours if possible.
 
Not a chance - you have a horse who is already stressed by lack of turnout and you want to move him to a yard with less turnout? And actually, a quiet yard with less turnout is often worse as less to watch going on.
If there is no alternative I'd stay with the first yard that offers more turnout. To not even offer all day summer turnout it poor - and indicates she is trying to take on more horsesthan she has land for.
 
Would the new yard be able to offer turn out on a surfaced pen for part of the day as well as field? I was on a yard with limited turn out but the owner put in a big surfaced area and the horses could also go out into that as well as the field for part of the day to eat hay and mooch.
 
I would move. I had always been on yards previously with all year turnout (not 24 hour though) and my mare could quite often be difficult to get into a stable and my daughter's mare was quite edgy on the last yard we were at. However, the opportunity arose to move both to a yard where a couple of friends were which has very limited (if any) winter turnout which I was quite apprehensive about especially bearing in mind my mare was 23 when we moved. (There were probably about the same number of horses at both yards.) However, from the first day we moved onto the new yard both horses were totally settled and have not been fussed at all with the lack of winter turnout. They do have plenty of hay though to keep them happy. When they don't go out in the field they get turned out with a couple of friends in the indoor school to have a mooch and a play and get up to a bit of mischief. And, in fact, when they are turned out in winter they tend to spend most of the time standing by the gate waiting to come back in (after they have had a good roll to cover themselves in mud, lol). We have been there for 5 years now and my mare have never been better (she is now 28 and still occasionally jumps over the metal 5 bar gate if she doesn't want to wait to come in) and the only issue we have had with my daughter's mare is with slightly filled hind legs from the lack of turnout which seems to have been stopped this year by using a magnetic fetlock band. In the summer they can live out although I still bring both ours in over night.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. After a long chat with the YO, going through every detail I have decided to move. The YO promises to get him out as much as possible in the summer, and we have a good routine sorted for when we lack turnout in the winter. I do generally believe it will be better for both of us, he hates a busy yard and this one is so quiet I think he will settle nicely. And I'm so excited for the unlimited hacking I'll have available and their gorgeous ménage!

Next step now is the big move at the end of the month! I've never moved a horse (except when I bought him) before so any advice on that is much appreciated!
 
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