Another Yard WWYD

[FlyingCircus]

Will try and stick with just the facts, as there are 4 possible yards so a few options!

Yard 1 - Current Yard
Eventually for sale (Owner sadly passed)
DIY £100 PM
5 mins from my house
2 other owners
Stables, tack room, rug room, feed room
Arena
Scary road for 10 min ride then further 10 min ride to open forest (so I don't hack much!)
Individual turnout, has to come in over night in winter to save the field a bit

Yard 2 -
Part Livery £400 PM (ouch!)
15 mins from my house
8 other owners
Stables, tack room, feed room, solarium, horse walker, lunge pen
Arena
10 min ride then open forest
Group turnout

Yard 3 -
Full grass livery - £220 PM
40 mins from my house
Plenty of other owners
Access to stable, tack room
Arena
Straight onto open forest
Shared turnout with one other

Yard 4 -
DIY grass livery - £85 PM
15 mins from my house
2 other owners
Storage only for feed/few bits and pieces
No arena
Straight onto open forest
Shared turnout with 2 other ponies


My aim is to low level event (when I finally get around to having the money and time at the same time!!). I like to ride with others and find it quite lonely at my current yard as I never see anyone! Money is a factor only as much as if I spend £££ on livery, I can't afford to get lessons/clinics/compete as often. Horse ideally needs to be out 24/7 as seems to get stiff over winter.

Have no idea what to do. There are pros and cons to each! Yard 2 is lovely but mega bucks compared to the others, Yard 3 is great but so far away and Yard 4 is closeby and straight onto open forest but no arena!?

Help!

 

[Austen123]

my first choice is yard 2... if horses are your passion, why skimp on the money side and have the things you need on site, plus good hacking for when you want a brain break.

if not, Yard 4 and if you have your own transport, join a riding club so you get to go to clinics; meet people and use arenas for schooling

 

[be positive]

Yard 1 may not be an option for much longer, it could be mid winter when you get notice so I would want to move before the start of the winter.
Yard 2 offers everything you could want, the cost is reasonable if it includes bedding and hay but it is a big chunk to pay every month when you are used to £100 and buying in what you need.
Yard 3 would be my choice if it was genuinely full care so you could go once a day, journey less of an issue, and spend the time riding, the fact there is a stable, tack room etc and presumably someone on site would make it a good option.
Yard 4 sounds too basic, no storage, no arena which limits riding in the winter, it could be ok if there is plenty of grass but with 2 ponies it may be that grazing is limited and you have to provide loads of hay and feed in winter to keep weight on a horse.

I would be inclined to keep looking but plan on moving before winter.

 

[Wishfilly]

With Yard 3 would you be able to go up only once a day? At the moment, it sounds the best for your needs, but I wouldn't want a 1hr20 min round trip twice a day, and you'll obviously end up spending lots more in petrol. Is it genuinely 40 minutes or is it 40 minutes on google maps, but will actually take longer as you'll get stuck in traffic/behind a tractor etc?

Yard 3 does sound great, but I do think the journey could quickly become a PTA.

Yard 2 obviously has everything you need BUT £400 is a huge jump up from £100 a month.

I think I'd try yard 3 to start with, with a view to moving to yard 2 if the journey becomes unworkable.

 

[Louby]

Yard 2 sounds the best. The 40 min drive would put me off for definate on yard 3, I got fed up doing 20 mins each way twice a day on a previous yard and I did see a big difference in fuel costs too when I moved coser to home. I wouldnt fancy turnout with just one other horse either as depending on the set up, you could end up not being able to ride yours without having to arrange something for the other horse if it wouldnt stay out alone and vice versa.
Im presuming for £400 you get bedding, haylage? Maybe write down how much its actually costing you now with everything included that yard 2 offers. The difference may not be that much then.
I feel your pain, Im in a quandry too about yards atm. Hope you get sorted

 

[Notimetoride]

Without analysing it all too much, why not just follow your gut feeling. There will be one of those yards that just made you smile and where you felt 'at home'. That's the one.

 

[muddy_grey]

Yard 4 would be a definite no for me.
Yard 1 it is probably better to move sooner rather than having to find somewhere in a rush when it sells.
Yard 3 Would only be an option if you only had to go once a day. Also if only turned out with 1 other is it ok to bring yours in and leave the other one?
Yard 2 Would be the one I would choose, check what is included and be realistic about what you currently spend on bedding, hay, feed etc. Also don't forget the extra fuel costs of going twice a day. £400p/m is pretty reasonable for part livery. You don't mention the turn out routine, which might be a deal breaker for you

 

[FlyingCircus]

Thanks everyone

To be honest, I don't pay anywhere near £400pm all in for keeping my boy as he lives on fresh air, so I probably spend less than £300 a month in winter. So the £400 pm as well as £40 pm insurance, additional for feed, farrier, dentist, vet, etc...it certainly all adds up and would mean I can't afford the weekly lessons I currently have (and would probably have to live off baked beans!!). I suppose I also need to consider I quite like the DIY aspect too, as I like to do my own thing in my own time.

As for yard 1, it may stay open, but that is anyones guess as to if it will or not.

Yard 3 Google Maps says 40 mins but in rush hour (I work 8 - 5 ish), I suspect it could be longer. What people have said about leaving the other 1 pony out is something I hadn't thought about as mine is thankfully quite chilled and doesn't mind being alone!

Yard 4 apparently has access to a local arena, which is now swaying me in that direction! I have plenty of garage space at home to keep horsey bits and bobs and can transport kit in the car (I keep my tack at home anyway).

Thanks everyone You're defo giving me some food for thought.

 

[ceva]

I had to move when owner passed away, I only had a field to use but managed to hunt every weekend, I used to clip with a generator, wash on small area which wasn't used by the horses, night before hunting horse had neck rug, and leg bandages to keep clean, I did this for 5 years, it was cheap and cheerful, then this owner sold up and I moved again, similar set up but a small yard to use, we kept area of field for lunging and riding, when ground conditions were good, if you take up yard 4, with the money saved you could hire an arena once a week, go to training places when needed, and work your horse by schooling while out hacking, I used the kerb to leg yield my horse on a quiet road, did slow canters, or strong canters where I could, lots of working on an outline as I'm hacking along, then a nice relaxed walk home, my horse really benefited from 24/7 turn out and was so much more relaxed. with the modern rugs and stuff on the market nowadays you can manage without stabling and the horse will benefit being out moving around in open air, saving bedding cost too.

 

[Limbo1]

How much do you spend a month - current livery, feed, hay etc? Average over the year as more in winter.

Yard 3 what does part include? I understood part was everything apart from riding in which case it is good value but many yards in different areas class part in different ways.

Ask yourself what is the true difference between the two. Then can you afford it comfortably? How much are the facilities worth? I think it would be hard to keep a horse fit in the winter with no arena, even if you box out twice a week it is only being worked 4 days a week (assuming you work `normal` hours).

 

[FlyingCircus]

Yard 3 is everything but riding and hard feed.

Went to go and see Yard 4 yesterday and it was VERY basic! Running stream for water, barbed wire, field full of buttercups...so that is a no go. HOWEVER! About 100 yards down the road I happened across a yard with an indoor school, outdoor school and is literally on the forest...so trying to get hold of whoever owns that. Might be a case of turn up and ask, as the number online doesn't seem to get me anywhere.

 

[Theocat]

I wouldn't want to be doing 40 mins each way on top of 8 - 5 - it's not just the time and cost of fuel, but things like how long in the year you'll be able to hack after work in daylight.

Of those you've posted it would be Yard 2, but keep looking!