At the want of......

Tempi

Tempi

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.....starting another debate
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I was reading in H&H last week about the top riders yards, and especially about Carl Hesters yard. His yard looks stunning, however i was reading about how he has grooming areas etc as he dosent like there to be any noise around the stables were his horses are.

Personally i think its good for there to be noise etc as surely this prepares the horses for the competition environment? At my yard we've got tractors, quad bikes, dogs, people constantly going in and out and its generally a really busy yard. When Archie first arrived he was a bit blown away by it all, as he'd come from an indoor yard with nothing going on. Now he takes it all in his stride and when im out competing loud noises never bother him.

We have helicopters and low flying jets going over a lot as we're near Salisbury Plain which i think is also good for them as the Jets to sound really loud, but non of the horses on the yard are bothered about them. I was out competing recently and a Jet flew over a couple of the horses went nuts in the warmup, whereas Archie couldnt have cared less.

Surely you can over protect your horses too much? I understand his horses are worth hundreds of thousands, but surely such a quiet environment isnt preparing them for the big events such as the Nationals etc where its so busy and noisy.

But then again, i guess he must be doing something right!!!!!
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i agree about having some hustle and bustle about the place, and i happily drive my tractor in with the horses etc, but then i like the actual stables to be quiet so that they can really relax and snooze in them.
totally agree about the jets though... we're very near a major bombing range and get low-flying jets and choppers all the time, and my horses never bat an eyelid.
 
Perhaps he likes to have this quiet area at home as they get exposed to so much when they are out he feels it good for them to have some "down time" somewhere.
Just guessing.
 
I don't personally like overly busy yards and think stable areas should be relaxing for the horse. However, it would be bloody boring if there was nothing go on for them to be inquisitive about and you raise a good point about stabling away from home. Our yard is everso quiet, but at the back of it is an area that a company uses to park their JCBs, lorries, etc, so there is usually some noise going on throughout the day - also, being next to RAF Brize Norton, we cannot control the noise of hte planes
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I liked his idea of having the grooming/cool off/etc area next to the indoor school, so when the horses are out of their boxes they are part of the *life* of the yard.
 
I know this is pointless but my yard is being built like Car Hesters yard

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my daddy loves it and so do i !! then i can spy on my horses before i go to bed !! xx
 
I used to work for an international sj'er and he was of the opinion that a horses stable is their own area to relax/chill and do whatever they wanted. As such all horses were taken out of the stable to groom/tack up etc. He didn't go as far as making it a 'quiet' area though.
 
I personally like a busy yard with tractors and such like but I can see why at the top of his game Carl has gone for the set up like he has, it saves him time walking miles to do any of the work with his horses, like he said, he can control the walker from the school etc and when he finishes with the horse for the day they can go and have a good rest without being bothered. I know Carl turns his horses out so they do get the exposure of a 'normal' horse.

Crickey what would we all give for that set up or one like it?

*off to dream again*
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Would you dad like to adopt another daughter - albeit one that is quite old!!
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he he - actuallly im paying for it to be built so im not that lucky !! Just have a very picky father who has to like my design before i get to build !! especially as its his farm

But being an only child i normally get what i want !! zx
 
I totally agree with Carl- Owen is at a very busy yard,which is exceptionally busy and noisy and although he copes there, and appears calm and reasonably happy, he is a completly different horse at home where it is completly quiet and just him and the shetland. At home he is soo affectionate and cuddly, and has a look of real happiness on his face. Not so when he is living at the yard.
 
I know what you mean about hustle and bustle but i do agree that horses do need time in the day where the yard is peaceful to settle them. My youngster gets very excited when people are about which is good to get him used to but i dont want him being wound up 12 hours a day, I think there are good aspects of both! (not to sit on the fence or anything!!)
 
Its interesting.
Some horses prefer quiet some dont.
My ex race horse Arnie never truely settled at my yard at home as there was only him and my other horse to keep each other company.
Where as when he went away for a week to my trainer he loved it and settled very quickly.
I think because he'd always been brought up on a big yard he preferred it.
Where as I think Snoopy would be a nightmare on a busy yard. He likes it quiet! But isnt at all silly at an event etc he copes well.
 
I've always thought lots going on was good, until i moved Finn to a busy yard and he hated it. Weaved for England, when he had never weaved before.

Now he is in a relatively quiet barn - as quiet as it canbe with a herd of cows in the next door barn and tractors driving around outside! But he's 100% better, saying that he is generally bomb proof anyway and doesn't need exposure to things.
 
My horse never settled in a busy yard environment, but is totally chilled at his new quiet yard. Interesting how some prefer busy and others don't.
 
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I moved Corroy to a quiet yard and she hated it and started weaving. Moved her back to a really busy yard now and she is really relaxed.
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shes just odd tho
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you are so lucky!! i love your yard already!!
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well yea i am but i have to work very hard running the yard and working in London - i work 7 days a week and evenings !! but it will all be worth it when i can give up work and play ponies everyday !!!
 
Yes, i think its important for 'down time' our yard is generally busy in the mornings until 11ish, then quiet until 4ish everyday so the horses that are in get time to relax. My two have their own stables together round the back, so its actually quieter there for them than on the main yard.
 
I had my horse on a busy yard with lots of people coming and going he hated it, started taking stress colic and would roll till got himself cast. He was a nightmare to ride to completely on edge and out hacking wouldn’t walk. He is now on a yard with three other horses owned by one woman, all horse come in and go out together and its only ever the two of us. He is a completely different horse now totally relaxed and happy. Maybe a bit like people, some of us need some quiet time after a busy day at the office!!
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Our Yard is a bit of both, we are based at a very busy RS and Jumping yard but we have three different stable areas. The RS is very busy and they have adjoining stables, some of our older horses dont like it so we close them off to the public during the childrens lessons, then if any of the ponies are on a weekend break, they are moved to the livery yard to have some peace and quite.

Both the Livery and SJ yards are away from the school, so they are quite active but not too busy. You get the odd few people coming around to have a look. I think its a nice balance as there are things to keep the horses alert yet at the same time they can chill.

The SJ yard is very quiet but that is where the stallion and young horses live. They can see the outdoor school also and the grooming box and the tractor drives by to get tio the muckheap so they are exposed to that sort of thing...

There is currently a natural horsemanship clinic starting tonight and when the lady running it took a look around the yard she apparently commented that "The big grey lad beside the tack room is very content with life"
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not sure if its true or not but I like to think it suits him
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I think you're right PG, I know for a fact that when we sent Boo to the Wiegersma's he spent the first 2 weeks there completely gobsmacked!!
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He had come from our yard, which has 4 boxes and only had 2 others for company. The noisiest thing he ever came across was my son on his quad bike, which used to make him whizz round his stable and kick his heels up so they were nearly touching the rafters!! When we took him to his first hunter trial, he humped his back so much that I couldn't do any work with him.
So, he went to do some hard work at the Wiegersma's and came back a changed man! In fact, when he did his first BE back in August, I thought they'd doped him
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He was soooo laid back and has been ever since. It was certainly the making of him.
As to Carl Hester, well, like you said, he must be doing something right......
 
I think you need to find a balance and that is going to vary with each horse.

Till's is on a very quiet yard as there is just the 2 horses and its on a quiet country lane and I do wonder whether she'd benifit from being somewhere slightly more interesting as she is fine if you 24/7 but gets very bored in (or atleast did before her "reflective friend" moved in
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BUT we are both very relaxed and happy there and while it is quiet there are lots of overflying planes, tractors going up and down the road, and walkers about so she has things to think about on a daily basis and 99.999% or the time she takes no notice - builders found an old WW2 bomb less than a mile away and had to detonate it, I was up the yard, heard the bang and felt the ground shake. Madam didn't even bother to look up from the bit of grass she was munching
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so I think I probably have the balance right! She also see's so much out hacking that already she's about as close to bombproof on the roads as she's ever likely to be!

I think you have to be very open minded though about these things - what suits one horse another will absolutely hate! And I find it hard to believe that as a professional rider your yard is that quiet - with a yard full of horses, going off to and returning from events in the lorry, hay deliveries/baling etc, farrier visits..... the list is endless! that I think perhaps its better to keep things as chilled as possible as there is already enough to think about and thats before you consider that most of the horses are out competing each week.
 
My horse lives a very sheltered life. She lives in an american barn with 2 other horses, goes out on her own and only gets ridden in the arena. The yard is really quiet with not much going on. People occasionally come for lessons but the most my horse really sees is the YO strimming the weeds.
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When she goes to competitions she doesnt like it if its busy or there is something unusual going on. Sometimes I think it would do her good to be on a busy yard so she can see more of the world but TBH I dont think it would suit her. All our horses are happy and settled. We have never had a horse come to the yard and not settle. I like the idea of horses having quiet time in their stables but some horses prefer to watch the world go by. As an owner I also prefer a quiet yard where I dont have to wait to use the arena and I can whatever I want without someone getting in the way. I do sometimes miss the company though.
 
Carl's yard is bound to be very busy with lots of people coming for lessons and training, young horses, working pupils etc. The horses will be out of their boxes a lot, either for turnout, grooming and washing, riding, walker, etc, and I can completely understand wanting the stables to be calm and relaxed at all times.

On a yard where the horses spend most of their time in the stable, having lots of things going on within sight of the horses can ease boredom and keep them happier. But I still think that most horses like plenty of peace and quiet so they can snooze and eat (or is that just my horse LOL).
 
Archie likes peace and quiet to snooze and eat too - thats his main goal in life - to sleep!!!!
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I went to catch him in from his paddock the other afternoon and he was asleep by the gate - seriously, i called his name as i was coming across and it made him jump
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(just to add, i didnt realise he was dozing, as he was standing there - i wasnt being mean and disturbing his peace!!!!!)
 
I know a local lady who is like that and insists that the horses are not disturbed after they have had their dinner etc etc.....

I think the more exposed they are to noise etc, the better!
 
oh my lord !! do the horses have therapy sessions to deal with trauma of loud noises should they encounter them?!

i have had my pony at a quiet yard and now a busier one although it has its quiet days.
she is far better behaved and more relaxed at the busy one. she likes the hustle and bustle at weekends but knows when she goes to bed everyone is gone and she can chill out.
she is in 24/7 at the moment as its wet and shes mud fever prone, the yard is more or less empty from 10-3 and she just eats and sleeps then gets all excited when people start to arrive as she likes people watching.

horses are horses at the end of the day, if you pussy foot around them too much it will come back to bite you on the bum.
 
As others have said, what suits one horse may not suit another. I am aware that my horse is happier on a busier yard, with more comings and goings, where he has more to keep him interested. Having said that, I am sure that if there was too much noise 24/7 the disturbed sleep might be an issue. Probably the main issue is not necessarily just the business of the yard but the sense that a horse is happy where he is, trusts the people that handle him, feels safe and secure and thus able to relax.
 
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