Being on a yard on your own

Cop-Pop

Cop-Pop

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Does anyone else find it hard to stay motivated? I'm the only livery and YO only visits the yard for a couple of hours when I'm at work so mornings and evening Im all on my own. Sometimes I don't mind it but lately I've been finding hard to stay motivated. It doesn't help that I can't compete this year so nothing to work towards, plus yard rules state you can only ride if someone else if on the yard so most of the time I can only lunge anyways.

I'm moving yards as soon as I get a new job but does anyone have tips to stay motivated?
 
I am usually at my friends and i found i went through a stage where if she didn't ride i ended up not riding either..... for the summer i have moved to another friends for more grazing. This gave me a kick up the bum! Now i make plans to meet several friends and if i plan to ride i ride, regardless of whether i have a friend to hook up with or not.
In your postion i would decide each week what my plan is for the week - write it down and stick with it.
 
I used to be in this situation!! Ended up selling my pony earlier than intended but luckily now have my new horse on a busyish yard and wonder what on earth i was thinking really love it again!! i think just having other people around you help alot
 
I have my own yard, and love it! I can't compete this year, as I've just had an op, and couldn't do much for the past year while I waited for it, and I've found that not having anything to work for, competition wise, meant that I couldn't get motivated.

I can't believe a YO who is hardly at the yard, and only has one livery, can expect to have a rule that you can't ride when nobody else is there! As long as you have insurance surely its your problem?? Or is it because she doesn't have public liability herself?
 
Making a plan sounds like a good idea, give me something to think about while Im at work anyway :p

Mymare - I do enjoy being on my own especially after a rotten day at work but constantly being on my own is starting to get me down, especially as horse won't hack and YO won't allow other people on the yard so I can't even invite friends over.

Honey08 - as far as I know she's got insurance but the yard is very isolated. She doesn't live on site and if I have an accident it could be 24 hours before I was found so I sort of understand the rule even if it does irritate me!
 
I have my own place, bit off the beaten track so make sure OH at least knows when I'm out riding - and also what approx time I'm going to be home too.
Texting is very useful.....

I also make plans as to whats happening/where I'm going etc - something always to look forwards to :)

But I do love the peace - and finding yard as I left it (immaculate or messy :D )
 
Cop-Pop said:
Making a plan sounds like a good idea, give me something to think about while Im at work anyway :p

Mymare - I do enjoy being on my own especially after a rotten day at work but constantly being on my own is starting to get me down, especially as horse won't hack and YO won't allow other people on the yard so I can't even invite friends over.

Honey08 - as far as I know she's got insurance but the yard is very isolated. She doesn't live on site and if I have an accident it could be 24 hours before I was found so I sort of understand the rule even if it does irritate me!
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Could you suggest to YO that you can text (YO or someone else) when you start to ride the approx time you will finish to ride and then text finished. Then you could ride ?
 
No wonder you are lacking motivation. What a bizarre situation that you can't ride if on own nor are you allowed to take anyone up with you so you are not on your own.

I'd get that moving date brought as far forward as possible so you can enjoy riding again.
 
I'm on my own and most of the time I love it and wouldn't have it any other way! I've heard dreadful tales of the bitchiness and squabbling at bigger yards and woud just loath to be in an environment like that.

However.....being on my own does mean I can get de-motivated and have to force myself sometimes to get on and do things. Also, another disadvantage is that there isn't anyone to ask for help or advice etc etc and having a youngster to bring on it'd be nice to have some encouragement and moral support!

The main advantage to being at a yard would be having all weather facilities as I don't have any - which makes life a tad hard sometimes!

Off to buy a lottery ticket now :-)
 
I am also in a similar position. Just me and YO, and often I am there alone. WhenI was bringing the idiot welsh cob back into work after his winter break, I would phone a friend, OH, or parent and tell them I was riding and would contact them in half an hour and to phone me if not, and then come find me if I didn't answer!

He also doesn't like hacking alone, so I would walk him out in hand, and got a friend to come and ride my pony out with me, and gradually built him up to going on his own. It hasn't been easy but we seem to be almost there!

I didn't ride all winer though as needed company to hack out, and there is no school.
 
I'm on my own most of the time as there is just me at my (leased) field and I absolutely love it. It stays clean and tidy and I'm not sweeping up other people's mess. I can do what I want when I want . . . . I've also been the only livery at a yard (I did have four there) and that was brilliant too for the same reasons as above. Over the winter I have to be off my field so have to go into DIY livery. The most recent livery was very nice and I shall go back there this winter but I still struggle with not being my own boss (I think I'm a bit of a control freak but I just love being on my own!! Like someone said, I think I should be a hermit!!) I don't understand OP's comment about staying motivated, I don't see the connection between being on your own or with others. For me, other people are a hindrance . . . .
 
Love being at the yard on my own, doesnt usually happen though as pretty busy, but not too bothered either way! Sounds like you've got a bit of a tricky situation :(
 
i used to be on my own and loved it for about 2yrs, i then started to miss the interaction with like minded adults. i was scared to move to a big yard as i had never been at a place with more than 5 people on it.
i eventually took the plunge and moved and it was fantastic, busy yard with lots of different kinds of people from happy hackers to competition people. there was always someone around to help if needed or to talk to. but in the last 6 months the yard has gone very quiet and i'm thinking i may as well move back to being on my own as i pay alot of money to be on a yard but it feels like i'm alone.

as for staying motivated i used to just time myself doing rides and see if i could improve the time each week. i would also have my OH meet me somewhere with the kids and we'd have a picnic before i rode back home. i wasn't and still aren't into competing so it was just happy hacking for me.
 
I am just about to move to a yard by myself (at home) and while its not ideal (I was on a yard on my own previously and didn't like it) we are within boxing distance of RC and the local competition venue, so that does make the difference for me.
Can you get some lessons - that way you are not only getting something to work toweards and home-work but there's someone there to ride with??
 
I was on a grass livery before where we had our own fields that we did with what we wanted. But people were always about in their fields so people to ride with, chat to etc. I miss it now. I have a field with my house but I am in a new area, know no one and a bit depressed about it all I was planning to have Samba out competing by now, havent. So off to find livery going to look at one tomorrow. And I am on a waiting list for one down the road but I have a feeling its gonna be for a while.
 
I quite like being on my own. Only thing I miss is a weekly natter on a sunday morn when I used to hack out with the other livery!! School is always free! Everthing as I left it and nothing goes missing. I catch up with every one at the local shows! Love it!!
 
I'm usually on my own as most of the other liveries work 9-5 ish. I'm a nurse and work long days but get lots of time off! I love it that way. I avoid the messes, my horse is chilled out and I get to do as I please pretty much! I ride with my YO sometimes but I do like just doing my own thing! i don't really find motivation a problem but I do make a weekly training plan and try to stick to it!!!
 
Have gone for weeks in the past without seeing other riders. Not an issue :-)

Have a goal in mind (if you and horse are bored lunging (I would be!) get a lesson/long rein/free school/do in-hand de-spooking training/whatever).

And, if you weren't already leaving, I'd have a word about the no-riding by-self rule. As you're the only one there a variation along the lines of "call someone before and after with route an expected return time" should be possible.
 
I'm often on my own. If I'm riding something spooky/silly I'll phone a friend and tell them I'll phone after x period of time, and to worry if I haven't. If riding something sensible don't worry, but always have my phone on me. Hack solo too. To be honest, your problem isn't being on your own, it's that your YO doesn't seem to want to allow you to ride. You can't ride when she's there 'cause you're at work/she's not there for long, you can't ride when she's not 'cause you're not allowed friends and not allowed to ride on your own. Ridiculous!
 
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