Big busy yard or small quiet yard for young horse?

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Abacus

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I'm considering moving my 5 year old ISH. Currently we are on a lovely private yard, only 8 stables, and fewer people. We have loads of turnout and the 4 big boys are all out together and are pretty chilled and happy. It tends to be a bit busy morning and evening but only with people turning their own horses out, etc. I never have to share the school.

The downside is that my horse reacts quite strongly to anything different around us. The track past the yard, for example, is so quiet that any traffic going down it causes him to swing his head around and watch (irritating while schooling). It's not a big deal - I get his attention back and off we go again. He doesn't do anything naughty, he's just interested.

I haven't taken him out yet to competitions and I am concerned that when we do go, it is going to blow his poor tiny brain, as he is so relaxed and used to a very quiet life. I am wondering if moving him, even just for this winter, to a noisy busy yard with lots going on might acclimatise him better to having stuff going on around him, and he'll learn to be relaxed even in a busy place.

Any thoughts?
 
Busy every time. My 4yr old came from a big yard and lived at a big breaking yard for 6 weeks then back at the original yard (I keep them at home so they see nothing really!) and when I take her places she is completely unphased by anything, I'm sure that's because she has seen it all :)
 
I think big yard too in your situation. Or a small but busy one. Ours is pretty quiet, but being a small farm, round the corner from a small housing estate, & especially with my daughter & farmers grandkids, there's enough going on to aclimatise a young horse, but enough quiet areas to get their concentration when introducing stuff. But before moving, view the yard at the time you'll be there. No point moving if it'll be quiet when you're up.
 
Thanks for that. It's better for him (although I will SO miss my lovely quiet yard)... Better get looking for the right place.
 
My horses are at home so it's a atmosphere of serene calm verses a livery yard, so with my young ones I take a fortnight and blitz them with trips , to big yards to use the school ,group clinics, trips to beach etc etc I find they quickly settle IME.
When I put in the surface in we built it in the middle of all the paddocks so they have to work with friends playing around them that's good and we work together in the school get them concerntrating , when young I lunge with an older horse walking round the school.
There's lots of ways round this issue short of moving yards.
 
For me I'd love a quiet yard with no people!

My horse however has always been on a big hectic yard. As a 4 year old in training it could be quite annoying, but I picked quiet times in the beginning to ride when noone was about.

The yard is always busy with vehicles, soldiers running around, tanks flying past, low flying helpicopters and microlights and the outdoor is next to a busy road with all sorts coming up and down.

I think this has really helped her as now at 6 for the past year she has been out competing to some big shows and is totally unphased by lorries, people, tannoys etc. She is one chilled out pony.

So as much as a quiet yard would be my ideal, I think the busy yard has really helped.

Good luck!
 
Id go for a busy yard. My rising 4 boy was on a quiet yard for the first three years and the slightest thing spooked him or made his jump, even seeing another horse out on the yard when he was would send him nuts but in between times he was bored as anything so I liked to keep him out as much as possible! In March he moved to a busier yard. Its not that busy that you cannot do anything but a lot of horses and people milling around on the yard, they also have tractors going past and he can see the road from his stable and sees buses and all sorts and now he has settled no end. They only have an outdoor arena and he is now used to seeing tractors and other horses going past the top of the arena and is doesnt bother him. As opposed to being on his hind legs and flitting around when he saw another horse out he is now happy to go and stand there quietly or, if its is new girlfriend (a pretty little arab mare) he just wants to go and say hello. It may take a while to get used to things but a busy yard is sooo much better.
 
I bought my current pony as very green 5 year old, he had pretty much spent all 5 years of his life out in a field and really wasn't used to yard life at all!

I moved him straight onto my yard which houses 150+ horses as it is a riding school and livery yard combined, he had no choice but to get used to it! :D

I have never actually had a problem with him adjusting to the yard, he just got on with it- bless him!
 
Busy yard!

My broken 4yo was from a yard which was literally a few stables in a field.

She had never seen traffic, etc. So when I brought her to my current busy yard, everything was scary- cars, vans, drills, kids on bikes etc!

Luckily, she is doing fab now and I can hack her, take her to shows etc, but I do feel if she was on a busy yard from the start, she wouldn't be phased by as much.

Lorrys at shows blow her mind tho, which is a right PITA as you have to hang onto her every time one starts up/drives by!
 
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