Dilemma! Pls Help.

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Amaretto

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Situation as follows:

Work full time, staying away a couple of times per month and regular late finishes. Sometimes weekend/evening work to catch up on. Hence pony is on a kind of livery arrangement, where his sundries are catered for and he gets mucked out/fed etc to an immaculate standard and treated in a way I would expect to ensure stable manners etc.

Doesn't include help with turnout, rug changes, exercise etc. If I want him to go out, I have to go up to the yard to make it happen. That's just the way it is as it's a huge farm and would create a lot of work for my yard owner. This is fine and I accept this condition (which was explained at the start and reflected in the price), so please don't comment on that. It's 3.5 miles from home.

Additionally, he needs work to stay sane and quality work too, as he is 6, sharp and I want him to continue to progress along the right trajectory. So when I have time away, I've got to go through a bit of pain to get a lovely horse back, lol!

Current yard is brilliant in that I have good friends on there and pony is happy.

However, if you found a livery arrangement that includes:

-regular year-round turnout
-help with turnout
-appropriate correct exercise if I need assistance
-monarch stables
-horsewalker
-solarium
-indoor
-winter turnout
-client kitchen/bathroom
-60x40m outdoor
-off road hacking
-hot wash

Would you go for it? Even if it's a 45 min drive from home, and an hour from work (so means an hour and 45mins drive after work in total)? I wouldn't be able to get there for 2 days per week on average. so the distance might not be so much of an issue.

How many of you go the extra mile(s), literally, or would you rather have them close to home?

Head mashed at the moment, as so stressed out with work/family commitments that I can't see the wood for the trees with regards as to what is right for me and my pony.....please throw some sense into the equation lovely people!!!
 
what i want to know is where the new potential place is?!! think it might be somewhere that i was very interested in but in the end i decided that i just couldn't face travelling that far in the evenings.... even if it meant indoor school etc etc.... why don't you have a look at my yard? in many ways its not perfect but the people are very nice and whilst the jobs done are basic it does involve turnout and rug changes. i don't go up 2x days per week they charge me £5 for these days- i leave them nets and feeds made up in my tackroom and then they turn out in the morning, muck out and then bring back in around 4pm. yes its a bit earlier than i'd like but it means i don't have to worry.....
 
If you're that stressed then the last thing you need to worry about is your horse!!! I moved last summer to a yard that is further from home, however the level of care is second to none (I too have a very full time job and stay away frequently)......before I moved I was a stress head, I always wondered whether things were being done etc (not that you have this problem), however the move has meant that I don't need to stress about the horse, I know he's turned out til he's had enough (ie he shouts at the girls to get him in ;)), he's always clean, has a super stable and is basically cared for as tho he is one of their own. No drama :)

What my ramblings are trying to say is that distance is no object if you can stop stressing about your horse's.....believe me, I've been there :)!!!
 
i drive that long to get to my 2 on DIY!! its worth it for me however because i get 24/7 turn out all year. i do mornings and my friend does evenings. Only you can tell if its worth it for you and your horse but it can work :)
 
There are lots of people in and around London doing those journeys, perhaps not equal in distance but certainly in time.

It is one of those questions that no one can really answer for you, though. You have to factor in fuel (a bigger issue now than in the past) and wear and tear on your car, as well as the cost of your own time. Also give some thought to how it will work on your weekends/days off when you have more time to ride but are still looking at losing 1 1/2 - 2 hours of your day to travel.

Have you looked to see if there is any way you can split the difference, perhaps somewhere closer to home he could still be on at least part livery, even if you made separate arrangements to have him ridden? I always have a couple of horses on my books for people in situations like yours, where I travel to their livery yard to ride the horse on the days they can't or on a regular schedule. It's obviously usually more cost effective to have the work done by the resident trainer/rider but if it means less travelling or a lower livery cost or some other saving, it can work out most effectively. It also means someone is checking up on the horse.

Peace of mind is worth quite a bit, if you ask me. I don't come from a DIY culture, so I'm sure that colours my perception, but having a situation for your horse where you don't have to worry and it's not a disaster if you don't get up for a few days can be a massive weight off for a busy person with lots of commitments.
 
Hello,

My yard is about 30 mins in rush hour away from my house and i do find the travel tough especially at peak times. my horse however is on DIY livery and the Yard manager/Owner is very helpful.

I would advise you if you think it will be easier to look after your horse. With things like changes of rug etc to move to the yard with more assistance further away from you.

or ask someone else at the yard you are currently at (even another livery.)if they would help you if you gave them say £30 a month for things like changing rugs assisted turn out etc. (this is probably what you will spend on petrol going to the other yard anyway.)

another idea is you could get a sharer who shares the same goals at you which could help you out both financially but also with care of your horse.

You could ask an equine college student again if you wanted to be able to have more control you could offer to pay them a little money for there assistance and they could maybe learn something from you and the way you look after your horse.
 
Not a chance of me moving if I was in the same situation as you, especially if your horse is happy. Can you not pay another livery at your current place to do your chores for you or get a friend to call in, eg freelance groom?

Having just moved back to my old DIY/part livery yard following an experience of 'full livery' I can categorically state that I will never full livery again! No riding etc was included but a lot of money for no greater peace of mind IMO. The yard was beautiful and with great facilities, but it just wasnt for me. It does depend on the YO though. Each to their own and all that.

I would think long and hard about what you do and don't need and what you can do for your horsse yourself and then look to fill the gap. You call the shots then and you're not leaving your horse to 'fit in' with someone else's routine, whatever that may be. Very best of luck :-)
 
Mine's is 25 minutes from home and 25 minutes from work (ie half way between work and home) and no I wouldn't want to travel any further than that. Depends how much the current set up is stressing you out really and what value you put on your time.
 
thats a long commute. as you are happy and the horse is happy in the current arrangement, then i am sure if you sat down and talked to yard owner and were prepared to offer reasonable financial contribution then i am sure there is someone that could turn out for you (get a in/out rug!!), or find a freelance groom locally that you could pay to TO/BI and lunge the odd time you require it. also i know its obvious but do you cut his bucket grub down when not working??
 
I think I would leave him where he is where he's happy and I wouldn't want my horse to be that far away. Could you get a sharer to help exercise him a few days a week and when you are away? That way you would get some money to help towards his keep and he would be exercised and get used to two people rather than having various people exercising him.
 
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