Dilemma - where to go

[Sossigpoker]

I'm not very happy on the yard I'm at but finding an alternative is proving challenging .
I have found one , but the amount of mud was a bit shocking as our paddocks are pristine- but that's only because we're not allowed to turn out (more on this below).

So just wanted to get some opinions and see what people think :
Current yard:
Positives :
• Good security. Owner lives on site and electric gates
• Horse is settled in his routine and knows surroundings
• Instructor/Pro rider on site (which I have been needing a lot )
• Big arena

Negatives
• So little turn out! We haven't had paddock turn out since October, and even then it was about half a day at a time. There are too many horses here and YO doesn't think turn out is that important
• Having to ride every day and hand graze. This on top of working full time and mucking out every day is exhausting. Today once again I had to go and sit in my car and cry out of sheer exhaustion
• When there is turn out , not for even all day and there's too much grass so my horse gets a gassy belly
• Only two hacking loops , one of them too wet most of the winter
• Staff can be awkward: there is only one staff member and she is mostly ok but also can be awkward. She cuts corners where she can, like not picking out feet or soaking hay like I ask if I've asked for a day's full livery.

• YO is neurotic and can be absolutely vile! One day she's OK, next day I get screamed at (I mean proper screaming) for things like throwing a dog his ball (which was fine yesterday) or walking around the corner and spooking her horse (this is the reason why she can't get or keep staff )
• YO won't really accommodate different needs - "need to fit in with what I do kind of an attitude



New yard (potential )
Positives
• Turn out year round if I want it
• Excellent hacking
• No psycho yard owner or staff
• Very quiet !
• Horse can have own routine and his individual needs taken care of
• I'm only mucking out 2 per week for same money
• Old instructor round the corner

Negatives
• Very muddy walk way to the paddocks. Like ankle deep in mud. But they say this will be covered in the summer.
• Is there actually enough turn out: the paddocks are quite small and I'm not sure if the clay ground could sustain mine being out at night in summer and out during day in winter.
There's a Brook running past which has risen in the storm and some of the paddocks have standing water in the middle (there is a small turn out pen that will also get surfaced and you can put hay in there )
• Security : YO/manager doesn't live there and the stabled horses can be seem from the B road that goes past it (a farmer lives right next door though)
• the local hunt is vile and last time they were in the area , the bloody hounds were in the yard ! They're not very good at telling people when they will be in the area either.
• No instructor/pro on site
• Small stables, these are barely 12 x 12 (I have a 15hh cob)



I'm kind of torn, so keen to hear what others think.
Thanks ?

 

[blitznbobs]

The trade off to year round turn out is mud. Our walk ways are made roads but still get muddy in December/ jan and i wont hose them off as it just makes the mud issues worse.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Neither sounds great, is there a third option you could look into?

 

[nagblagger]

i wouldn't tolerate a vile YO, or someone compromising my horses care when i have paid them for the service, my trust would be gone! Going to a yard, not knowing what mood someone is in, is stressful when you want to go and enjoy your horse as a relaxing hobby, not sit in your car and cry.
Get out, even using yard 2 as a stepping stone to a yard 3 (when you find it). See if your horse adapts to a quieter place, if not you will then know what to look for in yard 3, the final move.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wouldn't stay at yard 1 so 2 would be my option but I would potentially be on the look out for something else as it doesn't sound the best.

Is there literally nowhere else to choose from?

 

[Sossigpoker]

i wouldn't tolerate a vile YO, or someone compromising my horses care when i have paid them for the service, my trust would be gone! Going to a yard, not knowing what mood someone is in, is stressful when you want to go and enjoy your horse as a relaxing hobby, not sit in your car and cry.
Get out, even using yard 2 as a stepping stone to a yard 3 (when you find it). See if your horse adapts to a quieter place, if not you will then know what to look for in yard 3, the final move.

I'm thinking along these lines too.
Like I know they didn't soak the hay when I was at work for two days. Cutting corners because there are too many horses and because they think it's not necessary.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I wouldn't stay at yard 1 so 2 would be my option but I would potentially be on the look out for something else as it doesn't sound the best.

Is there literally nowhere else to choose from?

I know pretty much every yard around here , and either it's only DIY (which I can't do ) , the hacking is onto busy roads only , or there's limited turn out.
There's a new yard that opened last year and I'm on the waiting list for that.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Also . My horse is really sensitive and nervous of people he doesn't know so I'm worried that a yard move will upset him.

 

[Sossigpoker]

i wouldn't tolerate a vile YO, or someone compromising my horses care when i have paid them for the service, my trust would be gone! Going to a yard, not knowing what mood someone is in, is stressful when you want to go and enjoy your horse as a relaxing hobby, not sit in your car and cry.
Get out, even using yard 2 as a stepping stone to a yard 3 (when you find it). See if your horse adapts to a quieter place, if not you will then know what to look for in yard 3, the final move.

My trust is totally gone! I won't pay for them to do him unless absolutely necessary!

 

[Horses_Rule]

I agree with the above suggestion to use yard 2 as a stepping stone. You don’t have your horse to sit in your car and cry because you’re exhausted , you have them because you enjoy and love them. The minute the horse becomes a bind or gives you that level of stress you need out- of horses or the yard if that’s the case. Don’t worry about the move , if you’re more relaxed then your horse will be too. You need to be kinder to yourself and get out of there!! You do not pay livery to be abused and if you don’t trust your yard staff then that’s a no no too.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I know pretty much every yard around here , and either it's only DIY (which I can't do ) , the hacking is onto busy roads only , or there's limited turn out.
There's a new yard that opened last year and I'm on the waiting list for that.

I would go to yard 2 for now my horses wouldn't cope without winter turnout, horses generally don't care about mud like we do.

Plus it's coming into spring so it will dry out and if your on a waiting list something hopefully will come up before the winter.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Could you not use a freelancer at a DIY yard might be something to consider?

 

[Sossigpoker]

Could you not use a freelancer at a DIY yard might be something to consider?

I just don't like the dynamics on a DIY , I prefer somewhere with some management.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Personally I'd rather have a tonne of mud than no turnout. All year turnout would be my number one priority hence mine just live out all year as there is nowhere local that guarantees this one yard. I have to sacrifice an arena and so on but the horses are happy.
Yard two might be a good stop gap??

 

[Sossigpoker]

I keep going from "yes I'm definitely leaving for yard 2" to "is it really a good move ?"

I've been in a similar set up as in with lots of mud, but on a working farm , and my horse at the time thrived.
I'm just used to my grey horse being clean and no mud ,so the wetness is shocking . But then , my horse hasn't had paddock turn out in 4 months!

 

[BatHorse]

I wouldn't tolerate being screamed at by anyone or no turnout for my horse. Just based on that I'd move.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Just spoke to my partner and I'm leaning towards moving to yard 2 as a stop gap , at least it would get my horse out overnight in the summer.

 

[Merry neddy man]

See if there are any others yards on www.*******.co.uk and www.*******.co.uk

 

[Sossigpoker]

See if there are any others yards on www.*******.co.uk and www.*******.co.uk

I have and I know them all ?

 

[SO1]

Go to yard 2.

If it is too muddy for you in the winter to feel happy with turning your horse out you would be no worse than where you currently have your horse with regard to turnout but at least you would not have the issue with the YO and you might not be so exhausted as you would have 2 days a week not mucking out.

Unfortunately where there is soil and multiple horses walking on it in winter there will be mud. Very few walkways to fields will be artificial surfaces

 

[Sossigpoker]

The turn out looks similar to this with the track leading to it just mud (but will be surfaced in the summer ).
(This is just a photo I found, it is not from the yard and this horse isn't on the yard either, this is just an example)


Nothing happens when I attach the file - how do I post a photo ?

 

[Sossigpoker]

Go to yard 2.

If it is too muddy for you in the winter to feel happy with turning your horse out you would be no worse than where you currently have your horse with regard to turnout but at least you would not have the issue with the YO and you might not be so exhausted as you would have 2 days a week not mucking out.

Unfortunately where there is soil and multiple horses walking on it in winter there will be mud. Very few walkways to fields will be artificial surfaces

That's a good point. There's a little turn out area which will also have like an arena surface on it. And hay allowed. Whereas my current little turn out area can't even have hay put out in it!

The security concerns me as I'm used to such good security, groom living on the yard and electric gates to get in.
I'm paranoid someone would go in and do something to my horse or steal him.?

 

[Pippity]

Also . My horse is really sensitive and nervous of people he doesn't know so I'm worried that a yard move will upset him.

I worried about that with mine. Since moving, it's like she's taken a deep breath and relaxed. I thought she was settled at her old yard, but it was nothing compared to her new yard.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I worried about that with mine. Since moving, it's like she's taken a deep breath and relaxed. I thought she was settled at her old yard, but it was nothing compared to her new yard.

That's great to hear! I'm such a worrier that I'm probably fretting over nothing. Yes he was a nervous wreck when I first had him but that was 18 months ago , he knows and trusts me now and new yard is only 8 miles from my house and I will be there every day to start with to help him feel confident.

 

[laura_nash]

The security concerns me as I'm used to such good security, groom living on the yard and electric gates to get in.
I'm paranoid someone would go in and do something to my horse or steal him.?

Horses are very rarely stolen. Attacks are slightly more common, but still very rare. I would be more worried about your tack from a security point of view. Groom living on site is good for picking up colic etc though only if the groom actually checks and can recognise things. Are there sufficient closed gates between the stabled horses and the B road that a loose horse will be stopped before getting onto the road? That was always a consideration for me.

 

[chaps89]

Go to yard 2.

If it is too muddy for you in the winter to feel happy with turning your horse out you would be no worse than where you currently have your horse with regard to turnout but at least you would not have the issue with the YO and you might not be so exhausted as you would have 2 days a week not mucking out.

Unfortunately where there is soil and multiple horses walking on it in winter there will be mud. Very few walkways to fields will be artificial surfaces

This.

Whilst I don’t generally like horses turned out into mud pits, there’s very few places that at this time of year, and after our recent storms, where, if the horses are turned out, the fields would still look good.
Plus he won’t be out in it 24/7, he has somewhere to come in.
Likewise your concerns about stable size, if he’s out daily that’s not such a problem.

Staying at yard one is not sustainable, when you reach the crying in your car stage it’s time to move! Trust me, been there and done it and won’t try to stay somewhere that makes me feel like that again.

Yard 2 might not be perfect but it doesn’t sound awful. If nothing else it gets you away from where you are now.
We’re coming into the better which will help with the field conditions.
And really, people don’t go around stealing horses. You might get broken into and have things stolen but highly unlikely to be your horse.
And tbh I’ve known of and had break ins happen on yards where people have been on site, it doesn’t make a difference to those who know what they’re doing!

 

[Sossigpoker]

Horses are very rarely stolen. Attacks are slightly more common, but still very rare. I would be more worried about your tack from a security point of view. Groom living on site is good for picking up colic etc though only if the groom actually checks and can recognise things. Are there sufficient closed gates between the stabled horses and the B road that a loose horse will be stopped before getting onto the road? That was always a consideration for me.

I'd keep my saddle at home and only keep the rugs I need there for that reason. Yes there is a 5 bar gate that is always shut apart from when cars come in or go , and obviously locked at night. And CCTV.
A yard without a gate between it and a road is a huge no for me too.

 

[Ratface]

Is there electricity at yard 2? Would the owner let you fit a small camera near your stable?
I keep Old Horse at a small private yard at the end of a lane. It's in the remote depths of the country, and a public right of way goes through the land and past the stables. There are motion-triggered floodlights, cameras, heavy-duty chains and padlocks. Equally heavy-duty guard dogs patrol the 14 ft high perimeter chain link fencing, smiling nastily and shouting insults at passers by.
I have always worried about Old Horse's overnight safety. He and his companions are unsupervised for eight hours.
However, he has ten hours of daily turn-out, (unless the weather is dangerously foul,) the dog guardians are loud and vocal and there is a competent neighbour next door.
I think daily turn out is necessary for equine health and welfare, unless horses are in steady and regular work, or are on box rest under veterinary supervision.
I hope you find a yard that suits both you and your horse.
In my experience, sitting in one's car crying because of being chivvied by yard bullies, is a short journey to mental ill-health.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Yes there's electricity and she probably would - thanks for the tip!
The turn out can't be seen from the road so I'm less concerned about that as it's all to the back of the property and there's a big hedge blocking the view from the road.

 

[Birker2020]

The turn out looks similar to this with the track leading to it just mud (but will be surfaced in the summer ).
(This is just a photo I found, it is not from the yard and this horse isn't on the yard either, this is just an example)


Nothing happens when I attach the file - how do I post a photo ?

Put a photo on a blank page on MS Word and crop around it then cut and paste under your text is how I do it. All the photos on my phone won't transfer across as they are too big.