Distance to livery yard and other compromises

[HelenBack]

Just thinking things over at the moment but am wondering whether the time has come to find a new yard. Current yard is really close to home and has probably the best hacking in the area but isn't really meeting my needs in other ways and I find it quite stressful there at times.

If I move I know I will definitely have to go further away and the hacking will be not as good/ possibly quite limited. On the other hand I can probably get better facilities elsewhere. Turnout options vary but probably all involve some form of compromise one way or another. Some of the better yards are probably about half an hour away and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

So I know answers will vary widely but I'm just wondering how far you all travel to your yards, what type of livery you have, what compromises you have had to make and what you don't like to compromise on.

The perfect yard definitely doesn't exist round here so please don't gloat if you have that on your doorstep!

 

[throwaway2022]

Could have written this myself! I know there’s always going to be some form of compromise but I feel like there are no decent options locally. If it were just myself there’s one or two I’d go to but it’s hard having a young daughter who’s also horsey as it needs to meet her needs too ??‍

 

[quiteniceforacob]

I travel 30 mins but am on full livery. You need to weigh up what you’re willing to compromise and that varies by person I think!

 

[Bobthecob15]

DIY or full etc? It will make a difference whether you are going every day, twice a day or 4 times a week etc. We were 30 mins away but were part then full livery so went down 4 times a week ish...it still felt like a trek but was doable. I used to keep my horse on assisted DIY a good 35-45 mins away when I lived in London so I went once a day every day...cost me a fortune in fuel and time! But it was the best option I had and no kids at the time etc... Its really up to you to decide what you are happy with. We are now 8 mins from ours on full livery which feels so much easier around a busy family life X

 

[Kat]

I would move further away for better turnout and hacking but those are things I would be very very reluctant to compromise on so I wouldn't travel further for less good turnout or hacking.

The other thing to consider is whether it is in the right direction of travel for other things, if it is half an hour from home but five minutes from work then that is much more bearable than being half an hour away from everything or worse half an hour from home in the opposite direction from work so you have to drive past home to get there.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I would move further away for better turnout and hacking but those are things I would be very very reluctant to compromise on so I wouldn't travel further for less good turnout or hacking.

The other thing to consider is whether it is in the right direction of travel for other things, if it is half an hour from home but five minutes from work then that is much more bearable than being half an hour away from everything or worse half an hour from home in the opposite direction from work so you have to drive past home to get there.

Oh yes I totally agree with this, if it's near work etc that makes a big difference too.

 

[HelenBack]

I would move further away for better turnout and hacking but those are things I would be very very reluctant to compromise on so I wouldn't travel further for less good turnout or hacking.

The other thing to consider is whether it is in the right direction of travel for other things, if it is half an hour from home but five minutes from work then that is much more bearable than being half an hour away from everything or worse half an hour from home in the opposite direction from work so you have to drive past home to get there.

What about if further away got you better turnout but not so good hacking? This is likely the conundrum I'm going to face and I think it's quite likely one or the other would have to give ?.

Thankfully I work from home so that makes things easier but there are some areas that I just wouldn't want to keep a horse in for various reasons so that limits things too.

 

[MereChristmas]

As others have said the compromises are an individual thing.

I am retired so don’t need to consider work travel and am fortunate that I have stables and land at home if needed in an emergency.

My yard is 18 miles, 1/2 hour drive, away. There are some closer but my top priority was, not in any order, full livery with at least 1/2 day turnout every day, a rider to restart if I’m away for a while and good hacking.

Closer yards lacked some or all of these.

I am not interested in horsewalkers, indoor or outdoor schools etc. If I want schoolwork I go to lessons.

I do wish the yard was closer but I know giving up my essentials would cause more trouble and worry.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I think for me it would depend on how good the turn out now is. I couldn't justify no turn out but I ride mainly to hack so would be equally as sad without good hacking so would perhaps compromise on half day in winter if they went out everyday or there was a small paddock for the other half of the day or something - I've been on a yard with an outdoor area to their stables so they were bigger and they had some choice as to where to stand.

Where I am I have great hacking & good turn out but plenty of other compromises! I'd rather be on part livery or assisted DIY for a start, but here I am on DIY ?

I'd write a list of all the pro's and con's and go from there

 

[DirectorFury]

I keep mine on a yard that’s 21 miles from home, depending on traffic it’s anywhere from 40 mins - 2hrs each way. Full livery. I moved her down there because the hacking is far better than closer to home, and also because it’s not heavy clay (which everywhere else is) so she could have a decent turnout.

After 6 years, I still adore the yard and the YO is incredible. The commute to the yard does my head in though, and it becomes very easy to not go as often as I’d like because it sucks up so much of the day. It’s also really painful whenever fuel prices go up - my car does 65mpg but that’s not much consolation when diesel shoots up from £1.30 to nearly £2 a litre!

It’s only 4 miles from work (~15 min drive) but since Covid I WFH every day, largely due to the hassle of the commute, so that’s not much help either.

I’d never move her from there, it turns out a sane YO that you trust implicitly is a very rare thing , but I don’t know that recommend a yard so far away to someone.

Very late edit: I'd move closer to the yard if I could but to get an equivalent house/plot within a 20-minute drive of the yard would cost the best part of £800k - £1 mil. My house cost 10x less than that within the last 10 years!

 

[meesha]

Mine were 5 miles away (about 15 mins) now they are walking distance. Saves me 20 miles a day in car so over 7000 miles a year !!! Not just fuel saving but having to change car less often...

However, both these yards were mine so twice a day visits all year (sold yard further away snd managed to buy close to home) If I only went once a day or 3 times a week I would prob prioritise facilities over distance.

But for me, being able to nip round to the yard to check on them is invaluable. Also not needing to arrange farrier or riding to coincide with am or pm visit as 3 trips a day was mental.

 

[ihatework]

There aren’t actually that many options around me, which limits things somewhat.

There is a fairly nice diy yard about 5 mins away, but I have chosen one about 15-20 mins away because there is more off road hacking, a bigger school and just a more proficient bunch of like minded liveries.

I travel 20 mins in the opposite direction for turnout. Again worth it as the land is ideal and can share checks with others.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Our biggest issue is we are in rural Herefordshire...most people with horses here have a farm so keep them at home. Livery yards with an arena are like gold dust! It's so hard when you are so limited with choices and I'm not driving more than 30 mins I just don't have the time ? lots of the yards that did exist shut down with covid..my horsey friends with farms just don't get it...!

I hope you find something suitable x

 

[AntiPuck]

I currently travel 21 miles each way or 40 mins for 24/7, 365 herd turnout and excellent hacking, as those were my two priorities and very few places could offer them - will be moving house shortly to bring that down to 12 miles each way, or about 30 mins.

I work from home, though, so don't mind travelling too much, I just stick a podcast or audiobook on and make the most of the time - although some days it is a squeeze to fit it in. The livery i'm on means I only have to go up once per day, it wouldn't be doable if I had to go twice. To me it's worth travelling further for my horse to have a more horse-friendly environment, I wouldn't take a closer yard where she had to stand in a stable, personally, unless I absolutely had to.

 

[Zoeypxo]

I was at a yard 5 min drive from my house but the turnout was v limited in winter and in tiny individual paddocks, hacking was also not great.
I moved to a yard 20 mins drive from me for herd 24hr turnout and better hacking.

turnout is absolutely essential for me and something i would not compromise on in future even if it meant moving further

 

[Red-1]

At present, I keep mine at home but, before here, I lived in a city, worked in a different town and kept the horse in a whole different county. I did a fair bit of travelling.

There are compromises always, here is great but the winter turnout is on all weather surfaces and the hacking is safe village hacking but not a huge variety of bridleways or hill work. We can do a couple of miles off road but for much of the year that would be up to trot only. That said, I am in charge of what happens when, we have an arena, there is a nearby show centre. If I want more adventurous hacking, I box out.

In a few years I think we will be looking to downsize and move to being a livery again. We are lucky that we will have a choice of where to live, so one day I will likely be starting a thread as to 'where to live' with good hacking, reasonable priced houses and a choice of livery yards.

 

[stangs]

2h commute one way (recently averaging 2h30 thanks to the rail strikes) for assisted grass. Sacrificed on facilities and any yard community/friendships to have 24/7 turnout that doesn't get too muddy, and quiet roads to get to some decent off-road hacking.

My priority was him having a consistently good standard of living regardless of whether I was able to work him or not.

 

[throwawayaccount]

Meh.
sometimes it’s better the devil you know, and to stay put. I regret moving yards (it was 5-10 mins away, 4 miles) and new yard is 15-20 mins away but 11 miles.) which then if I need to go up twice in one day becomes a 40+ mile trip which is daft.
But there are several good pro’s at least, however I miss my old yard dearly despite some negatives

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Having had my horse 20 miles away on full livery I personally wouldn’t keep my horse that far away again. In winter it was an awful drive after work. However it might have been better had the yard owner been reliable and more people on the yard in the evenings. As it turned out I was usually the only one there.

When my horse colicked the YO went home and left me to deal with it. That was the last straw and I moved him 5 miles away. Yard politics do get me down sometimes but distance / fab hacking / AYTO and decent facilities keep me there. Plus lack of anything better anywhere else. I’ve not been on a yard that doesn’t have some compromises and as others have said it depends on your particular situation.

 

[fidleyspromise]

I travel 15 minutes (about 8 miles) and wouldn't want to do longer daily.

I had a message years ago one night at 8pm in winter my horse got a fright and jumped out. A different message 8.30am to say their gate was open and they were on the road. That 15 minutes felt like hours to get to them and ensure they were OK.

 

[mariew]

Depends. If no kids who need attention and work hours are not too crazy than a little further is ok. I find though beyond 10-15 minutes each way you really need somewhere with assistance as you could have a couple of evenings/mornings off. With dependants, the shorter the better and even then, when I'm working I realise I'll need help on those days.

 

[SEL]

At one point mine were about 25 minutes on DIY and that was a pain especially as turnout and other facilities weren't as promised. Many years ago I did a much longer trip to a great yard but they did one end of the day so that was easier (fantastic turnout, fantastic hacking but I relocated for work and quit horse ownership for a bit)

If I had a horse on full livery then I'd go further afield if turnout & facilities were what I needed.

 

[humblepie]

I am 20 minutes each way on DIY but it is on way to work so that is good. Used to be 45 minutes the other way but on full livery.

 

[Gloi]

Mine is 13miles/30 mins away on full livery (except riding). I was on supported DIY there (go once a day) until 3 years ago when I was ill and went to full and stayed that way. There is an indoor school and pretty good hacking though the best hacking means a 2+ hour ride loop.
In my youth there were good yards a lot nearer but so many have been built on now.

 

[Winters100]

I travel 25 minutes, which is further than I would like, but I love the yard, and the other liveries are just great. I have them on what I call part livery, but I think some would call it full, basically everything done except for riding / lunging (although they will put them on the walker if you want). The care is good, but there are certain things that I do myself, for example they harrow the fields rather than poo-picking, so I clean the field myself. There are several other yards closer, one about a 1 minute walk from my house, but the thing that I insist on is unlimited turnout in decent sized and properly (or at least reasonably) draining fields, and for that I need to travel. My strategy is to always look first for what the horses need, and next for what I would like. A few minutes drive from my house is a beautiful new yard with a huge indoor arena and several outdoor ones, lovely changing areas and a restaurant. I could walk there through the forest in about 10 minutes, and it would be perfect for me, but sadly the turnout is in postage stamp sized paddocks with no shade or shelter, so for the horses it would be a poor option. It is always a compromise, so I wish you luck in finding the right place!

 

[Bernster]

Turnout and horse care are my top picks. Obv hacking, school etc also great but I compromised on those for the horse care and a friendly yard (left a horrid yard so this was important). I travel 35 mins but it’s full livery and I’m near London so long commutes are more common !

 

[maisie06]

in my area the traffic is so awful a yard that is 5 miles away and should take 10 mins to get tod could up taking an hour because the county council keep shutting roads instead of repairing them, so a 5 mile journey would come as a 20mile diversion...another reason I am glad i don't have a horse, but im seriously thinking of giving up a job i love beacuse instead of my 10 to 15 minute commute it's now taking over and hour and i can't afford to keep putting in fuel just to sit in traffic.

 

[Boots*McGruber]

I travel 50 miles (1 hour) to the yard but I'm on full livery with exercise 3x days per week. I couldn't find anywhere close to me where they would exercise him when I'm working away without me organising each individual session. I've also had riders exercise him in the past who didn't really like him and I don't think he came on as well with them. The YO is very experienced and is really good with my horse so I feel comfortable leaving him but it would be lovely to have him closer to home.

 

[Snow Falcon]

5 miles/10min car journey DIY livery 24/7 turnout with fabulous off road hacking over the NF. Only downside, no school but the ponies have a shelter in every field, checked twice daily with rotated grazing, poo picked fields and company.

 

[HashRouge]

I've just moved from Sussex and was doing about 12 miles/ 20 mins each way to a yard with excellent 24/7 all year turnout, but no facilities at all. I sacrificed a lot for the turnout - my mare recently had scans and x rays done of her neck, and to get this done without taking her to the practice, meant taking her and her field mate out through a building site and down the road to a neighbouring yard. We just couldn't have done it where we were! I also really struggled if I needed to go up twice a day, though luckily my YO was always happy to help out. My work was 30 mins from home but in the other direction, which was probably the hardest thing. I'm now on a yard in a completely different part of the country, that is about 4 miles/ 12 mins from home. The turnout isn't 24/7 all year round, but it's all day in winter, which isn't that common in this area, and so far the YO and two YMs seem to have a really sensible attitude to turnout.