poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
I'm seriously wondering about moving back to livery.
I keep my horses at home. 2 horses, 2 ponies. I ride almost solely with my neighbour. for the past few years this has kind of worked, especially when I had a horse happy to go out alone as she doesn't ride in cold, wind, rain etc so Its a lot of time out over winter. Neighbour doesnt ride alone and I was reliant on her a few years bck with one that was awful alone so I do feel obligated to ride with her when she wasnts too.
New mare (6/7 mths) was doing great. We started going out with neighbour and she had started hacking out alone round the village and quieter areas. Then for one reason and another we havent really ridden since the end of October/November time regularly. Mare really annoyingly had a scare from a very fast car on a narrow road and that set her back. Friends horse and her are not really compatible at all and I'm finding the whole thing quite hard going, She is fast, forward, really likes to walk out well, but can be reactive and a little nappy. Friends is slow, never really seems to be going forward properly, He's looking and snorting at everything but a mile behind us, so I find I'm constantly having to hold back for them to catch up which isnt ideal with a horse who I want to encourage and keep going forward past things she finds scary. It also means she's on her own passing anything as he has completely backed off. So alone or with the very rare other horse we have gone with she will pass stuff but I think when he starts stopping or dropping even further behind it confirms danger so isn't ideal or conductive to gaining hacking confidence for her.
Now they have not been ridden in a while regularly coupled with the fact she became a bit nervous about traffic means I'm not wanting to put her in the position of being alone on the road until I have rebuilt that bit of confidence, this I'm certain will not be a problem but equally I don't want to rush her and scare her further.
So i wondered if I could come to some sort of deal with a friend who runs a yard, its full livery really but I help out a bit and she's in need of staff. I wondered if I said something like I'd muck out "x" stables each morning in return for a DIY box - I can provide my own hay, bedding and feed etc. No idea if she would go for that but it would give me a school, lunge area and the options of several people hacking out daily in what ever weather. So I feel like I'd be able to actually get on with things and start properly with her. If someone came along wanting to pay full price for the box of course I'd have to come back home.
However, she has moved from Pre training to a racing yard back to pre training then here to me, Had a load of dental work carried out and then lost her friend who she had become quite attached too, got palled up with another horse which went well but he's been on box rest so can't go out with her at the moment. This must have all been quite a lot for her to deal with and she seems really quite happy and settled at the moment so I am very wary of more upheavel not being good for her.
Due to the fact my other horse is on box rest she is spending most of her day stood eating hay in the turnout pen next to him. She has the option of going out to the field (open gate so entirely her choice) but rarely is. I put one of the ponies with her but they both seem to just want to stay with the other stabled 2.
At livery she would only get a few hours T/O a day and not every day. Now this would be a no from me usually as mine are turned out a lot, however a few hours solidly out is more than she is choosing now (but that's not forever)
I was told when I got her she gets upset being stabled too much so this is holding me back.
I suppose the alternative is to sit tight and ride when I can, do a bit of ground work in the mean time, a break isnt hurting her (just makes her nuts to get back on!) and as soon as the twinkle s out of her toes and she's back "in work" crack on with the lone hacking and just dont stop!
Sorry its all a bit waffly and rambled amd just an idea going round in my head. I'm not sure if its a bonus for me or her or either ot neither!
I keep my horses at home. 2 horses, 2 ponies. I ride almost solely with my neighbour. for the past few years this has kind of worked, especially when I had a horse happy to go out alone as she doesn't ride in cold, wind, rain etc so Its a lot of time out over winter. Neighbour doesnt ride alone and I was reliant on her a few years bck with one that was awful alone so I do feel obligated to ride with her when she wasnts too.
New mare (6/7 mths) was doing great. We started going out with neighbour and she had started hacking out alone round the village and quieter areas. Then for one reason and another we havent really ridden since the end of October/November time regularly. Mare really annoyingly had a scare from a very fast car on a narrow road and that set her back. Friends horse and her are not really compatible at all and I'm finding the whole thing quite hard going, She is fast, forward, really likes to walk out well, but can be reactive and a little nappy. Friends is slow, never really seems to be going forward properly, He's looking and snorting at everything but a mile behind us, so I find I'm constantly having to hold back for them to catch up which isnt ideal with a horse who I want to encourage and keep going forward past things she finds scary. It also means she's on her own passing anything as he has completely backed off. So alone or with the very rare other horse we have gone with she will pass stuff but I think when he starts stopping or dropping even further behind it confirms danger so isn't ideal or conductive to gaining hacking confidence for her.
Now they have not been ridden in a while regularly coupled with the fact she became a bit nervous about traffic means I'm not wanting to put her in the position of being alone on the road until I have rebuilt that bit of confidence, this I'm certain will not be a problem but equally I don't want to rush her and scare her further.
So i wondered if I could come to some sort of deal with a friend who runs a yard, its full livery really but I help out a bit and she's in need of staff. I wondered if I said something like I'd muck out "x" stables each morning in return for a DIY box - I can provide my own hay, bedding and feed etc. No idea if she would go for that but it would give me a school, lunge area and the options of several people hacking out daily in what ever weather. So I feel like I'd be able to actually get on with things and start properly with her. If someone came along wanting to pay full price for the box of course I'd have to come back home.
However, she has moved from Pre training to a racing yard back to pre training then here to me, Had a load of dental work carried out and then lost her friend who she had become quite attached too, got palled up with another horse which went well but he's been on box rest so can't go out with her at the moment. This must have all been quite a lot for her to deal with and she seems really quite happy and settled at the moment so I am very wary of more upheavel not being good for her.
Due to the fact my other horse is on box rest she is spending most of her day stood eating hay in the turnout pen next to him. She has the option of going out to the field (open gate so entirely her choice) but rarely is. I put one of the ponies with her but they both seem to just want to stay with the other stabled 2.
At livery she would only get a few hours T/O a day and not every day. Now this would be a no from me usually as mine are turned out a lot, however a few hours solidly out is more than she is choosing now (but that's not forever)
I was told when I got her she gets upset being stabled too much so this is holding me back.
I suppose the alternative is to sit tight and ride when I can, do a bit of ground work in the mean time, a break isnt hurting her (just makes her nuts to get back on!) and as soon as the twinkle s out of her toes and she's back "in work" crack on with the lone hacking and just dont stop!
Sorry its all a bit waffly and rambled amd just an idea going round in my head. I'm not sure if its a bonus for me or her or either ot neither!
