Hacking vs turn out which would you choose

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Hacking or turnout which yard would you chose?
Yard one
* unlimited turn out in individual fields. Feeding hay summer and winter as not much grass.
* 2x schools but large one does water log when very wet.
* on site competitions
* can hack around gallops which is a 5/10 walk but if you want to adventure out you have to cross or walk down a very busy road.
I have been here a year and only hacked once as no one seems to hack out and I'm worried to go alone

* yard managers very knowledgable and helpful. Laid back feel at the yard


Yard 2
* summer turn out day only
* winter turn out every other day in sand corrals
* 1x arena which is all weather surface and flood lights
* straight onto off road hacking
* yard owner not horsey so can
 
Yard two would suit if your horse is comfortable with every second day turnout. It's down to each individual.

For me I choose turnout over hacking every time. My mare would go crazy if she didn't get out to the field and I believe it's so important to just let horses be horses. Hacking doesn't come naturally but roaming a field does for a horse so I prioritise that.

The yard I'm in currently only has road hacking so no cantering which I miss, but turnout is amazing. In contrast my last yard had limited turn out but great hacking. I can box up and take her to the beach or nearby hacking routes if I really want to go for a burn but she's happy enough riding on the roads or else we school in the field to mix it up :)
 
Neither for me, I dont like individual turnout as standard and would not want my horses living in isolation unless there was a reason to do so, yard 2 only turn out during the day in summer which is not ideal as it means they are out in the heat/ flies I prefer to turnout over night in summer if restricted to being in part time.
Both yards sound as if they are running more for themselves than the horses and owners.
 
Same thoughts here too, I wouldn't want either. Individual turnout in my eyes is not proper turnout :(
 
Not keen on either but if I had to choose it would be yard 1. I am totally against yards that would have more than one or two days a year where the horses aren't turned out, it's very wrong in my opinion.

Could you negotiate with yard 1 for shared turnout with one or two others? Maybe put your brave pants on re hacking or do what I do and go at 6.30am when there is no traffic about
 
I wouldn't be keen on either as I don't like individual turnout. Yard 1 would still beat Yard 2 in my book though, my horses couldn't cope with that little turnout. If you are nervous about hacking alone, is there anyone who could come on foot with you?
 
I'm another that wouldn't be wowed by either option, but if forced to choose it would be the first. I think it's important to have daily turnout, every other day it just not enough.
 
I wouldn't be keen on either. If I was desperate for somewhere to go I would choose option one but only as a temporary measure. It's the individual turnout that would put me off.
 
Yard 1 - if I had to choose. We have hunters, so I want roadwork hacking not off road the whole time and all our guys are good in traffic. Don't need winter turnout as they don't go out, and individual turnout suits me fine as we don't turn shod horses out together, and I won't turn my guys out with other people's horses.
 
Another who doesn't like individual turnout. I would probably choose option 2 if I absolutely had to as I don't have good hacking where I am and really miss it.

I was once at a yard that when I first went was every day turnout. The owner then got greedy and put up more stables and took on more liveries with the result that in winter it went down to every other day turnout. Whilst I didn't like it the horses all coped perfectly well.
 
neither really but if I had to choose it would be 2 - as

I don't like individual turnout
also haying all year round as no grass would strike alarm bells that they don't maintain the land - so no money poured into it. Look after the land and it will look after the horses.
don't like the sound of busy road either


So... I would either stick where you are and continue to hunt around or move then hunt around if your really unhappy where you are.
 
If it was either 1 or the other I would go with 2 - not keen on individual turnout and I love my hacking so would appreciate the directly onto off road hacking, nor do I appreciate water logged schools - I am currently on a yard with a non horsey farmer and its never been an issue so that wouldn't bother me and I would be fine with every other day turnout in winter. Would miss all day turnout over summer but I have also been on a yard where I did that before and it wasn't that much of an issue
 
Another one on the neither.

If I were you I would stick the first one until a more suitable hacking option appears.
 
planete said:
Neither. But then I am primarily a hacker and believe in daily turn-out. Probably different for some competition horses.
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I think this too.
But if I had to choose then it would be yard one.
Turnout is very important to me.
There is hacking but you will have to build up your brave pants and ride down the busy road.
It is possible and possible alone too.
Plus if you have transport you could get out for hacking that way
 
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planete said:
Neither. But then I am primarily a hacker and believe in daily turn-out. Probably different for some competition horses.
Click to expand...

This, I would look for the third option. My mare would actually probably be fine being in a lot and to be honest it would help with her weight but I don't like it.
 
I would stay at the first yard, wish there was one like that near me, sounds alright! All round turnout is really important to me even if I have to feed hay. My pony gets so many health problems when stabled. Plus it has gallops- that sounds awesome. My yard doesn't even have a school. Hacking is all I do and you say there is hacking at the yard- you just have to go on a road to get to it.
I assume the hacking is fairly decent once you cross the road? If it still sucks then that might change my mind a bit. (My main reason for wanting to leave my current yard is the boring, all road hacking).

Hacking by yourself really isn't that bad if you can get over 'what ifs/buts' etc. I haven't had a hacking buddy for an unsociably long amount of time! Yards I've been at the last few years, no one rides/hacks out for various reasons. All my riding is just me and my pony doing our explorations. I only see other horses/riders if I go hunting.
 
Neither but of the two #2 as I would never keep my horse on a yard that doesn't have a new horse isolation policy which includes any show centres.
 
I'd stick with your current yard, mine could never cope with staying in every other day through winter. I'd actually kill for individual turnout - well, a separate field for my two mares to share so not completely individual.

Your yard sounds familiar, it's not in Burtonwood by any chance?!
 
TO be honest, it depends oh how much you can ride your horse. If you can manage to ride it most days in winter, I would definitely choose the second yard as I think hacking is an extremely important part in a horses life. However it depends on the horse swell.
 
I'd go for option 3 which is keep looking. I've been yard hunting for about 18 months after having to leave somewhere I was happy with due to them majorly downsizing number of horses. In the meantime I've gone for the compromise of having turnout every day in small groups (although winter turnout in small mud pits with hay), ok hacking with roads to cross, a big outdoor that's unusable in we weather due to bad drainage but some indoors as backup (surfaces not great but heyho). Grass not ideal for my grass sensitive good doer and fencing not brilliant but it's been an ok stopgap. In that time I've looked at about 10-15 different yards. Of those I found 4 that I would be happy to move onto. One of them I decided in the end was just a bit too far away to be practical, another wouldn't have me due to my working hours and the last 2 I found at around the same time. I've picked the one that offers better turnout options for my horse and compromised for the moment on facilities and I'm hopefully moving next week. Nobody but you knows what is most important to you and your horse and what you can do without. It's taken me so long because my list of wants was rather tricky to accommodate. I wanted turnout every day all year round ideally 24/7 in winter but with the ability to take my horse off the grass during the day in spring / summer ideally without having to stable him, (but wanted a stable as backup should I need it and somewhere out of the rain to tie up) turnout also had to be in a large herd or small groups, I wanted some form of shelter in the field, hacking needed to be decent with some safe roadwork areas, I needed secure tack storage with plenty of room for all my bits and bobs and I needed the option of services for if I get stuck at work, I also wanted an arena either onsite or within hacking distance and I wanted the yard to be within 20 minutes of home and 30 minutes of work. Still rather shocked that the only things I've had to compromise about are the arena (doesn't have one but plans to build), possibly services (need to discuss this further) and it's a tad further away than I'd like but not by much. So yeah if you're serious about moving then I'd join all the local advertising groups on fb (where I found a lot of places I went to view) plus preloved etc, see where word of mouth will get you and just see what's out there!
 
I wouldn't like to choose between food or water either
s
all horse need to move a lot with hours of turnout all year if poss, and I believe all horses should hack out, because it gives them the chance to move forward and straight and completely loosen and relax their muscles, and have mental stimulation of a different environment

keep on looking, only the best is good enough and you won`t find it if you don`t look.
 
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