Has your yard put any potential provisions in place due to Coronavirus?

Can everyone who has decided not to ride or who is telling others they shouldn't ride let us know whether they are currently active riders and whether their decision is based entirely on the virus?

I don't intend to give up at the moment and I'd like to be able to judge the tide of opinion from people who are currently active riders with no reason to make the decision to stop but to save the NHS from a potential casualty.
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I am in France (must be a different area to Helffrich from the sounds of it) and we are not allowed to the yard. Only those yards that have no one to provide vital care for the horses and no exercise for them (i.e. with no daily turnout) are allowed to let owners in - this is being monitored by the police where I am, and several yards that had tried to put in a rota system have been shut by the police because the horses are turned out and there are staff on site.

I am of course very sad about it, but the more exceptions to lockdown are permitted, the longer the lockdown will continue.
 
You have a choice as to whether to participate in a high risk sport and potentially put additional pressure on a health system that is stretched beyond its limits. Only my opinion!
 
My lot are all part/full, so it's situation normal during the week. If anyone has to self isolate/gets sick, I will do their horse at weekends as well.
If we went into proper lockdown/quarantine, all my liveries know their horses will be fine, and i would prefer them not to put my health at risk by insisting on turning up. If I have to look after 14 horses 7 days a week, I want to be fit and healthy while I'm doing it!

Contingency plan if i get sick is that everything goes out 24/7, except for the ancient one, who is only a few steps from his paddock anyway
 
mle22 said:
Hobby riders in particular, but everyone really, shouldn’t be riding horses, the NHS has enough on its plate without having to look after us if we fall off and get injured.
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At present you are entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. The last 2 major injuries I have had didnt involve falling off an equine. Nor doing any sport.

Are you saying that pro riders are ok but not hobby riders? If so, why?

There are groups of young men dashing gleefully about on mountain bikes, should they be stopped too?
 
mle22 said:
I think all risk sports should stop. Have you read anything about the pressures on the health system? We all have a responsibility.
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Are you currently an active rider? It would be good to know if you are actually taking the medicine you are prescribing others.

My local A&E is currently reported to be under less pressure than it has in a long time, due to people with minor issues staying away. Ditto the operating theatres as elective and non urgent surgery all cancelled. When and as that situation changes, I will review my decision to ride to protect my mental health.

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greenbean10 said:
I think the NHS would end up with even more on its plate if we all stopped riding our horses. Sodden fields thanks to awful weather means very little turnout for a lot of people, so a lot of horses are fresh anyway. Coupled with spring grass coming through will make many horses more difficult to handle which may lead to more accidents.

Not to mention if we all stopped riding our horses for 4 months how many more accidents there would be when we all decide to get back on again!
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that last paragraph made laugh thanks
 
mle22 said:
I think all risk sports should stop. Have you read anything about the pressures on the health system? We all have a responsibility.
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No, we get very few to no details on the health service bar don’t go to your gps or hospital .....we have no idea how many people are in hospital or what the million or so nhs workers are doing. I, for one can’t understand why gps are all closed and it seems that if you need treatment for anything else then tough. I think we should be told what’s going on,instead of being left to guess.
 
mle22 said:
I think all risk sports should stop. Have you read anything about the pressures on the health system? We all have a responsibility.
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i don`t do sport i train, and christ if i did`nt ride some of mine, who are lively anyway, god only knows what they be like when i came back to them

the boys need their work
 
bonny said:
No, we get very few to no details on the health service bar don’t go to your gps or hospital .....we have no idea how many people are in hospital or what the million or so nhs workers are doing. I, for one can’t understand why gps are all closed and it seems that if you need treatment for anything else then tough. I think we should be told what’s going on,instead of being left to guess.
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My GP is not closed, I dont know of any that are. A&E is open as usual for accidents and emergencies but not for people with any virus. I don't feel as if I am being left to guess about anything.

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ycbm said:
My GP is not closed, I dont know of any that are. A&E is open ascusual for accidents and emergencies but not for people with any virus. I don't feel as if I am being left to guess about anything.

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Maybe it’s a Scotland thing then, do you have any idea how many people are in hospital with the virus ?
 
mle22 said:
Yes
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How much were you riding? How much does it impact your life mentally and or physically if you can't?

I've been looking at your recent posts. It seems that your daughter is a keen eventer and you have one horse between you. If your riding lives are motivated by eventing, (I dont know because you really aren't volunteering any information about it) and you can't because it's all cancelled, then that's a totally different kettle of fish from asking a daily happy hacker to give up the one thing in their day that brings a smile to their face because of the very slim chance they personally will take up NHS resources when they are overburdened with virus cases, which they aren't yet.

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tda said:
Our GP has stopped the walk in morning surgery, but are still doing appointments, prearranged of course
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Ours is shut, apparently if you are prepared to phone for hours you might get to speak to someone or you might not. I need antibiotics, even my local pharmacy told me it’s a crazy situation and that they can’t phone either
 
mle22 said:
Ycbm - you know nothing about me, except what I chose to post on here.
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Yes that was the point I was making. You are happy to dish out strongly worded advice to people not to ride when it really matters to them that they do, without telling us how much it actually matters to you to follow the advice you are giving others.


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I'm torn on this one. Yes I feel a responsibility not to potentially burden the NHS but my boy is 24 and we go for a hack round the block twice a week. I know him inside out and can tell if he's going to do something usually before he does but the last two falls off him (some 6 and 3 years ago respectively) were freak incidents in walk onto tarmac. I wasn't hurt in either but who's to say if that will be the outcome if a third freak incident occurred. He'll be no different from getting no work. I got on him after 8 months field rest and went down the lane and back on our own straight off. The other thing for me is our hacks have always been a social thing with a friend or two. We could carry on without getting too close together but I'm not sure if they'd want to or if we'll be allowed to for much longer and I've always disliked hacking alone - just because I find it a bit boring. I used to school if I rode alone but his lameness issues mean this is no longer an option.
 
ycbm said:
Yes that was the point I was making. You are happy to dish out strongly worded advice to people not to ride when it really matters to them that they do, without telling us how much it actually matters to you to follow the advice you are giving others.


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Oh, I wondered what your point was! I understand clearly that riding is very important to many people, but these are extraordinary times. We all surely should be prepared to modify our behaviour for the greater good?
 
Our YO has issued similar advice to the OP.

Im currently wondering if my horse has PSSM so will be trying to keep him moving each day until I’m told otherwise by the YO. I have a hand gel and hand wash, anti bacterial spray to keep clean and will wear gloves at all time. Not touching others horses or other equipment (I am full livery but have my own mucking out tools as well) I am making a judgment whether to call the vet just yet as he isn’t actually lame and in dire need of a vet and I don’t want additional people on the yard that isn’t absolutely necessary. So I’m going to order vit e and ask him to be fed that amongst keeping him moving and reassess the vet after a few weeks/when I’ve had the hair sample


In terms of riding, I will be dialling down his exercise to just hand walking, maybe hacking (but I only hack at weekends so seeing how the land lies on Friday for this!) and just walking ridden work in the school. He’s a non spooky safe horse so I think the risk is mitigated albeit not removed of me needing emergency services.
 
bonny said:
No, we get very few to no details on the health service bar don’t go to your gps or hospital .....we have no idea how many people are in hospital or what the million or so nhs workers are doing. I, for one can’t understand why gps are all closed and it seems that if you need treatment for anything else then tough. I think we should be told what’s going on,instead of being left to guess.
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Ours GP has stopped open urgent morning surgery, if you want an appointment you ring, it took me about 10 mins to get through which is fairly average especially early morning, and speak to receptionist. I thought I could manage with a telephone consultation and my Dr rang back this morning. Agreed I didn't need to go in and I'm picking my prescription up later today. I was very relieved and impressed with how they've arranged things as I've unfortunately been a regular visitor over the last 4 months. I completely understand why they are working like this as two local surgeries were closed last week due to people turning up for prearranged appointments and then saying they had Covid 19 symptoms.
 
sherry90 said:
Our YO has issued similar advice to the OP.

Im currently wondering if my horse has PSSM so will be trying to keep him moving each day until I’m told otherwise by the YO. I have a hand gel and hand wash, anti bacterial spray to keep clean and will wear gloves at all time. Not touching others horses or other equipment (I am full livery but have my own mucking out tools as well) I am making a judgment whether to call the vet just yet as he isn’t actually lame and in dire need of a vet and I don’t want additional people on the yard that isn’t absolutely necessary. So I’m going to order vit e and ask him to be fed that amongst keeping him moving and reassess the vet after a few weeks/when I’ve had the hair sample


In terms of riding, I will be dialling down his exercise to just hand walking, maybe hacking (but I only hack at weekends so seeing how the land lies on Friday for this!) and just walking ridden work in the school. He’s a non spooky safe horse so I think the risk is mitigated albeit not removed of me needing emergency services.
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Meanwhile in the real world, people are getting on buses, trains and walking around together. Or working together, shopping together etc etc . THis thread is ridiculous in places, no one is going to get the virus because someone touched your wheel barrow or horse.
 
bonny said:
Meanwhile in the real world, people are getting on buses, trains and walking around together. Or working together, shopping together etc etc . THis thread is ridiculous in places, no one is going to get the virus because someone touched your wheel barrow or horse.
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A shared wheelbarrow is one of the most likely places on a yard because people will put their hands in exactly the same spot. Of course public transport is more of a hotspot but it's perfectly plausible that someone who has been on a train/bus earlier in the day, not washed their hands and then gone to the yard, will put that unwashed hand on the wheelbarrow handle. 20 minutes later, along comes person number two, puts his/her hands in exactly the same spot on the handle and now has the virus on his/her hands. He/she then brushes his/her hair away from their face and it's on their face and being ingested / inhaled. This could have been prevented by either handwashing (by both parties) or by not sharing the wheelbarrow in the first place - exactly what OP's YO is asking her liveries to do. This is very sensible and if people just stopped to think about the potential consequences of their actions for themselves and others we'll get this all under control more quickly by working together.
 
I’m seriously considering putting riding on hold for now. I am a weekend rider, the two days I spend with my horse is the highlight of my week and I’m horrible to be around if I don’t see my horse at the weekend. I’ve fallen off him once in four years of ownership and was fine. He’s hot blooded and will be interesting when it comes to bringing him back into ridden work. My non-horsey husband has asked me to give it up for now, I said no but when my sister, a NHS professional, went out of her way to ask me to consider putting things on hold due to the burden on the NHS and the likelihood of not being prioritised over Covid19 patients should I experience trauma and need a ventilator, I am now feeling very torn about what to do.
 
Update on situation in France: Horse owners and liveries are no longer permitted on the yard premises (decision of the French Equestrian Federation)... Therefore, they MUST fully entrust the care of their horses into YO. Tough... And heartbreaking to all those who love their horses and are used to seeing and caring for them on a daily basis.
When the YO is trustworthy, great! but we all know that, sadly, it may not be the case everywhere.:(
The Haras de Jardy ( a regular host of one of the ERM legs) has taken all of its horses to be turned out in pastures nearby. Good for them!:)
 
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