Help me choose a yard

Ella19

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Please can you help me decide. Which yard would you choose?

YARD A

Positives
  • Small private yard
  • 4 boxes with well maintained large fields
  • All year turnout with 24/7 in Summer if wanted
  • Assisted DIY (bring in)
  • Pleanty of Storage
  • Water
  • Acess to fantastic hacking right from out the stable
  • Local schools to hire close by
  • Right near my old yard so lots of people to arrange to hack with
  • £140pcm for stable and field only
  • All on sand soil

Negatives
  • Owner likes them turned out by 7am, which means when I am on a late shift I have 3 hours to hang around on my own, or the cost petrol to drive home again before work.
  • 15 mins drive (not really a negative but taken into account for petrol)
  • Pretty isolated, esp at night
  • Just 1 other livery and the yard owner
  • No school
  • No tackroom
  • I would have to pay someone to cover holiday or if I was ill


YARD B

Positives
  • Yard of about 20 liveries for company
  • Well maintained fields
  • Yard manager on site
  • School with floodlights and horse walker
  • Turnout 24/7 or I can have a stable
  • People who hunt and will take me with them
  • £100 pcm in summer and £120pcm in winter including hay/feed and quick check in the field
  • Tack room
  • Water
  • 5 mins drive from home, walkable in snow

Negatives
  • Apparently there are two main characters that clash big time (this is heresay from a friend)
  • Hacking isn't so great but ok after 20 mins of roadwork (horse is fine with traffic)
  • Yard apparently doesn't have a good reputation (this is according to one person) but nobody will tell me what and it is, and this has come from someone that is based on the yard.
  • Nothing comes up if you google it (i'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing!)
  • It's on clay

I obviously can see that yard B has less negatives and I was really excited after seeing it this morning, but I am worried about this fighting rumour as this has come from a good friend of mine who has warned me not to go there. Unfortunately I can't get to speak to other liveries at the moment because of my shifts. I'm trying to escape yard politics now so would I be better at yard A? I keep going round and round in circles!
 

Ella19

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I'm exhausted all other options for my area I think unless anyone else can come up with yards around shere/ewhurst in Surrey/Sussex? So it's down to these.
 

jaquelin

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B
Politics can be ignored - I always say "gossip is a sin"! The only caveat is if the YO is the source of conflict. If you like the yard, just avoid the awkward characters.
 

AmyMay

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Yard 1 sounds great (as does yard 2, actually).

With Yard 1, see if you can negotiate a turn out and in if necessary.
 

be positive

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I would probably say yard A but if the YO makes a rule about turnout time this is restrictive and in your case inconvenient. I would think that at the price being charged and having a rule of 7 am turn out the least they could do would be to include it in the rent.
The only other thing with yard A is are there going to be other rules that impact on you and your horse, can it be kept in later at weekends so you can ride in the morning or to wait for the farrier???
Is the other livery there friendly and could you do things for each other.
 

Ella19

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Yard A i'm yet to meet the other livery as she would be new as well. YM hinted at others having left as she ended up turning out for them. I can understand as at the moment its just her horses and she likes them all to go out together as they can't see the fields from the stables.
 

dumpling

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1 sounded ideal until I read the turnout before 7am. Could you not swap it or ask yo to turn out?

2nd ones not bad but after being on yards with controversy before I can't be bothered with it. Also 20mins before hacking is not ideal for me at all.
 

AmyMay

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Yard A i'm yet to meet the other livery as she would be new as well. YM hinted at others having left as she ended up turning out for them. I can understand as at the moment its just her horses and she likes them all to go out together as they can't see the fields from the stables.

What about when you ride in the morning though - and what if you ride out with the other livery?? What will YO do then?

Mmmm Maybe it's not quit so great sounding.
 

be positive

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Im getting the feeling that yard A may be too controlling, the owner may have her way of doing things which is possibly going to be the only way.
 
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