help me decide which yards better for me please.....

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lizzypeg

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yard 1

cost 210pcm for my 3 ponies at grass livery or
235 pcm inc 1 stable for emergencies.not one available at present but can have one when one comes available.
my 3 would share a field approx 5 acres with 4 horses.same field all year round.mine live our 24/7, 2 of the others will also stay out 24/7 in winter,
they buy hay and put in field and split costs between all owners.
convienent location.owners worm there own as needed.
yard for tying up and can be some storage made for my feed bins for winter but lack of storage for hay,kit etc.
easy location to get to close to main roads.
hacking ok if good with cars and bikes.

yard 2

150 pcm for my 3 ponies on grass livery.
just a 20 acre field with one other owner.one other horse at present but may be a few more if owner can get a few more liveries in.(not likely as more a place for ponies and hardier breeds and/or horses not in work.)
good natural shelter and lots of grass.probably wont need to hay/feed in winter at all
no hardstanding, stables , storage etc.
but could rent a stable from yard next door for storage and emergency use.and park there , use stable to tack up ro ride, for farrier etc.
nicer hacking location but more rural and about 10 minutes further to drive.
people at yard next door stable theres in winter so can check mine/break ice if i cant get there in winter due to bad snow.
Also owner of other horse there will be checking twice a day if i cant get down.

im currently at yard one but havent done a winter there yet and will deff need to hay a lot in winter as grass not growing much and other horses all much bigger.Also i dont ride much there as no one to hack with and roads not very quiet.

really liking 2nd yard/field but its very basic,ie just a field,good tree shelter and water on mains,
id be fine if i just wanted to turn my 3 away but i may want to keep hacking at weekends in which case without hiring a stable next door it'd be impossible as no where to tie to tack up and no where to park car off lane as not parking in field.

or do i keep my riding gelding at yard one and put my other two who are a growing youngster and companion pony at yard two......then maybe move ridden one over at later stage if liking it and can get a stable for storage etc next door.
cant just put all 3 at yard next door to yard 2 as although they have space for grass livery they only take mares.

advice from a neutral person needed please.
 
The third option, 7 horses on 5 acres is going to be a struggle and cost you a lot for hay.
Although it may be less convenient to have them in two places I think generally it will be better.Less expensive for you and better for the two living out, the field sounds ideal for a youngster.
If you like the second place move there with your ridden horse later.The yard next door sounds friendly.
 
thanks.
i was thinking the same in that its going to cost a lot to hay my 3 at current yard as they'll need to put a lot out as the others are all horses and one of mine is only a shetland type so will be false economy to pay for an equal share of hay for him.
my other 2 are 13.3hh ish so wont need as much hay as they horses either.
in past iv always had my own field so could put just enough out for my 3 and they share nicely so i didnt have to worry about them not getting there hay.
my only concern with yard 2 is getting there in a bad winter as its more rural but lady next door seems so friendly and helpful so think itd work ok and lady whos field it is will be going there twice daily as well.
they are in process of refencing yard 2 so think il go for a final look once its done and mull it over in mean time.
 
I think the second yard sounds best plus the stable next door for emergencies. The only thing I did notice is that I assume it is your ridden gelding you want to take to the stable to tack up etc but you say they only take mares so would this work?
 
Option 2 or 3, theres no way id want my horses out 24/7 on 5 acres with 7 horses. Its also significantly cheaper, infact only thing i can see negative is the distance?
Personally id rather drive a bit further to know my horses were happy, but its cheaper, and probably less hay as well, so all in all this kind of weighs up with the extra petrol costs?
 
thaks all.
yep geldings are fine on the yard but they dont take them for turnout as only mares in field and they don't want to turn geldings out with them as had a riggy one there before.
they have a few competition type geldings there who are stabled full time so think my one going there to be tacked up ,farrier etc wont be an issue.
 
thanks again for all your help.i think il wait till the fencings done and go look again and them move the first 2 over and once they settled and if it seems to be fine il speak to yard next door to secure a stable for emergencies and then move my ridden one over at that time.
 
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