HELP! Which livery yard would you think?

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Corona

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I've been looking for a new livery yard for a month and have found 3 potentials. They all have pro's and cons obviously, so i'm just unsure. I work Mon-Thurs, 2 days until 4pm, the other 2 until 7pm, so the option of full livery or at least some help would be really good for those days. It's for my youngster, who's starting to get out and about competing.

1) small yard of about 7 stables, not a livery yard per se, it's a house with stables etc. Literally round the corner from my house, I could run there in 30 seconds. Good sized wooden stables, little horse walker, large (approx 25x60) menage, 3 well kept fields, washroom, hacking onto a bridlepath at end of field. Very secure, well fenced etc. DIY at 30pw inc haylage, and the lady who owns it feeds in the morning and since she's there all day is happy to turnout, bring in etc etc when needed. Downside- The menage, although lovely and level etc, is imo too hard to jump on. It's quite solid. Also, there are no jumps at all. It's very quiet, they just have 3 other horses so i'm a bit worried it'd be TOO quiet for me and him. The last (pathetic) reason is that thier welsh is a spoilt brat! It kicks and bangs it's door like no tomorrow. Now i'm really strict with my boy, he's too big and young for me not to be. I don't want him copying and becoming a nuisance, picking up the welshs' bad habits!

2) pro showjumpers yard. 12 nice stables, lovely outdoor menage, full set of jumps, tuition on hand, turnout etc. Located about 3 mins from work and 10 mins from home. This is around £40pw with haylage. They live on site so could feed in the morning, and i'm that close I could nip on my lunch break if needed. good routine with stuff going on he can mooch at. downsides- not sure on winter turnout, no real hacking, but suppose that's not the end of the world.

3) another pro sj's yard. loacted 5 mins from home, and about 20 seconds from my grans as it backs onto her street. indoor barn 8 stables overlooking large outdoor with full set of show jumps. Indoor school, not fancy but an indoor nonetheless. expert advice/tuition, owners and groom on site 24/7, things going on. Individual turnout in little paddocks. Hacking around lanes and streets. £100pw full livery only. downsides- cost obviously, although i'm paying this at the moment and it is do-able, just tight. Not sure on winter turnout. No other liveries so just me, although this may be seen as a pro!

With them all being so close I would save a fortune on petrol, especially 1 & 3 as when i'm not at work I could walk/bike to these.

Gosh that's an essay, wine and/or ben & jerrys for anyone who sticks through all that :-o
Any thoughts please?
 
My only really strong feeling is that your youngster would be bound to pick up bad habits from the Welsh at yard 1. My friend has a youngster and she has copied habits good and bad from the herd leader.
 
I've no idea which one you should choose, I just cannot believe you have such a fantastic choice within 10mins from home, you lucky lucky lucky b*gger!!!!!! There's no decent yards near me with a menage, indoor or out. The nearest is 20 mins away but is a huge yard (with questionable morals re: illnesses, isolation when needed etc) full of screaming kids and an indoor surface so dusty you need goggles with windscreen wipers just to walk around in it. I'm soooo jealous!
 
I know trottingon, I am almost spoilt for choice! I'm glad you share the concerns re the naughty welsh, I thought maybe it's me being neurotic, but i'd be really devestated if he started creating! Humphhh
 
personally i would choose 1, but if i had a young horse, and the other options were available i would probably discount it because of the welshy. Two would be my choice with a youngster especially with tuituin onsite, but if i could afford 3, that would tempt me too... you do have a fab choice!! i am very jealous!!
 
Damn that welshy..... Yes 3 has the indoor, big bonus, just a bit ouchy at £100. I didn' really realise I was that spoilt, as I can think of another 3 within 5 mins, I'd just discounted them!
 
hmm yes damn that welshy! :p seriously though, if there was a way that he couldnt see the welshy or something to aviod too much contact - i would definatley choose one. sounds fab!! would be like having him at home! :)
 
You are very spolit:)

I'd gor for number one despite the welshie, it's sounds fantastic and a bridleway at the end of the your field - you lucky thing! The other 2 are professional yards and probably chnage horses more oftern that your "none commecial yard", they could easily have or get a weaver/cribber or windsucker which every yard you choose your youngster could end up copying a bad habit.


The way you can ensure he doesn't is to be my yourself.
 
I would go for no.2

Firstly, yard one is too quiet and if the school is too hard to jump on- why even bother considering it.

Secondly, i dislike horses being put out individually in paddocks- they are herd animals and even a small herd is better than having no herd at all.. i had this at a yard once and my once lovely (and very big warmblood) went from a BFG to a maniac who would fence walk the entire turnout time- i left asap as it just wasnt healthy.

Theres my two penneth worth. :)
 
Being a youngster I would go with the most turnout and as long as the menege was rideable in I wouldn't worry about jumping in it because at those prices it would be easy and cheap enough to hire another just for jumping (and would possibly stop you risking jumping him too much into the bargain so a better result in my eyes!).
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to discount 3 I think, Just because of the cost at the moment and I also didn't want him on full livery everyday, I like sorting him myself really.
Although 1 is too hard to jump on, next door but one have exactly the same setup but with a deeper school and full set of jumps, so I could ask if they would hire it out now and then, i could nip through the fields as they are conjoining to get there. His manners are perfect and so I suppose if I keep on top of them, it may be fine.. Just that it's so quiet.

2 doesn't do any livery at all, I rang up and asked her and she agreed as we have mutual friends. So there would be just her personal horses and my boy. They have agroom too so would be lots going on for him to gawp at.

Thanks for all the help guys, will make a desicion finally :-p
 
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