Horsies at home/Your own yard... do you get lonely too?

When I lived in Cambridgeshire the yard was 3 meters from the house. Everyone in the family had a pony (apart from Dad) and we loved it as we moved there from being at a DIY yard. It was great as we didn't have anyone bothering us or telling us what to do! Now I hate having to travel to do the horse - but we do it because we love the sport and the animals, if your not enjoying it then change. Everyone is different though. I hope your motivation increases soon. x
 
yep very much so, I get quite lonely and miss having someone to share horseyness with or ride with. Didnt matter so much as a kid as friends would hack up and see me in the evenings and weekends but now very much a one person hobby for me
 
Love love love having the horses at home - we have a routine that suits us, they are great company, can pootle about at our pace doing our own thing. The horses seem pretty chilled too and are very much part of the family.

I think it can depend upon your own personality whether you find it lonely or not - certainly you have to make absolutely every decision yourself right up to the ultimate one - if you are happy with that then it's fab. Also you will end up with at least 2 equines, and even small ponies take time to look after - and if they are anything like our various companions have been they like to do stuff and be involved too.
 
Do I get lonely? No, I have my horses around and they entertain me every day lol

My husband is always out and about with the dogs so not totally on my own I don't suppose. I actually much prefer riding alone most of the time as I like being able to do my own thing but if I do feel like a ride with other people there are a few horsie folk about who I can meet up with (doesn't happen often I might add!)

I'll also nip up to the local riding school and hire their arena or go to clinics or small shows when I'm in the mood - catch up with a few people and then go home to my peaceful home
 
I love being able to look out the house window and see them playing in the field or having a lie down together, or simply just grazing! Just being able to see them reassures that they're okay and obviously going down to their stables for a hug anytime I want is good too :D:D
 
I find it really hard keeping up the motivation. I tend to try and get out and about as much as possible with the nag and give myself a goal to work to and meet up with friends and their horses for long hacks as much as poss.

Chin Up being on a yard you get just as many problems - sometimes worse ones!
 
For most of the time I've had horses, I've been the only one around at the yard in the evenings anyway, so I'm used to it really. I remember when I first went from one horse to two - somehow it just wasn't as lonely in the evenings any more, as the two of them interacted with each other and with me. We have our own field now, and with my very busy, people orientated day job, I relish the peace and quiet. My OH is involved with the horses too, which helps, and I'm only completely on my own a few days of the week.
 
I love being alone with the horses, no one to tell you what to do or you don't want to do it like that....I had my fill of livery yards and now I have my horses in a rented field with barn 6 miles from home, on my own. I did have a friend across the road with similar interests horse-wise but managed to mess that up and haven't spoken for 18 months. The only thing I miss is having someone to ride my second horse so that they can go out together, but the other person had already given up riding before we fell out. Sometimes though, as other people have said, it is hard to get motivated, but when you do find the get up and go it is worth it and you feel great when you achieve something, alone. I think my other half and the guys at work are fed up with hearing about the horses but hey ho! :)
 
Sister and I bought a smallholding together, to be able to keep the horses at home. We wouldn't go back to a livery yard if they paid us. We are lucky in that several of our neighbours also have horses and so there is usually someone to ride with if you want to. We are active members of our local RC, which often organises social rides and also volunteer with a local RDA group which has been another source of horsey friends.
 
Like most people on here no don't get lonely as love spending quality time with horses and my dog who is always down yard with me, also main buildings are let out to small businesses so normaly someone around to have a chat with over coffee. No bitchiness which seems to go on with large livery yards, can do what I want with school, fill it with jumps or leave it empty. Dissadvantages no one to hack out with but then means mine aren't nappy, no YO/manager to sort out muck heap/years supply of hay/straw to come in from field/repair fenceing/stables etc and as I'm on constant call at work no one else to take over when blacksmith etc booked and I suddenly get called into work!
Also yard is at my parents so 15min drive away so can't nip out in PJs but do stay at parents if have early start. Would not like to go back to livery for a start don't think I'd fit all my stuff on a single saddle rack in a shared tack room!!!!!!
 
Our field and home are about a mile apart. I don't get lonely, but I've definitely become less motivated over the five years we've had the field. I'm happy to hack alone, but find I don't ride as much as I used to, or go as far - I tend to cut my hacks a bit short. I've got a 19 year old who's getting arthritic, so slowing down a bit, and two youngsters - we'll be starting the oldest soon, so I've got to think about how to do that, my husband can ride and will be helping, but another madly horsey person to chew everything over with wouldn't go amiss! On the plus side, a good friend has started up an informal girls club, most of us ride/own horses, and we have some good plans for the summer, hopefully a couple of clinics, charity ride etc, all low key which is great - and she has a school which I can borrow for the youngster.

I wouldn't want to go back to livery though!
 
I keep my two at a private yard up the road. MY OH rides as well, but it seems to be me that does all the weekday work (oh, and I work longer hours than he does!) I do miss the general 'busy-ness and nattering' at a livery yard, but certainly dont miss the bitching and competetive mucking out!. Its nice to do what I want when I want, but there is no-one to 'talk horse' to. My OH likes to go and get the 'job done' but I like to take my time as the weekend is precious to me, so sometimes he will go home and leave me to my own devices! Also, where I work, nobody is horsy at all, so I tend not to bore them with it!

I think being on your own is ok, but it's nice to swap ideas and tales with someone!
 
Simple answer is yes :( I love just having my horses in the field , having it all my way etc :) but do miss the company and really really miss company out hacking :( so if anyone is in the sully/dinas powys area and fancies going out for a hack sometime let me know :) :) :)
 
thespanishmane I am obviously very naive; what is competitive mucking out please?!?
Generally I love keeping my horses at home, the downsides are that it's a bit of a chore sometimes coping with 4 horses and a FT job when its dark and you are struggling through deep mud. Also as I am alone now I worry what would happen if I did have a bad fall- no one would ever find me :-0 I do get demotivated hacking alone so I have found a couple of friends who ride my bay mare once or twice a week. Also going hunting every week motivates me and I get to socialise then :-)
 
I got really lonely when I had mine at home. I'd always dreamt of having my own land and stables, we moved to Ireland and we had stables out the back of house. I could see my beasties from the bedroom & they started banging their doors the minute the bathroom light went on!
I'd previously been on livery yards for over 25 years and obviously there were irritating things but I much prefer being on a yard.
I found when I had them at home I completely lost any motivation to ride and taking them out to comps and clinics etc was a real effort.
I love having people to chat to, share lifts to shows, swop duties etc. I also found I missed my 'time out' when I had them at home. When they are at a yard, I get in the car and remove myself from chores etc at home. I have 1 or 2 hours that are just for me and the horses, I don't have to answer the phone, or think about housework or pop back inside to check the dinner etc
Didn't work for me and I'm really happy being back on a yard, apart from the money of course!!
 
I think you need a good network of friends to make it work well. Pearlsasinger is my sister, we share a small holding.
It helps that there are two of us, to make decisions, to bring ein etc. if one of us is working late, means that we can both have occaisional time away.
We have a number of friends in the area who ride, have helped at local shows for years and join in with a lot of riding club activities. I think it must be difficult to have your own yard if you only acquire one when you move to a different area. We still live in the area that we grew up in, which makes it easier with regard to long term contacts.
 
Sometimes.

I don't have horsey friends since we relocated and I do miss spending hours talking horse...

Also miss facilities, we don't have a manege close by so the schoolings gone out of the window :(

It was also nice to watch other liveries ride and have experienced horse people close by to learn from.

I live upstairs and horseys downstairs which can be a little too close to home at times (he's cottoned on we're upstairs and whinnies and stamps when he fancies abit more hay or a scratch).

But it's easy to forget all the things that annoyed the hell out of me when I was on a livery yard, I don't think I could go back.

Shame we're not closer!
 
Even if you have liveries, unless they are like minded people you are still lonely. I have my own yard and eight other horse on DIY, but only three owners. Two don't ride and one is 16 ( I am a young 58 ) Even the young one doesn't ride if it's windy, wet, got an R in the month etc., I know from a YO's point of view most people would love all the horses without the owners, but I used to love it when we had 8 horse and 8 owners. There were always 5 or 6 of us to hack out and gee one another up. I hate my yard at the minute. The liveries don't, just me as want a mate to do stuff with:(
 
I have mine at home and agree that just occasionally I miss the old days when I could waste a whole afternoon gassing in the tack room. But most of the time this forum offers better advice and doesnt get the hump if you dont take it. Also when I read some of the horror stories on here about yard life I am very glad I can please my self!
 
I used to have my own yard untill i moved house i loved it but found it quite lonely but like someone has said before i loved going and checking on them at 12 and giving them a apple, Im now at a small livery and i do prefer it, it helps the women are older so no bitching going on. I find that im more motivated to go ad ride ect as theres always sombody to go with. talk to give advise and recive it we all help each other out so thats nice x
 
I always had my ponies at home when I was growing up, but had lots of horsey cousins etc to ride with. I now own my own yard and still love it. I had a brief period with a couple in livery & enjoyed that as well but prefer them at home, also think the horses are happier at home as I can turnout all year round etc & things are a lot more relaxed for them. It can be hard to get motivated to leave the heat of the house and bring them in to ride, when its wet & windy outside. When you are at livery you don't have a choice. I had a few liveries but prefer being on my ownsome, I would be very fussy re who I had in the yard if I ever had another livery.
 
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