How far would you travel for DIY yard ?

jehsb

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I am having to look for a new home for my horse and struggling to find decent DIY yards with good facilities close to home. What is the maximum travel time/distance people do when on pure DIY ? (I wouldn't consider part/assisted livery).
 

Christmascinnamoncookie

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Depends if it’s from home or work. Currently it’s equidistant, a put 6.5 miles. Any further and I’d be peed off. Work was almost an hour away until recently. That was not ok, IMO.

It also depends on how much free time you get at the yard after work and if you have good facilities, a well lit school for riding late, for example.
 

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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My previous yard was 10.6miles or about 25-30 minutes, and this was fine all the time I had nothing else to do (eg: being single, no other plans that day etc) but with any other life commitments it became a bit of a nightmare.
 

1523679

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Mine is 45mins each way and it is rather wearing, especially when driving conditions are poor. It’s also very expensive in fuel.

I’m hoping to move to the only yard that’s closer ... only 25 mins each way would be luxury!
 

Widgeon

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Mine is 15 minutes away on assisted DIY, so I only go once a day. I'd struggle to do further than that, but it does depend on facilities and yard routine - for example, I drive 15 minutes, slop through the mud to poo pick and bring my horse in (another half hour or so), tack up, ride, turn out, tidy up, drive back. I'm out for about two hours and I only get half an hour's riding. If the paddocks were nearer the yard, gates easier to open etc., it would be quicker. Don't underestimate the strain that being in a constant rush puts on all aspects of your life. (Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound quite as misery-guts as it came out!)
 

jehsb

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Thank you everyone for your replies. Work and home are only about a mile apart and currently am driving about 20/25 minutes to yard (only 11 mile journey but the worst narrow roads ever !) I have seen somewhere that is about 30 minutes drive away but on nice main roads, has great facilities. I am single and my social life is my horse !
 

jehsb

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Mine is 45mins each way and it is rather wearing, especially when driving conditions are poor. It’s also very expensive in fuel.

I’m hoping to move to the only yard that’s closer ... only 25 mins each way would be luxury!


Wow, 45 minutes, that makes me feel better about considering 30 minutes !
 

Widgeon

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Thank you everyone for your replies. Work and home are only about a mile apart and currently am driving about 20/25 minutes to yard (only 11 mile journey but the worst narrow roads ever !) I have seen somewhere that is about 30 minutes drive away but on nice main roads, has great facilities. I am single and my social life is my horse !

I think the main roads sound better, particularly in winter. Our little ungritted lanes really slow me down. I'd go for it, particularly with better facilities (assuming they will make your life easier and more straightforward)
 

Wishfilly

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I think 30 minutes could be just about doable, if the facilities are really good. If you are currently doing 20-25 minutes, it probably won't seem like that much further? If you really like the yard, I think it could be worth a try!

Do you think you'd easily be able to move closer if it didn't work out?
 

jehsb

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I think the main roads sound better, particularly in winter. Our little ungritted lanes really slow me down. I'd go for it, particularly with better facilities (assuming they will make your life easier and more straightforward)
Thank you, I am thinking that even though it is going to cost more in fuel the wear and tear on my car should be less as currently most of my journey is on pot holes and mud slides, not to mention the near misses on blind bends on single track roads ! The yard hopefully should make life easier for me :)
 

1523679

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Wow, 45 minutes, that makes me feel better about considering 30 minutes !
It’s on difficult roads which makes it quite tiring. I’d definitely prefer an extra 5 mins each way if it meant staying on decent, well-maintained roads.

I try to fit everything else in around trips to the yard, so I do my food shopping near there (rather than doing a separate one hour round trip to Tesco); go to the post office there (saving a half-hour round trip to our “local” PO) and get my car serviced at a garage near the yard.

That way the mileage/time hit is reduced a little bit.
 

jehsb

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I think 30 minutes could be just about doable, if the facilities are really good. If you are currently doing 20-25 minutes, it probably won't seem like that much further? If you really like the yard, I think it could be worth a try!

Do you think you'd easily be able to move closer if it didn't work out?
Good thinking, I have been trying to get my head round the fact I will be spending 2 hours a day driving but I should be thinking of it as only 20/40 minutes more than currently :)
 

Wishfilly

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Good thinking, I have been trying to get my head round the fact I will be spending 2 hours a day driving but I should be thinking of it as only 20/40 minutes more than currently :)

2 hours a day driving is a lot! But if you are currently spending say 1hr40 minutes driving already, it's not that much more!
 

jehsb

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It’s on difficult roads which makes it quite tiring. I’d definitely prefer an extra 5 mins each way if it meant staying on decent, well-maintained roads.

I try to fit everything else in around trips to the yard, so I do my food shopping near there (rather than doing a separate one hour round trip to Tesco); go to the post office there (saving a half-hour round trip to our “local” PO) and get my car serviced at a garage near the yard.

That way the mileage/time hit is reduced a little bit.
Good points, the route goes right past a Tesco's !
 

zandp

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Half an hour was the longest, but we moved there in the winter and the next week the journey took an hour each way in heavy snow which was fun. It was also in the opposite direction to work so now I try and make sure yards and jobs have a similar route.
 

SussexbytheXmasTree

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Good thinking, I have been trying to get my head round the fact I will be spending 2 hours a day driving but I should be thinking of it as only 20/40 minutes more than currently :)

I bet that will feel more than it sounds. I found 20 miles and 30 minutes too far on part-livery let alone DIY. Didn’t help the YO was useless. Winter was horrid with poor visibility driving and then it was the year we had loads of snow which is unusual here. Maybe if the yard had been better overall it would have been worth it.

Now I’m about 5 miles and 10-12 minutes away from home. I do that twice a day and it never seems too onerous.
 

Annagain

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Mine is 1.8 miles and a 5 minute drive. I honestly think I'd struggle to fit everything in if it was more and I'm really surprised that most of you find that 20 minutes, twice a day on top of (I assume) full time work, all the stable jobs and riding is doable. We don't have great hacking where we are and we considered moving to a friend's place about 15-20 minutes away to improve on that but in the end decided we're better off boxing there once a week for a decent hack than driving there every day. I know you said you wouldn't consider assisted livery but would you have someone turn out / bring in for you? That would at least mean you only have to go once a day and would save a lot of time - especially if that's all you're doing. An hour's drive for 5-10 minutes of yard time is a lot.
 

jehsb

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In an ideal world I would love to be driving less/shorter distance but there just isn't anywhere remotely suitable that I can find (and believe me I have looked !) At the moment I am in a yard that just isn't working for me or my horse, he is stressed which in turn is making me stressed and I am going to make myself ill if I carry on so am thinking that the journey may be worth it to have happy horse and happy owner again.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I am 12miles from my yard. I do a work day round trip of 40 miles between home to work, work to yard and yard to home. Worth it though as I have everything I need on site and good friends
 

9tails

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I based my criteria on it being easy to get to, even in the worst weather. My other top priority is a proper driveway to the yard, I wouldn't enjoy a potholed gnarly drive for the last 5 minutes nor the expense of vehicle repairs. I would drive 30 minutes if necessary for a good DIY yard.
 

jehsb

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I based my criteria on it being easy to get to, even in the worst weather. My other top priority is a proper driveway to the yard, I wouldn't enjoy a potholed gnarly drive for the last 5 minutes nor the expense of vehicle repairs. I would drive 30 minutes if necessary for a good DIY yard.
Thank you, the roads are much better than current journey, which is mostly narrow single track with not much level surface anywhere !
 

sjdress

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Mine is 15 mins from home, with work 15/20 mins in the other direction from home. I work full time with horse on total DIY. I wouldn’t want to be any further away really unless there was of option of having a little help.
 

RHM

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Mine is 35-40 mins away, it is pretty annoying but every time I go for a hack it’s worth it! It was normally on the way back from work but since I’ve been working from home I am really feeling the extra time in the car! It really puts you in a rush if you have anything else planned that day. I would move closer to home if there was anything suitable in a heartbeat.
 

dixie

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Mine is 20miles and 30minutes and I moved from a yard that was about 20minutes. I don’t find it feels any longer because I’m now driving on a decent A road.
And although I’m DIY I only go once a day as my mother, who lives, just round the corner from the yard, does the other end of the day.
 
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