How important is the environment when training your horses?

arwenplusone

arwenplusone

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As above really - do you think it is important to be on a yard where others are competing at or above your level and/or where there are experienced people - or would you still do it if you were on a farm or smallholding where your only facilities are a field to school in and a couple of rustic jumps?
 
I am on my own at my place and am much happier this way...unfortunately I have an unpleasant competitive streak and if surrounded by others I would always be comparing myself unfavourably with what they were doing...and making myself feel cr*p as a result. I have HHO to provide the company of a yard but without the reality! When I go out competing I set my own goals to achieve and can enjoy myself!
 
Depends on the individual really - mine are at home now so my facilities are more limited (no school
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) , but I much prefer it to being on a yard. I do find that I was more motivated to ride/compete when I was on a yard with other people though !
 
I had mine at home for a while with rubbish hacking and no school and was by myself. I found having no other people around made it quite difficult to get motivated, I really missed the company. And having a school to ride in does help on those winter nights when it's peeing down with rain!
 
What a well-timed post as I've just been out in the field schooling, battling with the wind and boggy going!
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I think it depends on how motivated you are and what your aims are. I have light at the end of the tunnel as I am having an arena built (he promised me it would be done "before winter"), but I've managed ok since April with just using fields around the farm. I always have to go elsewhere to use gallops and I did struggle time-wise as I work and had three horses eventing, but the rewards far outweighed the stress of not having great facilities.
 
Im lucky I have an advanced eventer who is my YO and friend . She really helps me and my daughter. I do struggle though in the evenings paticullay this week and we have an indoor school but when thre is 2 lunging at the same time as 2 riding (some people are v inconsiderate!) I wonde why I bother. Some people can be quite selfish.

We ride outside all spring through till its too wet. We have indoor and outdoor SJ and a small amount of XC. I like my 4yo t work in all wethers and conditions Im sure it helps
 
I'm based at home, but the rest of my family compete. We have a school and I love having absolutely no distactions when I am riding. I alway have it to myself, but getting teacher in can be harder. I would do my best if we only had a field, but there is no way I could keep competeing at the level I am at. At the moment I leave in the dark, and Return in the dark, so they boys would get no exercise in the week so they would not be fit, and Pip would be unmanagable.
 
I would love to be at my own yard and hopefully soon will be! Im on a yard with about 60 other horses, and the facilities are excellent. I also have a few good friends there who I ride with etc but there is always going to be people you dont get along with when there is that many people in a small ish space.

I used to hate people watching me it would make me ride rubbish, but ive got over that a bit now and I dont really mind. Spose it does make you a bit more motivated when other ppl are also competing and working towards things, but I think I would be just as motivated at my own place!
 
I've always had the horses at home and never had a prob of motivation!! My first horse I took to intermediate on my own (and hopefully we might go a bit further!!). Have since broken in 2 and we now have a school!! Have great hacking as well, which helps. Have never been on a yard so can't compare really.
 
I'm on a really mixed yard - every level right up to professional where I am. However it is predominantly dressage riders who compete (at affiliated level).

I don't struggle with motivation though, I use LEC as my motivation!
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I'm better when there are fewer competitive people there and have been at a farm with just an arena and a few jumps. The hacking was much better then than being crammed into the M25 yard circuit with dreadful hacking and a fight to get into the school.
 
I am based at home and I stay pretty motivated as I take pride in how well the horses are going and how the place looks. But I really enjoy going to stay at my trainers every now and then as it gives me an extra kick up the backside!!
 
I'm on a small and rather 'pikey' DIY yard. The stables are ok, I have my own field and the hacking is good, its also only £25 a week. We do have a nice floodlit school but my friend and I are the only people on the yard who actually go anywhere with our horses, everyone else either doesnt ride or if they do does the occasional hack out and thats it. I would love to be able to get round and Intro next year but i am finding it difficult when I'm the only one who is 'in training', plus the other liveries all think I'm mad by schooling, YO told me to 'ride in side reins to get its head down' the other night.

I'd love to be in a nice yard with a tack room and other people who compete, I think it really woud motivate me but in the SE I'd need to go on Full Livery which I couldnt afford.
 
Having recently moved to a yard full of competition horses with very knowledgable people who are out and about all the time has definately inspired me to crack on and get my horse competing. The huge amount of help and support offered has also been a massive help in getting Bailey and I back on track
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Having good facilties, great hacking and a lovely surface all help too- it makes riding so much more pleasurable.

There is no way I would manage Bailey if I was alone and I don't think I would enjoy being alone with limited facilities with any horse though.
 
To be honest I think it depends how motivated you are as a person?! I am lucky in the fact I have a large floodlit school to work in, but there are only 2 of us on the yard that are competitive, and tbh the other person that goes out isnt very commited to the cause! I think i personally would be as motivated if it was just me competing. However, I would find it hard if I didnt have anywhere to work him, but that is due to working full time and lack of light, as opposed to being motivated to do anything...difficult one. My horse certainly benefits from he regular turn out he gets at the yard we are on.
 
Interesting that this thread has gone down the 'motivation' route as this is not really what I meant.

Was really looking at how the facilities/people around you contribute (or harbour your success) and whether you feel you would be as successful without them.
Motivation for me is something slightly different.

Interesting discussion though!
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You probably picked the wrong time of year to post this, as lots of us are struggling with the weather and facilities (or lack of them!), so we are automatically asking "why are we doing this?" or "how do we keep doing this?" Hence why it's gone down the motivation route. Just a thought, shoot me down in flames if I'm talking rubbish....
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Im the only livery on my yard and my YO doesnt compete anymore, but she is my trainer. I like it the way it is. I dont have to fight for the school and I get out and compete. I only rode in the dark for 2 weeks before my horse injured herself and she has been off work ever since. Im waiting for it to stop raining then I'll get back on. Our school only has one light working at the mo so its not ideal but I have to make the most of what ive got.
 
Fair enough, but I think what you asked and the responses regarding motivation go hand in hand? You wont compete/go up levels etc without the motivation to do so, and you were asking how the environment encourages/helps you do what you do, so it is surely about what moutivates you to do what you are doing?
 
i struggle in winter as i too do not have facilities.... this not only means less schooling-which isnt the real problem..but also lack of fitness as if i cant ride in daylight i cant at all....i think i would be far more motivated it i had an arena, and i think i would improve far quicker.....dont get me wrong i managed to get my horse from not really doing well in anything to going PN and capable of doing a lovely dressage test as well as significantly imrpving her jumping; but it has meant more lessons than i would probably need...as instead of being able to have one every few weeks so i can practise ideas within that time i have to have one the following week to do it again.
 
KatB - you are right, of course - I think the two do go hand in hand. I just didn't phrase the question as I should have maybe. What I was really asking is do you have to be at a competition yard to succeed (or something like that)?

Thing about motivation is, you can argue that if you want it badly enough you could get to the olympics with just a horse and a field to ride in. Or could you?

God I'm rambling. Blame the wine!
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The replies that came back are all v interesting though so I'm not bothered that it's not really what I was asking.
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I moved from a yard where (i dont mean to sound boastfull) I was competing at the higher end of the scale compared to everone else... to a yard where i am definatly at the lower end. I find that being at the lower end makes me feel slighlty inadequate (although i know im not... i have a young horse etc etc but its hard not to think sometimes). However i love it as it is full of far mor knowlegdable people that i can learn SO much from... and there is always a million metre high grid set up that i can only aspire to in a few years!!!

I think that having people competing at a level higher than you is def a good thing as you can tag along, watch and learn so much where as i found myself a bit stuck in a rut...!

BUT i have found this new yard (only1 other livery and YO horses) is small compared to larger old yard and thats bit lonely so i do ride for shorter rides and generally spend alot less time there!

phew all said- sorry about the lengthy post!
 
Arwen I don't think you do - I am the only person on the yard I am on who events, the majority of aff competitors do dressage, some do some SJ. My dressage isn't spectacularly better, in fact it's pretty average, but I've gone from horse and rider never evented to the pair of us having gone novice and got CCI* qualification in 2 seasons. I think it is down to how much you want to do something - I'd work just as hard if I was on my own with no-one competitive, but I would never move somewhere without access to facilities! I think the former (hard work) is personal motivation, the latter (facilities) makes it easier to be motivated!
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In answer to the original question, about physical facilities, I think it's almost impossible to train up to a high standard these days without useful footing and jumps. Even if you take out the problem of riding after work and needing lights, having some sort of reliable school (what are the chances of well drained, solid natural footing in most parts of the country?) is almost essential for those who want to show at all during the winter and be competitive come spring. I think it used to be a bit easier to "do it from a field" when everyone was pretty much in the same boat and the system was set up to accommodate people accordingly but that's simply not the case anymore.

I really, really wanted this not to be the case for years, as I didn't always have the funds to have access to the best facilities, but having been more fortunate in my later professional career I've sort of changed my tune. I DO think it's possible to stay in the game and even do reasonably well, so long as one can ride, but I do firmly believe good facilities give both long and short term advantages.

That said, of course, good facilities don't make riders and never pushing the envelope can cause problems, too. It's tempting, if very good facilities are always at hand, to never ride in less than perfect conditions . . . which is okay if you're never going to compete in them either!
 
I am the only livery at a local farm. No schooling facilities yet it is amazing what you can get done out hacking. We also box up a lot for lessons and to use friends schools.
 
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