How practical is it to have two horse at different yards?

[Haha123]

How practical is it to have two horse at different yards?

 

[FlyingCircus]

Depends how much you value your time!


Wasn't doable for me. Got fed up of spending more time driving than riding.

 

[JoannaC]

Depends how close together they are and the route. I did it for a few years. First yard was five minutes from my house and the other 15 mins. First yard he was out 24/7 except he injured himself on the journey so ended up on box rest for the first six months. Second yard I had my youngster at as she wouldn't have fitted into the big mixed herd living out 24/7 but I wanted more turnout than the in horses got at the first yard. I did eventually move her to the first yard when she was older. I did enjoy being part of two yards and meant I had lots of different people to ride with but it is easier having them together.

 

[ycbm]

With parents having to drive you there because you are 15? A complete non starter.
.

 

[pistolpete]

I did it for three months with help it was still a bit of a nightmare.

 

[Caol Ila]

It isn't, but sometimes, you just have to live with it.

My youngster had to leave Yard A due to being too young and inexperienced to cope with their big herds. My old horse had to stay, because she was too old and neurotic to move anywhere. I also really like that yard -- the other liveries are a lovely bunch, and the hacking is epic. Yard B is very well run, perfect for a youngster, but the hacking comparatively sucks. It's also an awkward drive (but the route takes you past Yard A). When my old horse died, I got another horse of ridable age and put him in her stall at Yard A. I didn't want to lose my lovely hacking, and I want to move the youngster back there at some point. Easier to move one than two.

 

[lme]

I have horses on 4 different yards. It’s not ideal but doable if they don’t need visiting every day.

 

[atropa]

If you're having to see them both every day and the yards are more than 5 minutes from your house its completely impractical

 

[Lyle]

depends if the yards suits the different needs of the horses? I had one on a spelling type situation whilst the other was in work at a different yard with facilities. If both horses are in work, I'd imagaine it's more difficult, but you could do it by allocating different days to ride each horse.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I've done it but only as my youngster was away on young stock livery so I only popped over every few weeks, day to day I couldn't cope unless one was on completely full livery at least.

 

[AmyMay]

Exhausting.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Echo all the other comments but another issue I found infuriating was that i had kit that all the horses used on the wrong yard regularly. eg boot jack, long reins, side reins, my riding hat! So unless you have 2 of everything or are far more organised than me, and know in advance exactly what you need where, it's a pain. Unless one is not your responsibility at all. Eg yougstock livery, retirement livery etc,

 

[milliepops]

Exhausting.

yeah this. Until last Sunday i had 7 horses across 3 yard. it's tedious in the extreme. Basically wherever I am at any point in time, i am meant to be somewhere else. as above you have to be very organised and have multiples of lots of kit.
I now have them at 2 different places and that is a big improvement. I can only dream about having only one place to visit again... would need to have a major cull

 

[lme]

Mine are split into horses in work and on full livery, adult horses not in work and on on resting / retirement livery and youngstock out with others the same age. After several reshuffles that seems to work best, given that I can't keep ay of them at home. I've had horses in work on different yards and it really didn't work for me.

 

[lme]

yeah this. Until last Sunday i had 7 horses across 3 yard. it's tedious in the extreme.

Currently I have 6 split across 4 yards

 

[milliepops]

another 2 visits a day would make it impossible for me to hold down a job

 

[Ratface]

I had one old horse at a yard 15 miles away from from my new young horse. Old horse on part livery, new horse on full. My car ( a very old Mercedes estate) was a mobile tack room, grooming box, cloakroom and rug storage unit.
Sadly, old horse (who had been a rescue/rehab job) had a catastrophic field accident and had to be pts.
I used up a lot of time, emotion and petrol moving old horse stuff to new horse's yard. The whole episode was exhausting.
Now, I only have one horse, just down the road, on full livery. Far less expensive in terms of emotional, practical and financial outlay.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

OP have you bought the new event horse and don’t want to keep it where your existing gelding is with very little turnout? I think unless your parents are fully behind you and willing to pay part livery for both horses plus run you to both yards every day you may find it difficult to achieve with school and homework as well.

The replies you have had are from adults who work, pay for their own horses and drive. Either move them both to the same yard or sell one as you will have exams and Uni to concentrate on in the next few years.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I think this kid might be just an attention seeker folks , or a fantasist. Almost every day we get some form of a fairly bizarre ,.impractical or "done to death " post.
I wouldn't waste too much time and energy on debating these questions.

 

[Annagain]

I did it short term over the summer. One of the oldies needed quiet turnout in small paddock and that wasn't possible at our yard so we moved the two oldies to a (non-horsey) friend's paddock behind her house for 3 months. Before this, we had been considering moving them somewhere where they could be out permanently all year round but those three months changed our minds.

Both locations were less than 2 miles from home (in opposite directions) but even with two of us looking after the three between us and others at our normal yard keeping an eye on my younger horse so I only had to visit him once a day, it was totally exhausting, I rode far less than I normally would and felt like none of them were getting the level of care they deserved as i was always in a rush to get to the next one or get home for work.

 

[Annagain]

I think this kid might be just an attention seeker folks , or a fantasist. Almost every day we get some form of a fairly bizarre ,.impractical or "done to death " post.
I wouldn't waste too much time and energy on debating these questions.

I responded on the premise that it might be useful to someone who does a search in future. I often have a good read of posts on a subject I'm interested in before asking a question

 

[Izzwall]

I had 3 horses at 2 different yards for the last 2 years. It was doable as I worked at the yard my mare was at and I rent 3 acres on a farm a 10 min drive away for my other two who live out. It took 2 and a half hours to sort all their basic needs not including riding. I'm currently off work injured so they are now all together on the farm. It is a lot easier!

 

[Leandy]

It all depends! DIY, not DIY, in work, not in work (both you and horse!), how far apart are they, do you have to see each every day blah, blah. I have done this and generally because the horses had different needs at the time eg one at grass, the other working and needing facilities. So it suited well then. If both horses have the same needs though, clearly preferable to have at same yard. Not sure anyone can advise you, you will have to work out a timetable depending on your circumstances and see what it looks like.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I think it depends, if you have one ridden horse on a yard with the facilities you want and then a retired at a more suitable (cheaper?) yard it could work. I’ve had mine at home and one at work but that worked out fine as I was there anyway so just had to be a bit earlier to do mine first and then to be fair they often finished him for me at night. Would you have help at either yard?

 

[Caol Ila]

My situation is sort of tolerable because Hermosa is on cheap full livery, while Foinavon is on DIY. He obviously sees more of me, because he has to. Seeing as she's 3, she doesn't need to do things every day anyway. Once she is old enough to be in full work, this two yards thing will be a massive pain in the ar*se but hopefully she will be at Fin's yard by then. Or long before. The baby has taken so much out of her. She looks weak and weedy, more like a 2-year old than a 3-year old, so it might be a long time before I can even think about riding her. I'm hoping she starts picking up in the next few months, now that he is weaned.

 

[rowan666]

It would be totally impractical for most people unless one or both were on grass/full livery but given that you are in school and relying on parents to run you around I think it would be totally unreasonable for you to even ask them to consider this assuming they work, have a house to run and have other commitments of their own on top of you having to deal with school and homework which I can appreciate is also stressful. Find a yard you can afford time and money wise to keep them both or sell/loan one. You would get very little enjoyment from either horse running back and to with time restrictions. You would get much more enjoyment from one/both if you only had one place to be

 

[Winters100]

I would imagine impossible in your situation, unless on full livery with exercise, and if you still have the problem of one or both horses being without turnout then you need to fix this first.