In a bit of a conundrum... very very long!

[Bananaman]

Almost definately.

'Fraid I agree with most on here and say move. Half an hour travelling isn't much to ask for your horse's health and sanity.
The more relaxed Grace is, the easier you'll find her to ride too.

ETA Doh! Late again! Serves me right for only reading one page before posting!!!

Well done B for doing right by your horses. It won't be easy but it will be worth it.

 

[_jetset_]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure you will manage! Is there anyone at the new yard who can turn out for you in the morning or bring in in the afternoon? Spare you two trips every day?

Well done, I'm pretty sure you've made the right decision.

xx

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you halfstep... I hope so

With the extra costs it might be a bit tight for me getting someone to turnout or bring in, but will see how I get on initially. They have excellent staff working there, so fingers crossed it will all work out once I am settled and used to the money coming out.

 

[_jetset_]

[ QUOTE ]
Almost definately.

'Fraid I agree with most on here and say move. Half an hour travelling isn't much to ask for your horse's health and sanity.
The more relaxed Grace is, the easier you'll find her to ride too.

ETA Doh! Late again! Serves me right for only reading one page before posting!!!

Well done B for doing right by your horses. It won't be easy but it will be worth it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Bananaman... It is always sad leaving somewhere you really like. I love my yard owners and the yard, it is just so peaceful and happy

But I have to get Grace out, even if it is just for an hour or two while I muck out when it is horrible weather

I just hope Hannah settles because she is a very very stressy horse when it comes to moving. But this will be the first time she has moved with the others, which I am hoping and praying will settle her nicely.

 

[Pasha]

I wish you very well with your move, it sounds as though you are making the right decision

I agree with what everyone else has said - horses need to be out and just be horses for at least a few hours a day.

Have you thought of maybe getting a sharer? Someone who could ride a few times a week and maybe do the horses those evenings or mornings to give you a bit of a break too?

 

[nikki_07766]

**With the extra costs it might be a bit tight for me getting someone to turnout or bring in, but will see how I get on initially. They have excellent staff working there, so fingers crossed it will all work out once I am settled and used to the money coming out.**

to be honest it will cost you far less to pay someone to turn out or bring in once a day then it would in petrol to travel there and back twice.

 

[mrdarcy]

I really feel for you Becki. It's such a nightmare where we live for turnout. I think it's hard for people in other areas to imagine just how bad it is in this part of Lancashire.

I think I've guessed which yard you're moving too - hope the move goes well. It does sound like Grace needs the turnout - some horses really don't adapt well to being inside. Didn't she spend her first six years turned out at her breeders? That could have something to do with it.

The yard I'm at now is lovely, small, only one other livery but not masses of grazing in winter. I knew that before I moved there so I've also rented a 4 acre field. It's a 10 minute drive from the yard and I'll be having some of mine living out 24/7 this winter, which will be a first for me! It's only now though I realise how lucky I was when I was renting that yard in Tockholes. If I could find another just like it I'd be there like a shot!

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks everyone...

Pasha... I love the riding bit of what I do, and would hate to see someone else riding my horses (does that sound odd). It doesn't help that they are both not easy to ride, my older mare is especially difficult and it has taken me 6 years to master her

If she got away with something just once, it would take me ages to make her realise she will not again

Gedenskis_Girl... Where abouts are you now?
That yard you rented was just perfect and it was such a lovely place to be. It was a shame you could not longer rent it because I always said how fantastic it was!

 

[Sags_Deer]

I think you should move tomorrow its really important for youngsters to have turnout to enable them to grow and develop and with what you have been through with Grace you need to move her asap. Good luck

 

[mrdarcy]

I'm at a private yard near Longton. Just one other livery with one horse, the yard owner with her two eventers and me. I found it from an ad in Farmers Guardian. Was all prepared to move to Wilcox's at Rivington but was worried about winter turnout in big groups, plus the drive up there in winter if we get lots of snow and ice and when I saw the ad I rung it on an off chance. It's only ten minutes from home and I like that it's small but still has good facilities (big outdoor school and horsewalker), plus YO is great and can't do enough for you.

I really miss the yard at Tockholes though - the saying 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone' is definitely true.

 

[hollibobs]

I'm sure you will love your new yard Becki - I've been there for nearly 4 months now and its great.

Gedenskis_girl you'll definatly have to come and pay us a visit now

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks everyone... I certainly hope I have made the right decision

I feel in myself that I have done, so that is a good sign, but I hate change and this is the first time I have moved all three to one place

 

[Worried1]

Jack suffered on and off with stress induced colic - which was at its worst when he was on restricted turnout. In the end we took the decision to move him to another yard where he had daily turnout.

We were under the impression that he needed constant grazing to keep his gut working and tried to mimic a more natural envirnoment.

It was a hard decision but one that proved to be a turning point (grabs wood!) as he has never suffered an attack of colic since and is out 24/7 except in the very worst of the winter.

 

[druid]

You'll love the yard Becki - I was there for 5 months with my little TB and it's a fab place with wonderful facilities. There's rather a dressage bias to the livery barn too!

 

[Gingernags]

Good on you, I'm sure you won't regret it and you'll have happier horses.

When we were on a big livery yard, we moved our 2 and 3 friends horses all to another yard mainly because B was in foal and we didn't want hordes of screaming kids poking the foal and traumatising it for life... mind you seeing as that was Ivy the terrible I think it might have been the kids that were traumatised...

Anyhoo, we moved them about 25 miles from home and it was a hard slog but it was so the right thing to do. Asti hated the big yard but instantly chilled at the new one.

I think its just a case of biting the bullet as you have done and doing what you can for the horses and making do for yourself!

I'm sure they will be so much better for it, which will be better for you in the stress stakes too.

(And if its any consolation, I'm having a similar ish dilemma myself about leaving somewhere quiet and happy for the welfare of t'little un!)