Keeping horses, what do you all do?

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mermaid

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I'm in a dilemma at the moment, I have a retired mare at a friends farm, but the farm is 40 miles away, I work full time and despite my friend checking her over 3 times a day I only just managing her sweet itch.

I've also just brought a gorgeous colt, who comes to me at weaning this September. My friend is happy to take him but I'd rather have him closer where I can handle him daily myself.

I've made the decision to try and find somewhere more locally and have been looking around Chobham.

I can't find anywhere that will take a colt, despite the fact he will be gelded as soon as he's ready to be. And due to my control freak nature (and horrendous past experiences at livery yards) I can't find somewhere that would allow me my own fields to manage.

So I have tried looking for a small yard (I have another friend who is desperate to do this with me with, she's struggling with livery yards too) but I've found nothing.

So I wondered, how does every one else keep their horses?
Am I the only one who has struggled at livery yards? What are your experiences?
I have already advertised and been reviewing local ads in tack shops, online etc, is there anywhere else I could look?
 
I am very lucky and have all 6 of mine at home, wouldn't change that for a second! Yes it's difficult because i have to do everything, I can't go away for any real length of time (although my mum is fab and if i do go away then she looks after them for me - I'm 17 and still live at home!). I have never had a horse at a livery yard, and sometimes i think how nice it would be to have someone to ride with, talk to...etc but I think being able to do whatever I want whenever I want is perfect
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And after having them at home, if I had to put them on livery somewhere it would have to be perfect for them and me!!

I think looking for your own private/semi private yard seems to be the best solution! Could you not leave your colt with your friend until he is gelded??

xx
 
Mine is at livery but I always seem to get lucky with very small private places with good facilities and only one or two other liveries, agree about bigger yards they can be a nightmare, if you know the local farrier worth asking there may be someone looking to take on 1 livery at their home or something?
 
I put other because as from today I will have two at home and one at livery still for the extra facilities (and my sanity so I can actually see people daily as I dont work)
The best option for you definately sounds like a private field somewhere with a stable or two would suit you down to the ground. They are the hardest yards to find and usually get rented through word of mouth etc. local farmers are the best place to start asking or you may be lucky and find a scribbled ad at the local feed merchant or tack shop.
Good luck.
 
NingaNoodle - yes the fall back plan is to send him to my friends until he is cut, however I will only be able to handle him twice a week like that. I figured that it defeats the object a bit to have to get someone else to do it!

Baileysno1 - I've done that before, and ended up paying them livery and looking after their horses for them to! I'd much rather concentrate on mine than pay to be someone's slave! Local farrier is a fantastic idea though, I'll get right onto that!
 
I'm sorry, this is going to appear very rude, but if you have a full time job and nowhere to keep your existing horse, why have you bought a colt?
 
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I'm sorry, this is going to appear very rude, but if you have a full time job and nowhere to keep your existing horse, why have you bought a colt?

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Your quite right, it does appear very rude.

Most people have full time jobs
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And I have somewhere to keep both horses as I have already stated (plus a friend willing to help), but the control freak in me just wants somewhere closer so I can do it myself.

Constructive comments on how you all keep your horses please!
 
I keep my 2 on a 5 acre field with the landowners horse. Nice and quiet. No hassle. I used to rent my own yard though. I have never been on a livery yard as I don't think I could stand all the bitchiness!
 
I keep my two on a 2.5 acre feild at home but have terrible control on their weight as i have no stables or facilities.

If you could find a farmers field maybe by you that would be willing to rent you it?
 
Livery yard - DIY. A very trusted friend and I work it out so that she feeds / turns outs in mornings and I fetch in / feed in the evening during the week.

Weekends we usually both go hacking together in mornings and one person does the evening feed shift - really depends on what else we have on! We both have extremely busy lives!
 
DIY livery for me too.

Although I suspect you will need something a little more specialist to accomodate your weanling - as most yards don't accomodate horses so young. And it obviously will not be able to be turned out with a mature herd.
 
I keep at livery now, I used to DIY at rented stables/fields but I work full time and just can't get down often enough.

You really have to learnt o control the inner control freak
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livery isn't all that bad, it can be fun having people around to ride out with.help out with handling etc. You just need to find somewhere you fit in, get on with YO and take the same view on handling horses (eg if they take a hard line on discipline you need to feel the same way or you'll clash over handling horses!)

Going it alone is really tough and you have to think what will happen on holidays/when you're sick/when you just want a break. I would try livery for a while, most places would take a colt on the basis that he was being gelded, understandably they wouldn't let a total stranger take charge of managing their pasture...most YO's are quite competent enough to do that themselves though you may not agree with their method.
 
Mine are kept at home over the winter and then move up to where I work over the summer - more grazing and better riding!
 
DIY Livery yard.

But we have a fantastic Yard Manager who looks after my gang when I'm working away and I do weekends, holidays and if I'm working at/near home.

We are lucky in that we have loads of grazing so if people wish they can keep their horses in their 'own' field, looking after it by poo picking etc.

I have my three in three different fields - the cob shares with a gang of 5 other boys including his best friend. My mare is with two girls and the oldie is with his best friend (an 8yo TB - heaven only knows why they paired up!) and, since last weekend, another nice quiet boy.

I'd love to have mine at home (if I had the land) but I'd miss the camraderie. There's always someone to hack with, my mate comes to comps with me (and I go with her).
Most importantly though people come and go at different times of day (from about 6am through to whenever it's dark or later) which means there's lots of pairs of eyes on the horses (and we do all look out for each other) so if there's any problems, accidents etc it usually gets spotted very quickly!

There are occassionally a few problems but for me, at the moment, the good far outweighs the bad.

ETA: We do breed on the yard from time to time and there is always some youngstock about too so I'm lucky that my mare's foal (2yo now!) belongs to a friend and has stayed on the yard with her pal - a filly born on the yard too but a week before! The only thing we don't/can't accommodate is stallions but we've had colts up to about 2yo (though my cob was 3 before he was cut)
 
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DIY Livery yard.

We are lucky in that we have loads of grazing so if people wish they can keep their horses in their 'own' field, looking after it by poo picking etc.


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You have hit the nail on the head there! It's not about 'managing' the grazing as much as the poo-picking! Been there before when I'm the only one who will do it!

Your yard sounds ideal! If only I could find that around here.


BTW, I didn't want to bore everyone with my life story but I did have the horses at home for years and years in a past life, have completed BHS stages and have a degree in Animal Science and Welfare so I completely appreciate the comments about not managing etc, but I feel confident I would have no problems looking after my own place.
 
Have you approached any farmers near you...I rent a field from a farmer and have put a mobile stable on it and can manage things how I like from there.
 
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