Livery dilemma - What would you do?

Parker79

Parker79

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Hi there...sorry so long...

I have a 20yo mare and 3yo gelding in a gorgeous livery yard...I love it, they love it but its a 50 min round trip, its costing me more than my mortgage and I can only see my horses 3 times a week due to the cost of the fuel.
I truly truly love it...yard owners, people are amazing and I trust them completely.

I may have the chance to rent a 2.5 acre field 5 mins from home, cost is minimal in comparison (even with maintenance) can put up shelter, has electric, water and nicely hidden away....I do not really want to do this as my OH does not want me to go back to maintaining a field....we know the work involved.

So the dilemma....I can afford to stay in the livery yard if I had my older mare PTS before winter....obviously I do not wish to do this...but last winter she was very stiff and being stabled from 3pm til 7am doesn't help her. If I brought her closer to home in a rented field I could give her an area with a shelter for overnight....but then there are no guarantees this would work.

Arghhhh....driving myself insane trying to decide. If I wait too long the field may not be an option.

My mare has OCD in both stifles and sacroliac disease, has been mainly a well pampered field ornament for the 10 years I had owned her...had to fully retire her (again) last summer.

What would you do?
 
Anyway you can find someone to share the field with you and put it and your old girl in there, then keep the younger one at livery still, or does that cost too much in time and money?
 
If neither suit you that well, then look for another livery yard closer to home.

You don't want to be left with only the 3 yr old if your mare had to be PTS, and then have to get companions, and also if you rode the 3 yo you'd need 2 horses left behind etc etc - it works for me, but depends if you'd want to have to do that.
 
I have been in a similar situation to you - I had two horses on full livery with an 80 mile round trip so I only went three times a week. I loved it there. But the money was just unjustifiable. I moved to a DIY yard near home (not the same thing, as renting a field I know, but not completely different), and although the yard isn't a patch on the full livery yard, I do enjoy spending more time with the horses, and it costs me less to keep both than it did to keep one at full livery. If cost is the main issue then I would move. Are there no DIY yards near you that you could go to then you don't have the field maintenance issue?
 
Can you try and find a third option of a good yard nearer to you ??

I am in a similar situation, but being very happy at the yard we're at now outweighs the cost, especially after some of the experiences we've had at "not so good" yards. And I go down twice a day, hence the fuel bill bigger than anything else.

What's your gut feeling ?
 
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If it were me I would take the field. Reason being - twofold. Firstly - your mare may well do better living out. Secondly - are you planning to start to do something with your youngster soon? Oh - and thirdly - so much closer to home! I couldn't stand not seeing my boys every day!!!
 
Ella19 said:
Anyway you can find someone to share the field with you and put it and your old girl in there, then keep the younger one at livery still, or does that cost too much in time and money?
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Would love to do this...but my youngster is on grass livery ...they do not usually do it but agreed on the basis my mare is on full livery...so moving one wouldn't help my from a cost point of view.

The reason I chose a yard so far away was due to turnout issues near me...no yards around here offer turnout all year...some are in all winter or only get 3 hrs a day or every other in winter! I used to keep my mare out 24/7 but she needs some time away from the others to get enough food in the winter.

I hate not seeing my horses....I tried a DIY yard locally, peope were nice but turnout stopped when it rained and my mare went nuts! she hated it so I moved her into full livery for the routine!
 
catwithclaws said:
Where are u ATM Hun? And where is this field? I think it might help your older girl - I'm thinking of doing the same for my old retired boy this winter and having him on grass! Xx
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Hey you! field is warsash way...my main worry is whether I am kidding myself! I had her on 24/7 before and standing out in the hampshire mud didn't suit her well either :( Would you move both of yours?
 
Simbacat said:
move them closer, I had the same feelings you did but closer makes all the difference!
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I'm not sure I can find a solution that is ok for everyone. I hate the idea of my mare being PTS but moving her again wont be nice for her and maybe I am kidding myself anyway...gut tells me she will manage..but then its warm at the moment so she is moving well!

If I take on the field it will have to be long term, I will lose the support I have with my youngster and the school....and the arguments at home will be neverending :(

so stuck :(
 
I'd move to the local private rent and use the money saved to pay for contracting a farmer in to do maintainence. That way your old girl can go for as long as she can and you can spend more time with both your horses
 
Hey hun, in ur situation I probs would move, it sounds overall like it would be best for both horses and u in the long run. My old boy will be going on grass from the end of this month, I'm now flogging as much as poss on eBay so I can afford new winter rugs! Xx
 
Thanks everyone! Paying for the maintenance is a good idea.

Going to see my 2 in a mo at the yard..will continue to way up the pro's and cons. Maybe I need to present it differently to OH.

Will have a look round again for local yards....but I doubt I will have any luck....in 9 years I haven't found anything suitable.

Thanks again.
 
Go for the field but pay for maintenance, still prob cheaper. Also maybe make a wee corrl around the shelter so oldie can potter around a little yard and the shelter in bad weather.

She may be better there. If she's not, well it sounds as if she is struggling a bit in winter anyway, so decisions might be no different.

The only thing to think about would be, is there a school nearby you can hire/take youngster to (which will be important), and also if oldie does go at some point, think about where company will come from (I would recommend a couple of oldies/youngsters on loan from WHW (ILPH), that way if circums change they have a home to go back to with the charity.
 
personally i wouldnt consider having one of my horses put to sleep so i can keep another one at a certain yard......!
also if you no longr have your mare there, then wont they be charging the full livery for the remaining horse anyway?
i would loook for retirement livery or grass livery for the old girl- being out moving will be better, esp if she has open access to a dutch barn etc.
the youngster could also surely live out at its current age?
this would save you alot of time and money if you find grass livery nearer to home, which can then be used towards moving to a livery of your choice once you are actually working the young horse and need the facilities?and get a companion for your old mare.....as in share a field with someone else with an oldie if you rent your own field....
thats what id do anyway, this is a good time of yr to be looking for a new yard......
 
amandaco2 said:
personally i wouldnt consider having one of my horses put to sleep so i can keep another one at a certain yard......!
also if you no longr have your mare there, then wont they be charging the full livery for the remaining horse anyway?
i would loook for retirement livery or grass livery for the old girl- being out moving will be better, esp if she has open access to a dutch barn etc.
the youngster could also surely live out at its current age?
this would save you alot of time and money if you find grass livery nearer to home, which can then be used towards moving to a livery of your choice once you are actually working the young horse and need the facilities?and get a companion for your old mare.....as in share a field with someone else with an oldie if you rent your own field....
thats what id do anyway, this is a good time of yr to be looking for a new yard......
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Thank you...i would not be considering it at all if she was doing better....my concern is that moving her might be a waste of time and a lot of stress for her and me....she was on bute all of last winter which didn't make a huge difference...vet has said she still has a good quality of life (not being cruel keeping her) but he was willing to PTS in October last year due to her combined issues.

I kept her out 24/7 for most of her life due to issues...she stopped doing well and needs to be on her own for a period to eat enough....no livery yards will allow this.

Yes - the youngster would move to full livery...that wouldn't be a problem, he lives out 24/7 at the moment on livery at grass.

Just to clarify....I love my mare very much, she has been a nightmare to own but sometimes that makes the bond even stronger. My 3yo loves her to bits too and my mare is so gentle I can trust her with my toddler.

I wonder whether I should leave them where they are and just stomach the bill.....if my mare gets too stiff in winter being stabled then I will have to do it then.

Sorry you have all had to listen to this lot.....I am worrying permanently about this!
 
I'd stay where I was. You may need the support of others and facilities when you start your youngster. The field will be very isolated. Regarding the old mare, how would she cope being out in the cold with arthritis. You have to think about her quality of life, she has a few health issues, will be in discomfort.
 
I would either take the field or look for a DIY yard closer to home, they may not be the same or as perfect as where you are at now, but it means more money in your pocket and more time spent with your horses which = happy owner!!! :)
 
I would consider the put to sleep option if she has the lameness/unsoundness issues, and concentrate on your other chap. 50 mins each way is an ok trip, I do that from home to our property where the horses live, and have done for sometime. Maybe you could increase visits to 4 x a week without extra horse.

A horse with those sort of issues may not cope that well in field, at some point in time you will have to make that decision anyway, why wait until she really is miserable.

In the end it is a decision only you can make, not any one else, is it a difficult decision, yes it is, is it unreasonable to consider it, no it is not.

People are way too sentimental, I found it really hard to get my cat put down, and I am sure that it would have been best for him if I had made my decision a good 12 months earlier than I did. I would let your horse have a good few weeks or months in your UK summer, and then I would do the deal. That is the logical side of me.

I would suggest the field, but it is not something that will make you happy, from what you have stated re this, for others it may have been a viable alternative. You have to do what suits you.
 
Parker79 said:
20 mins there, 30 mins back (its next to a dual carriageway so the journey back is longer.)
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I don't think that's too far, actually. It's a journey I used to do, before moving closer to where the horses were kept.

However, if money is an issue then yes, I would move to livery or a field nearer. (Although if you're only seeing them a couple of times a week then surely the additional charges for livery is more than the petrol???)
 
It would be a no-brainer for me to take the field but that's because I can't stand liveries and much prefer the self sufficient approach anyway.
 
I would rent the field if it were a choice of that or have my cherished field ornament PTS. Not saying this is the right thing to do, just what I would do myself. :)
 
50mins total round trip is nothing at all: I wouldn't consider that insufferably far by any means! (It's not quite the same, but I ride at a school that's 1hr drive each away, and I take the bus: 1hr 45mins giving a 3.5hr round trip a couple of times a week). If the cost of travel is the issue though, have you looked into a more fuel-efficient car, car-sharing with other liveries who live/work near you, or bus routes? I'd be loathed to move because of the mare and because school, support or even an extra pair of eyes when backing and breaking are invaluable. Different strokes for different folks though. Best of luck!
 
Thanks everyone. The distance bit is a consideration because of the diesel...it usually wouldn't be a problem...but adding £25pw in fuel to a massive livery bill is a killer...and only seeing them 3 times a week is hideous!

I had a look at my mare today...took a good friend with me and we both agreed that she does not look ready to go yet....I've cared for her for 10years now...I cannot let her do before its time.

I will be coming up with a plan to present to my OH next....:D he will not be happy about this :(.

I love my mare so much...it is better to take the risk and at least I can handle my youngster daily if I move them....will have friends round the corner to ask for advice too.

Thank you so much ...I think I have decided...either way you have all been very kind...thank you.
 
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