Livery Yard near Bristol?

[TheRhubarbTart]

Hi, I'm looking into going to Uni in Bristol but will be bringin my horse if I do. Does anyone know any DIY livery yards pretty close to the university (within maybe 7 miles or so), that isn't too expensive.
Thanks

 

[SpottedCat]

There are loads in Failand, but Bristol is a complete pain to get into and out of as a Student, and if you are in halls that are in Clifton you are not allowed a car (or weren't when I was there), and if you're the other side of the downs then it will take you hours (quite literally in rush hour!) to get to Failand. Public transport from uni areas to yard areas is pretty much non-existent, not to mention pricey (you cannot buy a return ticket on bristol buses before 9am - yes, really!).

That said it's a v horsey area, and there are loads of yards about. Failand is your best bet from Uni areas (assuming you don't mean you are looking at UWE).

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

No I will be going to Bristol Uni, and hopefully will have my own car at that stage.

Is there very bad rush hour throughout a lot of the morning? I'm living in Ireland so I don't know much about the area.

 

[SpottedCat]

What course are you planning on doing? I make sure I get back from doing my horse (I live in v studenty bit) before 8am or my journey time is trebled, and in the eves I am either there and back before 4.30 or I leave it until later.

If you are planning a science subject that will be your downfall - in my first year I had 9am lectures every day, and labs 3 times a week which did not finish until 5pm, and that's if they were on time. I actually could not have fitted in a DIY horse, all the work and any kind of social life. Mind you I wouldn't have taken a horse to uni anyway unless I happened to be seriously good, in which case it's unlikely it would have been on DIY....

 

[doonrocket]

kpstables.co.uk. It's a bit further but there is a uni student on livery there at the mo. £95 a week for 'full' livery. That does not include excercising your horse , so you might not call that full. I think there's a half livery option but no DIY. PM if you like.

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

I'm planning on (hopefully!) doing veterinary science! :L

I'm applying to a few, but part of my choice will be how easy it will be to keep a horse with me during my time there, as I don't want to sell or leave him in Ireland. I was thinking about doing a share with someone or something like that.

Did you find it difficult to keep your horse with you? Did you think it was worth it?

 

[miss_c]

All depends on where you're going to be living I'm afraid. Loads out my way but if you're living Clifton that will be no use really. Rush hour in town can be absolute HELL. I've been working at a school in the centre this past term and had to leave at 7 to get in for 7.50am (and got in stupidly early every time), the other alternative was wait 10 minutes and be panicking about not getting there in time.

 

[SpottedCat]

Thing is there is no point in going all the way to Kenn Pier for £95 a week when there is an excellent yard offering exactly the same in terms of livery for over £10 a week less in Failand, which is a fraction of the distance (and cycling distance from the uni). There are also another 3 or 4 yards which offer DIY in the same area, also cycling distance from uni, though I'd rather chew my own arm off than go to a couple of them due to the high numbers of children they contain!

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm planning on (hopefully!) doing veterinary science! :L

I'm applying to a few, but part of my choice will be how easy it will be to keep a horse with me during my time there, as I don't want to sell or leave him in Ireland. I was thinking about doing a share with someone or something like that.

Did you find it difficult to keep your horse with you? Did you think it was worth it?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you want my honest opinion - don't bring your horse. I didn't, and wouldn't have done. Wherever you are, doing vet science is a) long, hard hours, and b) city centre based for the first 3 years. You'll struggle like hell on DIY, miss all the vet-centric things they make you do to 'bond' and you'll struggle in the holidays because of all the placements you need to do. I lived with vets and medics all the way through uni, and there is no way they could have coped with a horse too IMO - unless you are prepared to completely sacrifice the social side.

I am sure there are exceptions to the rule, but why make something already difficult into a complete mission?!

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

That could suit that it's within cycling, and possibly I could avoid going there in the morning if they'd turn out for a bit extra. Do anyof the yards in Failand have websites, or do you know one or two personally?

 

[SpottedCat]

None of them have websites as far as I could tell - and by cycling distance I mean 6-10 miles BTW, which is my cycling distance though I appreciate not everyones!

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

Yea I know what you mean. It might be hard to leave him behind but I don't want my results to suffer. There's lots to think about with it really. Thanks for all your help though!

 

[doonrocket]

Kingsweston stables are OK I think. Not the nicest part of town, but I hear they do lots of stuff there. Just remember to lock your car!

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
Kingsweston stables are OK I think. Not the nicest part of town, but I hear they do lots of stuff there. Just remember to lock your car!

[/ QUOTE ]

I am almost certain they do not do livery any more - they used to years ago but there is nothing on their website about it and I am sure when I was looking for somewhere new they did not do it anymore - they are just a riding school now.

 

[doonrocket]

I've got a friend with 2 horses there, but maybe it's a private arrangement. Could be worth a call ?

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

Will definitely check out all the ones I've heard about here anyway, though from what else I've heard I think it could be tough tryin to keep my horse with me.

 

[monkeybum13]

As the others have said getting through Bristol to a yard will be hell. If I remember rightly Kenn Pier is near the Hand EC so that will take you a while to get to and that part of the motorway is really awful. I know someone who keeps their horses Failand way so I will try and get their number and PM you.

 

[Broodle]

As others have said, it will be v difficult to find a yard accessible enough while you are living in halls in your first year. However, I think that most of the vets live south of Bristol to be near the vet school at Langford after their first year. There are loads and loads of DIY yards round that area, and lots of lovely hacking too.

Perhaps an option might be to leave your horse at home/loan him out or something for the first year - while you settle in, make friends, generally party etc. - and then bring him over for year two and onwards? Just an idea.

I did engineering (similarly long hours to vet science) at Bristol and know I couldn't have coped with a horse too, especially in the first year... That said, I knew of plenty who did manage, albeit by forking out for full livery.

Hope you do get into Bristol - it's a fab city and a great uni!!

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
As others have said, it will be v difficult to find a yard accessible enough while you are living in halls in your first year. However, I think that most of the vets live south of Bristol to be near the vet school at Langford after their first year. There are loads and loads of DIY yards round that area, and lots of lovely hacking too.



[/ QUOTE ]

None of the ones I knew moved to Langford until their 4th year - and as far as I know that hasn't changed - why would they since most of their lectures are in the Vet School in the centre of Bristol and the uni busses them down to Langford a couple of times a week - housing is limited down there too.

 

[dieseldog]

Bristol traffic is horendous. I leave for work at 6.15am, if I leave 30 mins later it will take me 3 times as long to get in. The council is also quite keen to bring in a congestion charge - which I think will make me stop working in Bristol.

I'm not sure if you have picked up on what SC said about the Uni not allowing you to have a car in your first year - and there is no parking on the roads - only residents.

 

[treacle_beastie]

Oh god - what a nightmare - excuse me for jumping in on this post but I am planning on attending UWE, living outside Bristol and commuting into Bristol via yard every day to look after DIY horse - is this going to be possible or can I not park at Glenside campus either? I plan to share my horse or maybe put her on 5 day part livery if travelling is a nightmare but I am not living in Bristol - don't care about the social side of things as I will be a mature boring student - there to study not to party - been there done that!

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh god - what a nightmare - excuse me for jumping in on this post but I am planning on attending UWE, living outside Bristol and commuting into Bristol via yard every day to look after DIY horse - is this going to be possible or can I not park at Glenside campus either? I plan to share my horse or maybe put her on 5 day part livery if travelling is a nightmare but I am not living in Bristol - don't care about the social side of things as I will be a mature boring student - there to study not to party - been there done that!

[/ QUOTE ]

UWE is completely different - hence I checked the OP wasn't planning to go to UWE.

You'll be able to commute into Glenside ok as long as you pick your yard carefully so that the route avoids as much of the ringroad as possible and you work out the times in which the traffic is nightmarish.

 

[SpottedCat]

[ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure if you have picked up on what SC said about the Uni not allowing you to have a car in your first year - and there is no parking on the roads - only residents.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you're in Clifton halls you are nearer to yards but cannot have a car. If you're in halls the other side of the downs, you are miles from yards and have more traffic to fight through but you can have a car (I did in my first year, though spaces are limited). There are non-residents places to park in Clifton, but they are few and far between and expect to lose wing mirrors on a regular basis. My area isn't anywhere near a controlled parking zone (though they are threatening to bring one in) and I couldn't park on my road recently due to ice. Car spent 4 hours on an adjacent road, and lost a wing mirror - my own stupid fault for not folding it in really!

 

[miss_c]

t_b - You should be fine depending on where you're living and where you're keeping your horse!

 

[treacle_beastie]

phew! Not sure where we will be living or where the yard will be - was looking north /northwest/west bristol. Would love some recommendations for me and horse! Looking for a village location really as I'm not a city type but would need to be easily commutable to UWE. Really all depends on where OH gets a job as well though so all up in the air at the moment!

DIY livery would need to be as cheap as possible but must have winter and summer turnout and a school at the very least - hopefully I will find a decent sharer.

Thanks for your help

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

Yea I got the stuff about the car thanks, but I looking into cycling/moped alternatives. I'm just throwing ideas around here, I know there's quite a good likelyhood I'll have to sell unfortunately due to workload/area.

 

[ester]

Hi, I am not a vet but a post grad student at langford.

you are really going to have to think about this one as I am really not sure you are going to manage horse and studies, some do but it isnt easy and a couple I am not sure how they managed it particularly one girl I met who took her comp horse round the country with her staying with friends to do all her work experience placements.

I did biol at bristol, friend sent horse elsewhere in first year and then as managing well had her stabled at kenn pier 2nd and 3rd year only because it was next to the hand so she could BSJA. we lived on gloucester road, but would go straight from uni which would take about 40mins, If mine and in halls first year I would prob cycle out to failand instead. prob 15 mins on a bike, I did it quite a lot.

IMO you are going to have to start the course and see how you get on to start with and be aware that it only gets worse to see if you can manage the horse. Are you going to stay around in holidays, (which are long, add up to about 4-5 months of year in total) or are you going to take the horse back home? what are you going to do when you have to travel to be on placement that may not be that near the horse?

SC it is still the case that students up to 3rd year are based in bristol and spend one day a week at langford, 4th and 5th years are out at langford but 5th year particularly involves quite a lot of practice work and being on call etc.

OP I have a couple of friends who did the course at bristol but left their horses at home, I can ask them if they think they would have managed the horse while studying, I might also be able to put you in contact with current students who have horses to see how they find it but will have to wait for term to start again (enjoying 12 days off atm!!)

 

[TheRhubarbTart]

I'm thinking that might be another idea, to leave horse at home during term, on lease etc, and use him at home during summer. Atleast then I'll still own him, and get to see him during holidays. It'll take a lot of thought. Thanks for your help though

 

[SashaEvely]

Kingsweston Stables doesn't do liveries

If your looking for yards in that area there are a few DIY places in Hallen, including Spaniorum Farm and Wilbeard Farm Stud

These will be accessable from halls if you have a car, but not as accessable from Langford

 

[deahath]

Quote from Leyland Court owner - "I'm not responsible for the safety of other people's horses." Good for hiring facilities but livery inadequate. Incredibly low standards of care, unpleasant atmosphere & over priced.