Livery Yard or Private Yard - Which do you prefer?

Horseback Rider

Horseback Rider

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I used to work at a fair sized livery yard and had to deal with the daily poilitics of keeping all the owners happy etc. I took a break from horses for a few years and have recently brought a TB WHo I keep on a small private yard with a friend who keeps here 2 horses there also.

Sometimes I miss there always being someone to ride out with and the general business of a livery yard.

Can anyone else name any pro's/ con's to either ?
 
Definitely a private yard. Having been on 2 livery yards and a private yard, I much prefer the private one as we can go up as and when we please, potter around, make coffee (
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) etc. At risk of sounding anti social, I didn't like making pointless small talk at livery yards every time I turned up!!
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At our old yard we kept ourselves to ourselves and didn't really ride out with anyone else so that's not a problem now that we are on a private yard.

The first livery yard I was at was very bitchy, and it only had 5 liveries!!!
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There was a bit of a parelli divide lol
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Another pro-private yards- we can rotate the grazing as and when we wish... so the horses will always have grass instead of a mud bath
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thanks Twizzel - thinking back now I can relate to all of the above !
My friend is always off to shows at the weekends - have only just got my horse so not ready for that yet !!

Just wish there where more people to hack out with round my way !
 
I have kept my horse at both - and liked both. I am currently enjoying the social side of a lovely friendly livery yard where people help each other out and enjoy doing stuff together. It certainly makes the dark winter evenings more pleasurable when you can have a chat. All depends on the people - I have been on one yard where there were several people I could have willingly drowned in the nearest water trough before burying their bodies in the muck heap. don't miss that!!
 
I have kept my horses over the years at home, small private yard and now on a big livery yard. I have to say this is the best yard for me at the moment. Has great flexibility in the fact that when I have had to have full livery the YO has been able to pick up and do the horses (4in, 3out & stallion on full livery). The yard has everything and more that I personally need. An indoor school 3 outdoor schools. Near to competing centres too. So for me it suits..
 
I kept my old horse on a small private yard and loved it although it wasnt always easy to find someone to meet up with to hack out. Im now on a big livery yard with my new horse and dont really like it much. Prefer to be quiet and get on with my own thing without being constantly judged.
 
This is really interesting cause iv just a wk ago moved to a small private yard just me and the yo but i feel a bit like im intruding wen i go up and i find myself trying to hurry so that i dont annoy them by being up there every time they look out the window and i will tx them rather than ringing to find out if there turning out or not it is so lovely and yeah horses seem happier but dont know weater to approach them or not and say r u happy for me 2 be here as much as i am.....
 
I have been on both private and livery yards in the past - and both have their benefits.

Being on livery can make life much easier in terms of knowing that there is assistance on site, for a price, if and when it's required. Although not all yards are well run, and if you're unlucky enough to be on one like this it can make life miserable. However, get yourself in to a well run socialble yard, and life can be fun, fun, fun.

Private yards also have (or can have) huge benefits. Usually there is only one or two liveries and the actual YO (so less chance of the awful yard politics). The downsides are there is usually no assistance. And quite often it can be lonely.

My preference would always be a well run establishment that is a professional yard, offering services and assistance when needed 365 days of the year.
 
i think a double edged question!! if you are paying to keep your horse at a yard then its livery! only difference is size and terms of contract! to keep things simple you have to state your requirements for horse and what you expect, and the general hours that you wish to be there, and see if it fts in with the yard in question, negotiate on specific points and agree price in advance. if on a 'private' yard they still have a duty of care and are liable as landowners when receiving financial gain. (ie its being done as a commercial venture),as for the sociality of yards then go visit, meet the people and see if its the type of yard you want to be on! make sure the yard has what you need .. hacking, turnout, menage floodlights ect before you make your mind up. no point wingeing that the hacking is crap once you get there or the menage doesnt work, usually you get what you see if you look and ask before deciding...............
 
I keep my horses at home and it does sometimes get a bit lonely, also when I go on holiday I have to employ someone to come and "horse sit" after years on livery yards I think there are fores & against with both
 
We have our own field and barns, stables etc a mile from home. It is lovely to be able to do what you want when you want, but it is definitely lonely - I always ride alone, and have lost a lot of motivation over the three years that I've been out of a livery yard. I also have to plan ahead a year or so for when my youngster is backed - she is three next summer. I won't have any option other than to hack alone with her, which isn't the ideal situation to be in - my husband can ride, but my cob would struggle with his weight. Of course, if I was at a livery yard there are always cons - never got enough space for your stuff, other peoples horses duffing yours up etc etc.
 
I have had my horses at home, on a very small yard and on a very large yard. Having seren at home is not an option at present, maybe one day as i would prefer this.

Anyway, the last small yard i was on which you could call private was awful in the end. I became incredibly good friends with the yard owner at one point which i think in turn caused difficulties ahead. There were no real rules, it was all a higgaldy piggaldy mess, for want of a better description, bottom line she could not run the place.

No matter what the size of yard there must be rules that are not changed every five minutes, they need to be fair rules and all horses health and welfare is of paramount importance.

My current yard it is very large, it is very well run and has very few faults. I feel it is down to management of a yard and how liveries and horses are dealt with that is what makes it right for you. Small yards can be great, they can be a nightmare,large yards can be great or a nightmare, it really does boil down to how it is managed.
There will always be people one would not want to associate with or avoid on big or small yards, so in answer to the original question, the size of the yard does not really matter you just have to try them and see...
 
Our yard is a small livery yard. When I moved on there were 7 horses on incuding my 2. Now there are just 5, I have 2, the other livery has 2 and YO 1.

Works really well as we all chip in and help each other with horses. For TO, bring in, over holiday and the like. In general I don't like liveries, far to bitchy.
 
I have JUST left a livery yard (as in moved yesterday) due to general bitchyness and sniping. Hadn't been happy there for the last 6 months or so, and then in the last week things were said to me that made me dread going up there and made me take time off of work due to stress.

Moved yesterday to a small yard, three stables, Genie and two youngsters (6 months and yearling). The lady who owns them is lovely, and so far Genie has settled very quickly and is enjoying being 'mum'. Took her out for a hack on my own today which I usually avoid as I like someone to chat to, but have friends nearby so will be able to meet up with them!
 
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