Livery yards - how important is an indoor school?

Bernster

Bernster

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Just mulling over this - with the nights drawing in, the weather turning horrid and our outdoor school having flooded yesterday so won't be usable for a few days, and the forecast not looking good for the rest of the week! I've been looking longingly at yards which have cosy looking indoor schools...

There are a few livery yards in my area that have indoor schools but not that many - most have outdoor schools if anything.

Not looking forward to another soggy winter ! I ride at night during the week, horse needs regular work, school gets boggy so is out of action for a few days at a time so she won't get exercised until the weekend or when it clears up. I also don't enjoy riding when it's chucking it down (does anyone?!)

What's it like having an indoor? And do most people not mind not having one? I know lots of people don't have any facilities, so it's great to have an outdoor which works most of the year!
 
I feel the same as you this time of year, when its peeing it down outside and having a horse that needs tonnes of work to keep her remotely sane its so hard to motivate myself when there is just the outdoor school. But saying that I've ridden at a few yards that do have indoor schools and its funny but I didnt like it - mainly because everyone piles in there so its super busy, it is noisy so if you have a spooky horse it makes it hard work plus generally you are paying more for the privilege!

So while I always think I'd like to be at a yard with an indoor, the reality is I probably would be more annoyed with the number of people in the indoor school at the same time as me, more annoyed than I get riding in the drizzle and rain!

Thankfully though current yard has a great surface that never floods so can ride all year round and is floodlit - I have no idea how people manage without any facilities, if that were the case my horse would be ridden twice a week at best!
 
We have an indoor school where we keep our horses. I am so grateful that we have one, our winters are always freezing. An indoor school is a must if you ask me, and is worth paying that little bit extra for!
 
Being on a private yard we dont have the luxury of an idoor school but we do have a lovely new outdoor school but like you I would love the option. The yards round my way with indoor schools are pretty much all full livery yards and thats a lot of money each month for the privilage ... Although the thought of someone else mucking out for me Mon-Fri is VERY tempting, lol
 
I am going to buck the trend here and say that IMHO it's a nice to have rather than a necessity . . . but then I have been lucky enough to be on yards with outdoor schools with proper, all-weather surfaces and floodlights - which helps enormously.

Also, current yard has a walker . . . so on the days when the school is covered in snow and he can't go out in the field, he'll be going on the walker ;).

P
 
Good old HHO - the answers you get make you realise you were really asking a different question. In fact, what's maybe more important is having a good well draining outdoor, rather than one that gets boggy when it rains! But I agree, I do like the idea of an indoor and they would be nice, but they are pretty rare, are probably expensive in terms of what you pay for that kind of yard, and I do love my yard for lots of other reasons. Just find it v hard to motivate myself for a soggy ride through puddles!
 
Coming from a yard with no facilities to one that has an outdoor school and an indoor lunge arena I would say that it is a luxary rather than a necessity. And having been on a yard with nothing and still managing to work and compete my horses (i too have to ride very early morning or late night) the expression where theres a will theres a way comes to mind.

Have to work with what you have, but if you can afford the yards with an indoor and that is what you want then go for it, or praps hire a school once a week?
 
I've been on yards with and without, and to be honest I rarely used the indoor when I had it, only when the outdoor was frozen solid! It's more of a luxury than a necessity I think.
 
The first yard I had my horse on I was at for 3 years and ONLY had an indoor (30*60)! Fields were for grazing, not riding, and the only hacking, unless you were out for 3 hours +, was road work.

My sister and I picked up and moved our horses to a small DIY yard without a school at all when we moved. It was build part way through our first winter and was sand and half of it drained very badly and it froze to concrete, so we mostly rode in the field next to it! That spring YO sorted the drainage and added rubber and it's been fine since! It's smaller (20*40), but it's floodlit and useable all year around.

I far prefer the odd day of very wet riding (or no riding at all!) to being stuck indoors on a beautiful day. :)
 
Sorry to hijack thread but I've literally just moved house to a lovely new place yard to ourselves we viewed it to rent and loved that it had a stable block to ourselves as landlords are elderly and dont have horses also had a big barn for storage and landlords tractors. I've been paying someone lately to take me to local indoor school to exercise my horse mid week as like many he would never be ridden otherwise but it is pricey getting a lift everywhere was costing me a fortune. My landlord came over a few nights ago and asked OH to help move one of his trailers in the barn ( we hadn't actually been inside it yet) so trundle out to walk into a large barn, walked up the slope and stepped onto light soft sand I looked up and saw mirrors around the whole school on one long and one short side and lights all around I nearly cried. He has said he'll move his tractors up the road to another barn so I can use the indoor school for winter. I've never had an indoor school to use and it's got me so excited sad I know but waiting for him to clear it is agony lol. I have to say though I think an outdoor is as good as anything and although I'm very happy to have the privilege an outdoor school is defo better than nothing even in pouring rain and as someone said I'd prefer a wet outdoor than a packed indoor anyday
 
I'm currently on a yard with both an outdoor and an indoor. The outdoor is usable on all but the very coldest days, when it can get a bit hard, and the indoor is accessible all the time and has excellent lights for dark evenings. Yes, it's true to say that there are sometimes 2 or 3 of us in there some evenings, but with a bit of give and take that's not a problem. Also, the yard prices are competitive for the area so I don't think we pay a huge amount more for the facility. If you can afford it, and your horse needs to work regularly, then I'd go for a yard with an indoor every time and never miss a day's riding.
 
At the moment, I'm looking out for indoor events and clinics so I can get my fix without worrying too much about the weather, and without having to move yards !
 
We have 2 indoor schools but don't really sue them that much. The outdoor schools are great and even with the weather being horrible the school rarely floods so I almost always school outdoors even if it is raining. Just prefer it. Last year only used the indoor school when there was snow on the ground.
 
The yards with good facilities in my area are very limited and you're lucky to come across good outdoor arena, so it never really used to bother me. Last year I decided I would travel a few extra miles in return for good facilities with an indoor arena, and I'd hate to be without it now.
 
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