Livery Yards in North Kent...

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movingneddie78

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Hi all,

Basically I'm moving from Canterbury to be nearer to my parents in Swanley, can anyone recomend livery yards in the area. Ive heard Chelsfield is a nice village??

Things I want in a yard are:

Caring staff
Good all year turnout
Nice big airy stables
Good sandschool that doesnt flood
Good hacking
5 day or 7 day

I like to do a bit of everything so not overly fussed for a purely dressage or jumping yard.

Many thanks,

Sx
 
I was looking to do the same thing recently, move from Canterbury back home towards Orpington. I've found the yards around Canterbury/Faversham are much better in terms of hacking and facilities so you may have to compromise. I went to look at about half a dozen yards around Orpington/Chelsfield recently and wasn't impressed. I know it's closer to London but some yards had virtually no turnout. If you want info on a specific yard pm me as I might know it.

Speak to Stacey_Tanglewood on here, she has a nice yard in Chelsfield with a large 30x60 school and turnout. You're better off at small private yards I would say, but just depends what you want/what you will compromise on.
 
Hi,

Yes where I am at the moment is lovely, hacking is great and a horse walker on the yard, its only got 7 boxes.

Ive heard very mixed reviews about tanglewood, looks lovely from the website, but something about they have a lot of vacancies at the moment?? which obviously rings bells in my head, but could be just rumours, we all know what yards are like!!

Had a look at Bluebell Yard, all horses looked very healthy and relaxed, but no vacancies at teh moment. Someone else mantioned Longlands and Crown Farm?? Anyone had any experiences, views about these??

Many thanks,

Sx
 
Tanglewood had 1 vacancy when I was up there a few weeks ago.

I had a look at Bluebell but it wasn't for me... I've heard good reports about Crown Farm but the school is only 20x40, so just depends what you need.
 
Hector no, but I've heard that Cudham and Knockholt are also very nice, but that the hacking isnt as good as Chelsfield?? Please correct me if Im wrong, more than happy to look in that area too :)

dressager - I think there are 6 vacancies now, well its what I've been told by a friend that was a livery there???

Sx
 
and who were you talking to i have 3 spaces due to me selling 2 of my horses - one went the other day and the other has been bought as a broodmare so will go into the field and then be off to France once she is confirmed in foal??
 
i personally think you will really struggle!!
i'm looking at yards around here atm for the summer as i'm home from uni for 3 months, i did go to look around a lovely yard yesterday which i think i will be moving to, but i've got another to look at today so will recommend the other one if i don't go there myself!!

and with regards to chelsfield.. it depends what area of chelsfield you are looking at as some parts are very unsafe for horses.. if you catch my drift
 
movingneddie78 said:
yes, was rather shocked to hear actually, such a shame

and charli...yes have obviously been made aware of such yard

i think i might look at Cackets and take another look at Bluebell

thanks all

Sx
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oh i didn't mean one in particular.. there's a few yards in the bad areas of chelsfield haha!

cackets is lovely, but the school is small
and i would steer clear of bluebell ;)
 
Hi

I would recommend Capricorn Farm which is just outside Swanley (between Swanley/Eynsford), quite a lot of grazing for the area, nice large stables, 20 by 60 school and 20 by 40 school and off road hacking. Adult only yard and very friendly.

They do Part, Full and I think can organise Schooling Livery. If you want the YM details pm me and I can give you her number.

I wouldn't recommend Bluebell either, I don't know what YM is like but they do have barbwire fencing and hacking is not brilliant. But I think the school is fantastic..

Cacketts I have heard mixed feedback but I guess you do about all yards.
 
Dot1 said:
Cacketts I have heard mixed feedback but I guess you do about all yards.
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Cacketts is under new management - so not sure how recently you heard mixed reviews? I looked to go there with my two about 6 months ago, the main problem for me was that all the geldings are turned out together, as are all the mares. There was also a lack in storage and we have ALOT of stuff haha. The yard itself was gourgeous and was very professionally managed.

I disagree with the hacking around bluebell, when I kept my two in Chelsfield I could go out hacking for hours on end.
 
Dot1 said:
Hi

I would recommend Capricorn Farm which is just outside Swanley (between Swanley/Eynsford), quite a lot of grazing for the area, nice large stables, 20 by 60 school and 20 by 40 school and off road hacking. Adult only yard and very friendly.

They do Part, Full and I think can organise Schooling Livery. If you want the YM details pm me and I can give you her number.

I wouldn't recommend Bluebell either, I don't know what YM is like but they do have barbwire fencing and hacking is not brilliant. But I think the school is fantastic..

Cacketts I have heard mixed feedback but I guess you do about all yards.
Click to expand...

I would agree and they are a lovely yard with great facilities

if you want the number pm me
 
HarrietLong said:
Cacketts is under new management - so not sure how recently you heard mixed reviews? I looked to go there with my two about 6 months ago, the main problem for me was that all the geldings are turned out together, as are all the mares. There was also a lack in storage and we have ALOT of stuff haha. The yard itself was gourgeous and was very professionally managed.
Click to expand...

Ah it was recently I heard the mixed reviews from people who were on the yard but left as not happy, but they may well have been before the new management! Disregard that comment in that case!

HarrietLong said:
I disagree with the hacking around bluebell, when I kept my two in Chelsfield I could go out hacking for hours on end.
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I know the hacking around Chelsfield is good, as we used to be there. But I think on Bluebell you have to do some road work before you can get off road? Which on fairly narrow lanes is not great if your horse is nervous/young. But again I saw the yard just before it very recently got taken over.
 
capricorn farm seems nice, forgot about that yard, the YO is nice as well and yard looks very tidy and well kept

bluebell's school is great, but their grazing is not and neither is their YM!!
 
_Charli_ said:
capricorn farm seems nice, forgot about that yard, the YO is nice as well and yard looks very tidy and well kept

bluebell's school is great, but their grazing is not and neither is their YM!!
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re bluebell grazing: they have 12 paddocks, plus another very large one, no barbed wire fencing, its all brand new post and electric, and i believe horses are also turned out in the 20 acre cross country course???? so to me (and at the moment we have enough grazing dont get me wrong) that is tons!!!! YM was very sweet, and all the liveries were also very nice.

cackets looks amazing!! and again they were all very nice there. school surface is lovely.

going to spend next weekend having a good look again, thanks all for your replies

Sx
 
movingneddie78 said:
re bluebell grazing: they have 12 paddocks, plus another very large one, no barbed wire fencing, its all brand new post and electric, and i believe horses are also turned out in the 20 acre cross country course???? so to me (and at the moment we have enough grazing dont get me wrong) that is tons!!!! YM was very sweet, and all the liveries were also very nice.

cackets looks amazing!! and again they were all very nice there. school surface is lovely.

going to spend next weekend having a good look again, thanks all for your replies

Sx
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well i know people who used to be stabled there and their horses were rarely turned out! so there are fields, but to me fields are no good unless my horse gets to see it too ;)
and first impressions are often misleading!! i'd also supply my your own feed/make them yourself if you're going to chance it there!!

ETA: never heard a bad word about the other liveries though.
 
A friend of mine had her horse at Cacketts until she was sold and was very pleased with the services and staff.

I had a look at Crown Woods and all the horses there looked extremely well looked after.

I also had a look at Stacey's yard but at the time there were no vacancies.

A friend of mine was at Bluebell and has moved on.

I used to keep my horse in Chelsfield and the hacking round there is really good.

Happy hunting for a suitable yard.
 
Hi i would just like to let everyone kno that longlands farm in old chelsfield has been under new management since febuary 2010,and has no relation to any other yards in chelsfield nor does it relate to any other yard managers in this area. There are some that already kno me (crissie) and that since a young age have both worked and competed to a national level on the show jumping cicuit. This has given me a wealth of exprience in the day to day running of a livery yard, so may i take this oppertunity to say that if other young ym's were to take the advice of people that clearly have the experiance or to go and work in such an environment gaining the experiance and knowledge that is needed then maybe there would be no need for these types of threads ending in such a dissalousional way, maybe its better to work together then against each other. I would like to boast that one of my young studants from a few years ago who has also worked in other competition yards since leaving me is now running her own competition yard very succesfully and is competeing owners horses maybe because she gained knowledge. no how and experience first!
 
If your looking for 7 day or 5 day livery then i would look at Preston Farm. I have my horses there and Mark and Kate Boxall (who have also recently taken over the full livery yard at SpeedGate) are lovely. Really good with the horses and very helpful.

At Preston has 20x40 sand a rubber jump school. a 60x20 rubber and sand Flat work arena. In the summer months they have a Jumping paddock with full set of showjumps plus a couple of solid fences. The farm has its own hacks around the crops and you can hack for 45 mins without going on a single road... and if you cross the lane you are straight on to lullingstone golf course. There is a river you can ride in and i often use it to cool legs off in!


There is a wash down etc for clipping and grooming. Large grazing and also a good number of individual turn outs if needed.
The staff are lovely!! very good horsey girls who are very helpful and caring. My horse is treated just like one of their own.

Horses seem to settle there very quickly and its adult liveries so no noisy kids. Although myself and a few of us play the odd game of case me charlie and could be mistaken for 15 year olds!

big thumbs up for Preston Farm!
 
don't think they have vac's at the mo but speedgate is worth a look - facilites are very good. huge new schools and good hacking. i was there for 4 years with the old management and had a very pleasant time on the whole. few issues before i left with various things but i gather its very different now and a lot of areas that needed work have been done so must be pretty good now!
 
Hi There
I was looking at the cacketts website with interest. the place looks well run. would you be able to tell me a little bit more about it? (Thank you)
 
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