Lower Dale Farm, Marple, Stockport.

H

hogged cob

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Can anyone please tell me if this yard is as good as it looks, I would also like to know if there are any hidden extras that are put on your Livery bill at the end of the month. I have been to have a look around and the owner and yard manager were really nice. Please PM if you prefer. Thank You.
 
Hi I just wondered if you found out more about this place or actually moved on? I'm considering looking at it myself.
 
A friend of mine us in there & she's very happy. Her horse is on full livery. I have been & it looks a very well run yard with nice Hadfield, just a bit too far for me.
 
Pro's of this yard: nice, friendly liveries and owner. Very clean and tidy. Fab instructor on site. Nice menage that is never busy with brand new show jumps. Some off road riding. XC jump arena that is well managed. Nice small shows and clinics ran. Relatively new stables with own tack room and space in rug room. Hot water shower. All year turnout with well managed rotation and worming program. Secure yard away from the road.
Development Areas: Lane up yard can be very pot hole ridden and almost impossible to pass with a trailer. Value for money to be questioned as basic care of feet picking not in contract and no grooming. Bedding only provided if staff deem horse "needs it". Lots of hidden costs. "Holding for farrier" charged even when farrier gets horse out of stable and puts back, let alone has anyone hold. Little flexibility in care - one regime fits all attitude. Yard owner very focused on holiday cottages and new beauty salon venture, rarely oversees yard. Livery owner seems to value acquiring new customers far more than retaining current, good customers. Large stables only for 16hh horses but smaller stables do not suit large framed horses. No bone size taken into account. Very little off road riding. Horse box parking inadequate and obstacles of concrete bags and equipment left to make turning hard, even for a confident trailer driver. Fires lit right next to menage each week. Very little "love" felt for the animals and some younger staff liable to lose their temper with younger horses.
Ideal For: Those who want good jumping facilities and can visit each day
Not For: People who need to trust someone with their horse 100% as they genuinely cannot visit daily.

Overall:
Value For Money 5/10
Livery Friendliness 10/10
Stables 8/10
Schooling Facilities 7/10 (no indoor)
Hacking 5/10
Staff 5/10 (One very, very good head groom, leading lots of very keen but not qualified young people)
Horse Care 3/10 - things will be missed due to staffing levels.
 
Very nice yard - i think it only offers full livery but has a large outdoor and a farm ride thing with lovely barns and brew room. Unfortunately the road down to it i think is quite dangerous - my friend's grandad had a little bump on it because it is so narrow in parts and i didn't like travelling down it , you could walk down it but its quite a long walk.
 
I moved my horse into this yard about 2 years ago now. It is the best move I ever made. My horse is so relaxed and well looked after, he has completely changed from being unpredictable and excitable to laid back and happy. In fact, we moved four horses on at the same time and the owner could not have helped us enough. We even moved house to be nearer the horses as they were so happy. I agree with all the pros that Jenbo put, but disagree wholeheartedly about some of the areas for development. The lane can become pot holed particularly during the winter, but the yard do a fantastic job of managing a road they don't own. I have walked down it (about 1 mile long), I have cycled down it, I have driven my car down it and driven a 7.5 tonne wagon down it on numerous occasions. I have never had one incident on it.
There are no hidden extras, everything is explained before you put pen to paper and is contained within the contract. While picking out feet is not officially in the contract, the staff do this without extra charge. Your livery charge also includes your hard feed. They also change rugs, put boots on, fly spray, put fly masks on, take them to the field and bring them back in. The facilities are excellent, including farm ride, outdoor ménage, XC jumping arena, hot and cold horse shower, solarium, rug room, individual tack rooms, horse walker, brew room with tea/coffee making facilities, TV, microwave, fridge etc and heated in winter. Also ménage mirrors to be installed soon. Very secure yard also. There is also the holiday cottages which has a spa, although this is extra and a new beauty room where you can have various treatments including nails and massages.
The horses have a summer routine and winter routine. But it is not one size fits all. Each horse has their own individual care plan, developed between you and the yard manager. My horse has unfortunately been on box rest for 9 months and is on a completely different regime to the other horses. I have not heard one complaint from any of the staff and they all care for him as if he was one of their own. I cannot make it down every day despite living just 5 minutes away as I travel a lot, and I trust the staff 100% to look after my horse.
The charge for the holding of the horse for the farrier is stipulated in the contract. This also covers the fact that if you are not there and cannot pay the farrier, the yard will pay him for you and add it to your monthly bill.
The yard owner is focused on the cottages as the yard manager runs the yard and with little or no complaint. However, if you do have issues, the owner lives on site and her door is always open. They have also appointed two yard reps who are customers to put forward the voice of the customer to the yard staff and management. There are also well organised fun showjumping and dressage competitions.
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Overall:
Value for money 8/10
Livery friendliness 10/10
Stables 9/10
Schooling facilities 8/10
Hacking 6.5/10
Staff 10/10 (they all work extremely hard and while you may have the occasional gripe and moan, then genuinely have the best interest of your horse at heart and will treat them like they are their own. There are numerous qualified staff, not just one as stated above)
Horse care 10/10 (nothing has been missed with my horse and in fact the staff tell me about things I might have missed!)

I have competed at BSJA level, so I don't understand the comment above from baby cakes which states ok for happy hackers but not if you want to compete. The facilities for practising are excellent and second to none and the arena is rarely busy so ideal for practising in my opinion.

I would highly recommend this yard to anyone (as do the BHS) and would encourage you to come down and have a look for yourself and have a chat with the owner, staff and customers.
 
Having been to other yards in the area and further afield, I can honestly say that Lower Dale is the best I have ever been to.
staff are friendly, approachable and knowledgeable.
My horse is content and totally relaxed at Lower Dale.
The whole place is well maintained and clean. Most liveries are friendly and helpful.
Stables are plenty big enough for my large horse. Each stable has its own lockable tack room :)
I trust the staff to look after my horse whilst I am on holiday 100%.
Loose shoes, loose shoe nails, cuts and grazes have always been spotted and treated before I arrive at the yard.
Training days, fun competitions are held at regular intervals.
The young staff seem to go out of their way to help. The owner of the yard is friendly and approachable, even making "chilli" for the liveries at the cold winter events :)

I would certainly recommend this yard to anyone. I may even have a massage tomorrow in their new Beauty Room. :)

Lower Dale Rocks !!
 
Having been to other yards in the area and further afield, I can honestly say that Lower Dale is the best I have ever been to.
staff are friendly, approachable and knowledgeable.
My horse is content and totally relaxed at Lower Dale.
The whole place is well maintained and clean. Most liveries are friendly and helpful.
Stables are plenty big enough for my large horse. Each stable has its own lockable tack room :)
I trust the staff to look after my horse whilst I am on holiday 100%.
Loose shoes, loose shoe nails, cuts and grazes have always been spotted and treated before I arrive at the yard.
Training days, fun competitions are held at regular intervals.
The young staff seem to go out of their way to help. The owner of the yard is friendly and approachable, even making "chilli" for the liveries at the cold winter events :)

I would certainly recommend this yard to anyone. I may even have a massage tomorrow in their new Beauty Room. :)

Lower Dale Rocks !!
 
I couldn't agree more with the above post. I keep my horse on livery there and the staff are fantastic and each horse is treated as an individual. There is no one size fits all. This is a 5* hotel for them as far as I am concerned. I have absolutely no concerns about not being able to get down and holidays away as I know they will be well taken care of in my absence. The lane, which you go down when you first check the yard out does not change once you become a livery but can be a little challenging in the winter sometimes but plenty of liveries have trailers/horse boxes which are used regularly and is not a problem to them. The contract states exactly what you get for your money. What it doesn't state is where the staff go above and beyond that for you and your best friend. The owner leaves the running of the yard to her excellent Managers but her door is always open. With a knock, enter and shout she is available without appointment but to be honest it is usually a courtesy call as the yard reps and staff resolve any issues you may have if any.
Liz - BTEC profession diploma level 5
Equine Business Management
Back Hon
MSc
RNT teaching
Lyndsay - BHS stage 1
Diploma level 3 horse care and business management
First aid at work/Equine first aid
Fire Marshall
Esther - BHS stages 1,2 and 3 and PTT
First aid/equine first aid
BHS riding road safety
Child protection
Emma - NVQ level 2 horse care and management
Diploma level 3 horse care and business management
Equine first aid
Georgia - NVQ level 1 animal management
Diploma level 2 horse care and management
Equine first aid
Erica - BHS stages 1 and 2
HGV licence
Jon - advanced diploma level 2 agriculture
Plus what they all have in abundance is a love of horses and their job!
LOVE YOUR HORSE! LOVE LOWERDALE EC! SECOND TO NONE!
 
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