Move yards or stay where I am?

which rug

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Gooby

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Ok took the OH to visit potential yard today. Initial reactions are neither of us like it as it is move of a working farm compared to our built for horses livery yard! However after doing costings and pro/con lists I still have this feeling that we should write it off, very annoying! So the facts:

Current yard:
£2,312 per year, 20 min drive away (between £20-40 petrol every week depending on if I go once or twice a day)
New yard approx:
£1,466 per year, 5 min drive (about £10 petrol every week if I go twice a day every day)

Pros of current yard: (will try and keep it brief!)
- big stable
- easy access to water, e.g filling buckets, bathing, etc...
- feed and rug room
- rubber matting in every stable
- space for tack locker outside stable
- free use of walker with roof
- 2 good sized, well maintained outdoor schools which NEVER flood
- good booking system for school (free)
- well maintained fields and fencing
- VERY clean
- fantastic hacking

Cons of Current Yard:
- 8 hrs winter turnout in winter split over 2 allocated days
- cost of petrol
- distance from home

Pros of new yard:
- close to home
- use less petrol
- winter turn out is 3 full days of your choosing
- good hacking

Cons of New yard:
- small stable
- difficult access to fresh water
- outdoor school floods
- both indoor and outdoor narrow in width
- have to pay to book school out
- have to store tack, rugs in stable
- poor fencing and maintenance of fields
- no rubber matting
- no feed room
- dirty! (Im very clean and tidy!)
- pay for walker

My OH has had the idea of trying out the new yard over winter. We would move Gil to the new yard but still pay for just our stable at the current yard. Although I would be paying more in a week for stabling (current and new) than I am now I would still save around £20 in petrol. Does that make sense?!
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I can then see if I could get used to life at the new farm and if I couldn't then I still have my stable at my current yard. Don't want to seem like I am messing people about but me and my horse need to be happy wherever we go!
 
At the end of the day it sounds like it will depend how much the extra cash will mean to you in this current climate. Something to bear in mind though having learnt from previous experience - winter will probably be the worst time to try out a yard where the arena floods, rugs get stored in stables and is generally dirty. Think of it in the dark and wet / snowy conditions. Then again having just reread my post I suppose at least then you do see it at its worst!
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Decisions decisions - good luck
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Thanks! Lol well I thought if I did move at least I would see it at its worst and if I could survive that then summer would be easy! At the moment I am surviving moneywise. Not saving much (or any most of the time!) but not falling behind either. As a student I get my loan through next month
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but now Im starting to worry about this time next year when Ive graduated and there is no loan and possibly only my part time job if things keep going the way they are with this economy!
 
If it was me I would stay at current yard as I feel a move to the other yard would cause more problems for you especially as someone else has mentioned it will be soon be winter in a few months.
It may be cheaper and nearer too. But for me personally the cons of the new yard would mean that although it was closer and cheaper I don't think the affordability compensates for what I would be losing out on.
I would stay put and keep a look out for other yards with a plan to maybe move in the spring. It is so much easier to move during the warmer months I feel than in the run up to winter.
Good luck
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3rd option- keep looking?

there is no point moving unless you get a good 'gut' feeling about the new yard. whatever small things are niggling you about it now will be 10x as bad when you are actually there.
 
I would be a "keep looking" - hate restricted turnout yards - and at least you have a "large Stable" at current yard. Think of the poor neddy stuck in a tiny stable for 4 days and nights at the "potential new yard".
 
I'd keep looking - you don't sound unhappy with the current yard and you do see lots of cons with the potential new yard. You have to move to somewhere that suits both horse and yourself. I could afford to pay full livery for a yard with amazing facilities but the seemingly scruffy farm down the road turned out to suit me and my horse better (it does have good facilties too though just not a 60 x 20 menege
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). You've still got a long while to go before you need to worry about jobs etc so use time to look for something better/cheaper.
 
defintately stay where you are untill you find a yard that is just as good as the one you are at but then if its that good why would you want to move to one that is rubbish
 
money! thats all it comes down to really. I can afford where I am atm but in a years time I might not be able to and then I wont have any savings to help me if I get into financial trouble. When Im not at the new farm I think it wasn't really that bad, I could live with it! But then I go and see the stable half the size of the one I have where Gil would have to share it with a big trunk of his stuff and think yea its pretty bad compared to what we have! lol. I think Im going to have a look for a few more closer to home. Can you tell Im very bad at making decisions!
 
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