Moving to Scotland...Questions about Livery and Competitions

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CrazyDog

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I will be moving to Aberdeen in a few months. I will be looking for a livery stable that provides full livery (mucking, turnout, blanketing, but NOT tacking up) and preferably has an indoor school. Nice hacking, good turnout, jumps for clients' use and allows clients to jump their horses outside of lessons.

Someone I know suggested Loanhead since I will be competing BSJA. Any other suggestions?

How often are BSJA competitions held in the area and how far do people normally travel to compete?
 
I recently moved to Aberdeen (6 months ago) and also compete BSJA. I have full livery at Sunnyside Stables near Cults, which has all of this. There are quite a selection of yards but Loanhead and Cults are commutable very quickly from the town centre (20 minutes). I complied a list of all yards which I can email you if you want. What I did find is that full livery up here doesnt always include what you think it would. I think Loanhead said it doesnt include filling haynets and if you want that done you have to pay extra. And it doesnt always include hard feed. I'm not sure you would find anywhere that would tack up and certainly not exercise.

BSJA opportunities are great up here. The main venues are all quite close by, with Fountain near Dyce having just started Intro shows, Faraway at Huntly a bit further and Loanhead. So all winter you hardly have to travel further than an hour. Doesnt seem to be so much close by in the summer though so be prepared for the long haul or staying away for a week or so. There is also good training to be had and trainers from down south often travel up on a monthly basis.

As for living and working in Aberdeen itself - best not to ask me what I think of it! I consider myself a friendly, sociable person but I've really struggled. Its ok if you work for an oil company which organises social events for its employees, but otherwise I find it the unfriendliest place I've ever lived in by quite a long way.
 
Don't know much about the competition situation as I'm further south but it is bloody freezing up there.
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hope you have plenty of rugs for your boy and perhaps a stylish balaclava for you...thing is, I'm not joking.
 
Whereabouts in Aberdeen will you be? I know of quite a few liveries around, you'll easily find one (as long as they have space).

Loanheads ok, its a little bit run down (no offence to them!). Yup, they have BSJA as to Faraway - Id say facility wise, Faraways the best (big indoor and very large outdoor with very good surfaces etc.) and they also have loads of different shows on. Fountain is quite nice although their indoor and outdoor are narrower than most.

In the summer, BSJA does slip a little - we have the odd 3 day show (like City of Aberdeen and Wilf Lawson ones) and Faraway still host BSJA's. You do get the odd BSJA class at Turriff and Keith Show too (think 1.10m - 1.25m). Otherwise there's loads of things non-BSJA to do as well.

Aberdeen isnt unfriendly!! If you get out and about then its fine. Horse events are a great place to meet new people and most are very welcoming. You could always join a riding club or something if you want to meet more people and go on organised social things. Findon is the best one for Aberdeen area and has most things at Loanhead.

And yes, it can be quite cold up here - although only in the last 2 days have we suddenly started getting hard frost. Ive just come home and its -5 degrees.
 
Susitoo, I'd love your list of yards. I'll be sure to ask about what's included in full livery. The stable I'm at now (although leasing a horse) has full everything. I'm not wild about having everything done for me, but since I'll be working I can't have DIY either.

I will have to invest in a whole new wardrobe for me and my horse. I'm originally from Canada so I hope the cold won't be too miserable... I am looking forward to living someplace green again!

I do work for an oil company and will probably make some use of the social club, but I've always found my best friends at the barn!

Am I likely to have trouble finding ring space if I ride at night? Do most places offer lessons and are livery clients restricted from riding during lesson times? What other horsey things take over from BSJA in the summer?

MagicMelon, are the BSJA jackets like the French ones? They actually look like sports jackets, with a stand up collar and fitted? I bought the French version on vacation in Paris and have never worn anything so comfortable to ride in!
 
Its not very miserable anymore. We used to get masses of snow but its really boring now
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(although I guess in Canada you have heaps!!). TBH Aberdeen is quite a grey city (due to all the granite) which can make it look quite miserable. So if possible try to get out into the country as much as possible where it is nice! Plus I always find the weather worse in town somehow.... being right by the sea it can be very chilly.

Your horse will get used to it pretty quick. One of mine, a TB x (so a woose) was imported from somewhere super hot and he winters out here 24/7 fine (rugged up to the eyeballs though!!).

You will find friends at the yard you go to or especially at events. There's regular training, like most BSJA people have Andrew Hamilton monthly training at Fountain so you'd meet people at those as well.

With regard to ring space - you'd really need to go to the yard in an evening to scope it out to see how busy the arena's are. Fountain does have 2 outdoor and 1 indoor so I would think you'd find space there, in fact I *think* Ive seen a 3rd outdoor there as well although not sure (behind wooden fencing so cant see!)..... Faraways got a huge outdoor and big indoor and would be pretty quiet although it is pretty far from town. Loanhead Id say would probably be quite busy, their outdoor isnt big and their indoor is average. If I had the choice, personally Id keep my horse at Faraway, maybe Fountain. There are other yards dotted about though which may suit better. I would expect during lesson times that people cant use the school (like obviously when I have Andrew H lessons at Fountain, the livery people cant ride in the school with us!).

In the summer there's loads of stuff to do. But it depends what your into. Im in a Riding Club, the BSJA and BE. RC wise (ie. unaffiliated) there's stuff most weekends held by the different ones (Findon, Buchan, Ythan, Moray, North East RC's etc.) being SJ, showing, dressage, horse trials etc. Affiliated dressage wise, Gordon Dressage Group is the main dressage lot round here. There's also endurance (Scottish Endurance RC). BSJA, we have 2 big shows I can think off held at Loanhead. Otherwise it's usually just normal 1 or 2 day ones dotted about. Brechin has some BSJA as well. But big proper shows are at places further afield like DABBS etc. For BE, there's Aswanley, Burgie (International and Wee), Coillemore, Scotsburn, Brechin, Gleneagles etc. to name a few. There's also the usual 'county' type agricultural shows (Turriff, Keith, New Deer etc.)

What do the French ones look like? Yeah, these ones do seem to have a stand up collar, here's a pic:

https://ssl5.lon.gb.securedata.net/topta...amp;x=0&y=0

Id love one but not forking out £199 for that!!
 
Ohh DABBS is a lovely venue- the main indoor is fabulous and feels very posh to ride in.
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Shame the warm-up feels like something out of purgatorio but we can't have it all can we?
 
Thanks everyone!

I will be in Aberdeen to look for a house and a yard in late Jan or early Feb. In the meantime, I'll stock up on sweaters and warm socks. Living in Dubai, I've not had much use for either in the last year.

Can you tell me anything about the way lessons work in Scotland? I'm used to choosing a yard by the trainer who coaches out of it. I believe it's different in Scotland. Also, who would you suggest I approach about jumping lessons?
 
Not quite sure what you mean by 'different' but maybe I'm just terribly uncultured!
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Ernest Dillon is up at Gleneagles a lot doing clinics and teaching school lessons, he would be worth a go for any discipline. In fact Gleneagles has a myriad of visiting trainers: tim Stockdale, Mark Phillips, Carl Hester, Leslie Law etc Andrew Hamilton, Ronnie Brady, Sandra Low-Mitchell and James Aird all teach but are further south than Aberdeen. Someone more in with the BSJA scene will be able to give you the lowdown on their training I would imagine. Good luck.
 
Gleneagles is a tad far to go from Aberdeen though for training. Although I guess it'd be fine for special trainers (just maybe not practical for regular stuff).

Ernest Dillon also teaches up here, I think over Fraserburgh / Peterhead direction. Otherwise Andrew Hamilton is an excellent BSJA trainer - he teaches at Fountain (ie. "Goval"). It really depends what level you're at. These 2 Id say are the decent BSJA teachers (ie. you need to be at a certain level before you train with them really, ie. no beginners).

How you book lessons - well you just call up whoever organises it (I can give you the number for the organiser of Andrew H) and ask for a lesson. They'll ask you what level you're at (BSJA level / height wise) and offer you a date & time. Simple as that! really. Some training is organised by Riding Clubs so are usually for members but they sometimes open it to all if there's spaces left.

I would recommend Andrew H basically! Where he teaches is very near Aberdeen (its right by the airport), he's not too expensive (£25 for an hour (sometimes runs over) with about 3/4 people) and he's very good. He teaches from 80cm level up to 1.20m or over. And teaches 2 days every month.

PM me if you'd like to get the number for him or want to know anything else!
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PM me if
 
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Not quite sure what you mean by 'different' but maybe I'm just terribly uncultured!
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All I mean is that in Canada, the coach goes with the yard and typically you don't ride with that coach unless you board your horse where they teach. So, you have to take the whole package into account. You might have to look at a place with not-so-great facilities to ride with a great coach. Very few people haul in for lessons.

Thanks for the advice MagicMelon. I'll check Andrew out!
 
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