Moving yards because of fuel costs

Penny Less

Penny Less

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Our yard has about emptied out with people not being able to afford to keep their horses. Its so sad, but one wonders where all the horses are going. There are an awful lot for sale in the local horsey papers but does anyone buy them ? I personally am finding that the cost of petrol to get to and from our yard is getting ridiculous. Are any of you contemplating moving because of the fuel costs ?
 
The cost of fuel is becoming an ever increasing factor in whether I can keep my horses at their currrent yard. I've already cut down my visits to 5 days a week and started driving at 70 instead of my usual 80 (17 miles one way down the motorway) but I think that it will become increasingly difficult. If they put in a price increase within the next 6 months, think I will have to move. Which I don't want to do as I absolutely love my current yard.
 
A few years ago I moved, it was cheaper to pay more for my livery than to drive to the yard I was at even though it had an indoor school and all year t/o etc.

My current yard is no more than 3 mins away :)
 
I am in the process of changing my car to a Fiat 500 as it does 100 miles per tank more than mine and tax is only £35 a year.
I am having to sell my trailer to pay for it but my OH is selling the 4x4 as it is too much to run and maintain :(, so no point keeping it.
 
get a fuel economic car!! yard owners too have to swallow the ever increasing fuel prices. to move to a yard with lesser facilities or hacking to save a couple of pounds on fuel could well prove to be false economy. think it through, look at all the options, do costings etc before you turn your horses world upside down if he is happy in his yard.
 
I went the other way and moved closer to the horse. have noticed though.

the way th oh drives drinks the fuel, the way i drive i get 100 miles more out of a tank
 
I'm currently trying to sell my car to a smaller engined one so when I get a horse it won't cost a bomb to get to and from the yard.

I was looking at either a 1.6 petrol or diesel engine instead of my 2.0 and before that I had a 2.2 hence I sold that one.

I have also moved yards in past to be nearer due to ever increasing costs :(

Sad state of affairs we live in these days
 
hmm yes it is getting harder now :( petrol seems to be used up so quickly now and I drive like a granny on vallium (really, I drive that slow!). My engine is only 1.4 but am going to try and trade for a smaller engine. My yard is on the way to work and either I drive or for an hour or I have a two hour train journey. Can't win + have had a wedding and house to shell out for. Bring on summer!
 
I'm lucky as my stable is only a few minutes away by bike.

All my horsey friends who have cars capable of towing a trailer have sold or are selling them and buying smaller more economical cars as they can't afford them. We have a 2ltr diesel Picasso that we will be selling eventually to get a little hybrid car like a Prius or something so there go my dreams of buying a trailer and a 4x4 or my dreams of being able to go to any faraway shows this year as I don't have anyway to get to them.

I wonder if we are going to see more people hacking to shows this year and/or decreased numbers attending due to fuel costs? I know there is a SSA show that i won't be able to go to this year due to no transport and mush too far to hack to but I plan on hacking the 10 mile distance to a couple of local shows.
 
I moved mine a few years back now to a rented field close to home so I can bike to it. Had to way up cost saving at rented field versus livery yard with areana. I opted for less facilities but more spare cash and freedom from livery yard issues. In the midst of winter when you have not ridden for weeks and horses have been stuck inside sometimes it does not seem like the best idea ever, but if I had not of moved I would not have my horse, and I am gradually building a little empire at my field so now have a few more luxuries like stables and hardstanding to tie up on. So you have to consider all options before moving, not just the cost of fuel.
 
I was moving yard anyway but we are looking at yards closer to home because of fuel costs. I'm a bit gutted as the perfect yard is just too far away.

We are also buying a little lorry and selling our 4x4 and trailer and buying a little car. It costs £400 a year in road tax, :eek: and £115 just to fill up a tank of diesel! Much cheaper to run a little lorry and a little car.
 
Well I was poo poo'ed on a recent trailer thread for saying they would be a rare sight on our roads soon, As fuel climbs ever upward fewer people will buy a new 4x4 that does 30 mpg at best and costs £425 tax so they dry up on the second hand market , the good news is you can get plenty of cars which do upwards of 60 mpg and 30 , 20 0r 0 road tax,
without getting a hybrid which are very bad for the enviroment due to the metals and chemicals used to make them and the petrol ones arnt that economical , if money is tight something like a renault clio or fiesta diesel will give 70 mpg and £20 £30 tax and can be picked up for £2000 ish, or if you have more money there are some quite big BMWs VWs and others with the cheap tax and great fuel mileage... then for hauling the horse a lorry as it only uses fuel when its doing its job !!!
 
My discovery thinks it has gone into retirement I think!!! I was very lucky, and my Grandma gave me her Yaris when she gave up driving last year.....It costs a fraction to run, never mind tyres etc and pays for its tax and insurance many times over!
 
I am very lucky as my horse is about 100 paces if that from my house. I am also lucky in that I have another 3 yards in easy reach should I have to move. Its very sad that someone should have to think of moving or even selling their horse because of stupid petrol prices.
 
my OH keeps on that i should move my horse to his parents paddock and put up a 'shed' for him to live in in winter, as it would be rent free. he doesnt seem to realise that my horse will need company, and that his parents is about 20miles away from us compared to the 10mile round trip i do to my slightly expensive but lovely yard.

I've often thought about moving to the university yard on the other side of town, which is cheaper than where i am now, but tbh i'd rather pay what i'm paying now in livery and fuel for their good service and facilities than save a little each month by moving somewhere to find i've jumped out of the fire and into the frying pan..... its a hard struggle and i have to skrimp and save, but thats the sacrifice i have to make. I only have a little car, i try to drive economically, and dont have any unecessary weight in my car.

some of us at the yard have started lift sharing, to cut costs, whereas some of the other girls take it in turns to turn out in the morning or catch in in the evening, which saves the owner from having to make two trips in one day.

My OH is a mechanic who buys and sells alot of cars; he seems to find alot of 4x4's cheap at the moment (last one was £800 and in good cond) and sell them on for a good profit, so i dont think many people are cutting back as much as we seem to be.
 
i have thought about moving my horses closer to home to save on the cost of petrol, i bought a smaller car (more miles to the gallon), only go up once a day to the yard and all that but i'm still being crippled by the cost of fuel.

my OH and me have been discussing moving closer to the yard though as a, it would be closer to his work, b, less fuel used and c, cheaper rent on the house. looking at all our options moving ourselves is the better and less stressful one!
 
Hi Chestnutmare, I go up twice a day, cos had two horses and a pony that I looked after so as everyone else goes to work couldnt ask them. When summer comes it will be once a day hopefully. Unfortunately need some sort of 4 x4 because when it snows or is icy we have a lot of steep hills to get up.
 
I couldnt keep my horses closer cheaper. What i pay to keep 5, most pay to keep 1 or 2. BUT I've just taken a job 10mins from the yard, so that should help
 
We got so fed up with the 17 miles each way twice a day we move house! Now only 1.8miles away. Saving on fuel, time and wear and tear on the car giving more time both at home and on the yard not stuck in the car for 2+hours a day.
 
Yes, I will be having to move this summer due to fuel (and time) My yard is close to my daughters school but in the opposite direction to my work. Thats fine as obviously i have to do the school run twice a day so do the yard before and after.
However come September she will be at a new school and i will no longer be able to justify the fuel involved in daily trips out there.

I even sold my lovely car and bought a "cheap run around" which has shockingly worked out more expensive to fuel than my old bigger car ????
 
We're still managing to run the 4x4 and do trips to the yard but if it gets much more expensive I may have to re-think.

I'm lucky because my daughter drives now, has a tiny little car too so we are able to economise where possible.

Hard times for lots of us.
 
OH and I worked out the other day (how exciting is our life :rolleyes:) that we do about 15,000 miles a year just going back and forth to the horses. This doesn't include getting feed, walking courses or taking the lorry out however, it is a lovely yard and one of the closest to us so we won't be going anywhere.

Luckily, we have a company car so the wear and tear doesn't effect us....if it did then we might need to rethink things
 
as i currently drive a 1.3 litre car & never go faster then 55mph anymore I am struggling to cut fuel costs but as i live & work in the very centre of leicester, wherever i keep my horse will be stupidly far from where i live - i am seriously considering putting her on livery in the week as i suspect that this will cost less then my petrol - mad ecconomics - but am hesistant to have a horse i only see at week ends:(
 
When looking for my last yard, distance was a big consideration, I was only looking within a 5 mile radius instead of my previous 10 mile radius. New car was bought with fuel consumption in mind, used to have a Defender which I loved but cost a bomb in fuel.
When we move house, we'll find the yard before choosing a house.
 
My car is a 12yr old Ford Puma 1.7 so not the most economical and costs me £210 to tax it every year. My boyfriend drives a monster of a car - a 2yr old BMW 330 M Sport and it's £155 to tax it every year. All things considered the government should pay US to keep older cars because even though they're knackered and not the most energy efficient, they sure as fluff are more energy efficient than manufacturing a new one!!

I have considered moving but there aren't that many yards near me although it would be probably work out cheaper to have him on full loan which I don't want to do as you don't really know the quality of the service. I do share weekdays with someone else so we both only go up 2 days in a working week and both do weekends. Roll on summer!!
 
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