Please please help me decide...

M

MrsP*

Member
Joined
7 July 2014
Messages
25
Visit site
I've been looking for a competition yard for my gelding for a month or so and have narrowed it down to these 2 choices:

Yard 1:

£110 a week for full livery, daily exercise at home and ridden at competitions
Large outdoor school with lights
Indoor lunge area
Horse Walker
Nice indoor stables
Very good all year turnout
Wash Area with solarium
A dozen or so XC fences
Gallops
40 minutes from home


Yard 2:

£160 a week for full livery, daily exercise at home and ridden at competitions
Indoor School
Large outdoor school
Horse Walker
Nice indoor stables
All year turnout - fencing not amazing
Wash Box
A handful of XC fences
10 minutes from home


Both yards have good facilities and both riders seemed very capable. The main difference is the price and distance from home obviously. I will only be able to ride once a week myself but would like to go and watch him compete as much as possible.

So what would you do in my situation!?
 
Would it be possible to take your horse to each of the riders and see how they get on with him? He might answer the question for you
Other than that I think they seem pretty similar. Do you plan to go and see him regularly ridden at home? This would sway towards yard 2. If you will just ride him once per week and then see him at comps then the travel distance wouldn't matter. I would have thought they compete at the same venues. Also have you asked them how often they compete and where? Also I would ask when they say daily exercise what does this entail. Who will be riding him and what would his routine be?

good luck
 
If you were visiting every day I'd say yard 2 but as that's not the case and they are so similar I'd just follow my gut feeling as to which one you feel I'd enjoy the most - hope you make the right choice and good luck.
 
For me it wouldn't necessarily be any of the things you have listed except for the fencing although on facilities alone I would go for Yard 1.

The deciders for me would be
It would be rider/trainer methods/how they would gel with my particular horse
Quality of training
How the horses are that are in the yard at the moment (a yard full of horses weaving their heads off or lunging at you would not be the best!)
Depth of bed, availability of hay/haylage for horses in during the day
I would have a peep in the feed room/haybarn/tack room - see what tack is being used
I would watch another horse being trained and look at how the yard staff treat the horses
 
Based on nothing but this info, I'd say Yard 1. The turnout sounds better, you're saving yourself money, and if you're only seeing him once a week, 40 mins isn't that far to travel.

However, I agree with Muddy_Grey - best thing to do is find out who would be riding him regularly and then see how he gets on with each of them. He has to be happy in his work, as well as his living conditions.

Good luck!
 
This is a great help so far thank you!

Exercise-wise he will go on the walker once a day and be ridden 5 times a week at both yards (he loves to work so the more the better for him really!).

At Yard 1 the owner would be the only one to ride and compete him. She also does all of the mucking out etc.

At Yard 2 it would be the owner and one groom who would ride him and the owner would compete him. There is help with mucking out etc.

All riders (both owners and the groom) have trained and competed to a very decent level.

I suppose I like the fact of just one person riding, training and competing him (he does like consistancy) but it worries me a bit that the owner of Yard 1 doesn't have any other official help. Should I be worried about times she might get called away somewhere, is delayed at a show or if anything goes wrong? She's been working this way for a couple of years so should I just trust she has it covered?

Horses at both yards seemed happy and content and looked good.
 
Gut feeling, only you can get this bit. I would go for the nearest but that's because I have done lots of distant yards and love having my horse closer by. Are both well established and successful?
 
Yes, both yards seem well established and successful. I guess I won't fully know until he's actually at one of then though!

I have been honest and open with both Yard owners (they both know it's a choice of the two and why) so hopefully if he goes to one and doesn't get on very well then I could try the other.

I would have gone for the closest Yard no question if it wasn't such a big difference in price and the fact that Yard 1 is very nice. I was also a bit concerned about the fencing at Yard 2 but horses there have their own field so I could ask if I could if I could re-do the fencing myself.
 
Are these the only two options ? Yard 2 would be a non starter because of the fencing. Good fencing is essential and could also be an indicator of poor standards in other areas of general maintenance and safety.
Yard 1 sounds better, although it's incredibly cheap for the services offered. If the YO has no other staff but does all the yard and grooming duties as well as exercise and competing for clients, she'd need to be super human or have no more than 4 horses in full time work. How does she compete while maintaining a routine for the remaining horses or be there for emergency vet call outs ?
 
Just going on information given I would say yard 1. if you only go once a week anyway it would not matter to much to me if the drive was longer. Close to home is nice but if you don't need to be there that often I wouldn't be that bothered.
 
dogatemysalad said:
Are these the only two options ? Yard 2 would be a non starter because of the fencing. Good fencing is essential and could also be an indicator of poor standards in other areas of general maintenance and safety.
Yard 1 sounds better, although it's incredibly cheap for the services offered. If the YO has no other staff but does all the yard and grooming duties as well as exercise and competing for clients, she'd need to be super human or have no more than 4 horses in full time work. How does she compete while maintaining a routine for the remaining horses or be there for emergency vet call outs ?
Click to expand...

They are the best two options I've found in the area (mainly in the way that I think they will get on with and ride my horse as he's not always the easiest).

The lady at Yard 1 has help from her family but doesn't officially employ anyone. Some of the yard is rented out to a lady who runs it as a small livery yard so I presume she would help out too when needed.

It feels like a big decision and I'm just not sure! I do want to move him from where he is now though so need to choose!
 
martlin said:
I'm just astounded that you can get full competition livery for £110 pw :o
Other than that, I would opt for whichever yard based on the rider.
Click to expand...

Is does feel a bit "too good to be true" martlin!

Its also difficult to tell what a yard is going to be like in the winter when you go to see it in the summer!
 
You haven't mentioned what the hacking is like from either yard. Also, are you able to use farrier and vet of your choice at both or do you have to use the 'yard' ones and if so, who are they and what are they like? How secure are the tack rooms at both places? Have you spoken to any of the other liveries? Have you asked your vet about either yard?? If you have a good relationship and are an established customer you may find that they may give you an indication as to the professionalism of the two yards, although I have no doubt they won't want to be quoted or put anything in writing!! :D
 
gunnergundog said:
You haven't mentioned what the hacking is like from either yard. Also, are you able to use farrier and vet of your choice at both or do you have to use the 'yard' ones and if so, who are they and what are they like? How secure are the tack rooms at both places? Have you spoken to any of the other liveries? Have you asked your vet about either yard?? If you have a good relationship and are an established customer you may find that they may give you an indication as to the professionalism of the two yards, although I have no doubt they won't want to be quoted or put anything in writing!! :D
Click to expand...

Good points gunnergundog. The hacking is good from both yards, possible slightly better from Yard 1 from what I could tell. I didn't meet any other liveries so wasn't able to ask them what they think of the yard.

It's a new area for me (just moved for my husband's job) so I'm happy to have the farrier and vet the YOs recommend as mine wouldn't travel that far. I've asked around a bit though and both farriers and vets practices seem to have good reputations.
 
I think you really need to find out which rider will suit the horse more than which yard will suit you, a lot will be down to that and your own feelings about the riders, you also have to have a good relationship with them if you are going to enjoy being an owner, maybe go out and see them at a competition, it can be very telling how they behave when under pressure and how the horses get treated away from home.
 
£50 a week is a big difference.

Will you ride much in the winter? If so, the indoor school might be worth the extra money? I like the sound of the gallops at the first yard though!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top