Q off th back of the Livery yard"v"field poll

[poiuytrewq]

To those who have gone as I have from livery to rented fields...
Do you ever regret it or miss a livery yard?
From the threads recently on HHO I think im very lucky to have my own rented place. I am lucky enough to currently have my retired horse AND a ridden horse- No way that would have been possible at my old DIY yard, I turn out as and when (even if I do slightly regret it now my paddocks are trashed!) My daughter and I had great fun last summer racing in the field- something id never have done at the yard as it would have been frowned upon but horses and daughter loved it- so did I
But....
I miss the people to talk too, mid mucking out coffee, hacking companions, someone to fix my fence, help to roll bales around and the fact that there was usually someone about to check/do my horse in case of illness or holiday or what ever.
Im fighting the want to go back to a yard and have my stuff borrowed or worry who was taking my hay and feed, swear about my wheel barrow being full of someone elses ***** and all the yard politics (which drove me nuts at the time)
Am I insane? Does anyone else miss it- everyone else seems to be of the opposite opinion!

 

[JHC]

I don't think your insane, but personally wouldn't go back to a livery unless I really, really had to.

I rent a yard and field but the farmer will help out as much or as little as needed which makes my life a little less stressful if it snows!

I do really miss the social side of a yard and going on long hacks with friends. But I don't miss being told when and where I can turn out, where I should leave my stuff (once got told off for leaving a head collar over the stable door), and the general b!tch!ness of others.

 

[LynH]

I've had my horses at home for just over a year now. I was on livery yards for years before that and thought I would miss the company. Apart from being unable to hack unless a friend meets me from the nearby livery yard or someone rides one of my horses with me, it hasn't been too bad at all. I have several friends at three local yards so I often pop in to see them, have a chat and a cup of tea or watch a clinic. I stay in touch with all my friends, chat on FB and get gossip without the grief from HHO. If I get lonely in the future I have room for a livery or two (only friends) but for now I have plenty of contact with my friends and hopefully hack with in the nicer weather so I don't miss being on a livery yard at all. Having complete control over my horses and their fields etc by far outweighs the lack of company and facilities at a livery yard.

 

[miss_c]

I know what you mean about missing the company. I have been on a rented yard since July and the lack of company is the one thing I would change. On the other hand I wouldn't want to share my yard!!! The pros of having it WAYYYYY outweigh the cons and I do get a lot of visitors. I can take Bradley (the dog) with me which I've never been able to before, the horses are happy, I don't have to worry about sharing the school, I can manage the yard as I see fit, and generally I love it!

So yes, I know what you mean about feeling lonely at times, but I know that I for one couldn't go back to a livery yard now. I've visited friends at their livery yards and it's seemed way too noisy for me!!!!!

 

[Copperpot]

I have gone from full 7 day livery to a rented field I love my new place. Just my friend and me there. Loads of grass and acres per horse, field shelter, natural hedges and the horses are out as long as we want. We do have stables and electricity too, but have given up having a school, solarium etc. And it's much easier having my ridden one and retired one living at the same place.

 

[mandwhy]

I do sometimes miss having more people to hack out with but as I am in a small village I do have a few people around so all is not lost! We can also cover each other for holidays etc. I love having my own little bit of land, I just wish it were next to fabulous off road hacking but maybe next time, and it is 5 mins walk from my house, no livery yards that near and was very handy when I broke my arm and couldn't drive as can also get my BF to go down if he is here and I can't.

I also wouldn't mind electricity for lights and some sort of hot water taps but we do have automatic water troughs which not everyone does!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

I went back to livery after renting a 5 1/5 acre yard. Although it was lovely, I missed the facilities of a large yard, half of my time was spent maintaining the place, moving electric fencing and poo picking etc.

It was sheer joy being back on a yard where all my time was spent on riding and horse care and the security of CCTV, locked gates and YO and his dogs on site was a relief.
The school was levelled, paddocks rolled, muck heap cleared, hay/feed and straw was delivered to my bay and frozen taps were sorted by magic.

Although, its nice to be able to get on and do your own thing, its also nice to have a chat with someone while bringing in from the fields, to spontaneously hack out with a few others when the sun comes out for a brief moment.

New horses, youngsters, oldies, other horses veterinary issues and behavioural problems were something I missed when I only ever saw my own three. Its also nice to be able to talk over a problem and either use someone else's experience of a condition or just to have a sounding board so you can get things into proportion is something I did miss when it was just my teenage daughter and I.

However, I would go back to having my own place again if the horses would benefit from such a move, but I'd probably have one or two liveries for the company too. OH and I are currently looking to buy a property with land, but even he has his doubts as he knows I enjoy being around lots of horses and people.