Question for people who keep their horses a distance from home/ have a long journey to their yard

[HelenBack]

This post was prompted by the one about winter turnout the other day. I asked a couple of people in that thread about how far they travelled to their yard and I think one or two others commented on going further away to be at a better yard too. I didn't pick up any further on any of the comments in that thread because I didn't want to derail it from the OP's issue, but it's something I'd like to know more about as I'm starting to look further afield now.

My current yard is very convenient but it's also not really suitable for a variety of reasons and keeping a horse there is bloody hard work. I've looked at all the other local yards and they all seem to be much of a muchness so no real advantage in moving to any of them and probably actually ours is the best in the area. So it looks like I either have to put up and stay where I am or go further out. I've got a couple of potential yards to look at that sounds like they would be better, but they're both about 40 miles and probably an hour's drive away. In my head this just seems ludicrous but I keep wondering if actually I could get over the distance, could a much better yard make life better for my horse and easier for me?

So for the people who keep their horses some way from home, can you tell me how far and what your journey times are please and how do you manage it? I know I'd want to go every day still so it does need to be doable with that in mind and I worry about what would happen if there was an emergency.

I'd be grateful to hear how those of you who are in this situation cope and, if applicable, how it compares to when you had your horses in a less ideal set up closer to home.

 

[Sandstone1]

Mine are 20 mins away, about 8 miles. Ideally id like them nearer home and im on look out but for now I have to put up with it.

 

[Littlebear]

I kept both of mine at different places quite far away for around 2.5 years, one is still around 40 odd minute drive away but i only go 3 times a week and its absolute paradise there, that place i didn't have a choice to be closer as its for young stock that was the closest most suitable place. That has worked fine and i wouldn't change that.
The other was on livery with services and i didn't like it, going every day and the traffic and never feeling like i could just pop down there was annoying, i stayed for a long time as the horse was happy and there didn't seem to be anything closer without big compromises. I did then find a closer yard and it was a game changer being able to just pop down and not worry about timing traffic etc.
Every yard has its issues and some seem on paper to be perfect but they rarely are, if you decide to do the journey and then cracks start to show it could be annoying.

 

[RHM]

I keep my two 35-45 mins away depending on traffic, for numerous reasons. I have completely off road hacking for around 3-4 hours at this yard, and there is grass suitable for my EMS pony which is no easy thing to find! If I didn’t have these things there isn’t a chance I would consider this sort of distance. Mine are on DIY and the morning alarm clock makes me want to cry! What I would give for part livery!!
I have kept them closer to home and found that I had much more time to exercise them but the one with issues could only go out for four hours a day which just wasn’t fair on him. I have no intention of doing this indefinitely though, me and OH are looking at properties now with the aim of keeping them at home by March/April next year, this dream is keeping me going! If you are going to travel up to a hour I think this is only realistic if you have part or full livery otherwise there is a serious lack of riding time!

 

[PapaverFollis]

I had mine at a yard 45 mins away one winter. For the turnout and it was my instructor's yard. It was a lovely yard but hard going. If I was doing both ends of the day I'd often pack a lunch and the dogs and just spend the whole day out. If I was working we paid for them to be turned out. And they were fed by the yard every morning regardless. We should have paid for turnout every morning as some days it was a real struggle to get myself out there early and the horses lost some routine. They'd been fed and had waters checked etc so they didn't suffer but with hindsight I'd have had the yard sort them every morning.

If you aren't a morning person it's quite stressful knowing your horses are waiting for you and you've got a long drive.

 

[Sugar Plum]

I have considered a yard up to 25 minutes away, but worry, if for some reason, my horse was to be injured and I had to visit every day, possibly more than once a day, would it become too much. It is difficult, as no yard is 100% perfect. I suppose it depends on your priorities i.e. is a good school better than good hacking, is good turnout better than good stables, is availability of on site support/lessons, better than onsite facilities? We are all substantially different in what we personally need and what our horses require. I don't think I could cope with a yard that was an hour away, unless it was convenient in terms of being on my trip to or from work. Weekends I could cope with.

 

[Fransurrey]

Mine are 20 minutes away, too (roughly 8 miles, 7 if I run there or back!). They do live out, though, with a shelter, so I only stress if there's a snow storm coming or like in the last month, grass has burnt away and my mare has taken to going out for takeaway...It's more than worth it as grass livery with shelter is rare around here and the riding closer to home isn't great - mostly rat run lanes.

 

[Fransurrey]

I have considered a yard up to 25 minutes away, but worry, if for some reason, my horse was to be injured and I had to visit every day, possibly more than once a day, would it become too much.

I had to visit 3 times a day when my gelding was ill and it does get tricky (and expensive). I had to do that for 3 weeks and couldn't really delegate as he was quite ill and I needed to check he wasn't going downhill. For less severe illness I'd have used video calling on WhatsApp or faceache.

 

[Buster2020]

My previous yard was 30 minutes away it . My current yard is only a 5 minute drive away from me. Op it depends on what type of livery you’re on part livery or full livery Than I would say yes go for it . If you’re one DLY than I would say no it not worth traveling that distance.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

For a year I kept mine 20 miles away on part/full livery at my trainers yard. It was a minimum 30 minute drive each way against the traffic on fairly main road apart from the last bit. I hated driving there after work all winter with the lights dazzling me and poor visibility. When it snowed I couldn’t get there at all for several days. The yard then turned out not to be as well run as I thought it was going to be. My horses behaviour deteriorated, there was rarely anyone riding in the evening so I was usually on my own. The last straw was when he got colic and the YO left me to it. So after calling the vet myself (she didn’t notice!) and dealing with it I then sat on the yard alone for several hours until I could be sure the Bute and buscopan had worked. YO went home and didn’t even offer to check later.

As soon as I could I moved back nearer (5 miles / 10 minutes) and am fully DIY. Last mild colic similar situation but I went home had dinner then went back to check.

There is no way I’d keep them an hour away unless retired. You’d have to be pretty certain the yard is as described because often they aren’t and it could be a bad move.

 

[HelenBack]

Yeah, I think you're all describing the sorts of things I'm concerned about really. It would have to be part or full livery as there's no way I could do DIY and not finish up exhausted. And then as many of you say, yards and yard owners are rarely as they make themselves out to be so that could cause difficulties down the line. I guess the fact that I'm asking here at all shows my concerns about the situation. Hmm. I think I will go and look at the yards anyway but with a very open mind that it probably won't be doable unless for some reason they turn out to be absolutely perfect. Otherwise maybe it's a case of re-thinking about the more local yards and what my priorities are and then considering whether we're best staying put or somewhere else might better meet our needs. It's certainly true that there are compromises to be made with all the yards round me unfortunately though!

 

[Ossy2]

Where I previously lived I kept mine About 11 miles away, about 25 min drive I moved there from one that was 5 mins drive away as it was more suitable. I was on full livery though so only going once a day. I’d say if your looking for diy then it’s not realistic but on full livery going 5 Or 6 times a week then it would be ok.

 

[HelenBack]

Where I previously lived I kept mine About 11 miles away, about 25 min drive I moved there from one that was 5 mins drive away as it was more suitable. I was on full livery though so only going once a day. I’d say if your looking for diy then it’s not realistic but on full livery going 5 Or 6 times a week then it would be ok.

Yes, I've kept him this sort of distance away before when I lived in a different area and found that it was fine for once daily and did still allow me to go twice on the occasions where there was something wrong without it being unrealistic or exhausting. I think maybe setting half and hour as a limit but with livery is probably a realistic compromise.

 

[Sprat]

I used to DIY 50 mins away from home. Initially, it actually worked out well as it was on the way to / from work, however when I changed offices it became a problem. It is exhausting doing all of that driving whilst on DIY, if I was to ever do it again I would only do it with full livery.

I'm now about 15-20 minutes from home traffic dependant, and on part livery so I think I have a good set up.

 

[PSD]

If I didn’t have 2 young children I would probably travel further than I am willing to at the moment.

as you know (it was my post you mention) I am considering a move before winter if the right place comes up with better turnout facilities for winter. But I won’t put myself in a more stressful position! My time is very limited with the kids/school run timings etc. I also have to put my children first, what if I’m at the yard over an hour away and one of my children gets sick at school or there’s an emergency with them and I have to drive over an hour to get back?

Granted not everyone has this worry, but that’s my main reason for staying fairly local. I do the school run then go to the yard in a morning (however I pay for them to be fed early in the depths of winter) then I call back on my way home from doing the school run to finish up for the night. I couldn’t do this if I wasn’t local

 

[MuddyMonster]

I moved further than I'd like, but he's on part/full livery and although I go daily, I don't 'have' to go in bad weather or if there's been an accident etc.

For me, it's worth it as the facilities really suit my laminitic/EMS pony whose never been happier, the hacking is brilliant, there are facilities to ride all year round and the YO is brilliant.

 

[HashRouge]

Mine are just under 20 mins away - was closer to 25 but I've just moved house so am a bit closer. I don't think I could manage much further away. After a childhood spent 10 mins from the yard I do find it a pain not being able to just drop in quickly, and heaven forbid I leave something at home! I once left my house keys at the yard and got home before I realised. That was fun!

 

[SO1]

I probably have the longest journey. I live in London & it can take me nearly two hours to get the yard via public transport.

There are no suitable yards with nice turnout all year, good standard of care and reasonable price within easy distance of where I live. I am on part livery due to my job & I go to yard to ride 4 or 5 times a week. No jobs to do when I get there so just riding & pony time.

 

[chaps89]

I had mine 45 mins to an hour away for a couple of years.
It worked as a) I worked that way and b) I either paid a freelancer or the YM to do one end of the day for me on days I wasn't in the office, so basically assisted DIY.
I'd do it again in a heart beat if there was a yard suitable that way.
As it is I now have the opposite situation - a yard 10 minutes from home but there's no assistance and honestly I do miss just going once a day sometimes.
I miss just hacking out around gorgeous countryside from the yard or tootling 10 minutes down the lane to use a school, having a nice network of horsey people about me. The time and money I save in having her closer to home doesn't make up for losing those things.
I enjoyed her so much more when she was somewhere I could ride her more without having to live in the lorry for trips out/depend on the ground being suitable to ride in the field/didn't have to ride on main roads all the time.

 

[Griffin]

I have mine at a yard that is 30 minutes away from work but only about ten from home.

I go once a day, usually after work in the week but if I have a work emergency, I know I can trust my YO to do it. I don't think I would want her further away from home because as it it, I have just enough time to see her first if I need to before work.

 

[Maesto's Girl]

I have a yard in walking distance to my house (3 minute drive) but it's just not what I need for my mare. Neither are another 2 which are a 10 minute drive. My current yard is just over 20 minutes away and is perfect. It is part livery (and full livery 1-3 days a week as I need it) which means I only need to go once a day, and some days not at all which really helps as, before lockdown, I worked in London and was commuting 4 hours a day.

 

[HelenBack]

If I didn’t have 2 young children I would probably travel further than I am willing to at the moment.

as you know (it was my post you mention) I am considering a move before winter if the right place comes up with better turnout facilities for winter. But I won’t put myself in a more stressful position! My time is very limited with the kids/school run timings etc. I also have to put my children first, what if I’m at the yard over an hour away and one of my children gets sick at school or there’s an emergency with them and I have to drive over an hour to get back?

Granted not everyone has this worry, but that’s my main reason for staying fairly local. I do the school run then go to the yard in a morning (however I pay for them to be fed early in the depths of winter) then I call back on my way home from doing the school run to finish up for the night. I couldn’t do this if I wasn’t local

Hi, yes it was your post that got me thinking. I can completely see why you need to stay local given your other commitments. I don't have kids so can be a bit more flexible with my time but do have work and the desire not to be exhausted all the time. It's difficult isn't it? Have you thought what you will do if you can't find anywhere more suitable close by? Will you just admit defeat and put up with it? My problem is that I know from extensive searching over recent years that there really is nowhere more suitable unless I'm prepared to travel and yet I'm still so frustrated at my current yard. So I have to choose between accepting that this is the best I can get within a reasonable distance and getting on with things or being prepared to travel and I find that a hard decision to make.

 

[HelenBack]

I moved further than I'd like, but he's on part/full livery and although I go daily, I don't 'have' to go in bad weather or if there's been an accident etc.

For me, it's worth it as the facilities really suit my laminitic/EMS pony whose never been happier, the hacking is brilliant, there are facilities to ride all year round and the YO is brilliant.

I had mine 45 mins to an hour away for a couple of years.
It worked as a) I worked that way and b) I either paid a freelancer or the YM to do one end of the day for me on days I wasn't in the office, so basically assisted DIY.
I'd do it again in a heart beat if there was a yard suitable that way.
As it is I now have the opposite situation - a yard 10 minutes from home but there's no assistance and honestly I do miss just going once a day sometimes.
I miss just hacking out around gorgeous countryside from the yard or tootling 10 minutes down the lane to use a school, having a nice network of horsey people about me. The time and money I save in having her closer to home doesn't make up for losing those things.
I enjoyed her so much more when she was somewhere I could ride her more without having to live in the lorry for trips out/depend on the ground being suitable to ride in the field/didn't have to ride on main roads all the time.

These are the sorts of viewpoints that make me think I should consider the farther options. If it ticked all of the boxes and I could get assistance then would the drive actually be worth it? And I would quite like to only go once a day too as I think in some ways this could give me more flexibility with how to structure my days. I guess the answer is to go and look at those yards because sometimes you just know anyway and that would help with a decision either way for me.

 

[HelenBack]

Mine are just under 20 mins away - was closer to 25 but I've just moved house so am a bit closer. I don't think I could manage much further away. After a childhood spent 10 mins from the yard I do find it a pain not being able to just drop in quickly, and heaven forbid I leave something at home! I once left my house keys at the yard and got home before I realised. That was fun!

I think is the crux of my problems too because I also had my ponies really close to home when I was a kid and yards were always just fine. Now I live in a different area and everything is very different and I find it hard to accept that. Maybe it's just part of how the times are changing overall .

 

[chaps89]

These are the sorts of viewpoints that make me think I should consider the farther options. If it ticked all of the boxes and I could get assistance then would the drive actually be worth it? And I would quite like to only go once a day too as I think in some ways this could give me more flexibility with how to structure my days. I guess the answer is to go and look at those yards because sometimes you just know anyway and that would help with a decision either way for me.

I'd go and look if you haven't already.
I've spoken to yard owners/managers where everything has sounded perfect and got there and looked around and known it wasn't right.
Equally, as much as I slate my current yard in my earlier post, when I spoke to the YO on the phone I nearly didn't bother going to look.
And actually, there is enough right about it for me to have moved there.
So until you go and look you never know.
I also had an amazing groom/YO manager, so I was able to completely relax knowing pony was well looked after when I wasn't there/if there was an emergency and I couldn't get there straight away I knew she'd be in good hands in between which is important if they're a bit further away. Again you might not know that till you go and look around.
Once you do the drive you'll have a better idea too.
Where I used to live there was a couple of yards nearby, but the roads they were on were hellish so it would have taken ages to get there. The yard I went to further away was ultimately easier to get to the to the route. So that might be another consideration.

 

[Kat]

The other thing to consider is location compared to other things like work. I would consider a yard further from home if it was close to my work or on a route I would pass on my commute.

 

[Henry02]

I think it all totally depends on your location, time, Money and riding requirements.

I had a horse at a good yard, about 45 mins drive away, but it closed at 8pm. Problematic when I finished work at 6 and had to drive there and back. Also didn’t help when it turned out the horse needed far more work to fix that originally envisaged (project horse). Ended up spending £40 plus a week in fuel to get there everyday.

also been at a yard within walking distance from home. No facilities and virtually impossible to ride over winter. That wasn’t much fun either. If I didn’t have a job it would have been just about manageable

 

[PSD]

Hi, yes it was your post that got me thinking. I can completely see why you need to stay local given your other commitments. I don't have kids so can be a bit more flexible with my time but do have work and the desire not to be exhausted all the time. It's difficult isn't it? Have you thought what you will do if you can't find anywhere more suitable close by? Will you just admit defeat and put up with it? My problem is that I know from extensive searching over recent years that there really is nowhere more suitable unless I'm prepared to travel and yet I'm still so frustrated at my current yard. So I have to choose between accepting that this is the best I can get within a reasonable distance and getting on with things or being prepared to travel and I find that a hard decision to make.

Honestly I’m not sure. Yard owner has said we may have some spare fields this winter for turnout so I may just stick it out and see what happens. If I find I’m not coping then I’ll reconsider

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I'm 20 minutes from mine which I find fine but having been 45/50 minutes in the past, I'd set 30 minutes as a maximum, otherwise it just gets exhausting & eats into your time with your horse/riding. If you're looking at full livery though & you are maybe only going a few times a week, its worth the compromise, but I definitely wouldn't do it on DIY again.

 

[milliepops]

Mine are now 20 mins from home and that's the most I'd want for DIY really. they were 10 mins away but i have moved for better facilities and to be close to my trainer. I'll probably get some assistance to save myself a few mornings a week, but I have 4 others at home to get up for so there's no such thing as a lie in anyway

I had them 30 mins away for a spell which was Ok so long as I only did one end of the day. fuel costs got a bit high otherwise. but you need to trust the YO/staff then.