Really need some advice re livery

Gleeful Imp

Gleeful Imp

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I know this has been done to death but for someone who is old enough to get a grip I'm in turmoil. Manage a £1bn budget, 500 staff, no problem, but livery issues - runs sobbing.

I love my yard. I feel safe there, happy, supported, good facilities lovely quiet hacking, fab service. Did I say I love it?

But my big lad has arthritis in his fetlocks, which worsened last winter and he spent 3/4 of winter unsound. At times he wasn't lame but not happy enough being ridden on a camber to hack, on 2 danilon a day.

He was getting a max of 2 hours turnout field or play pen. For a good 4 weeks it was only an hour a day :mad:

As soon as he goes onto 4 hours turnout, massive improvement. Now he is on full summer turnout he is fab. He is still in 1 danilon a day but very very happy, striding out on his hacks, chilled bunny, managing camber etc. I would take him off but if it ain't broke don't meddle, especially now the ground is going hard

Great stuff :D

But come this next winter I can't have him unsound again, so the yard have offered 3 hours a day turnout, alternating field and pen. This is to try and keep me there, so they have listened to what I've said. Fields get very wet, clay soil.

Or I have been offered stables at a small yard, with 8 to 6 turnout in winter. All the facilities I need (except no toilet :o) perhaps not as much storage space but that's hardly a consideration really. Hacking not as quiet but fine.

I know In my heart the right thing to do is to move him, I just don't want to leave somewhere I feel so happy. My other horse is also incredibly chilled and happy, they both are so settled. It's so lovely and peaceful. If it wasnt for his arthritis I would have to be levered out by a crow bar.

So guys, give me some straight talking advice please. Good grief, how old am I?
 
I am sorry, but yes it's right to move him. Unless you want him to deteriorate he needs to move. Perhaps think about going sooner rather than later too as it is nice to be able to get to explore the area before Winter sets in. Sorry you are having to make this decision, but we all do what's best for them at the expense of ourselves sometimes don't we! X
 
Then get yee gone woman, got to do right by him and the most important aspect of your yard life will still be there - your two horses :)
 
Sorry, but you know what to do. I'm in a similar situation - have been searching for a yard that fits both our needs, and next month am moving to (hopefully) my final one. I've gone from a yard with 4 ok-ish schools but no winter turnout, to one with 2 lovely schools but only a couple of hours turnout, to one with an indoor and outdoor school but only a few hours winter turnout (though overnight in summer), to my new one which has no school, no walker, in fact pretty much no facilities. BUT she will be on grass livery, with hopefully a stable becoming available before winter to use in case of horrible weather.

I've had the back lady and vet out a few times in the last couple of months looking for reasons for unsoundness and being stiff behind. She's had a bute trial etc with no benefit, yet since being turned out overnight for the last week, she's already looking much better. Vet's verdict the other day was 'she's fine' - a little wear and tear, and I need to bear her age in mind, but it seems that simple turnout is the magic answer.

I'm also very happy where I am currently - the YM is an old friend who I've stabled Tilda with before, but the chance to have her out all the time is too good an opportunity to turn down.

Good luck x
 
I've just moved for pretty much the exact same reason (substitute COPD for arthritis), I'll be honest it's only been a week and I miss my old yard a lot, however the new yard are lovely and friendly and I know we'll be OK there in time. I think you should go :)
 
I think the social aspect of yards can persuade you to stay and yes, I've definitely lost out on that, but the horse is better off where we are now and that's the important thing.

Be brave and go, you're doing it for him!
 
I have not had much experience with arthritis but was aware that my horse may well have it in his knees - just never got it diagnosed properly as it was causing him no problems on a day to day basis. However, earlier this year he went through a period of not being 'quite right' so because he has had laminitis in the past, I assumed it to be that and box rested him for a few days.
After less than a week in his stable he seemed to be getting worse and when I walked him out he was so stiff it was like he had no knees to walk with. It seemed not to be his feet at all, so turned him out on a bare paddock in the day and back in at night to see what affect it might have. I also rugged him for the first time in years, thinking arthritis.
He improved no end from that and was only stiff after being in the stable at night, the change was amazing...lesson learnt not to box rest!
I am only telling this story because for me, it would not be an option to have so little turnout in the winter for a horse with athritis, having seen the affect it had on my lad, who you would not know had arthritis normally at all and had no problem with it up until the point I stabled him for hours on end.
 
I'm going to go against the grain and say you should stay. Good yards are very hard to come by and to find one that is so prepared to bend rules to accommodate you the best they can is even more rare. You have no idea what will really happen at the new yard. I would stay where you are and also pay for someone to walk your horse out for half an hour in hand once a day. I think this would really help.
 
I'd definitely move for your horse's sake, I think one to two hours turnout daily over winter simply isn't enough, even with additional exercise, it's a lot of hours to be stood in a box stiffening up.

If the new yard has all the facilities you need (you can always pee in the box if needed!) and the hacking is only marginally busier, then it sounds a sensible move. You might even find you like it more once you get settled in.
 
Wagtail said:
I'm going to go against the grain and say you should stay. Good yards are very hard to come by and to find one that is so prepared to bend rules to accommodate you the best they can is even more rare. You have no idea what will really happen at the new yard. I would stay where you are and also pay for someone to walk your horse out for half an hour in hand once a day. I think this would really help.
Click to expand...

^^^ This. At your current yard you know they will do their best to get him t/o but how many times when you go to a new yard the promises are not met.
 
I think that after last winter there will be a continuing trend to allow less and less turnout. For your horse's sake I would move but I would want some guarantees that turnout will still be all day/every day in the winter. You don't want all that upheaval only to find that the goalposts change. Good luck whatever you decide :):)
 
Might it be worth having another word with your current yard and explaining things? That you love it there and really don't want to leave but that your horse's arthritis means he needs more turnout than they currently offer, so is there a chance there could be more than he has. Do they have some hard standing they could fence off for him in winer so that he could keep moving, or a barn?

If this doesn't work I'd say move. My horse is elderly and a bit stiff now, but has, weather permitting, 8 hours turn out in winter (its 24 hours at present:)). It's the minimum I'd accept for him.
 
I too have an arthritic one on a bute a day but there is no way he would cope with only being out a few hours a day - he would completely seize up!
If you really don't want to move, is there a larger stable he could have? Or a barn or similar? Deep straw bed with rubber mats? It all helps :-)
 
I would go a step further and look for a yard with 24 hour turnout. We are lucky enough to have our own land and the horses live out all year around, my 21 year old is arthritic in his hocks but keeps sound by constantly mooching about. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
 
I would also be looking for assurances as to the amount of turnout

Maybe as STR advises look for 24/7 turnout then at least if restricted that will be the starting point for a reduction in hours

If you start at three or even ten hours of turnout then find it gets reduced it may not work out as planned
 
Very hard decision to make,weighing up all the pro's and con's and i can appreciate your reason for needing a move.However, you love your current yard,other horse is happy and the owners are offering a compromise.You may well regret moving from your lovely yard to the unknown.Just don't make a hasty decision.Good luck.:)
 
Are there really no yards that can offer half decent facilities, company and turnout near you? IIWY, personally, I'd actually keep the young horse where it is at the yard you like and send the other horse to full care grass livery.
 
Thanks guys. For those who don't know the area, decent winter turnout is like gold dust around here, as its largely clay soil.

To get him on 24/7 in winter I would have to send him away, which I'm not (yet) prepared to do as he's a big part of my life, my 2 are bonded so well and they hack out so well together. I have no shortage of aunties wanting to take my big man out for a stroll! It would break my heart not to have his big daft face around.

I'm also very confident in the new yard, it's a very small private yard, the lady who owns it bought it because she was so fed up of turnout problems for her 2. I know they were out all last winter and the fields held up very well, largely because its a very generous amount of land per horse.

I've talked to my yard about more winter turnout, and have offered to rent a field but not heard back yet (YM works shifts at the mo) but I have to make a decision otherwise those stables will go.

Gah!
 
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