Small yard v. Big yard

[Amye]

Sorry - I know these have been done a million times but I can't make a decision and I wanted to know your opinions!


So yard I'm on is currently quite big (around 60 horses), working farm too so very busy, comings and goings quite a lot. Facilities are good, we have a big stable and hacking is nice. There are lots of friendly people I get on with and horse is pretty settled.

I'm struggling a little bit with the amount I'm paying... and have looked into other yards in the area. Since getting the dog as well, I've thought about being closer to home (current yard about 8 miles away so not ages) as it might make it a bit easier and quicker. All the yards I've come across are (or look) much smaller than current yard. Less facilities, normally only one school, but then there are less people to use it.

Horse and I are no world beaters, we do a bit of schooling and hacking but not really into competing so we don't really need anything fancy just a usable school and some hacking and turnout.

J has been my first horse so this is the only yard I've been on with him. So moving to another seems quite daunting to me.

I'm worried if I moved my horse wouldn't settle at a quiet yard, though the cows at ours do put him on edge a little so maybe that would be better? I don't really have any justification in why he wouldn't settle, he's normally quite laidback but I've only ever had him on a busy yard. I'm a bit of a worrier anyway and would be scared that I'd move and not like it. But there are some niggles at the current yard plus the money, that are making me think there are other yards out there...

What do you prefer? Small v. large? Pros and cons of both?
I'm thinking I could just go and see a couple perhaps and go from there...

 

[be positive]

I think horses settle as long as they have suitable turn out, a quiet stable and the owner is happy, a smaller yard will suit more horses than a busy big one with constant comings and goings so on that count I would never be concerned it is not as if he is going from a big yard to live alone somewhere.
If I were you I would go and take a look at a few and see what they feel like, what they offer and how relaxed the horses are generally, I think you can tell a lot by how the horses are in the field, stables and if they are relaxed then the yard is probably one where your horse should settle.

 

[stormox]

Big yards usually have a lot of people leaving and new ones coming. Maybe you could just explain to owner you would like to try a smaller yard and if it didnt work out would it be ok to come back? And explain to smaller yard you would like a couple of weeks trial?

 

[Lucyloo162]

I can't vouch for the settling aspects due only ever having horses on loan or riding at a school, however, I have been on quite a few different yards because of this and a lot of my friends own horses. I've noticed that, so long as you're not in need of a set routine for schooling ready for competitions, as you've said you're not, then you're likely to find a nice, small yard is better as there's less going on to unsettle the horse, less horses for him to not get along with (on the other hand there's less chance of finding one he likes but it depends on your horse really). You're more likely to have like-minded people on your yard if its a small happy-hacker type place. Just my observations but I may be wrong from not actually owning one. I hope you sort your dilemma in a way that makes you happy.

 

[Amye]

I think horses settle as long as they have suitable turn out, a quiet stable and the owner is happy, a smaller yard will suit more horses than a busy big one with constant comings and goings so on that count I would never be concerned it is not as if he is going from a big yard to live alone somewhere.
If I were you I would go and take a look at a few and see what they feel like, what they offer and how relaxed the horses are generally, I think you can tell a lot by how the horses are in the field, stables and if they are relaxed then the yard is probably one where your horse should settle.

Thank you I think I know it already, it's just nice to have reassurance as I've never had the dilemma before and I just want my horse to be happy! Good point at looking at the current horses too - I'll make sure I do that.

Big yards usually have a lot of people leaving and new ones coming. Maybe you could just explain to owner you would like to try a smaller yard and if it didnt work out would it be ok to come back? And explain to smaller yard you would like a couple of weeks trial?

Hmmm yes that could be a plan! Thanks for your thoughts. I would be worried that our big stable at current yard wouldn't be held if I went but I guess I may be able to save and afford to pay for both just for a couple of weeks.

I can't vouch for the settling aspects due only ever having horses on loan or riding at a school, however, I have been on quite a few different yards because of this and a lot of my friends own horses. I've noticed that, so long as you're not in need of a set routine for schooling ready for competitions, as you've said you're not, then you're likely to find a nice, small yard is better as there's less going on to unsettle the horse, less horses for him to not get along with (on the other hand there's less chance of finding one he likes but it depends on your horse really). You're more likely to have like-minded people on your yard if its a small happy-hacker type place. Just my observations but I may be wrong from not actually owning one. I hope you sort your dilemma in a way that makes you happy.

Thank you Those are good points. J is pretty laidback and gets on with most horses so I think he would be OK. There is a bit of a turn around at our yard but, as luck would have it, the horses that share J's field have been stable pretty much since we've been there. That's one of my concerns as J gets on with his fieldmates so well and they are settled together.

 

[Lucyloo162]

Thank you I think I know it already, it's just nice to have reassurance as I've never had the dilemma before and I just want my horse to be happy! Good point at looking at the current horses too - I'll make sure I do that.



Hmmm yes that could be a plan! Thanks for your thoughts. I would be worried that our big stable at current yard wouldn't be held if I went but I guess I may be able to save and afford to pay for both just for a couple of weeks.




Thank you Those are good points. J is pretty laidback and gets on with most horses so I think he would be OK. There is a bit of a turn around at our yard but, as luck would have it, the horses that share J's field have been stable pretty much since we've been there. That's one of my concerns as J gets on with his fieldmates so well and they are settled together.

Fair enough with the field mates, although he may end up being just has happy somewhere thats nicer to your purse. I like the trial idea that someone saif- if the yard s closer to you, it's not going to be too far from the one that's only 8 miles away so it wouldn't be too much hassle?

 

[atropa]

I'm going to go against the grain here..I actually have one horse who does a lot better on a medium-large sized yard where she can't get too attached to any one horse, and a lot of comings and goings can keep her amused. I moved her to a 7 horse yard last year and it was the worst mistake - they were all stabled together, and turned out together, and she was absolutely unmanageable if brought away from the herd. We're now at a 15-box yard where she is stabled with different horses than the one she is turned out with, and she's a lot happier.
My other one couldn't give a monkeys if she's at a big yard or a small yard but she's a very chilled out character.

I was worried too about moving away from my first yard, but everything worked out okay in the end and you'll never know if you don't try. I also prefer a slightly larger yard for more riding partners which in turn keeps me more motivated. Leave on good terms and I'm sure you could always go back if you didn't enjoy the new place.

 

[be positive]

Fair enough with the field mates, although he may end up being just has happy somewhere thats nicer to your purse. I like the trial idea that someone saif- if the yard s closer to you, it's not going to be too far from the one that's only 8 miles away so it wouldn't be too much hassle?

Not sure a trial is realistic financially, if you have to pay one month at a time then it will be 1 month livery to hold the old box, 1 month in advance to the new yard plus one months notice so potentially 2 months livery to find to hold a stable/ leave a box on new yard empty if you change your mind, it could work of you move during your notice period but you still risk losing the box if the yard is busy, not to mention the expense of bedding down each time.

 

[Annagain]

The only way you'll find out is to try it. Make sure you leave the first yard on good terms so you can go back if you need to - or maybe even carry on paying for your stable for a couple of weeks to make sure you can go back. I appreciate you're doing it for financial reasons but it might be worth taking the hit short term just in case.

 

[pixie27]

I moved from a small yard to a really big yard (30 horses plus). Horse has never been more settled since moving. But at new yard, he's on part livery and in a very strict routine so works for him. Having been on both, I much prefer the bigger yard. There's way less bitchiness and it's less cliquey. Plus there's always someone to hack with/ride with.

 

[Daniel_Jack]

Over the years I’ve been on both large and small yards and really it’s down to the individual yard and how well it’s run and how it suits your needs.

First large yard I was at I hated it - you could never get space in any of the 2 large arenas, very chaotic although horse was settled but then in moved to another large yard years later (via two smaller yards) and it was great - well run, lots of lovely liveries so plenty of company to hack.

I’m at a small yard again now - it’s quiet- I rarely see the other liveries during the week and always have the arena to myself - hacking is good but I’m usually hacking alone as for some reason very few of the other liveries ride! I can get a bit lonely and i do miss the social side of a busier yard.

You can only try it and see wha works for you

 

[JJS]

I'm in the same area as you, and have been on both types of yards. We're currently on a large working farm too, with fantastic hacking and reasonably good facilities. Horses are all pretty settled, but I do think it depends on the individual. Six has been on both types of yards, and is no different regardless. Tudor was possibly happier on a smaller yard, but his health issues worsening coincided with moving, so I think that had more to do with his behavioural changes at the time than his altered living arrangements. If anything, though, I think most are content so long as they have field mates they get on with and a stable routine.

The bigger effect is usually on the human! Smaller yards can mean less people to hack with and more problems if you don't get along with other liveries. They're great when everyone is friendly and welcoming, but awful if they're not. Larger yards, on the other hand, give you more opportunities to make friends and find people you like, but also more people to potentially fall out with, so there are pros and cons to both.

Based on that, I'd say to just visit a few and see how you feel about them individually. If you need any recommendations, feel free to PM me, as I know most of the yards around the Shadwell/Scarcroft/Collingham/Harewood/Adel areas if they're anywhere close to you.

 

[MouseInLux]

I’ve never been on a years much smaller than my current yard (30 boxes and then some out year round) I love where I am. It’s small enough so I know who is who but big enough so we have nice facilities, activity for the horses to watch etc. previously I was on a yard with well over 100 horses. I hated it, I never made friends because it was just a sprawling area of boxes and rings and barns.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve been on a Yard with around 100 plus horses and liked it. There was always something going on, plenty of people around when riding in late evening, Horse is a nosey Parker so he loved seeing all the comings and goings. I found that because of the size you could always find people who you clicked with. Although it still had its fair share of fall outs you could basically for the most part just keep out of it.

On smaller yards I’ve found that one or two people can be really dominant and if you don’t fit in with their ethos you can be isolated. So if the people are nice then it’s lovely but if there are 1 or 2 cowbags it can be a nightmare you find hard to avoid. Also I find on smaller yards if 1 or 2 people say bring in early then the others become a lot more unsettled. It doesn’t take much for t/o become more trying and you need to work together to ensure the horses are not left out alone etc.

 

[Amye]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Sorry I haven't got round to reading all the replies earlier - had a hectic weekend!

I do appreciate all of your stories and experiences. As J is my first horse I really don't know whether he'd prefer a large or small yard which is one of my biggest concerns.

When I say small yard, I guess I'm probably not thinking as small as you can go! The yard I'm currently on has around 60 horses, and the yards I've found probably have around 20ish. So not tiny, but not as many people as I'm used to.

Multi-quote isn't working:

atropa - Attachment issues I am concerned about too! I'm not looking at yards as small as 7, so hopefully that wouldn't happen. J does hack out by himself so isn't too attached but obviously at the moment he is on a large yard! He does share a field and a stable block with two horses (though they're not right next to each other) and he's OK coming away from them... But he can be a bit nappy so not 100% independent of other horses!

be positive - I do agree that a trial might not be the most realistic. Though it would be nice to have the safety net!

annagain - Yeah, I know the only way I'll ever know is to just do it! I appreciate everyone's thoughts though as I'm a worrier .

pixie27 - Another one of my concerns, I don't think there's really any bitchiness on my current yard, I get on with quite a few people and I think I'm lucky with that!

Daniel_Jack - Thanks for that! I'm not a mega social buttlerfly haha! So although I do like speaking to everyone at the yard I do like my 'me' time too so I don't think I'd mind too much riding on my own sometimes. Though I don't think I'd want to feel completely alone all the time.

JJS - Thank you for the kind offer I think I will need to get out there and visit a few. I'm in no desperate need to move, I can make it work financially but it's just a consideration of mine that perhaps there may be other yards out there! So if I don't get the right feel from any yards I see, it's no big deal.

MouseinLux - Wow! I can't imagine being on a yard quite that big. Though I do get the not knowing who everyone is. We have about 4 'blocks' of stables at current yard. And new people normally end up starting in the front block, mainly because the block I'm in, towards the back, has bigger boxes so people normally move up through the yard if they have a horse vs a pony. So sometimes I'll see new horses or people and not have a clue who they are for ages! Our block is quite stable though so I do have familiar faces.

Sussexbythesea - Thank you, those are my concerns with a smaller yard too. Though the way the fields are placed in our yard at the moment, they are all in herds of 4 and my horse can only see two other fields from his field. So we do have to be careful not to leave one out alone as they don't like it! ATM I'm paying for bring in most days as I know that most of the horses are in before I can get down. I do have an arrangement with another livery on some days that I bring both horses in if she turns out, so neither of them are left alone.