Sociable Yards - Do They Exist??

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LittleSoph

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I've had my horse for nearly 5 months now. In this time I've had him at three yards...
The first yard was small and very quiet and everyone with horses there worked there, so by the time I got there after work, they'd finished work, ridden and gone home.
So after having him there for one month, I hacked to a yard two minutes down the road (owned by same people) which was more livery than staff and riding school... I hope that this would be busier but it turned out I was virtually the only person over the age of 16... so all of the kids finished school at 3.30 and were going home for their tea by 5.30, when I got there...
So, beause of this and a few other issues, I moved him after two months... a ten minute lorry drive away. It's a nice yard and liveries only, with about 20 liveries... but I don't ever see anyone!!!! I go down every evening and have tried varying the time I go down there to see if I see different people... but I think i've only ever seen two people in the school... in the three months I've been there! Some of the horses I'd have absolutely no idea who owns them! And at the weekend it's like a ghost town!! I was bathing my boy the other day and was there for four hours in total and saw NO ONE!!
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Now, I know for some people this would be heaven... but I work from home and one thing I was looking forward to when I bought my horse was the social side of riding. However, I just can't seem to find a yard where people are interested in chatting, riding out together, going to shows together, etc... I'm so dissapointed!
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When I was young I used to be at the yard from first thing in the morning until last thing in the evening, every weekend, every day in the holidays, every evening after school... we used to hack together, sit and chat and drink tea/eat lunch, go to shows together, go and watch showjumping or big shows together.... just a social life evolved around the yard... bbut I just can't find this anywhere!!

So do these yards exist or am I expecting too much? It wouldn't be ideal to move the poor boy again but I feel that I'm paying a lot of money at the moment and not getting all that much for it!

And just incase... I'm near Maldon in Essex and can travel a little way, so anywhere around there would be great??
(Tiptree, Witham, Danbury, Totham, etc.etc.)
 
yes!!
my yard is aimed at happy hackers/light competitors
there are bout 8 liveries, we all work full time so are up at same time, no kids allowed, and everyone respects everyones space so your not always havin to school/hack with someone-lovely!!
 
Becareful what you wish for !!

I would love to be on a yard where i am left alone, and have a free run of the school.

Dont get me wrong i am a sociable person, but i really do not want to explain my every movement, thought or plans to everyone whom asks. I really do not want a crowd around me when having the vet, back done, new saddle fitted a lesson etc. I really do not want a crowd following me to a show off the yard when the very reason i have gone is to get away from the yard. I just want some time to love my animals, ride, get my jobs done and have some "quiet time" to myself.

I really hope you see the other side of the fence before you do anything drastic and unfortunatley sociable yards have the "cliques" and "bitching" culture and adult horsey people can sometimes be really horrid !
 
Yes they do exist.
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Our yard is only small with only 8 horses, but we all help each other out and many of us ride together. Could you maybe put up a notice in the tack room asking if anyone would like to hack out with you. You never know some of the others may be feeling just like you
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Ours is lovely, we have about 13 liveries, all different types, from happy hacker to eventer and showjumpers. We all arrive at different times, but people talk to each other and arrange to ride out with each other at convenient times, We all have lessons with one instructor on the same day - one after the other, so normally watch each other and chat to each other then. several of us go out competing to the same competition, or XC schooling together so we chat and socialise. You need to get talking to other people and you will soon build a social life round your horse. It was slightly different when you were a child as you had no responsibilities, no need to be somewhere on time, no bills to pay, no work to do and your parents would probably be glad of some peace and quiet. Most adults prefer a yard without kids, it's time to relax, spend time with the horse and then dash home to rejoin normal life.
 
Yes! Mine only has four liveries (plus one YO) - but I nearly always bump into someone! Its nice but sometimes you just want to have the yard to yourself and not have to talk- Im a teacher so spend all day talking and by the time I get home I just want to groom quietly.....
 
My yard is amazing, we go out for meals, hack together, compete together. If i have a big comp people help out and come along like a fan club same if it is someone else. I have been there 10 years and it is the best it has been but has always been quite sociable. In the past it has been bitchy but its at its best at the min. it is a big yard tho - about 25 horses. best thing about having a horse i say.
 
Yes they do exist, my last yard was great. In the tack room there was a table/chairs, tuck shop, coffee etc and at around 5pmish every week day we would sit down for coffee etc with the guys who ran the place and at the weekend we would all sit down several times in the afternoon. We would also have yard nights out.

My current yard is different, I do my horse at different times to everyone else and have no idea who the horses or owners are!
 
Gingerwitch, I've had both sides of the coin but at the moment I have a four year old who gets in a panic if he has to ride in a school with another horse... not great when you want to show, lol. It'd be so good for him to be on a buzzing, sociable yard...

Also, I have 'hacknaphobia' and would really really benefit from people to ride out with. It's becoming a real issue and I think that if I'd had people to ride with from the beginning, it might not have become such a problem.

I understand what you mean about wanting 'quiet time' and I know a lot of people crave that, but for someone who works at home on their own, I have more than enough time in my own company and I'd love to know I can finish work and go to the yard for a chat/cuppa/ride with friends.
I know people can be bitchy but I am quite good at keeping my nose out of other people's business. I'd just like someone to share my horsey life with because at the moment, it's getting pretty lonely.
 
would it be possible to put a note up in the tackroom introducing yourself and asking if anybody wanted to get together and ride/chat ,get together or maybe all meet up for coffee and intro one afternoon?
 
my yard is TOO sociable! there are about 40 liveries of all ages so always someone about to talk to. this means i can easily spend hours and hours there getting nothing done
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its a pain in the arse tho as the arena is always busy/booked! so think every cloud has a silver lining!
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actually fii- this is what I did when I arrived on a large yard in Wales for uni- I offered anyone who was willing to show me the good hacks a pint in the pub afterwards- worked a treat!
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Sorry can't recommend anything as in Sussex but yes they do exist so keep on looking. Sometimes its hard to find everything you want on one yard though so you might have to compromise on something else if the social side is very important - it is to me.
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I am at a yard which is open to 9pm every evening and even in the depths of winter there are still a few stragglers about at 8pm. If it wasn't like that I would probably never ride during the week all winter as I get there about 6pm at the earliest most days. Generally bigger yards that maybe have a riding school on site or hold competitions are busier and have good facilities like flood-lit schools which encourage the full-time worker cum late evening horse owner. Hope you find something soon
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good luck!
 
I am not being patronising when i say this - but i really do feel for you. When i worked up North i only had my horse for company - fella lived 200 miles away and although i had work i really missed my family. So i know how you would look forward to "company" at the yard. I agree put a note on a board about hacking out, going to a local show, offering to be groom for the day, or try and find a "fun ride" and offer to share a box hire.

Or try to voluanteer at your local horse show - they always need people and its another way of getting in with the horsey lot.
 
Yes they do exist. I may moan occasionally about certain individuals on my yard, but I love it having spent over 20 years on my own. There are only a few liveries, and for the majority of the time during the week, I dont see anyone but I do make the effort to leave notes on the whiteboard inviting people to ride out with me or join me at shows etc, which they do. At weekends we hack out together (although the individuals I moan about don't join in), me and another livery school together over jumps and compete together, and the yard as a whole will often go out to events/shows/meals etc.
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Can you leave a public note asking for a hacking partner etc, to break the ice? Most people love to think they are being helpful.
 
I would much rather be at a yard where I don't see anyone than a bitchy yard.
After several months of not enjoying horse ownership thanks to a bitchy YM and her clique I moved, and it is the best thing I have ever done.
I am now at a lovely, small, yard with friendly people who I can talk to and trust. But these yards are like hens teeth - they dont need to advertise as people just dont leave them! Try asking in local tack shops etc as local knowledge is key.
 
Yes! There are 8 of us at my yard, people stop and chat and ride out together and some of us go to shows together. Buf if you want to be on your own that's no problem either - it's lovely. But I've only had G 2 years and it took me 3 yards before I found it!
 
Seems fair enough to me to want a bit of horsey chat and riding company, sometimes our yard can be bustling with people as we are all diy, and somedays hardly a soul, normally there is someone around as we have quite a mix of age group, yet last sunday I got back from a long ride at approx 2.00ish on sunny day and not a soul on the yard, occasionally I do wonder where everyone is
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hope you find somewhere soon
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I think I have a pretty good situation at the yard i'm at. The two most annoying people have just left (nothing to do with the yard, one was emigrating and the other sold his horse) so now the yard is lovely, not that it wasn't before but the two people who left were just a bit stupid. I got on with them really well though and get on with everyone else really well. There are 12 horses on the yard, and about 6 owners. I have a v good friend at the yard and me and her daughter are always hacking out together and going to shows together, and me another lady also hack out together and share the same instructor so arrange lessons one after the other so we get to watch and chat ect. There is 1 or 2 people i don't see very often, one lady because her horse is retired and now it's summer everything is out 24/7 and the other dosen't ride his two at all. However in the winter I feel the yard comes together a bit more, everyone is always down in the mornings around the same time so we can chat, and in the evenings were all there around the same time to bring our horses in. However in the summer I can be down there for a good few hours and not see anyone, but this is nice sometimes. My yard dosen't advertise, it's just word of mouth really and people hardly ever leave, the lady who emigrated had been there for 8 years and the lady with the retired horse has been there for 10 years! You will find a yard evetually, good luck!
 
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