Sticky situation, what shall i do???

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Horse_13

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Hi there,

I have been looking at some potential livery yards, that provide services. I have found a lovely yard within close proximity to my house, has a nice school, big stable, great hacking, nice people and the assisted services that i need-but the only issue is they have only one stable available and it could get snapped up easily. I have not found a horse to buy yet.. Now they have said I can pay £75 per month for two months, whilst i wait. If it takes longer (who knows how long it takes to find the right horse) i have to pay full livery- £155 per month.
I am really stuck on what to do as it is my first time owning a horse and trying to get everything prepared, but I am just worried that I will not put the money down, end up losing the stable and not have any where for the horse to go when i manage to find one.
I know there are plenty of yards out there but not for the services that i need :(
My parents honestly think its a waste of money and told me that i shouldnt pay to 'hold' a stable when I havent even found a horse and it could take a while.

I really dont know what to do, maybe I am just rushing too much into it? Can I have some advice?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Put your name on their waiting list (which you will be at the top of), scout out a few more possible yards which might suit on a temporary basis, get horse hunting, and when you've found one, see if your first choice is available and if not, go elsewhere until it is.
 
I think paying £75 per month to keep a stable for you is fair if the yard is busy then why should the yard lose out while you look for a horse.

In my mind it would depend on how seriously you are looking, whether you are being realistic or if you are still at the thinking about it stage rather than being out actively trying horses at every opportunity, if you are really committed and looking properly it should be possible to find something within the next 2 months, the end of the school holidays is a prime time for buying and selling.
 
I agree with the previous comments. It can take a while to find "the one" so it could be quite a lot of money down the drain. There is enough expense with a new horse without adding to it. Also you don't want to be pressured in any way into buying a horse that might not be quite right. Good luck in your search.
 
I think the £75 a month is very fair.. It's pure profit for the yard without any work or use of grazing. I don't think they would really expect you to reserve beyond 2 months at full price.

If you're looking hard and know what you want AND the loss of £150 is of no concern.... Then I would reserve for 2 months and hope to find something in that time. The danger is that you will feel pressured into buying and may not make the best choice, which is why you have to mentally kiss goodbye to any money paid.
 
I also would pay it to reserve your place. I did similar thing when i sold one horse and started looking for another. It is worth it to not loose the space.
 
I think the yard owner is being very fair. I was on a yard that I was happy on, ended up having a riding accident which meant 3 mths recouperation, so found the horse a new home, long story. I paid for another 2 weeks, full price for an empty stable, then thought it could be months before I find another horse, if I actually wanted another, so I gave notice and left. Typically after my 3 mths I found one very quickly, moved onto a different yard and was happy for over a year, then moved to where I am now and Im loving it.
What Im trying to get at is, although this yard is everything you want, it is how long is a piece of string, you could find your perfect horse next week or next year! I'd be tempted to just wait until you find a horse before committing, livery charges soon build up and at some point a stable will come free. In the mean time you may find you love it where you end up. If however stables are hard to come by in your area, then pay for the stable now but dont be tempted to rush into buying a horse.
 
I'd personally pay to hold the box, if you really like it. I assume the £150 is per week rather thsn per month, for full livery?

Good yards can be hard to find. It sounds like it ticks all the right boxes. The cost of livery is only the starting point where horses are concerned anyway :D
 
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I'd let it go as it may pressurise you into choosing a horse because at the back of your mind you are aware of the stable waiting. Find the horse, when you go for a second viewing ask if your space is still there, if not, find somewhere temporarily, have vetting done and move new horse to a temporary yard.
 
Provided your brief and budget are in sync I would pay to hold the stable

If after the two months things are looking bleak I would be prepared to think again

In the great scheme of the costs associated with horse buying it's really not a lot of money
 
It may depend on the type of horse you're looking to buy, as well. Some types are more easily found than others, so consider how well saturated the market is with what you're looking for. For example, it took me less than a month to find and bring home a 12hh native project, it took 4 months of active searching to find something with a specific type of personality, and a friend spent nearly a year looking for a schoolmaster of the right age, height and temperament.

Personally I wouldn't want the pressure of holding a stable to influence my decision on a horse, but nowadays I have very specific criteria for the horses I would want.
 
Horse_13 said:
Hi there,

I have been looking at some potential livery yards, that provide services. I have found a lovely yard within close proximity to my house, has a nice school, big stable, great hacking, nice people and the assisted services that i need-but the only issue is they have only one stable available and it could get snapped up easily. I have not found a horse to buy yet.. Now they have said I can pay £75 per month for two months, whilst i wait. If it takes longer (who knows how long it takes to find the right horse) i have to pay full livery- £155 per month.
I am really stuck on what to do as it is my first time owning a horse and trying to get everything prepared, but I am just worried that I will not put the money down, end up losing the stable and not have any where for the horse to go when i manage to find one.
I know there are plenty of yards out there but not for the services that i need :(
My parents honestly think its a waste of money and told me that i shouldnt pay to 'hold' a stable when I havent even found a horse and it could take a while.

I really dont know what to do, maybe I am just rushing too much into it? Can I have some advice?

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...

We had one livery who paid 7 months livery to hold the stable, horse came from Bermuda so she needed to secure it. Personally if it were me I found the perfect yard (and I would make sure 99%) I would secure it and be looking for a horse as many times a day I could.
 
Being at the right yard can make or break the enjoyment of horse ownership.
So if you are seriously and actively looking for a horse I wouldn’t hesitate to pay to hold a stable at a good yard.
If however you are only half heartedly looking to purchase then maybe wait.
 
How big is the yard and how much turnover do they get?

I've known people hold stables at my yard but in reality they wouldn't need to, we're a yard of about 35 horses and there's almost always a spare stable (no obvious reason for high turnover, but with 35 people on the yard there are going to be various moves and I'd say at least one horse death p/year)
 
Personally if the yard is right in every way I would pay it to secure it. You might find the right horse in just a few weeks you never know. I think it's a fair charge (being half the full price).
 
Horse_13 said:
Hi there,

I have been looking at some potential livery yards, that provide services. I have found a lovely yard within close proximity to my house, has a nice school, big stable, great hacking, nice people and the assisted services that i need-but the only issue is they have only one stable available and it could get snapped up easily. I have not found a horse to buy yet.. Now they have said I can pay £75 per month for two months, whilst i wait. If it takes longer (who knows how long it takes to find the right horse) i have to pay full livery- £155 per month.
I am really stuck on what to do as it is my first time owning a horse and trying to get everything prepared, but I am just worried that I will not put the money down, end up losing the stable and not have any where for the horse to go when i manage to find one.
I know there are plenty of yards out there but not for the services that i need :(
My parents honestly think its a waste of money and told me that i shouldnt pay to 'hold' a stable when I havent even found a horse and it could take a while.

I really dont know what to do, maybe I am just rushing too much into it? Can I have some advice?

Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...

Find out how often a space comes up.

I was on a waiting list (for two spaces) for over 2 years, as only ever one space, or a wrong sex space.

Another had a long waiting list, and people would come as field liveries and could wait a year for stable.

Some yards have long waiting lists, some don’t. Some nearly always have or can make a space.

It isn’t necessarily representative of the quality of yard.

It also depends how many yard options there are in your area.

If this is a good yard, without similar with same facilities / services / within right distance from home, that doesn’t have spaces very often, I would pay whatever they ask and focus on looking!

Depends how flexible you are on what horse you plan to buy, and how much time you can dedicate to looking? If you can look seriously and view 5 horses a week starting now, and are looking for a fairly average horse, with sensible budget, you may be able to find one fairly soon. If you can only see a horse every other weekend, might keep missing out on horses, and might take AGES.

I was meant to be looking this spring. Started browsing in October 2017 and found one I REALLY LIKED from advert / videos / competition record etc. I went 3 hours to look at him twice, had him vetted within ten days, and he was home by 10th November, and I had a definite wish list in terms of manners, movement, dressage experience, life experience, and a sensible but not massive budget. Waiting until after winter failed!!
 
I agree with the posters who advise to pay the deposit and start looking. If, after a couple of months you still haven't found the horse, then maybe re-consider. Definitely not a waste of money if it's the right place, and you could end up with all kinds of issues moving to a "temporary" place which doesn't suit for one reason or another. You might be there for months before another place at this yard comes up. The right yard is vital - just read all the threads on here from people who are having yard issues of one sort or another. If this is the one, then commit to it and start horse hunting. Also agree with WelshD - £150.00 isn't a lot on the scale of things when you're considering the cost of horse buying and long term ownership. Good luck.
 
I'd let it go, put yourself on a waiting list and look around for other places. You don't want to feel rushed into buying a horse.
 
In the grand scheme of things, when buying a horse, £150 uis not very much.

Therefore if this yard ticks all the boxes, I'd pay that to hold a box for two months.

If you don't find a horse by the end of the two months, then make a decision then on whether to keep paying at full rate or not.

Good luck in your search.

Fiona
 
There is a risk that you will feel a bit pressurised, you'll need to fight that.

But equally the money spent will be a fine intro to the money-pit of horse ownership :)
 
I have moved into some fabulous sounding yards with high expectations and found them to be full of flaws. Equally I have moved to some slightly compromise yards, and been very happy. My decision would be based on how confident I was this was a good yard, and how easy it would to find an equally good yard elsewhere.
 
I would pay the deposit. I did the same, it gave me peace of mind that I could move quickly without worry about where I would put a horse. I also spent the time getting the stable ready for the horse before it arrived. In my area, stables are few and far between and I wanted to be on my yard no matter what.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to put the deposit down if the yard was right. I paid a deposit before moving to our current yard as spaces rarely came available. At the time I was fielding viewings for the horse I was selling, followed by a number of failed vettings so it was probably a good 4 or 5 months before I finally put something in the stable but it was totally worth it. I've been there coming up 3 years now and wouldn't be anywhere else. IMHO there's nothing worse than finding the horse of your dreams and then struggling to find somewhere to put it.
 
For me it would depend on 1/ how much money I had available 2/ what other yards are available and if they have spaces and 3/ what I wanted to do with the horse and therefore how long might it take to find the right one. Only you know the answer to these questions in enough detail to answer your question reallly, I think for me the most important one would be 'what does no. 2 yard choice look like and do they have spaces'.

£75 a month doesn't sound unreasonable if this really is the only yard which ticks all the boxes, but I think you need to do a bit more research first, then hopefully your decision on what to do will be easier.
 
Well that's cleared it all up for you nicely!!:D:D

There is no right answer here. It will come down to
a) What other yards there are around
b) How quickly new stables come up if you are at the top of the waiting list
c) How seriously you are already looking for a horse
d) Your attitude to risk (ie buying a horse then not having anywhere for it to go! It happens!!)
d) Your attitude to 'wasting' money.

I have done both - bought a horse and then scrambled round for a yard only to discover there wasn't ANYWHERE I liked anywhere near me. I ended up putting my name on the waiting list for my favourite yard and having to pay full livery miles away in the meantime. It ended up costing more than paying for an empty stable for a few months would have done! Now I will always sort the stable first.

It should be easily affordable as presumably if you find a horse tomorrow you'd afford it from tomorrow. If you will struggle to pay a deposit on a stable you will also struggle to pay livery on it!
 
If you can afford to do it and you won't feel pressured then just do it!!! Peace of mind that you will have the right place to start horse ownership is worth far more than £150 :)
 
I’ve just been in the same situation so I paid to keep the box til I found a horse. Thankfully I found him within a month, but it was peace of mind. If that’s the yard for you then go for it.
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
If you can afford to do it and you won't feel pressured then just do it!!! Peace of mind that you will have the right place to start horse ownership is worth far more than £150 :)
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^
this. if you find the right horse and theres no where to put it how will you feel then ?
 
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