The Great Livery Yard Debate

[Foxaunt]

Hi All,

I'm here for honest advice, please! some will say "noone can know your circumastance but you" etc., but i honestly am so torn i just need as much help as i can get. the question really is, should i stay or should i go?

Background on me:
- Two young horses, one 2yo, one 5yo
- live in commuter town, would normally work in london but pandemic has me WFH for foreseeable
- always do DIY Livery between myself and partner, have had services for bringing in in winter months at current yard where 2yo would have to be out alone.

current yard (yard 1)
- my two are in seperate herd turnouts with other horses
- very limited schooling space
- oodles of off-road hacking
- no poo picking or worming routine, owners sort individual horses, field isnt rested.
- stables, tie up points, etc all outdoors, often fighting for space as tie up points have nails sticking out of walls etc (that we arent allowed to take down)
- one of my horses is in a tiny stable for no real reason, yet not allowed to switch to a bigger stable. been hell while on box rest.
- its a 30-second drive from my house
- barbed wire fence around field
- absolutely no security
- 32 stables

yard space we have been offered (yard 2)
-20 minutes away by car on a good day
- would have our own field for our two horses, can poo pick and worm to our own schedule, hot wire fencing.
- two good-sized schools, a lunge pen, an outdoor arena, a XC course
- 150 acres of private hacking
- very large yard, lots of horses, mainly "happy hackers"
- 70-something stables
- two stables in indoor barn of equal, decent size
- own private locked tackroom
- hacking distance to local showground/school hire
- yard owner has own horses, lives on site, lots of security
- £30 extra in fuel costs based on current calculations

in two minds, do we upheaval our horses for better facilities and better quality of their life just to find out the grass isn't greener on the other side? the space we have been offered is very rare, it would be unlikely to come up again.

 

[zandp]

I'd go for yard 2 but if you're back commuting can you still get to yard 2 easily ?

 

[Lintel]

Would be used two for me!
Based on the control of your own horses element and the fact that spaces come up very rarely..... meaning to me it must be a half decent place if people aren't moving every second day ?

.. the hacking also sounds super!!

 

[Leandy]

On the basis of those facts alone. Move! It does depend a bit what you want to do with your horses though. I wouldn't have been at the first yard in the first place so your priorities may well be different from mine. Are the extra facilities at the second yard worth the extra distance from home? Does the second yard have a good reputation?

 

[Foxaunt]

I'd go for yard 2 but if you're back commuting can you still get to yard 2 easily ?

this is our big thing, we just aren't sure until we can try. my sisters are local to yard 2 (3 mins by car) so could call on them in emergencies. plus, OH isn't in work at the minute (thanks corona!!) so while he is job seeking it suits but the future is so unknown!!

 

[criso]

In terms of setup the your own field for two could be a mixed blessing. Great to have control of management but what happens if one is on box rest and the other doesn't settle on its own or you want to take one to a show or camp.

Other than that, yard 2 sounds better.

 

[Foxaunt]

On the basis of those facts alone. Move! It does depend a bit what you want to do with your horses though. I wouldn't have been at the first yard in the first place so your priorities may well be different from mine. Are the extra facilities at the second yard worth the extra distance from home? Does the second yard have a good reputation?

it has come on a lot and many people say its a good yard, but was in a sorry state years ago. you never get the full picture from horse people some times, if they have left in their eyes "the yard was run by wallies!!", but then you come to find out they were kicked off, just as an example! and yes you are right, the whole appeal of the first yard was the "as-close-to-home-as-you-can-get" aspect. facilities are a million times better at the other yard.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Yard 2.

 

[dorsetladette]

Yard 2 for me. Would you be able to get assistance there if you were to go back to commuting?

 

[Foxaunt]

In terms of setup the your own field for two could be a mixed blessing. Great to have control of management but what happens if one is on box rest and the other doesn't settle on its own or you want to take one to a show or camp.

Other than that, yard 2 sounds better.

you're exactly right, and i even have one on box rest at the minute, however i will say that box rest on current yard has completely soured the taste of current yard! so lucky with my ponies that they have good hearts but it hasn't been easy.

 

[Foxaunt]

Yard 2 for me. Would you be able to get assistance there if you were to go back to commuting?

yes horsey yard owner also provides services, and i put emphasis on horsey yard owner, current yard owner has experience with horses but isn't what i would describe as horsey, i think she prefers working with her cows, she does a stellar job of raising her cows but it's a full time job in itself!

 

[honetpot]

I would send one on 'holiday livery' for two weeks. I have been on a variety of yards, and the one I was most annoyed by, had everything you could think of, and I had mates rates. The only blessing was I could take them home, where the poo picking police could not see me.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Yard one sounds like a bit of a shithole to me - sorry!

 

[ihatework]

Yard one sounds like a dump!
I’d probably send the 2yo off to youngstock livery, try the 5yo at yard 2 and see how you go with a view to bringing the 2yo there when it’s ready to back

 

[Foxaunt]

Yard one sounds like a bit of a shithole to me - sorry!

this made me chuckle, no need to be sorry! the woes of living in a commuter town, its often 'full livery which will cost your soul and left kidney' or 'ramshackle stables with acres of turnout' and the in between has a waiting list YEARS long - believe me, i am on all of them!

 

[zandp]

this is our big thing, we just aren't sure until we can try. my sisters are local to yard 2 (3 mins by car) so could call on them in emergencies. plus, OH isn't in work at the minute (thanks corona!!) so while he is job seeking it suits but the future is so unknown!!

I used to have a horrible commute and started to share a horse - I used to drive to the station nearest to him and commute from there and then drive home - that's an option !

 

[Foxaunt]

I used to have a horrible commute and started to share a horse - I used to drive to the station nearest to him and commute from there and then drive home - that's an option !

you might just be a genius! thank you!!!

 

[JulesRules]

Yard 3?

I was on a yard 20 to 25 mins away for a long time, and I made it work through working with a friend or paying for turn out and only going once a day. I stayed a long time because it was a great yard and every other yard just had a different compromise. I eventually left after changing jobs and working in the opposite direction. I can't imagine being that far away now and not being able to just pop down.
I also tried the "as close to home as you can get but no facilities " option which was great in summer but less so in winter (although my reasons for leaving were more related to the yard owner finding it perfectly acceptable to leave my paddock gates open)

I'm now on a yard 10 mins from home, small school, brilliant hacking but no services so fully diy.

My point is, are there other options? I'd keep looking as there may be a more suitable yard closer to home.

On another note as mentioned by someone else, my two are turned out together. They can't see any other horses from their paddick which does mean that when I take one out competing etc, the other has to stay in the stable, but I don't find that an issue in comparison to the benefits of being able to just do my own thing without having to worry what others are doing.

 

[Foxaunt]

Yard 3?

I was on a yard 20 to 25 mins away for a long time, and I made it work through working with a friend or paying for turn out and only going once a day. I stayed a long time because it was a great yard and every other yard just had a different compromise. I eventually left after changing jobs and working in the opposite direction. I can't imagine being that far away now and not being able to just pop down.
I also tried the "as close to home as you can get but no facilities " option which was great in summer but less so in winter (although my reasons for leaving were more related to the yard owner finding it perfectly acceptable to leave my paddock gates open)

I'm now on a yard 10 mins from home, small school, brilliant hacking but no services so fully diy.

My point is, are there other options? I'd keep looking as there may be a more suitable yard closer to home.

On another note as mentioned by someone else, my two are turned out together. They can't see any other horses from their paddick which does mean that when I take one out competing etc, the other has to stay in the stable, but I don't find that an issue in comparison to the benefits of being able to just do my own thing without having to worry what others are doing.

you are absolutely right there are great yards close to home, but liveries are shutting down thick and fast in my area due to areas being eaten up by land developers, and those that are still around have waiting lists that span for years, i'm on them all and i regularly chase but its such a waiting game, in the meantime. one was great, really close, acres of land, quiet, secure... run by, and i mean this in the worst way, complete nutcases! which we of course didn't know until we were two weeks in in the middle of winter, nowhere to go.... god that was a nightmare. now we know it has a reputation for being a bit of a hellhole... but yes a yard owner leaving paddock gates open would have me packing also!!

 

[dogatemysalad]

I'd go for the second yard, although it's not perfect, it sounds better than your current yard.
I only have two criteria.
1) will my horse have a good quality of life there and is it safe.
2) does the yard have the facilities that will enable me to do the things that are important to me as an owner.
First one is non negotiable. This is my horses home, and they have a life beyond the times I'm with them. Second one is more flexible. Having great facilities is lovely, but I wouldn't trade that for poor turnout and small stables etc. Ideally, I'd keep looking for a middle ground, or move and suffer the longer car drive. Perhaps using livery services to turnout would reduce the twice daily trips.

 

[Annagain]

Does yard 2 work if you start working in London again? Is it in the right/ wrong direction for your journey and could you get / afford at least one end of the day dealt with by sisters / yard? If you do go back to London, will you be going there 5 days a week if you do or is it more likely that you'll do a mix of home and office?

Is where you're living now permanent? If you're likely to move in the next couple of years are you likely to move nearer yard 2 given that your sisters are already there?

If not, how likely is it that yard 2 could be a stopgap for a year or two until a space becomes available closer to home? Could you deal with the journey in the short-medium term?

Is working in London a pemanent thing (assuming you have a plan) and if not, how likely is that the next job will be somewhere more convenient / inconvenient for yard 2?

Can you afford the extra £30 (a week / month?)

If the answers to these questions are even slightly positive I'd be going for yard 2. Yard 1 sounds horrendous to be honest. The only positive is it's so close to home, nothing else sounds good.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I dont know your work situation obviously but it looks like we're staring down the nose of another lockdown, so you could take that one of two ways - stick with cheaper and better the devil you know option OR if you'll be at home more why not enjoy the far better sounding yard 2, which will enable you to be with horses more.

 

[dorsetladette]

Or to through a curve ball in. Are there any studs around you? they probably won't advertise for livery but might be able to jiggle boxes around and make room if your a nice person and your horses would fit in well. Have a look on google maps for arena's and then have a drive around and look. They will have a couple of fields of youngsters that will be checked regularly and you'd have use of the facilities which won't always be clogged up with liveries, plus you might get a few extras that you wouldn't normally get on livery like feeds and urn out being done for you so pony is in the same routine as the yard.

Just a thought

 

[Foxaunt]

Does yard 2 work if you start working in London again? Is it in the right/ wrong direction for your journey and could you get / afford at least one end of the day dealt with by sisters / yard? If you do go back to London, will you be going there 5 days a week if you do or is it more likely that you'll do a mix of home and office?

Is where you're living now permanent? If you're likely to move in the next couple of years are you likely to move nearer yard 2 given that your sisters are already there?

If not, how likely is it that yard 2 could be a stopgap for a year or two until a space becomes available closer to home? Could you deal with the journey in the short-medium term?

Is working in London a pemanent thing (assuming you have a plan) and if not, how likely is that the next job will be somewhere more convenient / inconvenient for yard 2?

Can you afford the extra £30 (a week / month?)

If the answers to these questions are even slightly positive I'd be going for yard 2. Yard 1 sounds horrendous to be honest. The only positive is it's so close to home, nothing else sounds good.

Annagain, thanks for a great reply, honestly made the decision so much easier after answering the questions you posted.

 

[Foxaunt]

Or to through a curve ball in. Are there any studs around you? they probably won't advertise for livery but might be able to jiggle boxes around and make room if your a nice person and your horses would fit in well. Have a look on google maps for arena's and then have a drive around and look. They will have a couple of fields of youngsters that will be checked regularly and you'd have use of the facilities which won't always be clogged up with liveries, plus you might get a few extras that you wouldn't normally get on livery like feeds and urn out being done for you so pony is in the same routine as the yard.

Just a thought

didn't see this earlier, this is a great one actually, not something i had considered! has worked for someone i knew in the past to literally just knock on peoples doors with land and ask, they can only say no i suppose!