WoodysMum
Well-Known Member
Having a few thoughts as to whether I should move yards or not.
The current yard:
- Is 15 miles away, so I can only see my boy once a day. That means I have to pay more for services which are very expensive!
- Hay and straw and some food are included
- My field has not been poo picked for absolutely months (my boy shares with 2 other horses, and the staff are in control of poo picking, not liveries.) But he has company and gets on well with the two horses. Nice big field too. Worming programme in place but I feel its a bit pointless if he goes and grazes in a field of poo!
- Good facilities, 2 outdoor schools and excellent hacking. But one of the schools is too deep for my boy (has joint problems), and the other is a bit too small as he has big movement!
- Not allowed to lunge/longrein/do inhand work in the schools. This is very aggravating as my lad needs inhand work as part as his rehab. The only place to do it is in the lunging ring, which has an awful awful surface.
- Staff are lovely, but the livery owners themselves could be a lot nicer! Big yard and full of politics/groups/bitching etc.
However one staff member may be coming back and she is absolutely clueless about horses and doesnt treat them nicely.
- Not a lot of mud in the winter, yay!
- Indoor stables in a nice warm barn
Another yard:
- 3 miles down the road, offers DIY. I would still have to pay for services as I dont drive but they are cheaper than at current yard. Hay and straw not included.
- Individual turnout with half acre paddocks (and my boy MUST go out with company), but group turnout can be arranged. However, the group field is a much longer walk, not ideal in the dark and in winter(!), hard to keep an eye on the horses as the owner's house is next to the yard but this field is hidden by trees. No guarantee he will not be left on his own as is the case with group turnout when people dont agree! Individual turnout is across the road and more visible and is electric fenced off, but my boy loves playing so he would most likely go out with a group.
- Excellent hacking (I could technically hack to my house!), poo picking is the responsibility of the liveries, not the owners. Worming is up to the owner as long as it is maintained.
- Riding school staff provide services such as turnout, and liveries are turned out after the riding school horses are dealt with. Not ideal as they are all a bit clueless! My boy would have to be turned out for a few months by the staff until I could drive, and even then there's no guarantee that other horses would be turned out at that time (around 7am before college).
- Outdoor stabling (have never kept my boy outside before)
- Liveries are allowed to lunge in the schools (yay!)
- Liveries seem generally nicer and the yard is a bit smaller
- Quite stony surfaces (my boy is barefoot and might struggle a bit)
The main problem is that Im off to uni either Sept 09 or 10 if I take a gap year, so that would mean another move for him.
I dont know, both yards have their pros and cons, but at the minute my livery bill is pretty horrendous with all the excess services. Any opinions?
The current yard:
- Is 15 miles away, so I can only see my boy once a day. That means I have to pay more for services which are very expensive!
- Hay and straw and some food are included
- My field has not been poo picked for absolutely months (my boy shares with 2 other horses, and the staff are in control of poo picking, not liveries.) But he has company and gets on well with the two horses. Nice big field too. Worming programme in place but I feel its a bit pointless if he goes and grazes in a field of poo!
- Good facilities, 2 outdoor schools and excellent hacking. But one of the schools is too deep for my boy (has joint problems), and the other is a bit too small as he has big movement!
- Not allowed to lunge/longrein/do inhand work in the schools. This is very aggravating as my lad needs inhand work as part as his rehab. The only place to do it is in the lunging ring, which has an awful awful surface.
- Staff are lovely, but the livery owners themselves could be a lot nicer! Big yard and full of politics/groups/bitching etc.
However one staff member may be coming back and she is absolutely clueless about horses and doesnt treat them nicely.
- Not a lot of mud in the winter, yay!
- Indoor stables in a nice warm barn
Another yard:
- 3 miles down the road, offers DIY. I would still have to pay for services as I dont drive but they are cheaper than at current yard. Hay and straw not included.
- Individual turnout with half acre paddocks (and my boy MUST go out with company), but group turnout can be arranged. However, the group field is a much longer walk, not ideal in the dark and in winter(!), hard to keep an eye on the horses as the owner's house is next to the yard but this field is hidden by trees. No guarantee he will not be left on his own as is the case with group turnout when people dont agree! Individual turnout is across the road and more visible and is electric fenced off, but my boy loves playing so he would most likely go out with a group.
- Excellent hacking (I could technically hack to my house!), poo picking is the responsibility of the liveries, not the owners. Worming is up to the owner as long as it is maintained.
- Riding school staff provide services such as turnout, and liveries are turned out after the riding school horses are dealt with. Not ideal as they are all a bit clueless! My boy would have to be turned out for a few months by the staff until I could drive, and even then there's no guarantee that other horses would be turned out at that time (around 7am before college).
- Outdoor stabling (have never kept my boy outside before)
- Liveries are allowed to lunge in the schools (yay!)
- Liveries seem generally nicer and the yard is a bit smaller
- Quite stony surfaces (my boy is barefoot and might struggle a bit)
The main problem is that Im off to uni either Sept 09 or 10 if I take a gap year, so that would mean another move for him.
I dont know, both yards have their pros and cons, but at the minute my livery bill is pretty horrendous with all the excess services. Any opinions?
