Transport or Facilities

[Lilly-Mayspookatbags]

Now that money gets tighter for a lot of people.

If you had the choice between a yard with top facilities (30x60 arena, regular clinics, Walker) but no spare money for lessons or outings.

Or yard with basic facilities ( just a field and stables) but own unlimited access transport to local lessons , hacking and competitions with enough money for weekly outings.

Which would you prefer and why? Or if anyone does one or the other much appreciated .

Horse is happy at either , owner is happy at either, distance is the same , work is a flexi office job so no time restraints. For anyone wanting a bit more background !

 

[nagblagger]

On yard with basic facilities, but that's all i need, with the extra pennies to choose what and when, i want to do something.
I wouldn't use any of the 'top' facilities so wasted money.

 

[saddlesore]

I’d pick whichever was better for my horse, that’s likely to be the basic yard assuming it’s year round group turnout.

 

[Abacus]

Depends on how much you want to compete or go out really. If you’d miss that and couldn’t occasionally hire transport then I would go for the basic yard. I’d take the basic one anyway as I prefer small simple places but that’s just a personal choice.

 

[Griffin]

I have done both and because I don't compete anymore, I would probably pick the yard with top facilities. I know that if I have access to an arena etc, I do a lot more with my horse in terms of riding and groundwork. If I have to travel for an arena, that's just an extra faff for me and I just don't bother.

It's very individual though and I will always go for the yard my horse is going to be happiest at.

 

[atropa]

Personally I think I'd pick #1, assuming it meant I still had enough cash to at least take part in the on site clinics. I know so many people can make it work very successfully without a school, but I'm just not one of them I'm afraid.

 

[criso]

Just to put another point of view, if you have to box to lessons or to access a school, then it can add a lot more time onto each ride by the time you've loaded, driven there, unloaded, then drive back and the box to clean out. If you are riding after work that makes for a late night.

No hopping on for a quick schooling session and in winter it may be too dark to hack even in daylight if the visibility is poor.

You might have to be organised to book the outside facilities so can't be so last minute about your plans.

Even with unlimited transport, assume there would be fuel costs to take into account. At the other yard, there may be like minded people you could share transport with so outings may not be as expensive as you think.

That's assuming turnout is good at both.

 

[webble]

Basic yard with transport, live my box and you can travel to facilities

 

[superpony]

I do the second option.. only because I have two other horses there too who are retired. I could not afford to have all three on livery with top facilities and having had horses at two different yards before.. I wouldn't want to do it again!

It isn't ideal.. I have to timetable nights/days in to go out for lessons, hacks etc to ensure I do it and sometimes works gets in the way. It also isn't just the cost of lessons/competitions but the fuel on top too. We have a small arena to ride in which floods/gets deep and a little bit of hacking so can cope but not ideal.

 

[spotty_pony2]

Now that money gets tighter for a lot of people.

If you had the choice between a yard with top facilities (30x60 arena, regular clinics, Walker) but no spare money for lessons or outings.

Or yard with basic facilities ( just a field and stables) but own unlimited access transport to local lessons , hacking and competitions with enough money for weekly outings.

Which would you prefer and why? Or if anyone does one or the other much appreciated .

Horse is happy at either , owner is happy at either, distance is the same , work is a flexi office job so no time restraints. For anyone wanting a bit more background !

Hands down the second one. With own transport, the sky would be the limit!

 

[Caol Ila]

Kind of agree with Criso.

To me, it ultimately depends on how often you ride. If it's just a couple times per week, then option 2 makes sense. But if you are like me, someone who rides 6-7 days per week (I have two and I keep them busy), then yard 1 sounds like a much better option. Do you want to be loading up your horse and their tack, then driving however long, 5-6 times per week? No! I can't imagine anyone want to do that. But if you're only riding on weekends and your horses have nice fields with a nice herd during the week, then it isn't that stupid.

 

[Backtoblack]

Yard with facilities so that I wouldn't have to travel.

 

[sunnyone]

The second, partly because life can throw a curved ball and if need be I could divert my uncommitted funds elsewhere.

 

[rabatsa]

As a hacking person a yard with facilities would be wasted on me. When I was riding and having lessons then the ease of choice in where to go was better for me than being tied to one yard.

 

[Anna Clara]

Currently going through exactly this although more turnout/care driven than money but that is also a factor in decision making. Horses are currently a two minute walk away, live out in a really stable herd of three with a field shelter and stables if I need them. No flat area of field for schooling and poor to average hacking. I do get really upset about lack of facilities and how hard it is to progress...I really miss being able to have a nice evening schooling session with friends etc. Not helped by the fact that one is very tricky and the other is 4. I'm currently trying to educate both on a lot of inhand walks!

But they are so so happy and I wouldn't get the same lifestyle for them at any other local yard. I do have transport I can borrow regularly and could get my own box. Or I could move them to livery but I think the box option is right for them. I'm accepting putting their lifestyle needs over my riding (which my heart does of course agree with) but yes, sometimes it is really demotivating and I have a bit of a cry

 

[Kaylum]

Facilities for me are important but what happens if they put their prices up and you can't afford them. Each person's situation is different.

 

[Lilly-Mayspookatbags]

Yard with facilities is in overnight all year round and very limited winter turnout.

Yard without has 24/7 turnout up until Nov - April with sacrifice fields in winter.

 

[SO1]

I think it would depend on if there was any hacking with the basic facilities and if the field could be used to school in. That is what I had as a child but we had excellent hacking and a field to school in and friends locally to hack with and did pony club a lot. My parents were self employed and worked from home so flexible in terms of taking me to places in the trailer.

I think if you have to box to hack and school and you are someone who works normal working hours that could be quite tricky especially during winter to have to box out to somewhere if you wanted to ride.

Now that money gets tighter for a lot of people.

If you had the choice between a yard with top facilities (30x60 arena, regular clinics, Walker) but no spare money for lessons or outings.

Or yard with basic facilities ( just a field and stables) but own unlimited access transport to local lessons , hacking and competitions with enough money for weekly outings.

Which would you prefer and why? Or if anyone does one or the other much appreciated .

Horse is happy at either , owner is happy at either, distance is the same , work is a flexi office job so no time restraints. For anyone wanting a bit more background !

 

[MissTyc]

I made this decision in 2005 and being on the "basic yard" has allowed me to have more horses then ever before, including foals and youngstock as they cost me little to run on. I then took on the management of that basic yard. So I guess my heart was in the freedom to travel & rest of the time, we hack. Or when the ground is OK I can use a flat section of a paddock for some schooling or practice my dressage, etc.

 

[Zoeypxo]

It would have to be whichever has the most turnout and ideally in a herd.
My horse is unrideable on no winter turnout

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Our 2 horses are semi retired now but I suppose even if they were still competing I would choose the basic yard. Our horses were jumpers but we rarely schooled them over fences, they knew their job. We always believed that the most important thing was good stables & turnout & hacking. Hacking because they were schooled as they hacked, they loved hacking, still do & it helps keep them fit. We sold our lorry a couple of months ago as we were not using it anymore however another livery has said that if we ever need to get to the vets we can take her lorry. We've thanked her & accepted her offer.