Travel time to yard..... and is an indoor school essential?

[Decision_Tree]

Hey Guys -

I posted on here not so long ago RE livery yards in Aberdeen.

I have now found two which I really like but one is closer than other.... I am just wondering if you guys can help me decide by working out what kind of distance is do-able when you also work full time! one yard is 5miles further away than the other so works out about 10/15mins longer to drive....... making it about 30mins to drive versus 20mins.

how long a drive do you guys have? And is an indoor arena essentia?l as both places just have outdoor with lights no indoor but I like the "feel" of them both more than the other options with.

I am hoping this will some how help me decide! I can offer pizza if you have gotten this far! (January health kick is out the window already!!)

 

[Herts05]

I would have thought in Aberdeen an indoor school was necessary . I'm in Hertfordshire and love mine but then I often ride after 7pm at night

 

[PolarSkye]

Pizza would be lovely but I'm full of chicken casserole .

I currently travel about 10-15 mins to my yard - and since I do it twice a day that's about an hour out of my day just getting to and from the yard - I wouldn't want to travel more than that.

I've never been on a yard that had an indoor school and can honestly say that I don't miss it - although it sure would be useful when it's hissing down with rain (Kali HATES the rain). What I do really appreciate, though, is mirrors. They help more than I thought possible.

Hope that helps.

P

 

[Decision_Tree]

thanks guys - should have also mentioned I would be on part or full livery so would just travel once a day there and back.

In aberdeen an indoor school would be epic but not sure i can really justify the cost :S its a tough one to call!

 

[MandyMoo]

I'll definitely take the pizza!!

I would agree that in Aberdeen an indoor would be very handy as you do get much harsher weather than down here in the midlands!!! I wish my livery yard had an indoor!!! would be very useful for bad weather

As for journey time, our livery yard is 15-20minutes drive from home, but my mum does travel 30-35 minutes if she is going straight from work. I have managed to extend the journey to 40minutes when i drive from university (and we're on full livery for our horses)

 

[Mups]

Speaking as a fellow Scot - if you work full time and want to ride your horse through the winter - an indoor school is essential. Although this winter hasn't been too horrific, last year if you didn't have an indoor arena your horse would have had a 3 month holiday... Although summer is coming and the evenings are lighter so you could go to a yard without an indoor for now till you find somewhere with better facilities?

Have you just moved to the area or fancy a change?

 

[Santa_Claus]

i think it also depends on how long your drive home from work is. my yard is 30 mins from home but is only a 5-10 min detour from my drive home from work, considering my commute home is 1hr20 minimum its a small detour and makes life easier on week days though obviously drive full distance at weekends.

For me 30 mins which is what I do on weekends to the yard is pretty much the max I would do.

 

[Becki1802]

Hi,
I drive 15 minutes to my yard - I've been at 2 in the last 2 years and both were that distance and I was in full livery and works out great.
I guess the question I'd have is what is the attraction of the one further away? Is there something better about it? If not I'd save your time and fuel money and choose the nearer yard. it will all add up! Extra 10 minutes is 20 minutes per night... that is a lunging session!
An indoor would be lovely but I don't think it is a deal breaker if you can't find anywhere you like with one! I ride on the school with lights in the evening but I am in Devon. Just think there are only 2 more months 'til it will be light in the evenings!!!
Hope this helps!!

 

[lauraandjack]

My yard is 7 miles from home or 9 miles from work, takes about 15 mins from either. This is quite far enough when you are on DIY and have to go twice daily! I don't think I'd want to travel any further but it would be different if I was only going once a day.

I'm on this yard because the people are nice and the facilities and hacking are good. For me a floodlit school (not necessarily indoor) is essential otherwise I would only be able to ride at weekends in the winter.

Yard has an indoor (although it is open sided so not totally luxury!) and I think I would really miss it now if I was on a yard without.

If there isn't much to choose between the 2 yards I'd pick the closest one personally, although if I lived in Scotland I think an indoor would be a massive priority!

 

[Decision_Tree]

I am relocating. I also will live so close to work that I dont have a comute to factor into the equation - more like a 5min strole up the street!

 

[LittleGreyMare]

I am thinking of moving my horse and commute time would be the main factor... Personally I would always go with closer yard.

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

To me, an indoor is an absolute necessity - and I am in the South west!

My horses are a ten-minute drive, so very close. However I work in London so a 4-hour commute (round trip) three to four times a week!

Agree with the poster who said this winter has been / is exceptionally mild so don't be fooled into thinking you don't need an indoor when in fact, in the case of a much harsher winter, maybe you do.

 

[Hen]

I wouldn't cope without an indoor as it is always dark when I get to my everyday horse after work - which is albeit 10 mins from home 50 mins drive from work. My other horse is a 2 1/2 hour drive on a good day away so a weekend only option - but the facilities are fantastic and worth the drive, huge, indoor and excellent surface. I don't think my horse habit is even remotely CO2 efficient :/

 

[Decision_Tree]

I have to admit this year is mild but last year was also harsh for scotland so hard to weight up! infact, last year I wouldnt have been able to drive to the best yard with an indoor anyway so it wouldnt have mattered!?!

I am going to do a "dry" run after work to each yard and I think that will help decide.

 

[spookypony]

To throw a spanner into the works of the discussion: what times of day would you be able to go ride during the week? I can often manage to go during day (work late instead), and this means that I can go use the 2 indoor schools at the nearby riding school. A membership is about 25 quid/year, and means you can use their schools, if they're available. During the evenings/weekends, there's usually lessons in there, but late morning/early afternoon, you have a good chance of getting in (and a quick call to check the schedule will help). It's worth considering (since neither of the yards has an indoor) if there is a nearby indoor that you can hire, and how expensive it would be. At the price above, I'm not quibbling about having to plan a little more carefully.

Our outdoor has finally had its lights installed---yay! ---but if the weather goes below 0, it can freeze. If I can't ride in the school, I just disappear into the forest, where a short ride can take me to one of several fields. There are very few days when it's so icy that I won't risk even that.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Having moved from a place with an indoor to one with none, I defintely miss the indoor (and I'm in Scotland). Fortunately this winter hasn't been TOOOO bad, but many days of high winds and the odd freeze has meant that days I was available to work the horse have been cancelled because of the weather. On the windiest days I might not have ventured in to the indoor, but generally scottish windy/raining sideways type days certainly put me off trying to school. Outdoor schools with good lighting are a godsend, but nothing you can do when the school is frozen underfoot and hasn't been graded for a few days!

As for distance to commute, I moved from one that was 1 mile away to one that's about 8 miles and the difference in petrol has been very alarming (okay, you'd think that would be obvious, but it doesn't really sink in til you're actually at the pump every week!)

 

[Laramy80]

Hi Ems,

I would definitely do a dry run to each in afternoon traffic - which can be a nightmare in Aberdeen! A few minutes different on the weekend could end up being a good twenty minutes different depending on which roads you have to take etc..

As for the indoor, yes this winter has been really mild but we survived the last 2 winters with only about a month off. So it is possible to keep going over the winter in Aberdeen without an indoor and is easier if the school has good footing that doesn't freeze until lower temps. This winter will be my first 3 years with an indoor (when it's finished in Feb) so it is definitely doable

 

[TheoryX1]

Have to say I nearly took my horse to a yard with an indoor school, but it had no winter turnout, which to me is a total must. I do admit it would be nice, but as long as the school has lights, we manage ok. Ours is sheltered on two sides with trees and the back of our stables so its ok.

Regarding travel time, I have 2 on DIY and work 60 plus hours a week. I live 5 minutes drive away from the yard and take Mini TX up in the morning for the 1st shift. OH takes her up every evening and I come up a bit later to either ride, or just pick her up after she has done our two. Yard is about 35 minutes drive from work, and its on my route home anyway. I have to admit that to me its an absolute essential to keep my horses fairly close to home, as OH does do a bit of running around for me. He works from home, so its no issue for him to factor in a slight diversion to the yard for me or Mini TX. Our last yard was a 25 minute drive from home and it was nearly an hour away from work. However, we were on pretty much full livery then, but it was still a pain, particularly as at weekends Mini TX used to spend the whole day with her mates there, and we had a long round trip to pick her uip sometimes.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I would look at the stabling, the quality of feed and the nature of the staff, look out for hidden extras, my biggest thing is that yards blatantly lie about their facilities [left one who claimed good hacking [really limited to a mile long road] and an arena, [dug up due to waterlogging], this is BHS approved yard, so I don't set any credence on their rating. They also forgot to bring my horse in, not a serious thing as it was autumn, but lied to me and tried to say "oh he has just gone out" [so he stood all night with no poop and not eating his [full] haynet!!!
Brought the wrong horse in [there were only ten in the yard, this one was similar, but had two white sox and no star] Claimed my horse "demolished the gate" well he saw a field of grass and a gate tied with a bit of string, so he pushed it open!
Once went to "Best hacking in West of Scotland" ... a pleasant five miles on estate tracks in winter, so not really fantastic, and in summer most of the fields were full of sheep, so again only two hacks of over an hour. Not allowed to use cross country logs or fences [not maintained] and not insured.
Well, I digress, sorry rambling again, make sure the arena is a good surface and well maintained.......... good luck and hope it all goes well.
PS ask what time horses are fed!

 

[Decision_Tree]

thanks for that MLT - thats the points I am weighting up!

 

[Miss L Toe]

thanks for that MLT - thats the points I am weighting up!

It is a lottery, just go with the gut feeling, else the nearest one.

 

[ArcticFox]

Hello

I used to keep my boy at a yard with both indoor and out. It was 15mins away. I'm a bit spoilt now as I have the horses onsite and put him on livery to get some work into him at the time.

The 15mins was a novelty at first but did become a drag and I ended up paying extra for him to be done in the morning. That said, it was a lovely yard and he liked it there so if I needed to I would take him back.

There was free use of both arenas although I never used the indoor - I liked the outdoor better for no particular reason. When schooling in the miserable weather I put on a waterproof sheet and trousers for me.

What I would say is useful in the scottish weather is that the stables are in a barn rather than outside as you can tack up/groom and brace yourself for the bad weather outside in a cosy building and after your ride you can come in, strip off and get him snug for the night.

Good luck stable hunting

 

[.Redmerl]

My yard is about 20 mins from home but I can see the yard from my window at work. As I work mon- fri it makes sense to be close to work. We have indoor and out door arena too.
Last year I was at s really lovely yard but it was 40 mins from work and 20 mins from home. I just couldnt get a work/home/horse balance.

 

[Gorgeous George]

I work f/t in London and have a 1 1/4 hr commute home, and then a 15min drive to the yard. I usually get to the yard about 7pm and we have a floodlit outdoor arena, my boy is on part livery so I only need to go once a day.

I used to be at a yard that was 25mins drive but I didn't have a long commute then, I think those extra 10mins each way would make life hard for me.

I never even thought about an indoor school (few and far between here), the turnout arrangement, routine, other liveries, size etc were more important to me, but of course I am in the SE and we don't have the weather you guys have to contend with!

Good luck with your decision

 

[Jingleballs]

Distance is less of an issue if you are on part livery - I'm the same, I get assisted livery Mon - Friday and usually get the Y/O to look after pony 2 days a week.

My yard is only 5 miles away. I've looked at yards further away in the past (13 - 15 miles) and if I absolutely had to I could manage the journey.

I wouldn't say an indoor school is essential but based on the winter's we've been having it I wouldn't class it as a luxury any more either - it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me though if everything else about the yard felt right!

 

[Jnhuk]

Indoor school is a luxury which if you are used to may be difficult to give up. Saying that when I only had one lad on full livery, I chose a yard about half an hour away for the quality of haxking

 

[Jnhuk]

Argh sorry cant edit from i touch, and thing posted when trying to correct spelling of hacking! Quality of hacking, turnout and stable size with the advantages of small yard with adults only. There were a lot of nearer liveries with better schools and other facilities. Have u chatted to an existing livery or two from each of your potential yards?

 

[Decision_Tree]

I have chatted to the liverys at the yard I like - two of the other people work near me and would be making the same journey accross town to the yard - they say it takes about 30mins and dont seem to find it too bad.

I know the yard would suit my horse much better than all the other closer options which have availability. I think that has to be the deciding factor and I have thought I can put him on full livery two days a week to save me the journey after work and I am going to discuss it with my boss so I could work flexi-time which would mean I could leave 30mins earlier on the days I head to the yard which would make a massive difference.

Mu second choice yard has a lovely set up too but it doesnt appear to have a set routine and id prefer my horse to have that as it will help him settle and i wont need to worry about him being left out in the dark or bad weather.

 

[spookypony]

It sounds like you've found a very good solution then!