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Caol Ila said:
They asked me to guarantee that she would be okay in the mare herd because they had no paddocks available. I agreed to this, but I couldn't 100% guarantee anything with a horse *I* didn't even know. If it's one you've had for a while, you can predict what it might do, but if it's one you just bought, you will have no idea.

There have been some injuries.
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That was not the most sensible thing to agree to with a youngster that has never been away from where she was born but equally that was a ridiculous thing to ask of any owner, I have known even the nicest horses turn on another, sometimes even when they have been together for some time, so to ask for guarantees of any sort is stupid, shows no empathy or horses sense and makes me wonder whether they are in the right business.

They should always have a spare paddock, quarantine being just one reason, I had a sick pony earlier this year and the vet wanted him kept away from my other until we could rule out, or in, something infectious, it was something I was not really prepared for but quickly sorted just as I did when I had a livery yard, even if it is inconvenient the horses come first.
 
Yeah, I know I should not have agreed to that but when you get a space, you just nod and find yourself going along with it. And I'm not that switched onto herd dynamics anymore because Gypsum has been out of herds for a very long time, (she would chase things through fences) so I didn't really foresee this. Someone who had a horse going in and out of herds might have made a better decision.

The manager is not horsey. This does not help.
 
The filly is not wrong. She's gorgeous, and sounds super sweet. The situation is wrong. And that can be solved, hopefully within a few days. In a few months, these early days will hopefully be an ever-retreating memory, as you are enjoying the development of your lovely filly! I confess I don't understand why the YM won't let you section off a corner (and pop in a hay net or two, of there's not enough grass). What on earth would they do if a horse needed corral rest, or separation from the others for any other reason? Sounds like they knew they were overstocking when they asked you to make that silly guarantee!
 
Caol Ila said:
Yeah, they said the paddock situation might improve in the summer, but that doesn't solve my problem now.
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Only thinking in terms of whether you're looking for something short term, or if you move longer term? It might be possible to make compromises in terms of distance/facilities if it was only a move for a few months.
 
Where abouts are you based and how close would you be looking - I know you said North Glasgow for yard but I'm terrible and a rough area your looking at would be more helpful ? Do you need yard that can provide services or would you be happy with DIY only, year round turnout, school etc? I am a born and bred Weegie - although no longer live there - I have horsey friends up there who could may know of somewhere suitable.
 
I just need someone like LadyGascoyne, but here! That would be perfect.

@wills_91, My other horse is in Milngavie. So I don't go totally mad, the filly needs to be as near to Milngavie as possible. She would be fine with grass livery (provided the company was suitable). If they're stabled, it really has to be assisted livery, with the possibility of full here and there when I have to be out of town. Not an issue with lockdown (so for the next two months) but will be one afterwards.
 
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So a private person who maybe has their own horses at home at grass, and has space for one extra, would possibly be ideal? I'll keep asking around!
 
Yeah, that sort of situation. Ever since I moved to the UK, I keep running into trouble with commercial yards, which are incapable of adapting management to my horses. Is this a British thing? I feel like a magnet for this sh1t at the moment.
 
I was sure the yard manager there was horsey although I had heard the owners weren't? Not that it matters. Have you tried other yards in the area as there are quite a few although I don't know how they'd be set up for a youngster? Another option would perhaps be to approach some studs that may have youngstock herds, they may not be so close but if they were keeping an eye on her would you have to go every day? Obviously, once you start to do more you'd need to reassess the situation. Maybe put a question on some Facebook pages and see if you get some answers.
 
The horsey yard manager gave up being a yard manager about a month ago (maybe two?). Now the buck stops with the owners, who are not horsey, but making all decisions. When I moved G there, horsey yard manager assured me that they would do whatever was necessary to accommodate her needs. But this is clearly not the line anymore since she's left.
 
Caol Ila said:
Yeah, that sort of situation. Ever since I moved to the UK, I keep running into trouble with commercial yards, which are incapable of adapting management to my horses. Is this a British thing? I feel like a magnet for this sh1t at the moment.
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Have only ever kept horses in Britain so nothing to compare it to, but I have been on a lot of yards over the years and I don't think it's unusual for yards here to have a particular offering which you either accept or don't, as a client.

I can't think of any livery yard in my area that I'd take a young horse to until it was literally ready to back ? none would be accommodating enough, I've struggled plenty finding something suited to my needy adult horse!

Hope you can find something suitable ASAP. Local FB plea sounds like possibly the best option.
 
Caol Ila said:
The horsey yard manager gave up being a yard manager about a month ago (maybe two?). Now the buck stops with the owners, who are not horsey, but making all decisions. When I moved G there, horsey yard manager assured me that they would do whatever was necessary to accommodate her needs. But this is clearly not the line anymore since she's left.
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Oh dear, the previous tenant used to breed IDs and isn't too far away, would it be worth seeing what her set up is now? I don't know if she still has youngstock or what her facilities are like but might be worth asking.
 
Following up on that. One of my yard friends is still pals with her, so I've reached out to him.

Why do I wish I'd bought the colt? He was nice too, but had sweet itch. Maybe that was a stupid reason to not look closely at a horse.
 
Caol Ila said:
It's not just mares that can be nasty? Everyone at the yard is saying, "Well, that's just mares, isn't it?"
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No, there is a gelding I know who has to live on his own as he picks any other horses up by the neck and shakes them!

It has been their poor introductions that has caused this. It can be so stressful when everything seems to be going wrong. Internet hugs for you.
 
When my young pony mare arrived 2 years ago, it was the Spooky Pony, who is normally an utter gentleman, that tried to kick her ears off her head (after they had been in separate paddocks for about a week). The Ballerina Mare just ran along snorting and bucking because it was all so exciting. Fortunately, the field is roomy, and they all settled down after a short while! Now, they're all the best of friends, as long as the buckets are distributed in the correct order.
 
Caol Ila said:
I just need someone like LadyGascoyne, but here! That would be perfect.

@wills_91, My other horse is in Milngavie. So I don't go totally mad, the filly needs to be as near to Milngavie as possible. She would be fine with grass livery (provided the company was suitable). If they're stabled, it really has to be assisted livery, with the possibility of full here and there when I have to be out of town. Not an issue with lockdown (so for the next two months) but will be one afterwards.
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I know a yard which is probably too far / wrong side of the Clyde but it had decent land and facilities .. seemed to manage horses pretty competently .. at Kilmacolm .. just outside think it was called Gryfeside ..
 
Caol Ila said:
It's not just mares that can be nasty? Everyone at the yard is saying, "Well, that's just mares, isn't it?"
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A friend recently brought a pony mare back home, it was in a paddock adjoining the rest of the herd but decided to go under the fence to join them, one of the geldings took a dislike to her being with them and ran her round for some time before she finally managed to get out, they had been together a few years ago but he has new friends now and apparently was really nasty, I have also seen a gelding turn on another gelding, in that case it was because there was a mare that he wanted to himself.

It is why as a YO it is so important to be careful with introductions and herd dynamics and why so many yards take the easy option of having individual turnout because that requires much less effort and the risk of injury is lower.
 
Caol Ila said:
It's not just mares that can be nasty? Everyone at the yard is saying, "Well, that's just mares, isn't it?"
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Nah, my gelding is a thug. Doesn't kick or chase fortunately, but he does play very rough and resource guards with teeth, charging and flying front legs. He was turned out alone when younger and on a proper livery yard. Whereas my mares are very easy (which is good, they just stay out of his lordship's way)

YO sounds particularly unhelpful :(. What a rubbishy situation when you should be enjoying your new horse. Hope you can find a solution
 
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Not just mares. My gelding was relentlessly chased and ran through a fence by a gelding introduced to the herd. The owners were idiots and insisted that my horse (who was literally grazing with a friend in a herd that previously had no issues) caused their horse to chase him and had some weird chip on their shoulder toward me until they left (for other reasons). Sometimes it just doesn't work. Fortunately that yard had many other options.

Friend does have a mare that she keeps alone as she has to be shod behind and kicks the ever living crap out of anyone in her space.

Our bigger mare herd is actually very quiet. There are also two mares living together in the same stable (share a large box) and paddock that get along.

Totally horse dependent.

Sweet itch is a huge headache IMO, and I would've went for the mare over the gelding too. If I have a horse that developed sweet itch, whatever, but I'd not buy one on purpose, I don't think.
 
This yard sounds completely unreasonable!

Stop stressing. Get in your car and drive round the area. Stop and ask everywhere. You will find somewhere more suitable.
 
Caol Ila said:
It's not just mares that can be nasty? Everyone at the yard is saying, "Well, that's just mares, isn't it?"
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Absolutely not! My most vicious horse was a sweet natured cob until you put a new horse in the herd. The only other ones I've met are also geldings and all 3 have to be kept separate from other horses.

And I wouldn't take a horse with sweet itch if you paid me.
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Caol Ila said:
It's not just mares that can be nasty? Everyone at the yard is saying, "Well, that's just mares, isn't it?"
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My gelding is an arse to be polite.

He is in with my other boy and that's it because he chases new horses round and round the feild till they are exhausted and then will refuse to let the owners get them out of the feild once he decides they are "his"

So it's not just mares.
 
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