Welcome, Hermosa

[milliepops]

it does sound like your old barn has sort of spoilt the livery experience for you. Don't know about other HHOers, but I expect my experience is a common one, which is largely that you are buying the service that is offered and you either put up with it or shuffle off to somewhere else (which usually means a different version of putting up with it!)

I had one different experience on a yard where I stayed for 14 years, which started like that but gradually I became absorbed into the family, but the flip side was they did no maintenance, I was more or less unpaid staff doing the other liveries, and it took over my whole life. Flexibility was no problem... but things were going to rack and ruin so I had to move to ensure the safety of my horse.

I got my private yard by.... marrying a bloke with some fields, haha. No facilities at home though so I'm still a livery client for the ones in work, i just have a bit more flex because I can ship them home if needs be.

Glad you've found an alternative for H and hope it helps her to get settled with a new gang.

 

[spookypony]

That's a shame about the private yard, because that might have been a good solution. But you can't have a 2yo be alone for an indeterminate period of time! And I'm guessing it would have been on you to find a companion, while waiting for the other person to find a pony. I guess the thing to hope for now is that by the summer, your current yard will be able to come up with a better plan for introducing your filly. I still don't get why they are being quite so rigid about the idea of fencing off a corner of the field, but there's not much you can do about that. I hope the yard owners get a new horsey manager in soon!

 

[Caol Ila]

If that woman already had a horse, my filly would be there. But she said, "I might buy one next month..... I might buy one in a few months....I don't want to guarantee anything." Yeah, no.

Took an hour to load her. She's not a dramatic horse or very hot (apparently missed the memo that PREs are supposed to be hot). She glued her feet to the ground. She is not very responsive to pressure at her hind end and ignored it rather than moved forward or did anything else. Teaching her those (ground) driving aids is going to have to be a thing at some point. Some horses wil naturally move off from pressure at their flank, but she doesn't give a damn. However, she loaded willingly, without force or coercion, when a Lickit was provided, and she followed that into the lorry. I guess everyone has their price.

On my way back to Gypsum's yard, I took a wrong turn and ended up on another back road. Passed a house with maybe half a dozen stables and some grassy paddocks divided by electric fences and a few horses in the paddocks. Dammit, I thought. Another door I didn't knock on.

 

[spookypony]

@Caol Ila , huge hugs to you, and please don't beat yourself up about those doors. It's hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of the moment, as you are right now. But we are all rooting for your filly to settle in well into her new place, for you to cope ok with the commute for the next few months, and then for things to improve. She looks so lovely, and she seems to be doing remarkably well so far. I really hope that in the long run, you will look back on these days and see them as a road bump on the way to wonderful things to come.

 

[bouncing_ball]

@Caol Ila , huge hugs to you, and please don't beat yourself up about those doors. It's hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of the moment, as you are right now. But we are all rooting for your filly to settle in well into her new place, for you to cope ok with the commute for the next few months, and then for things to improve. She looks so lovely, and she seems to be doing remarkably well so far. I really hope that in the long run, you will look back on these days and see them as a road bump on the way to wonderful things to come.

This is very well put. There are lots of us rooting for you, and both your horses.

I’m hoping things level out, and you can get the filly integrated into the home mare herd by the end of the year and can have some fun with both over the summer.

 

[Caol Ila]

I can't wait for this to be a funny story rather than a huge hassle.

The filly went out with 'nanny mare' today in the arena. YO sent a video. They look calm and happy. Hopefully they'll graduate to the field in the next couple days.

While talking to people during this clusterfkuc, it has struck me that everyone is obsessed with horses having the lushest pastures possible, hence the drama with 'not enough turnout' or 'not enough grass.' But while a horse like Gypsum needs the lushest pasture possible, a lot of these British natives (and PREs) definitely do not. They are much healthier on rougher grazing. People seem genuinely baffled by this revelation. How is this not common knowledge?

 

[Dexter]

I can't wait for this to be a funny story rather than a huge hassle.

The filly went out with 'nanny mare' today in the arena. YO sent a video. They look calm and happy. Hopefully they'll graduate to the field in the next couple days.

While talking to people during this clusterfkuc, it has struck me that everyone is obsessed with horses having the lushest pastures possible, hence the drama with 'not enough turnout' or 'not enough grass.' But while a horse like Gypsum needs the lushest pasture possible, a lot of these British natives (and PREs) definitely do not. They are much healthier on rougher grazing. People seem genuinely baffled by this revelation. How is this not common knowledge?

I have no idea. I have mine on a track and feed hay all year round. It genuinely horrifies some people. Come spring they want to chuck out onto lush green grass till winter.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I can't wait for this to be a funny story rather than a huge hassle.

The filly went out with 'nanny mare' today in the arena. YO sent a video. They look calm and happy. Hopefully they'll graduate to the field in the next couple days.

While talking to people during this clusterfkuc, it has struck me that everyone is obsessed with horses having the lushest pastures possible, hence the drama with 'not enough turnout' or 'not enough grass.' But while a horse like Gypsum needs the lushest pasture possible, a lot of these British natives (and PREs) definitely do not. They are much healthier on rougher grazing. People seem genuinely baffled by this revelation. How is this not common knowledge?

Because people are idiots and don't actually understand how horses work.

I'm not bothered about nice lush pasture, I just want grass that isn't sick. Don't mind it there is weeds etc mixed in plus in the winter grass and mud never mi, but it comes good again as long as their isn't too many horses on it.

 

[Caol Ila]

Because people are idiots and don't actually understand how horses work.

Unfortunately, they all seem to be running yards. My filly could still be at the yard if they'd been willing to accept that one of their paddocks might not be as lush as the others because it had a couple extra horses on it for a few weeks. That's actually not a bad thing for many horses (probably the majority....as natives bred to survive on nothing outnumber hard keeper TB types). My theory is that people like the look of verdant fields.

 

[zandp]

I can't wait for this to be a funny story rather than a huge hassle.

The filly went out with 'nanny mare' today in the arena. YO sent a video. They look calm and happy. Hopefully they'll graduate to the field in the next couple days.

While talking to people during this clusterfkuc, it has struck me that everyone is obsessed with horses having the lushest pastures possible, hence the drama with 'not enough turnout' or 'not enough grass.' But while a horse like Gypsum needs the lushest pasture possible, a lot of these British natives (and PREs) definitely do not. They are much healthier on rougher grazing. People seem genuinely baffled by this revelation. How is this not common knowledge?

I have no idea, one YO a few years ago got really offended when I asked to see her hay and grass in the fields and pointed out there was ryegrass in both so I couldn't move my horses there.

My yard isn't perfect by any means but the YO lets me set a track up and even provided wooden corner posts for me to use so my horses could have no to minimal grass with hay. I reseed and section off the really bare patches so that they have grass over winter and her field doesn't look quite as much like a mud bath (we're on clay). Almost all of the rest of the yard don't turnout over winter (we have dry lots for turnout as well) so that they have loads of grass for Spring. I set my track up 3 weeks ago as was worried about grass growing !

 

[Tarragon]

With 2 native field-kept ponies, this time of year makes me very nervous! trying to judge when to whip them out of the well grazed and big winter field and get them grazing their summer space. Leave it too soon and ruin the summer grazing, leave it too late and catch the spring grass! Get it just right and they move into their summer grazing and already have it grazed down before the spring grass starts to come through in earnest...

 

[Tarragon]

Caol Ila - I do hope it all works out well for you and that in a few weeks time you will have two happy horses and will have forgotten all this stress!

 

[Annagain]

Don't know about other HHOers, but I expect my experience is a common one, which is largely that you are buying the service that is offered and you either put up with it or
shuffle off to somewhere else (which usually means a different version of putting up with it!).

I've definitely found this. My yard really suits me - there are few rules and we're all trusted to do the right thing, which most of us do most of the time. My fellow liveries are generally a good bunch. Most importantly, the boys are really happy there - they have daily turnout (24/7 in summer and 12 hours a day in winter) settled herds that aren't too big or too small and well maintained fencing and facilities. In emergencies, they're great - M currently has a fenced off pen in the corner of the field he goes into three times a day as he's on box rest and won't wee in his stable - or while on a leadrope so it was the only solution for him. However, several people have had to leave because the grass is just too good and the YO won't allow a starvation paddock or strip grazing as they look messy. We've had several natives go down with laminitis and many of the better doers have to be muzzled while out all summer. As lovely as the place is and as much as people want to stay, if the set up doesn't suit the horses they have no choice but to move. There are enough horse owners in the area that the YO can afford to do this.

 

[ester]

For some people what’s their fields look like is more important than how good they are for horses

 

[laura_nash]

With 2 native field-kept ponies, this time of year makes me very nervous! trying to judge when to whip them out of the well grazed and big winter field and get them grazing their summer space. Leave it too soon and ruin the summer grazing, leave it too late and catch the spring grass! Get it just right and they move into their summer grazing and already have it grazed down before the spring grass starts to come through in earnest...

After 3 years of this I gave up on it and bought some cows. Now they eat the spring grass and the ponies follow behind them in summer.

 

[Tiddlypom]

For some people what’s their fields look like is more important than how good they are for horses

I reckon that either the fields look well, or the horses look well, but very rarely do the two coincide.

Sheep, on the other hand... though sheep only want to escape or die, so preferably someone else's' sheep.

 

[holeymoley]

Oh yes it’s definitely about how they look. They’re mad on fertilising too. If it’s not green enough then boof, horses off right away!

Our natives were evolved to survive off the moors with heather,gorse, thistles etc etc not fields of just grass.

 

[J&S]

I'm not a fan of grass! A good space to roam around and have a pick here and there seems the best way for mine.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Mine are already on a track system for summer. I’m hoping they murder the grass the moment it emerges. Spanish and Araby ones here. The Araby one can look at a blade of grass and expand.

 

[milliepops]

I have some that need grass and some that don't... on the whole though, I need hay, and if our grass doesn't grow well then we end up short of hay. So my home fields get fertilised and over seeded etc, and then fenced off til the hay is taken, which works well.

Yard ground is so wet and mainly grazed by sports horses so they're pretty keen on pretty grass too ?

 

[Caol Ila]

How come you all understand this, but people running yards don't? I wanted to scream when the YM told me, "There isn't enough grass" while I was staring at multiple empty paddocks with more than enough grass for a small PRE and a native friend.

Hearsay has it that I dismissed the idea of letting her partner with another horse. I didn't, but I was genuinely baffled by how to do it without a paddock. Hand graze them together, they said. Well, when my horse is on the end of a lead, 95% of her focus has to be on me, not what another horse is doing. Even the 2-year old got that memo. They can't really do horse things. Plus, finding a livery willing to take half an hour or an hour out of their busy day to hand graze for a week or two is impossible, and allowing them to run loose in the arena even harder, because it's only through sheer luck that it will be free at the same time both myself and fellow livery and I are there.

 

[Caol Ila]

It feels like a set back. She was a lot spookier and more worried about things than she had been at the previous yard. But she was very light and responsive to the groundwork I taught her -- back up and disengaging the hind end.

The yard staff at Gypsum's yard don't seem to be speaking to me at the moment. That's cute. I can't figure that one out. I did what you fkucking wanted -- I got my baby horse out of your hair.

 

[DressageCob]

Might it be that they have seen this post?
I hope she grows in confidence again soon. She's perhaps just a little unsettled given the events of the last few weeks.

You're doing your best for her so I hope it all gets less stressful!

 

[Caol Ila]

I don't feel my best is enough. The turn-out situation right now isn't perfect for a youngster (but it will hopefully change in a few weeks), but everywhere I turned felt like a choice that would present difficulty one way or another. I was unhappy with everything. Rocks and hard places and all that.

 

[palo1]

I have some that need grass and some that don't... on the whole though, I need hay, and if our grass doesn't grow well then we end up short of hay. So my home fields get fertilised and over seeded etc, and then fenced off til the hay is taken, which works well.

Yard ground is so wet and mainly grazed by sports horses so they're pretty keen on pretty grass too ?

I spent years frantic about grass - too much of it, the wrong sort, clay when trying to create tracks etc etc. It was a minor revelation to work with my OH (who is a farmer's son) including having to have some really difficult discussions about what horses need. We now find a good balance between productive, organically fertilised fields that provide good, growing grass which we effectively (though not quite) mob graze but within healthy limits for the horses and where necessary removing them from that good grass. In my experience with some quite tricky horses, grass is pretty important and the good growing stuff in safe quantities is far healthier than some of the horse sick grazing that many livery yards have. We have limited land so our grass needs to work reasonably hard. The ideal for some of our horses would be open hill grazing but the ideal for the others would be much richer grass. My understanding of grass itself is that happy, relatively long and happily growing grass is the safest but only if in appropriate quantities. That actually takes some doing!! Most livery yards really struggle to invest in the ground too which does lead to problem grazing ime. Our horses have probably never been healthier than they are now - where we have been able to lime our ground, fertilise organically and graze within what both the horses and the pasture itself can cope with. It is part and parcel of the livery market here that the land isn't usually well looked after. Sorry Caol Ita - I really hope you find that things settle down for you now.

 

[Caol Ila]

I'm just doubting all my life choices right now.

 

[PurBee]

Hey, maybe that ‘wrong turn’ on those backroads was a ‘meant to be’ in disguise. To find, out of the blue, while ’accidently’ on the wrong road, a multi-stable and paddock set-up...just what youve been searching for.

Worth keeping that as a fall-back idea should new place not work. ?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Hey, maybe that ‘wrong turn’ on those backroads was a ‘meant to be’ in disguise. To find, out of the blue, while ’accidently’ on the wrong road, a multi-stable and paddock set-up...just what youve been searching for.

Worth keeping that as a fall-back idea should new place not work. ?

Yeah, honestly, I'd still inquire.

If it works it's easier and you'd just have have tell the place she is at now that you found something closer you didn't know about before. It is added stress moving her so often though. So that depends on the horse. No place is a guarantee either. You sometimes don't know what works until you're in the thick of it ?

I'm sorry this has worked out this way for you. It's incredibly frustrating, but I know you'll have a wonderful journey with her in time. There is nothing like a good Spanish horse.

 

[ycbm]

(apparently missed the memo that PREs are supposed to be hot).

I think most of them are gentle creatures to handle, mine is. I hope she settles quickly in the new place CI.

I'm just doubting all my life choices right now.

Can't like that . I hope things all come together for you soon.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I think most of them are gentle creatures to handle, mine is. I hope she settles quickly in the new place CI.

Mine is very gentle to handle and generally calm. OH and I have gone hiking and taken him (in hand) because he's so easy to lead and is sort of like walking a dog, happy to be out and about, just follows along.

Under saddle with actual work...welllll, that's when the heat is turned up ? but I never feel in danger or that he's out of control or something like that.

So she might not have missed the memo ?