What do you prefer?

What size yard do you prefer

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horsesatemymoney

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I am trying to decide what is best for my horse, a youngster, when he comes off his winter hols, and have a few options. I quite fancy a really big yard (70 horses) so he can see and experience more, but I'd be interested to know what everybody else prefers.
 
What I would like is my own place, but that is not going to happen. Have been at our small yard for the last 27 years suits me and has suited my horses which really is the main thing. Loads of grazing they all have enough space so no fighting between them.Everyone is different and so our their horses, but if my horse was not happy then I would move.
 
Have had own place, been on a yard with 42 stables, now on a yard with 16 stables.

Much prefer where I am now with 16 - and theres only about 9 liveries as the rest are the eventers belonging to the owner of the place.

I have a spooky horse. On the big yard there was so much for her to see and she was terrified of everything - since moving back to Kearsley she's calmed right down as the atmosphere is much quieter.
Found the larger yards to be too busy and bitchy as it tends to separate into little cliques when there are that many people. Smaller yard means everybody knows each other well and have found it to be SO much friendlier - no bitching whatsoever!
 
I hate big yards only because I dont do people mostly.

Perefer being on my own or with one other. Planning to rent a cottage with land in the near future so my guys can come to my own place and be on my doorstep :D

I could deal with the second option if I was just left to my own devices :D
 
prefer a small number of people, with as many horses as they want to keep...only cos im unfriendly and antisocial!!!!! i dont own horses to stand around talking for hours, i own horses cos i want to ride!
im on a yard with 2 other liverys, 4 horses competed by a prof rider and a yard owner (and some people who hire school 5 times a week), so nice and quite for traing days, but they run local dresage shows, so horses are exposed to this......benefit of both worlds really
 
Larger than 26, cliques start to happen and bitchiness comes in (I find).
Too few people, and you've no-one to talk to (can be a good thing as on a large yard you then spend more time talking than with your horse), and no-one to ride with.
I think more than the amount of people/horses on the yard, it depends on the YM, as if they nip things in the bud and run a good yard, I find the liveries follow on from this.
3 liveries and a bad YM can equal tension/liveries upsetting each other etc.
20 liveries and a good YM can equal everyone getting on.

I have a nervous but inquisitive horse and competitions going on/people constantly about is great as she is watching everything. A busy show day, after 2 weeks on a new yard and she was in the midst of it, a bit bewildered but definitely curious.
 
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fidleyspromise said:
Larger than 26, cliques start to happen and bitchiness comes in (I find).
Too few people, and you've no-one to talk to (can be a good thing as on a large yard you then spend more time talking than with your horse), and no-one to ride with.
I think more than the amount of people/horses on the yard, it depends on the YM, as if they nip things in the bud and run a good yard, I find the liveries follow on from this.
3 liveries and a bad YM can equal tension/liveries upsetting each other etc.
20 liveries and a good YM can equal everyone getting on.
Click to expand...

We actually need a like button, makes a lot of sense although my antisocialness still screams few people as possible :D
 
I've never been on a yard that big. I think you'd get the same effect of busyness with 30 horses but less folk lol

If you fancy it why not. You can always move if it's not suitable.
 
Been on a huge yard with 70+ horses and dozens of liveries and there was bitchiness and back stabbing but I loved the YO and YM and was sad to leave them. Do not miss the having to fight with 10 other horses for riding space in the indoor school during the winter though.

Equally I have been on small yards with liveries who are not the friendliest and make for an awkward atmosphere and have had a small yard with a YO who was a little strange shall we say.

I think I have hit the jackpot with my current yard though - its small with only 3 other liveries with 7 horses between us who are friends of mine who I used to livery with previously and have always got on with - some other horses live out but we never see their owners at all. My YO is lovely and lives on site and has enough basic horse knowledge to know to call us with any issues/concerns and she checks the horses before turning in for the night but its basically a pure DIY yard and unless she sees blatant mistreatment she takes nothing to do with us really other than to pop by and make sure all is ok and collect her livery money. The 4 liveries, myself included, have an agreement in place for t/o and bringing in - I do most of the turnout because I can, but other girls bring in - we cover each other for holidays, nights out - but we do it because we want to help each other out not because we want them to do our horses in return - we don't keep tallies - we just do it if someone asks and nobody takes the mickey.

My previous yard I had a very efficient and knowledgeable YO who is a friend still and to be honest it was far too easy to go to her than to deal with things myself - so I wasn't as confident in ownership as I should have been - that's changed very quickly and I feel more in charge of my horse now. I got lazy on her yard as an owner. So my present yard suits me fantastically and because we liveries all consider ourselves grown ups, we can iron out any issues immediately and discuss things which is great.

So basically I am finding that a pure DIY yard with a hands off YO is actually suiting me the best out of the choices I have had in the past...is basically what Im trying to say
 
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Small yards are nice, but unless they are all like-minded you could end up being very lonely. Not so much when you horse is a baby and you are not doing much but later when you want to start hacking out you might need more support.
 
I was on a yard with 120 horse at the fullest and 70 ish mostly.

Never again, the grooms were grumpy, over worked, didn't have enough time for the horses.
The horses got really grumpy as they had half day turnout every other day as wasn't enough grazing.

My current one has 30 horses and a great yo and we all get on great.
 
I'm on my own, and after some very disappointing experiences in the past with other liveries (as well as some brilliant experiences!), I love it. I have to have support in place to cover when I'm away, but there are some great people locally who I can pay for that.
I suppose my ideal is a small-ish setup where I am in charge! Nice to have one or two friendly people about to ride with and to support each other. But if they turned out not to be like that, I'd like the power to chuck them off I'm afraid. I go to my horses to relax and enjoy them. I don't want to listen to constant moaning, or have to battle with someone who doesn't pull their weight.
 
I have mine at home, and wouldn't have it any other way 90% of the time (sometimes get a bit wistful when we put them at my friend's full livery yard when we go on holiday!).

However for a youngster I would go for a medium sized yard with other horses to be turned out with and people to ride out with, plus some facilities to do a bit of schooling. I would absolutely not want individual turnout for a youngster (they need to learn to socialise) or somewhere with main roads for hacking.

I wouldn't like to be on an enormous yard full stop. Even with the best facilities in the world.
 
I'm on a 70 horse yard with no bitchiness. Before I was on a nice smaller yard where the YO's step-sister who had _nothing_ to do with the horses managed to sour the atmosphere so much that all the liveries left...
 
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