What does your horse prefer?

B

bgb

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Having recently moved my horse to a busier, bigger yard/farm which is messy and disorganised from a small, neat and brilliantly run yard with great facilities, I was surprised to find horsey (and sort of me!) actually loves it! Before he got bored with no one to play with and the indoor schooling sent him stirr crazy...but now we have fun, fast hacks, xc schooling and lots of hairy, cob's rugs to bite off! Just wondering, what does your horse like best?
 
One of mine loves to be at a yard. He loves company and things to see - he's a very busy kind of chap. The other one was a stress little thing when she arrived at our field, and is now totally chilled after four years outside with only one friend!

My old mare couldn't have cared less, as long as she had food and shelter. My first pony was SO calm on a big yard, and nuts on her own!
 
Mollie used to be on a lovely, laid-back farm which I loved. I don't know whether it was because it was right next to a motorway but she was scared the whole time she lived there. :( There weren't a lot of people about at the farm but she spooked at everything and I couldn't do anything with her. Even standing in her stable she was scared, and dived to the back (sometimes banging her head :() if anyone came near.

Then we moved to a very busy little livery yard where there are constantly horses and owners milling about and lots going on. She settled almost immediately and is a different animal. She stands with her head over her door, ears picked and watching all the bustling about, making little whinnying noises to people as they pass. :)
 
My mare doesn't mind which kind of yard she's in charge of. Give her a few days & she'll have any minor issues sorted to her preference. She's been on every type going, from cheap diy, to a stud yard, to posh private pro yards & comp yards, & is chilled anywhere. No idea about the other, only ever been on a quiet farm. Doubt she'd mind a busy yard, but I wouldn't trust her in a field with lots of coming & going.
 
I bought an eventer from a beautiful yard complete with a beautiful swiss cottage tack room with fresh saddle cloths laid out for single use. Shower room and solarium and absolutely not one speck of dirt on the pristine yard. Deluxe stables and individual paddocks for a few hours leg stretch. He had excellent grooms and first class care.

He came to my then, yard, a messy farm with huge fields and boisterous herds and he loved it. His rubbish feet that couldn't hold a shoe grew strong, he gained condition on a small high fibre diet and fell in love with a sweet gypsy cob pony.

Why do yards with web sites advertise their facilities from what they can give to the owner while forgetting the horse's perspective ?
 
I was on a big farm for years and my girl was very happy, we had no facilities, just lots of grass and small herds of 4-6. I moved to posh yard with seperate paddocks and about 20 stables, she hated it, we had to walk down the centre of all the paddocks to get to ours, right at the end!

now im on a small farm/yard, with just my 2, and 2 other horses + 3 shetties, shes happy again!
 
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