What to do - thoughts please?

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mystiandsunny

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So, am reducing numbers due to baby and lack of time. I think that bit is mostly sorted, so in September I'll have three. It's what I do after then that I'm not sure of.

So - if you were in this situation, what would you do?
- two ponies and a horse, none of which you could sell.
- two need riding at least every other day for their health (one has epsm, one locking stifles)
- one HAS to live out, but all of them currently do
- cutting costs is necessary (so field (current situation) or livery with sharers)
- currently have weekend sharer for one, and teen helpers who exercise and do chores but don't contribute financially.
- loaning off yard/field not really an option due to the health issues that make them unsellable (if that's even a word!).
 
Mostly time, but I also cannot justify spending £800 a month on a hobby while I have childcare to pay for, which is about what it would cost if they were on livery.

I have thought of livery + sharers but not sure how reliable they would be. In the field it is cheap, but getting them ridden in the winter during the week is a nightmare.
 
From both time and money, get all three living out - if you can in a rented field rather than livery yard, then you have more control and less cost out.

Get sharers for the ridden ones - plenty of sharers I know share horses where no school is available and they either hack or school in the field (when dry enough).
 
If mine I would try and find sharers from the field and if over the summer they proved to be keen and reliable then I would move the horse/s with sharers to livery. This would hopefully ensure they are reliable and commited before you have any additional expense. I would be surprised if you could find reliable sharers from a field through winter unless they didn't work during daylight hours.
Good luck
 
mystiandsunny said:
Mostly time, but I also cannot justify spending £800 a month on a hobby while I have childcare to pay for, which is about what it would cost if they were on livery. .
Click to expand...

DIY or grass livery won't cost you anywhere near that amount.

However, if you can't sell or share - shoot.
 
amymay said:
DIY or grass livery won't cost you anywhere near that amount.

However, if you can't sell or share - shoot.
Click to expand...

I was working on the basis of £150pcm for grass livery with a school (about average around here, better prices are places where it's cattle grazing so they'd end up with lami :(). Then there's hay - about £50 pcm Oct - March, feed etc. So you get 3x150 = 450, then farrier (two are shod in front), insurance, hay cost, feed, wormer, vaccinations, dentist. It will cost that much in total - that is only about £275 per horse, per month after all! At the moment, they are kept for about £450 per month for three (sufficient grazing we don't need to feed hay in winter), but that's at grass with no facilities beyond water and fencing. If I could just turn away in winter it'd be ideal, but I'd then have two miserable, ill ponies and that's not fair on them - they need work. In a few years when I no longer have such high childcare costs, there will be plenty of £ (and more time tbh) so I just need to find a solution for now!!
 
Why can't you get a sharer/s for them in their currently location. Presumably you ride them from this field (hacking or schooling in field) so why can't someone else?

You might not be able to charge as much with no facilities but it would solve the exercise problem.
I personally know two lovely sharers who share from a field only.
 
Move to grass livery with a flooflit school and get sharers is the 'obvious' solution. Is there such a yard available to you?

Or as polos mum says find sharers from the field, particularly if you have decent hacking, a night shift or part time worker may appreciate the daytime hacking opportunities.
 
I would get more permenant sharers/part loaner.

Being somewhere with good facilities will be good for sharers.
But no reason why they couldn't live out if that do now.
 
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