What would you consider a yard hopper

5 years first yard, 6 months 2nd yard, 4 years 3rd yard, 12 months 4th yard, 10 years 5th yard, 2.5 yrs 6th yard, returned to 5th yard 7 yrs ago and never leaving.

No way would i consider myself a yard hopper. 2nd yard went from part to full and I couldn't afford it, 3rd yard lost 2 horses so was too heartbroken to stay. 4th yard was costing y.o £30 per stable to rent and she was only charging us £35! 6th yard owner sold up.
 
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We used to take the odd livery and we could spot a yard hopper a mile away. A lot of them are out running debt. One or two questions and it’s clear we didn’t want them. sometimes we didn’t even question them, the blew themselves up by over sharing.

The ones we love are those that understand what we are offering and have the intellect to understand if that will work for them or not. We are super clear via contract what is included and what is an additional service that needs to be paid for.
 
LadyGascoyne said:
I wonder if people who are looking for a social element to yards find it more difficult to stay long term?

It often seems like the complications with livery yards are fall outs with people.
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The reason I like where I keep mine so much is because the other livery lives overseas and the YO works full time. It's bliss!

I was a YO for many years and we had a YO network so we could find out the real story behind yard hoppers - it's not always the yard that is the problem ...
 
I have been at home with mine for the past (almost) 25 years, but did a few livery yards before that. 7 actually, but 3 of those were the same yard.

I would not say I was a yard hopper, that is presented as a negative term. I always left on good terms, as going to the same yard 3 times would testify.

A yard hopper, to me, is where someone goes, runs up a bill or steals stuff, or acts in a despicable way, then leaves, leaving a mess behind them. Usually a real mess as well as upset.

holeymoley said:
I'm now back at Yard 1 and don't ever plan on moving again! 'Big personalities' have moved on, I'm older less tolerant of nonsense, and wiser. (or so I like to think :p)
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Maybe you are now the big personality? 🤔 🤭 😉 😂 😂 😂
 
We had a serial yard hopper come to us, when we did livery in the UK. Only got to the bottom of it when her farrier turned up and he spilled the beans, he’d shod for her for a 2 years and she had been on 14 yards in that time. She was definitely a bit bonkers but worshipped her horses, she was with us for 7 months before I decided to close the yard to liveries when I got an office job and boy did we have difficulties getting rid of her, we had to go legal before she left.
 
Maxidoodle said:
We had a serial yard hopper come to us, when we did livery in the UK. Only got to the bottom of it when her farrier turned up and he spilled the beans, he’d shod for her for a 2 years and she had been on 14 yards in that time. She was definitely a bit bonkers but worshipped her horses, she was with us for 7 months before I decided to close the yard to liveries when I got an office job and boy did we have difficulties getting rid of her, we had to go legal before she left.
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i suppose at least it’s a compliment to you that the yard hopper didn’t want to leave your place?😂
 
I was a ‘yard hopper’ last year and it was such a stressful experience I ended up moving 200 miles to buy a house with my own land!

My full timeline is;
Yard 1. First yard as a young teenager with first pony. Moved after 3 months as pony was struggling with living out and they wouldn’t let us have a stable. Atmosphere also disintegrated after yard owner went to uni and left her friend in charge.

Yard 2. Was there for about 15 years bar a year when I moved away to move to work with horses.

Yard 3 - moved here as I needed part livery due to working shifts. I was here for a year before moving house too far from the yard plus horse went to have a foal.

This is where it fell apart and i ‘yard hopped’

Yard 1 - 5 months, initially started well then mare went in a group of 4 in a field which had awful fencing, I spent a fortune putting up an inner fence and she was getting bullied by her companions. Rugs getting ripped on a daily basis. Also had serious concerns about the care she would get around foaling so I moved on.

Yard 2 - loved it but after 4 months the landowner and yard manager fell out and yard closed. Still friends with yard manager now.

Yard 3 - moved to ‘full’ grass livery so mare and foal could be out with other mares and foals. The guy who ran it never turned up to care for them. Not much of an issue as I was local and up daily anyway until we hit the heatwave and they had no grass and very hit and miss hay. I couldn’t supply 9 horses with hay myself so after 3 months there I moved to my own field.

I was at own field for 6 months before moving to the place I’ve bought. I just wanted a safe place to enjoy my horses which turned out to be surprisingly hard to find in that second area!
 
Red-1 said:
Maybe you are now the big personality? 🤔 🤭 😉 😂 😂 😂
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Oh yes, I sure am. I keep myself to myself and go up out with normal hours due to shift work. Do my horse, say hello if bumping in to anyone, don't go out the way to sit and have coffee chats and moans. Generally ride on my own, happy to join another if hacking.

I'm just oozing with heaps of attitude, opinion and pig headedness.

I think Lady Gascoyne may be on to something- those that see it as a social element may be the ones that cause the issues. If you have the frame of mind that you are there to see your horse and care for them it seems to put it in to a different perspective as opposed to the whole 'everyone must all be friends' thing. We are all polite and exchange pleasantries at ours, but accepting that people are different and have different ideas on how to do things plays a part too. We've all come across people on yards who think that it's their way or the highway and love to make that clear.
 
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With the fuzzball I’ve been at 4 different yards in 3 years… 1 chucked us off because he didn’t respect their inadequate fencing (oh & he dared to pee on their rubber matting… in hindsight I walked on eggshells most of the time I was at that place). The next was only ever an emergency stopgap & the one after stopped working for the pony for various reasons. The current yard you’d need to drag me from (or I’d need to win the lottery & have my own land!). He did also live with my instructor for a few months but that was for backing purposes.

With the orange one I was at 6 different yards (7 if we include his stay at Rockley) in the 6 years I had him. This includes moving & then having to move back again after a short time (I think my record was 2 days after being massively lied to about turnout?) on 3 separate occasions 🙈 Barring the first move (yard shut down) most were an attempt to improve his welfare / better cater to his needs. I was at one yard a good couple of years because he loved it there & tbh it was the only place he ever truly settled & was completely happy despite there being a number of less than ideal things about the place. I finally, permanently left when he couldn’t tolerate Spring grass anymore, given how everything unraveled at the track systems I tried him at afterwards (not their fault, more of a him issue) I wish I’d had him PTS there but at the time I left I’d still thought what was going on was fixable.

So erm yeah I’ve done my share of yard hopping but always for a reason & I always try to leave on good terms unless I’ve been lied to!
 
I don't think I'd be considered a yard hopper but my horse:
Yard 1: bought her from and kept her there for 10 months. New job over an hour away with love in.
Yard 2: 8 months later new job so Yard 45 min away.
Yard 3: issues with liveries and very stressed horse so another 8 months later.
Yard 4: loved it but 15 minutes away from new house. Moved after gaining a horse and 2 years on.
Yard 5: stayed 2 years. Competition yard and I fell ill so moved. I was tempted to keep competing.
Yard 6: stayed 2 years. All road work and had issues with a couple liveries.
Yard 7: enjoyed it. Stayed 1 year. Ended up no job and couldn't afford it.
Yard 8: current. Been there 5 years. Love it
I mean I have moved from original field, to another one to current one and moving to new field when it's ready but all still the same Yard. (Moves have been to bigger fields to accommodate pony needs).
 
I think everyone always has their reasons, I've moved ALOT but I've always paid my bills on time, been respectful & left on good terms regardless - I know I could go back to any of them if needed. Most moves were due to the yard not being as described or care not up to scratch.

Yard 1 - 4yrs - Severly restrictive winter turnout along with being very cliquey & bitchy.
Yard 2 - 3mnths - Winter turnout not as described, just 2hrs out a day not enough for my youngster who was very stressed & YO hated cobs! Went back to yard 1 for another 3yrs!
Yard 3 - 2yrs - Closed down with 3wks notice or I'd still be there now!
Yard 4 - 2yrs - No school or facilities locally, was a stop gap after moving quickly.
Yard 5 - 8 mnths - Yard owner left my horse out 24/7 when she knew he was on full care on my shift days to save mucking out, also chucked him onto lush grass giving him colic. Her daughter also used to ride him without any permission from me! Just helped herself!
Yard 6 - 1yr - Meant to be split herd, turned out being mixed & I couldn't do anything with my lad as he got severely attached to the mares.
Yard 7 - 4 mnths - Stop gap whilst moving house & sale fell through, ended up moving out of the area.
Yard 8 - 1yr - Described as all year group turnout but was 4hrs daily in postage stamp size squares and only if dry. Also restricted hay and haylage so often stood in with nothing for hours.
Yard 9 - 2yrs - I loved but the yard bitch ruined my mental health & I was bullied out.
Yard 10 - 2yrs and there now but again, now having issues with turnout etc so maybe on the move again!!!

What I'd do for my own field!!!!
 
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