What's more important - convenience (to home) or facilities ?

Notimetoride

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As per title. In this day and age, where convenience is key, it is better to have horse on the doorstep, with poor facilities, or 20 mins away with cracking facilities ?
 

Kezzabell2

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being close to home is more important to me! there's nothing worse than having them 20 mins away when you get a call and have to rush down there, or if you're worried about the rain and need to go and put a rug or etc!

my horses are on 2 yards, one yard is a mile away, the other is another 1.5 miles down the road! the one that is 2.5 miles from home has all the facilities that I/we need, the closer one is just a farm, but good for my retired guys!

They are all close enough that I can walk there in the snow or if my car broke down etc!

before they were miles away, on a privately rented field, so when I snowed, I had to walk for 2.5 hours to get to them, to do the hay and water! was so stressful!!
 

Remi'sMum

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I'd go for a 20 minute commute with better facilities, personally. (Especially if the 20 minutes was in the same direction as work! But probably even if not)
 

Count Oggy

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I love having mine at home but I'm really feeling the lack facilities. If I had the money I'd put him in a livery yard 25 minutes away that has great facilities and miles of off road hacking. As it is well probably have to take most of the winter off.
 

criso

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Depends what youmean by facilities. Personally I'm not bothered about things like horsewalkers and even a school however I will travel to get the right turnout and hacking
 

Notimetoride

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Thank you all. So is 8 miles too far to travel ( it is vaguely in the direction of work) for fabulous facilities and hacking, when currently yard is 1.5 miles from home (with poor facilities)
 

Archangel

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I would go for facilities and hacking over closeness - but I would give it a second and third thought though heading in to winter unless there is a back up plan fpr those days when you have no choice but to trudge 8 miles up to your neck in snow!
 

Arzada

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Thank you all. So is 8 miles too far to travel ( it is vaguely in the direction of work) for fabulous facilities and hacking, when currently yard is 1.5 miles from home (with poor facilities)
For me 8 miles is nothing if I get fabulous hacking. Is it too far for you?
 

swampdonkey

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It takes me 12 mins to get to my yard,about 8 miles. There are closer yards but I'm happy where I am for turn out and facilities.
I only do one end of the day in the week as share jobs with a friend.
The distance doesn't bother me at all but think it would if I had to do both ends of the day.
 

elsielouise

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Convenience every time. Though have three horses so time is an issue but also have excellent hacking out the back door with a school less than 400m away. I might feel different if I lived on the side of the M25.
 

Ali27

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As per title. In this day and age, where convenience is key, it is better to have horse on the doorstep, with poor facilities, or 20 mins away with cracking facilities ?
Both are important to me! Luckily I have found the perfect yard with amazing facilities. I made suggestions to our lovely yard owners and they followed them as yard only had stables and grazing when I moved just over two years ago. Mine are both on DIY so I like having them close as I need to do them twice a day. However, most people at our yard are at least five miles away and one person is even around 12 miles away but they all love our facilities and have decided that facilities and friendliness at our yard outweigh the distance! Most people at our yard swap favours and only come up once a day. I always do a quick head count and walk round when I'm up too! I couldn't be on a yard with no facilities as I need an arena to school and jump in especially in the winter as I ride six times a week and compete. So, I would have to go for facilities over distance as long as they had someone I trusted to turn out etc so that I only went up once a day. I guess I would also pay for extras like mucking out, poo picking so I had time to ride! What is the point in having a horse and having no time to ride! In your situation, I would move to yard 20 mins away with good facilities as long as there is someone there that you trust that would help you out with turn out etc. That would save you time and petrol money!
 

On the Up

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I had mine at home so wonderful convenience but I struggled with lack of facilities so winter was a drag and nowhere to have lessons to improve myself so I have recently moved mine to a livery yard and am loving it. So is the ponio. I thought having her at home would be the dream but it didn't turn out that way. 8 miles wouldn't put me off to get everything that will make it work.
 

Echo24

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Currently deliberating this as yard is 10 mins down the road but with very little off road hacking. Turnout is good though and the thought of travelling 20 mins plus for better hacking but not necessarily more turnout is putting me off.
 

Vodkagirly

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As long as you only need to do one end of the day, I would travel for facilites. However I find it too much if I need to go twice.
 
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