When would you expect livery yards to reopen

Tiddlypom

Tiddlypom

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Somerford Park Farm (a huge equestrian facility) posted this on their FB page after Boris’s address last night.

‘We are aware of the anticipation and desire to get back to some sort of normality. Please hold off messaging us tonight.

We will be releasing a statement tomorrow to outline our plans. It needs to be right before publishing.

Thank you for your patience.‘
 
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teapot

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Tiddlypom said:
Somerford Park Farm (a huge equestrian facility) posted this on their FB page after Boris’s address last night.

‘We are aware of the anticipation and desire to get back to some sort of normality. Please hold off messaging us tonight.

We will be releasing a statement tomorrow to outline our plans. It needs to be right before publishing.

Thank you for your patience.‘
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Pity Coombelands didnt do the same...
 
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sherry90

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Caol Ila said:
Yes -- the guilt/martyr thing is definitely a thing. There's been a great deal of kerfuffle on kayaking Facebook groups because the British Canoe Association has said, no kayaking or canoeing. None. Zero. Bupkes. It's banned. It isn't. The government has said feck all about watersports. Now, the BCA has as much actual enforcement power as the BHS, or the glass of wine in front of me. But people take it on board (pun intended) and treat it as a prohibition with the power of law behind it. The issues here are that most people have to travel to go kayaking -- fair enough, don't. The other reason is that if you get into trouble, you are potentially exposing a whole RNLI crew or mountain rescue team. Same reason we aren't 'allowed' in the hills. Again, the only legally enforceable part of this are the travel restrictions. Mountaineering Scotland has as much enforcement power as that very same glass of wine. But if you live on a loch or at the base of a mountain (some people do... not me, sadly), then the travel prohibitions don't apply, and if you're an experienced mountaineer or kayaker, you can make a pretty good call as to what you can do that would be highly unlikely to end in a rescue (same as us riding, but kayaks behave more predictably than horses on flatwater). But for the love of God, don't post it on social media. The shame! So much shame! I got into a wee argument on a thread where some people had gone flatwater kayaking on the loch out their front door, and then they foolishly posted pictures of their lovely day out, happily paddling on a glassy loch -- bright sun, no wind. Once we'd established that travel bans did not apply to the people in question, and what they did was, realistically, safer than most people's attempts at DIY, the crux of the reasoning behind the public shaming was that you should not be doing fun things, like kayaking, while people are dying during the pandemic.

One of the kayakers I was arguing with was horsey, and she brazenly announced that she was also not riding her horses because she was supporting the NHS. I, of course, did not respond because I did not have the chutzpah to say that I was still riding my horse.

I think it makes people feel better, like they have some control over a situation no one has any control over. And humans really love public shaming. If you're stressed and sad about COVID and lockdown, shaming someone on Facebook can make you feel really great about yourself. For more insight about that, I recommend Jon Ronson's 'So You've Been Publically Shamed,' which explores the social psychology of public shaming and why people get off on it, and he's funny.
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This!
The shame isn’t always coming from a place of frustration at ‘not following the rules’ (the rules aren’t even there!) it’s often jealousy and people’s OWN perception on the guidance. Why get frustrated if others interpret things differently than you or who have different circumstances meaning the guidance means something different to them. Ie the travel situation.
The thing is, social media and society as a whole today is often about ‘oneupmanship’ and out doing each other. People want to be posting that they are having the ‘best’ time comparative to others and rubbing it in. Instagram was already renowned for this and this pandemic has highlighted it even more. Hence sales of hot tubs, loo roll panic buying, rushing to McDonalds when it closed, going to the beaches with the family when normally little Jimmy sits at home on an iPad 90% of the time....people wanting to out do each other. When they can’t (which could be for many reasons) they get bitter and resentful.
 
Kat

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A riding school I follow on FB have confirmed they are reopening for private lessons or semi-private lessons with members of the same household.

I haven't seen anything from the BHS yet but I guess they must have some confirmation from insurers or something.
 
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maya2008

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I would love to be able to go to our local arena hire. You pay online, there is no fence so no gates, you park your lorry, ride your horse and go home. Not a person in sight the whole time. I wouldn’t jump, would just be nice to use a surface and not be trying to avoid the thistles when schooling!
 
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teapot

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Can't see much change from the BHS coming... This is what it says re exercise:

SAGE advise that the risk of infection outside is significantly lower than inside, so the Government is updating the rules so that, as well as exercise, people can now also spend time outdoors subject to: not meeting up with any more than one person from outside your household; continued compliance with social distancing guidelines to remain two metres (6ft) away from people outside your household; good hand hygiene, particularly with respect to shared surfaces; and those responsible for public places being able to put appropriate measures in place to follow the new COVID-19 Secure guidance.

People may exercise outside as many times each day as they wish. For example, this would include angling and tennis. You will still not be able to use areas like playgrounds, outdoor gyms or ticketed outdoor leisure venues, where there is a higher risk of close contact and touching surfaces. You can only exercise with up to one person from outside your household – this means you should not play team sports, except with members of your own household.

People may drive to outdoor open spaces irrespective of distance, so long as they respect social distancing guidance while they are there, because this does not involve contact with people outside your household.
 
dogatemysalad

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What the BHS allows and doesn't allow is like Sturgeon, pretty irrelevant to the majority of people in the UK.
A sizeable majority of horse owners are unaffected by the offerings coming from the BHS at the moment. The government has already told the public what they can do and social gatherings and exercise in groups is not permitted.
 
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Equine_Dream

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teapot said:
People may drive to outdoor open spaces irrespective of distance, so long as they respect social distancing guidance while they are there, because this does not involve contact with people outside your household.
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This last part worries me. I'm from Wales where lockdown has remained more or less the same. I'm quite concerned how many people will try to drive over to wales from England, or equally try to cross into England to then come back to Wales.
 
Abi90

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Equine_Dream said:
This last part worries me. I'm from Wales where lockdown has remained more or less the same. I'm quite concerned how many people will try to drive over to wales from England, or equally try to cross into England to then come back to Wales.
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It says in the document to not cross the borders and respect the devolved governments rules
 
mavandkaz

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Equine_Dream said:
This last part worries me. I'm from Wales where lockdown has remained more or less the same. I'm quite concerned how many people will try to drive over to wales from England, or equally try to cross into England to then come back to Wales.
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It does go on to say that should respect the regulations imposed in Scotland/Wales, which do not allow for the driving of long distances.
 
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teapot

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ycbm said:
Farm ride and flat work only, riders only unless with a child. Rules out me going until my OH is allowed to drive me, I wouldn't go on my own in case anything happened.
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So they're encouraging people to use facility hire on their own? Given you're not allowed to share lifts with anyone yet.
 
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Kat

Kat

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ycbm said:
Farm ride and flat work only, riders only unless with a child. Rules out me going until my OH is allowed to drive me, I wouldn't go on my own in case anything happened.
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I think it meant riders only on the farm ride, you can't have extra people walking around the route. They have outlined their procedures for accidents and checking people in and out.

I think someone from your household could drive you and wait in the vehicle, but it would make sense to check.

I'm not going, it is too far to travel to ride alone and we have only have one horse in the household.

I think it is interesting that they are making it work. It will be interesting to see if others follow suit.
 
Kat

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dogatemysalad said:
What the BHS allows and doesn't allow is like Sturgeon, pretty irrelevant to the majority of people in the UK.
A sizeable majority of horse owners are unaffected by the offerings coming from the BHS at the moment. The government has already told the public what they can do and social gatherings and exercise in groups is not permitted.
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What the BHS say is very important to accredited coaches and those who would like to have lessons with an accredited coach.

It is also important to those on approved yards. Plus many smaller yards will look to the BHS for guidance in difficult times.
 
SEL

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Looks like I can finally get my OH out the house onto the golf course - without losing him in the club house for hours.

Has the BHS updated their advice yet?
 
dogatemysalad

dogatemysalad

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Kat said:
What the BHS say is very important to accredited coaches and those who would like to have lessons with an accredited coach.

It is also important to those on approved yards. Plus many smaller yards will look to the BHS for guidance in difficult times.
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I was referring to the majority of horse owners and livery yards. We've already seen yards that chose to ban owners from seeing their horses losing a lot of business.
Most owners have followed government guidance which forbids social gatherings and non essential outings.
Caring for your horse and exercising them was never banned by the government.
 
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Kat

Kat

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dogatemysalad said:
I was referring to the majority of horse owners and livery yards. We've already seen yards that chose to ban owners from seeing their horses losing a lot of business.
Most owners have followed government guidance which forbids social gatherings and non essential outings.
Caring for your horse and exercising them was never banned by the government.
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I think we're on the same page. I have been following the law. I am primarily interested in the BHS approach because I want a lesson. But I do hope that some of the yards that have closed may reopen if the BHS update their position. I would hate to be kept away from my horse.
 
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Ozbride

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Thanks for all the replies, it's been interesting to hear other points of view.

I'm still no further on from before. We don't live in England so still don't have any idea on when lockdown will be reduced.

I spoke to my yard owner and he said that does not agree with the reduction in lockdown and that this just means that the NHS can cope with more people, rather than life being safer. I know he does not want me to come to the yard, and he isn't giving me an idea of when will be ok.

I've got an appointment tomorrow morning to look round another yard. It has amazing facilities, but is twice the price.

My current yard owner is a friend but I can't go on not knowing what the plan is. He seems happy to just leave things the way they are and is kind of making me feel like the selfish one for wanting to see the horses. To be honest now if he offered to lift some restrictions I'm not actually sure I would feel welcome, more like I'm in the way. It will be hard to leave though if that is what I decide to do.
 
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