Which option is for you???

C

crazyhorsegirl

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If you had the option of two DIY livery yards what would you choose (this is assuming you work full time and in winter it is dark at both ends of the day when you see the neddies!)....

Option 1 -
Stabling and grazing (mostly 24/7) but with no arena and you would have to trailer to the nearest one. So only being able to hack out at weekends in winter and ride on grass in summer.

Option 2 -
Stabling but no turnout in winter and not a huge amount of turnout in summer but with great facilities i.e. floodlt school so you can ride every day after work and tun out into the school for horse to stretch legs for 10 mins.

Sooo.... which one would you go for, assuming you had a youngster you were bringing on to compete?

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The idea of having a youngster cooped up all day and then having to get on it’s back to ride it doesn’t feel me with glee, so I would personally choose option 1. However I would be looking for option 3, which had turn out and facilities !
 
It would depend on if you could turn out in the school for a few hours per day, I would not put a youngster on a yard with no facilites at all but they need to so tricky but def go for op2
 
Out of those choices i would pick option 2, I am currently in option 1 myself, but am moving to option 2 at the weekend, i work part time so its no so much a problem with turnout for me as i can spent a lot of time with horses.
 
I've been bringing on a youngster, and I only had the option of option 2.
For me, having a floodlit school when a youngster is involved is always the deciding factor. =]
 
Why not go to the one with grazing for the summer then reassess the situation later in the the year, assuming option 1 is cheaper why not plan to hire the arena once a week mid week, will get your baby used to travelling and might help you resist over schooling because of lack of turn out. Spring is coming (sooner rather than later I hope) and you could hack out mid week as the nights draw out.
 
i appreciate that niether are ideal but you have to make the best of what you are given and these really are the best options i can find! A serious lack of yards round me!
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I agree having the facilities is ideal really as i can work on him more but he is very miserable standing in 24/7 and because i work full time i dont have hours to entertain him.
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He has toys all over his stable which he loves, can get through a lickit in an hour!!
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and also ad-lib haylage. I just am getting so down about the no turnout factor as i really want him out as much as possible and am starting to think he would be better being sold to someone else that either has more time to be with him most of the day or a blade of grass!
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Option 1, this is what I have at the moment which suits brilliantly as there is a floodlight outdoor school I can rent which is a couple of minute's hack away.
 
I would have to say Option 1 as i dont think that any horse should be without turnout either. I have option 1 at the moment because the horses are at home and we cant afford to put in a school at the moment and we are moving t another option 1 house were there is a chance that we ould eventually build a school. I think that in the summer option 1 would be fine but it is very hard in the winter, as someone else said maybe 1 in the summer and 2 in the winter.
 
That is a really tough one - but I just couldn't keep a youngster cooped up ALL year round. I would go with yard 1 and mark out a grass school for summer and box to a nearby schools once or twice a week during winter (providing you have a trailer anyway!).
 
i would just love to have the chance to put them out for the day as my gelding, the youngster,(well 4yrs!) is just getting so depressed but not being able to ride him much in winter would be a real negative, he would probably be happier with less work though!!
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I am also worried about stable vices, if he is getting bored how long will it be before he starts entertaining himself in other ways
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Neither, because I believe horses should have turnout. Having said that mine stayed in yesterday to give the paddocks a break & because it was peeing down yet again! I would not be without a schooling area now. So neither would be an option for me.
 
We have stable, limited turnout and no arena. We don't even have a field to ride in. So it's hacking or nothing.
I do sometimes wish we had a menage but we can hack for miles so it's doesnt really matter that much.
If I had a youngster I'd go for the one which had maximum turnout.
 
I would go for option 1 as personally I think having access to turnout is more important for the horse's wellbeing than access to schooling facilities.

I have kept my horse in both types of yard. Last winter he lived in 24/7 and I rode in a lovely indoor school. Horsie moved to a different yard last summer which doesn't have any school but has daily turnout.

I occasionally hack to local schools for schooling sessions/ lessons but apart from that I've made do with schooling on hacks over the winter. Although the ground conditions aren't always ideal I feel that my horse is better schooled this year than he was last year as when we school on hacks I have to keep his attention past monsters , distractions and various scary stuff that we meet on the way!! He has learned far more getting out and about than he would have schooling in an arena.
 
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Not idea maybe but works well for many people and their horses

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Maybe not ideal and a tricky one for op and it may work well for some people but I can't see how it can work for their horse, its just my opinion though..
 
Out of those two, definitely option 1. The idea of everyone having access to arenas must be relatively new, as children most people I knew schooled their ponies on grass. A youngster should not be kept in.
 
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