Yard compromises

[HelenBack]

I live in an area where the selection of yards is not great for my needs. I've not had this in previous yards and I'm trying to work out what I'm prepared to compromise on. The most important things to me are decent turnout and good hacking.

I can either have good hacking (although it tends to get wet in the winter) but with some sort of restriction on turnout or guaranteed daily turnout but with okay but a bit limited hacking (although it doesn't get so wet). The better turnout option is farther away but offers part or full livery.

Which would you go for. There is no secret option C. I've spent the last three years or more looking!

 

[ihatework]

How much do you/can you ride?

If during winter you can’t ride much I’d go for the turnout yard.

If during winter you can ride properly every day then I’d accept the limited turnout (provided there was some turnout in winter, and it was much better in summer). From my experience most horses cope with limitations to turn out in the winter provided they are getting sufficient ridden exercise

 

[milliepops]

i think this depends on your horse and your lifestyle and your preferences.

There's a reflex on HHO that would always pick the guaranteed turnout above all else.

for me, i am prepared to compromise on that if a yard meets my and my horses needs better in other ways. where I am now there will not be guaranteed turnout but what there is is an indoor school for guaranteed exercise and other good facilities which mean I can meet my horses needs in a way that fits in with my daily life.

if you're someone that could commit to exercising a youngish healthy horse daily, and that's really important to you, then i personally don't have an issue with choosing a yard that satisfies that, while compromising turnout. if your horse was 25 years old though, and needed time in the field to stay comfortable, then that's a different question.

 

[HelenBack]

Thanks, these are both helpful comments and raise some valid points. My horse is only in his mid teens but does have some arthritis unfortunately. He's what I would call a light hack and we tend to go maybe four times a week. I don't school him but will do in hand stuff in the school with him and will also take him for in hand walks if not riding.

The restricted turnout would tend to be no turnout on days when the weather is bad, which of course are the days when you don't really want to ride! That could be for one day or a few in a row. All else is probably equal on the turnout front in the summer.

 

[ihatework]

I don’t think it’s really acceptable to be keeping a mildly arthritic, lightly worked horse pretty much stabled for 24h for a number of days through the winter.

Id prioritise the yard with turnout in that situation

 

[sportsmansB]

For your particular horse I'd choose the turnout.
I'd also choose it if I had a really sharp one that I didn't want to ride in the worst of the weather simply so that it didn't kill me the next day- but I'm getting soft in my old age.

Many other horses can adapt to less turnout provided they get the required exercise for their circumstances, or have access to a walker or an arena turnout for an hour or so.

 

[HelenBack]

Yes, thank you for these replies. This is what I was thinking myself but I think I just needed somebody to tell me that.

 

[9tails]

It seems that the yard with more turnout also has the dryer hacking. I hate schlepping through muddy hacking routes worried that the horse is going to slip or pull a shoe. I tend to ride a lot more in winter, it's either too hot or too hard for any fun in summer.

 

[Bernster]

For me I’d go for the better turnout and ok hacking. But I don’t ride every day so that’s part of the issue for me.

 

[HelenBack]

Yes, that's correct although there aren't that many opportunities to canter as it's mostly forestry. The hacking in the other area is much more extensive and varied and better overall in the summer, although the ground can get hard then. In the winter it's just a soggy slippery mess though!

I think the fields are less boggy in the place with more turnout too.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

depends on you and your horse but for me I can't compromise on turnout. I'm not bothered about grass quality as she's a native but as long as she has space to roam every day I am happy.

The way I see it is the riding is 1-2 hours of that horses day and not even every day. The other 22 hours have got to be enjoyable for the horse for the 1-2 hours they give you to also be enjoyable.

 

[HelenBack]

For me I’d go for the better turnout and ok hacking. But I don’t ride every day so that’s part of the issue for me.

I don't ride every day any more either so I guess as long as there's enough to keep me happy a few times a week that should be okay.

depends on you and your horse but for me I can't compromise on turnout. I'm not bothered about grass quality as she's a native but as long as she has space to roam every day I am happy.

The way I see it is the riding is 1-2 hours of that horses day and not even every day. The other 22 hours have got to be enjoyable for the horse for the 1-2 hours they give you to also be enjoyable.

This is a very good point too. And I hate keeping in too which means an unhappy horse and an unhappy owner!

 

[Bambelina]

I would 100% go for better turnout if I were looking at these yards for my mare. You could always occasionally hire a box to get to a better hacking route if you really want! For me turnout (and proper winter turnout, not just every other day for an hour!) is essential, most other things are just a bonus!

 

[Equi]

Is there a lane to turnout in the bad weather or the like? My last yard offered winter turnout all day no matter the weather until you wanted them in, which on paper sounded great until you realised the turnout was actually a gravel pit not grass from oct-march. My now yard has 7-2 turnout on grass padocks and yes on horrific days they stay in but the YO will put them on field lanes for an hour so they are not literally in all day. So on the face of it, more stable time but proper turnout vs standing on gravel with no food for hours.

 

[Cob Life]

I have one who wouldn’t mind spending a few days in if the weather is bad and he’s being ridden, as long as it’s not no turn out all winter.For him I‘d probably pick the hacking as he needs the work to keep his weight down

but the other has to be turned out daily for at least 5 hours as she gets very stressed in a stable. Ideally she needs to live out all year but the ground is too wet here unfortunately. So for her I’d pick the turnout

 

[AUB]

I know there’s no secret option c, but I’d take the good turnout yard and look for something better. I think the horses’ wellfare is more important than good hacking, and I would never accept less than daily turnout, but on the other hand I have a horse to ride it, so the facilities for that are also very important.

 

[mariew]

If the other yard is not too far I would go for guaranteed turnout on less boggy ground. I have been on a yard with restricted bad weather turnout which turned into half the year in turnout in a small sandpit so I am just wary of that now.

However being from a cold part of a country I also know with enough exercise horses do fine on no turnout over winter too even if not ideal, but they should then be ridden almost every day and to be able to at least see their friends.

 

[scats]

Turnout is really important for me because, particularly in winter, I can’t ride everyday. I don’t feel the pressure then that a horse needs exercising on a wet, windy day or a day that I’m not feeling great or have been so busy at work I don’t have time. I know they have been out in the field all day and can just come in in the evening and be finished off for the night.

That said, I do understand totally that many yards have to restrict turnout due to trying to save land etc, but I would still want a horse to have a good few hours out every day.

 

[HashRouge]

With an older, slightly arthritic horse I'd choose the turnout, definitely.

It is hard though. I currently have a great yard but I don't have to worry about hacking as my two are both retired. I think realistically, if I had a ridden horse, I would need transport to access really good hacking (we are close to the South Downs and the Downs link, but to get there you'd need to hack about half an hour down a nasty road). My ultimate goal is to move back up north but I dread the inevitable yard hunt and am tempted to stay where I am just for my yard, even if housing is ridiculously expensive!