Yards - which one and what can/can’t you live with?

[cheekywelshie]

What makes a happy yard and a good place to be for horse and rider? What would you sacrifice for your horse ie less facilities?

eg
Yard 1
Small yard - 4 liveries and 4 owners horses .1 retired one rehabbing one, starts work July, not ridden much but now has sharer twice a week so potential opportunity to hack with someone )
Individual paddocks ( used to be shared until yard took on more liveries)
Off site hacking from yard
Assisted services
Daytime turnout no one turns out overnight but no restrictions on when to bring in though of course if they all come in at a certain time then you’d need to do the same
Outdoor School - good access
Solar lights only only in stables
Paddocks can get muddy in winter so turnout restricted a little bit if v wet
Fields v close to stables
No one on site
But Large canter track and small xc course use all year round
Hay on site

Yard 2
Small self contained yard on big yard, big stables rented by friend
But Riding school use school weekends sat and sun morn and two nights in week
Overnight turnout summer assistance if required
Secure locking , people on site
Large Xc course mainly over summer
Hacking ok but no other on-site
Liveries hack and compete
A loo!

 

[Flicker]

I’d probably go with 2 just because of the people element and turnout.
My non-negotiables for a yard are turnout (not necessarily 24/7 but daily), indoor school, human company, infrastructure (electricity, piped water to fields, toilet etc) and decent hacking (road or off-road). Everything else is a series of compromises and flexibility on both sides of the livery contract.

 

[tiahatti]

I like a smaller yard so 1 sounds nice but I have a question on the turnout. How muddy and how much restriction in the winter? If its individual t/o, are the paddocks quite small?
Does 2 have good t/o?

 

[cheekywelshie]

It was a few days when it got really bad so that was understandable. But was a bit stressful. A few weeks ago they were in when it rained. You are given the one field and have to look after it, there are no summer/winter paddocks but I don’t know many places that do really. Paddock about 1.5 -2 acres . Y 2 is also individual though poss option to share. Overnight in summer. Both yards though need to bring in when others do so horse not alone.

 

[pistolpete]

Recently moved my pony to a grass livery field. He is no longer ridden but it’s so close to my house that actually I have all my ‘stuff’ at home and no facilities there at all. Ponies don’t need stuff it’s just people!

 

[McFluff]

For me, the non-negotiables are:

• Year round small herd turnout (mine is currently out at nights all year round, which works well for diet management)
• Ability to ride round a full time job year round - so either floodlit school or indoor school
• Facilities (water, light) and services (part-livery)

My areas for compromise are (I'm lucky as I only have to compromise on one of them just now):

• Access to a nice large stable and good storage
• Parking for trailer
• Hacking (would love off road hacking, but this is my current compromise and I box to hack)
• Company
• Loo

My nice to have, but wouldn't lose anything to gain list:

• Warm water for washing
• Track system with barn set up for small herd
• Canter tracks
• Good local competition venues

 

[cheekywelshie]

For me, the non-negotiables are:

• Year round small herd turnout (mine is currently out at nights all year round, which works well for diet management)
• Ability to ride round a full time job year round - so either floodlit school or indoor school
• Facilities (water, light) and services (part-livery)

My areas for compromise are (I'm lucky as I only have to compromise on one of them just now):

• Access to a nice large stable and good storage
• Parking for trailer
• Hacking (would love off road hacking, but this is my current compromise and I box to hack)
• Company
• Loo

My nice to have, but wouldn't lose anything to gain list:

• Warm water for washing
• Track system with barn set up for small herd
• Canter tracks
• Good local competition venues

Is there people to ride with on your yard or do you box to hack with them?

 

[McFluff]

Currently nobody on my yard hacks (either no transport, no desire or lame horse). The livery that I regularly hacked with sadly moved to a yard closer to her home. I usually box to hack myself, but when restrictions allow, meet up with people (as that is more fun).
One fellow livery is looking at getting transport, which would be fab. And we're all hoping that the lame horse is sound again soon (his owner has had a horrid time).
We are a very small yard (5 liveries).

 

[Meowy Catkin]

If I strip things down to the basics, I need a field with shelter (natural or man made) and water for the horses and a loo for me. A bit of storage would be nice too.

 

[Annagain]

This is an interesting one for me as the two oldies have been on their holidays at a friend's house for the last month and we literally just have a field there and a very small corner of her barn / garage for storing the very basics. I thought I'd be fine with this arrangement for non-ridden horses but I really don't like it! Not having a stable or even somewhere to tie up easily for a quick groom is far more difficult than I thought it would be.
We're lucky in that they'll just stand to have feet picked out and be fiddled with but as good as they are, trying to get rugs on them in gale force winds the other day was a nightmare! They're home in 2 weeks and I can't wait.

So for me the non-negotiable things are

• As much turnout as possible - at least daily in winter and 24/7 in summer.
• If out 24/7, somewhere sheltered to deal with them
• Good company - human and horsey. (I prefer small group turnout but somewhere that allows you to buddy up and share paddocks if on individual)
• Access to half decent hacking
• Good storage
• Well fenced, safe fields

The nice to have but not essential

• school - indoor would be lovely, outdoor is absolutely fine, lights a bonus
• trailer parking
• potential for services
• backup options for unexpected lameness / illness. (oldies are on hols as M needs quiet small paddock turnout after an injury, it just wasn't possible at the yard, although YO putting a small paddock in for this purpose when fencing gets done next week)

 

[Leandy]

Yard 1 would be a no from me for security reasons alone. You cannot leave tack etc somewhere with noone on site on a regular basis. Also it doesn't seem to have a school with lights and I need that for after work. So it would be yard 2. It's not ideal because of the riding school taking up the school but so long as liveries had free access at times other than those stated (including early morning), I could work with it.

 

[Rowreach]

I was forced to move yards very quickly a few months ago, and on paper I wouldn’t have picked where I’m at, but my horse is ecstatically happy here and I’ve realised that I can compromise on a lot of things for that reason.

 

[DizzyDoughnut]

I wouldn't go for either yard because they are both individual turnout.

My essentials when looking for a yard are turnout in a herd, at the minimum with at least one other every day whatever the weather and must have running water and a stable or closable shelter for farrier and vet visits, and a decent area for storage.

 

[moon_and_spoon]

Personally I’m against individual turnout, small herds all the way for me. But if it came to one or another I‘d go for yard 2.