yards...

It continues to amaze me how few horses are hacked out these days.

I suspect that the vast majority of horse owners are over-horsed and are too terrified to ride their horse(s) out. I would dare to say that about 80% of horse owners are over-horsed.

A great shame for the horses as gentle hacking is a good way to keep them fit and trim.
 
We've got a bit of a mixed buch too - there's me with my old Arab (bless him) - I ride 5/6 days a week rain or shine and compete almost every weekend.

Then there is one girl who has 2 eventers - she rides every day and competes, but her hours are completely different to mine and her horses stay out alot.

There are 4 other liveries that ride alot and compete, but they finish work alot earlier than me and are gone by the time I get there - they also chuck their horses out all weekend and only coem up at noonish to ride so they only have to come once a day

I am the only one on the yard at 7:30 on a Saturday and Sunday morning and the only one there after 6pm

A new guy has arrived who showjumps so i'll wait and see what he does, but apart from that there are 3 horses that never seem to be ridden (in fact I can't remember the last time I saw their owners or the horses in from the field) - one of them is a very talented eventer who gets boxed up and sent off to a competition yard about 2 weekends in the summer - he always wins apparently
 
Our yard has 26 liveries?, & there is a real mixed bag of people & horses.

Some only hack out, most hack out as part of their general fitness programme plus for fun. A large proportion compete in dressage at local shows. Some do a bit of everything X-country etc. There are about 5 who show jump regularly.

Some come to the yard early, 6.00am & others arrive around the 8am mark, a few a litle later. Of course Evenings & Weekends are busiest times but as this is a fairly large yard at most times of the day there will be someone around the yard....& that's good.

The majority of horses are riden regularly.
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There are about 30 liveries at my yard. Most of them ride reguarly (4-5 days a week on average) our yard is quiet in the week during the day but very busy at the weekends and evenings when people come to ride after work etc. A few people just hack, a few do hacking and just school and jump for fun and have lessons, and a few compete (mainly in dressage but we do have a few show jumping and eventing competitiors including myself!) I ride 5-6 days a week to keep my pony's fitness up. However, I used to at a yard like the one you are describing and hardly any of the liveries ever rode.
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My old yard had about 14 horses on, and there was only 3 of us regular riders who were on every day.
The rest either had too old, too young, or broken horses. There were even a few with perfectly fine ones, but they used to bring them into the stable, spray them with flyspray then t/o again.

My new yard is on a 1500 acre estate, which has 4 yards on in total, most people ride, bar a few who just keep their horses as pets.
 
its so depressing i ride as much as i can i aim to rid eeveryday but if i said i rode 7 days a week that would be a lie.. about 5 days a week.
but i dont think my horse is fit.... she always sweats up...we've no hills and no long canters....
i often wonder if my mare is just "hot" because shes never blowy or exhausted and once ashes sweated she cooles again later....??
 
There are 10 liveries at my yard (I am just counting the people between us there are 15 horses.

Most of us ride regurlary, allthough one (who owns 5 horses) only rides once a week on a good week normally every couple of weeks. Allthough 1 of her horses is retired, another injured at the moment, and they are all on full working livery so it's no cruelty case!

Allthough the yard is usually busy particulary at weekends, as its RS. I like the hustle and bustle though and I work there at weekends, I like having about 10-20 options on who I can ride with
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i am on my tod !!! there were 3 of us but one of them moved his horse to another place and the girl that has been there 6 years has got a job in wiltshire but still pays rent cause she brings him back down when she has 2-3 week breaks. So there are just my 2 and i can now have extra grazing woopi 2 fat ponies with more grass then you can shake a stick at lol
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i ride out when i can cause my 2 wont be separated so i either school at the weekends or grab someone and chuck them on to go hacking (which i love sooooo much more)
 
Carmen: No I still have my boy thank god.

I love to hack as part of a fitness thing, it lets them rest their minds as well everyone deserves a bit of time off!
 
We probably have about 20 liveries on my yard plus one full time and 2 part time staff.

Full time girl starts at 9:00, before then there is usually 1 part time girl and 1 livery up there to do any morning chores. 1 person comes up just to feed in the morning and we have 2 on shifts who come up at any point during the day depending on their schedule.

Otherwise yard is pretty much deserted until about 16:30 when the post school/work crowd arives. I love it this way, when I'm working mornings it is really peaceful but there is lots going on when I go over in the evenings.
 
My yard has 5 ridable horses, and around 8 people - including me - who can ride (some part of a family that owns one horse, others have an unridable horse but help to ride others on the yard on occasions).

Presently, how many people ride? ONE - me. I have ran out of people to ride with, I either ride alone (on LETHAL roads), or not at all as we don't have a school or anywhere off road to ride. One is on holiday, one has a bad back, three have been put off riding, and two just simply don't show up - ever.
 
I'm really lucky there are 3 regular liveries (one with two horses) about 20 horses on the yard but the rest are either YOs or in to be backed or brought on (YO's specialty is young horses), other two liveries are both really nice, ride as much as they can, will hack out or school or use the xc course with me, there's always room in the lorry if there's a competition on & everyone is really supportive...
 
i ride, the new livery rides, and another guy i ride with has 2 jumpers, but the others either dont go out ever or very rarely (couple of times a year) so out of 8 horses only four work (and i ride 3 of those)
 
It's not fair not feeding horses til 10 am on weekend days just cos people want a lie-in. Nice though if a bunch of friends gets together and does a weekend feed rota - I couldn't do a yard that big where no-one does anything. Its ok if you don't want to get out and about but if I were you I'd be looking for somewhere a bit more inspiring!
 
I absolutely love my yard! I also think it's one of the best in Epsom by way of facilities/standard of care and other liveries.

Always people to ride out with, I'd say that nearly half the yard compete at local or affiliated level so always people to go out with.

The YO is also one of the most knowledgeable horsewomen I've ever met - and doesn't ram it down your throat!

Saying that, you certainly pay for the priviledge!

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