Livery yard help

[NuttyMare]

Okay, we have to choose a livery yard for Gracie, who is coming home soon for easter. Sorry about the hastiness of this message but I've got to get off the computer!

1) The first yard has a small menage, 50 acres, great hacking, quite small stables, and but the owner is slightly strange, and the grass gets completely decimated in the summer from the heat, and the owner refuses to move the ponies into a field with better grass. nice family environment.

2) The second yard has a large menage with an all weather surface, will not allow straw on the yard (which gracie is bedded on), has nice sized paddocks, the owner is a dressage rider, and gets a dressage trainer in often to teach the liveries. Not a very big yard, with not very big stables.

3) up and coming livery yard, has a few stables, lots of land, crag surfaced menage, good value for money, but the owner is not licensed as a livery yard owner and i dont think he is insured. Very relaxed environment, but not a lot really to do. Good hacking, but couldn't go far if you were serious about your riding/schooling.

4) FANTASTICALLY sized stables, very nice barn with good ventilation, quite expensive. Horses are individually turned out, so not a herd environment. However, they are in sight of other horses, although still not the same. Menage not floodlit, but all weather surfaced. Good sized arena. Owners work full time so its hard to have a helping hand if you cant get to the yard for some reason.

Gracie is 15.1, so stable size isnt so great a problem as it is to try and find a yard with big enough stables for my potential 17.1 the only one that has a big enough stable for him is yard 4.

Opinions?

 

[chewitmonster]

I may just be completely knackered but is Gracie just coming back for easter or from easter onwards? Sounds like a really silly question...because it is!

Now if only you could mix and match....



I like the sound of the first yard until about the second line where you talk about the grazing and the owner Still a possibility if you can cope with the strangeness...not so much a possibility about the grazing - that would really put me off.

Option 2: Sounds really nice. Can Gracie not be bedded on anything else i.e. shavings or is it a must that shes on straw? Could your potential 17.1 live out so hardly have to use a stable?

Option 3: If you were to consider this I'd be very wary of the owner and make sure he has insurance. What if something happened while you weren't there, or if something happened to him and he sues you or something (not sure on these points, no doubt someone will correct me if he can or not etc) This is a real iffy one. Mind if its up and coming he may be planning to be licensed and insured?

Option 4: sounds okay as well. What can you/your horse compromise on? Can she cope with individual turnout and can you cope without the helping hand from the owners? Are there other liveries to step in to help you?

Tough decision, none of them are crying out to me - depends more on what your willing to compromise... xxx

 

[HairyCob]

My instincts are as follows...

Yard 4- avoid it, horses are herd animals and I hate seeing them turned out alone, no matter how many horses they can 'see'.

Yard 1- sounds OK apart from the grazing issue and the strange YO. Just how bad is the grazing in summer? If there's enough for them to live on and not get fat, that might be a good thing!

Yard 2- sounds OK if you're into dressage, not allowing straw on the yard is common, if there's no problem with yours being on shavings apart from cost, work out how much you save using this yard as opposed to a more expensive one, and see if it comes out the same!

Yard 3- you say its up and coming, so it may 'come up' to a level that you COULD do more... check if they have insurance, they may well do, and think about how nice it would be to be in at the start and 'mould' it how you want it! Personally I like the sound of this one- you have a menage, good hacking and the possibilities are endless- you could get your own instructor in, etc. Likely to be more relaxed about things like having straw too, as it's just 'up and coming'! On the 'licensed' issue- I don't think I've ever been on a yard that is licensed- very few around here are, unless you go for big, impersonal yards where everyone is very competitive

I guess you have to follow your gut instinct, and go for what feels best for what you want for you and your horses- good luck!

 

[NuttyMare]

I think she's home from Easter to October, before going back up again! Means I get to travel the little monster on her own for six hours

Thankyou everyone for your opinions so far I may not even have to stable Piper somewhere, as he may just go straight up to the Royal Equestrian Court with me when I go to Queen Ethelburgas if all goes well...

Can Gracie not be bedded on anything else i.e. shavings or is it a must that shes on straw? Could your potential 17.1 live out so hardly have to use a stable?

My sister cannot afford really to keep her on shavings, as she is so dirty. The 17.1 is a very long horse, and I think its only turnout in the day, so he'll be in at night. Just don't want to make him feel even MORE confined than he already is in a stable!

 

[Giveitago]

I'd go for the relaxed atmosphere and grazing. Ask to see the insurance document or what your % off your livery is contributing to insurance, something like that.

Livery yards don't need to be licenced yet.

Hope all goes well.

 

[Jessey]

I would go for Number 3. Our yard is not licenced (tis a private residance) but they do hold insurance (only 3rd party but it does cover the basics, was about £500 for the year from NFU if you want to convince the guy to get some) I would say make sure you have your mare insured as well as you can just to cover yourself.
If it is up and coming you may be able to get involved and get together with people to hold little shows etc, it really depends on what you want.

I wouldn't touch number 1, grazing is the most important thing to me.

If you want to compete or train for dressage go for number 2.

at number 4, could you not have a field for each of your horses then just turn them out together and use it as a rotation, surely they won't complain if you own both horses and agree they hold no responsibility for any injury (caused by the horses).

Really depends on what you want to get from it all.

J x