dingbat
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Post by dingbat on Dec 23, 2008 14:24:49 GMT 1
With all the unhappy livery threads on here at the mo, i just wondered how many people were happy with their yard?!
And if things could be better - then what would you change?
What do you feel is priority when looking for a yard? (e.g turnout, school, tack room, distance from home etc).
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Post by amelia on Dec 23, 2008 14:45:05 GMT 1
I voted OK buyt things could be better - DIY/Part
I love lots about my livery yard, people are lovely, stables are HUGE, relaxed atmosphere, well fenced paddocks etc etc
But if I could change the location to somewhere quieter and with better hacking that would be wonderful, and also have more land which wasn't so prone to being water logged.
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Post by jackiedo on Dec 23, 2008 14:48:18 GMT 1
Ivoted Yes Full, cos that is where Az is... We ave also been very happy with the field we rented, but it is hard now it has got dark and there is no lighting. We will be moving the mares for the winter I think
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Post by cookie on Dec 23, 2008 14:51:28 GMT 1
I voted OK-Part/DIY, more turn out and I'd be very happy as facilities and hacking are good and assisstance is good. but round here t/o is always limited.
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thelwall78
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Post by thelwall78 on Dec 23, 2008 15:34:53 GMT 1
Yes, I LOVE my yard - my horse is on part livery, I go down and ride and do her box in the morning, yard get in and put to bed in the pm.
YO is helpful and knowledgable, always got the horses best interests in everything she does - and her and her husband are just lovely. 14 horses on a mixture of DIY, part and full livery. Daily turnout in small groups of 2 or 3 horses that get on well in post & rail/electric paddocks that are well kept - bit muddy at gateways but rest is fine. She doesn't have 24x7 turnout in the winter but I don't want that or know anyone on the yard who would take it even if it was available to be honest!
No yard rules other than common sense and courtesy. We buy good hay and straw from her but if we want to buy it from outside we can have storage to do so. Lovely tackroom with an always on low heater and a dehumidifier, plenty of storage for rugs and other bits in a locked rooom where everyones rack space is clearly labelled.
If on DIY we just write on the board if we want something extra done, like one end of the day or the other or full days if you're away or whatever.
Good hacking straight from the yard, off road in four different directions, YO is friendly with the local landowners so we can ride lots of places that aren't real rights of way as well. We have a sand school which can get a bit muddy and skiddy but it's ok - the next door neighbours have a lovely big school with gorgeous surface 5 mins walk away which we use for a donation to her pony pot - I usually put £2 in a time if I remember or just stick a tenner in there every few times if I forget! In the summer we have a grass jumping paddock and a grass dressage arena as well. Muckheap is always kept nice, yard is always tidy (we keep our own bits tidy and YO keeps the rest nice.)
YO does lessons, clipping, etc if we want it.
Basic rent is £17 pw. On top of that is full livery = £8 per day, turnout/bring in = £2 per go. Muck out and haynets done = £4. Clipping = £20/25. Lessons/riding = £15ph. Big round bale hay = £18. Straw is £2.50 for 3 or 4 sections of a large rectangle bale - depends on how the farmer separates the bale as to how much you get!
The only things I would change are: our own school resurfaced and lit so I could ride in the dark without having to ride down the lane (its off road mind you) to the neighbours school, and hot running water - we have to boil a tea urn for hot water if we want it, but there's no way I would move because of either of those things - the yard overall is ACE.
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Post by chrissiew on Dec 23, 2008 16:37:33 GMT 1
Well I kind of cheated as said Yes (DIY), have been very happy for six years, but am moving end January due to YO consolidating her separate full livery yard into our DIY one and some people having to move. Mind you it was my choice to move, as my sister and I decided before the "places" which you had to reapply for were allocated, as we have the opportunity to move into the yard the YO has given up where her full liveries were and it has just as good, if not better at the moment facilities and we get to be proper DIY without being overseen by a YO, who whlist lovely, does have a full livery mentality.
So I am happy at my yard, but will hopefully be just as happy, if not more happy at the one we are going to.
I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both livery yards and private ones and a lot of it is how you cope with the many and varied people and horses you have to live with.
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Post by julz on Dec 23, 2008 16:42:53 GMT 1
diy/part - happy there... but the one thing I would change, is the fencing. some of the fencing is sheep fencing, and until recently didnt think anything of it, until a horse got three of his four legs caught in it.
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Azrael
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Post by Azrael on Dec 23, 2008 18:50:08 GMT 1
I'm happy ;D In an ideal world i wouldn't mind 20 acres or so of well drained grazing and a fancy indoor school added but really I'm very happy with where the ponies live
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Post by graymare on Dec 23, 2008 18:55:05 GMT 1
Very Happy! Lovely yard, great YO, fab facilites and hacking (nothing fancy, just outdoor menage and jumping field), lovely positive fellow owners. Most of us have been there years now, very little turnaround of folk - can be take awhile for new people to feel comfortable though, so we all work hard to include them.
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Post by sara on Dec 23, 2008 19:46:49 GMT 1
Yes I'm happy.
There are of course things that I would like to change, such as being closer to home, but it is great, and I feel very settled there
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Post by arabheaven on Dec 23, 2008 20:57:06 GMT 1
I vited Ok - could be better DIY. The yard is great for the horses - 24/7 turnout, Ori has a mansion of a stable, we have hay etc delivered and stacked for us, I have 2 fields, rent is very cheap, only 3 owners out of 4 I see regularly and we all help each other out. BUUUUT i rreeeeaallly want a school but I daren't move and risk compromising the above!!
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dingbat
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Post by dingbat on Dec 23, 2008 21:58:54 GMT 1
No, its hard isnt it. Usually there are good things and bad things about every yard.
I'm finding the main downside to mine at the mo is turnout. They are allowed out daily but have a tiny square of pure mud and thats it. so my horse is starting to get fed up! we have a school but no lights so i cant work him in the week either - to compensate for turnout.
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iammizz
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Post by iammizz on Dec 24, 2008 0:14:13 GMT 1
love my yard, we all get on so well and help each other out when we can, x
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emi
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Post by emi on Dec 24, 2008 0:29:22 GMT 1
I put yes, even though a few things could be better, I'd say I'm as close to perfect as you're ever going to get witha livery yard - you can't expect everything. As long as my horse is happy and healthy and the yard doesn't make life hard for me, I'm happy.
Top priority? For me, distance from home is a huge one. Connor's at the other end of the village and I couldn't have him much further away! I don't have a car so it's got to be within walking distance (or else I'd be confined to only seeing him around Mum's working hours and get lifts), but even if I had one I just like the idea of knowing I can get to him in 5 minutes if I need to.
I think a close second is having an indoor school (or a well surfaced out door with lights) because he needs to be kept fit in winter. Hacking is also up there, as is turnout as a general - 24/7 in summer, starvation paddocks available, need option to turnout every day in winter etc.
I tihnk DIY livery is also a major requirment - I wouldn't want to be part unless I really knew that I could trust the place. I may just have had bad experiences but at my old yard we were 'part' because they just didn't allow DIY, but because they knew we came up everyday, Connor was never brought in - we couldn't have not gone up without telling them! And then at my current yard, they do part livo n such a huge scale that practically it's hard for them to turn the horses out for much longer than 5 or 6 hours max, they're only out about 4 times a week in winter and there's no personal service to suit your horses specific needs. I'm so much happier on DIY.
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Post by gem on Dec 24, 2008 11:24:09 GMT 1
lik,e emi - I voted yes even though there are a few things id change - really Id like better grazing and the fencing could be a bit more robust for Diesel and Gou other than that bigger herds if Im being really fussy
But I can trust my yard manager, everyone is lovely and friendly - we have a mixed bunch so NH is not sniffed at, good hacking indoor and outdoor school - its very nice!
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