yard dilemma

[Kilconnellbay]

hi all,

After some advice..

im currently on a assisted DIY yard with good facilities. the only downside is that this year our YM has decided to restrict turnout for only a few hours a day. I actively compete my horse therefore the facilities of a nice outdoor school is a bonus. the downside is that the hacking is mainly roadwork.

im considering moving my horse back to my parents house. they have a 3 acre paddock with hard standing and stables. However no facilities but off road hacking. there is a school i can hire less than 10 mins. i am a massive turnout fan and this turnout situation is wearing thin on me.

i work from home so my work is flexible. occasionally i travel abroad so would need to see a freelancer to cover those days . i know this would be ideal if i was a happy hacker, but i compete BS and BE all year round so i regularly train etc and worried this will become a strain.

if you have questions to help me make an educated decision.. feel free to ask :)

Is the turnout restriction due to being on waterlogged clay? If so it that should improve as the ground dries out in spring (if it ever stops raining that is!!) Its probably worth hanging on at the yard to see if the turnout improves. Has the YM given an indication how long the restriction will last?

we are on sand! the ground is better than what it was back in nov. no indication of when it will end, but YM is quite temperamental... i worry i will stir up the bees nest buy asking

Right I am going to say some things to put you off, I don't mean to sound negative, if you can answer all these to your own satisfaction then it could be a great option!

What facilities would you have at your parents place, is it literally just a paddock - is it already set up for horses with good safe fencing and a field shelter etc, or would you have to buy and put up all that? 3 acres is a good size for 1 horse and 1 pony but not so big that you can afford to be careless with the management of the land (you don't want to go from frying pan to fire with poached fields!), so you will probably have to sub divide and rest sections of the field alternately, which is a PITA. Don't underestimate the amount of work required to maintain fencing, weed and de-ragwort, maintain water troughs and field shelters, seed and re-harrow poached grass etc., have you got anyone who would help with all this or would it all be on you? Quite a lot of this requires the right tools and equipment too which all adds to the expense as well...

Presumably you'd need to find a companion for your boy, would you be getting a friend to share paddock or acquiring a companion from rescue or similar? I'd be a bit reluctant to take on permanent responsibility for another horse/pony if I was you, particularly a non ridden small or elderly pony that may have health or behavioural issues, but then again effectively sub-letting the field could come with its own issues? Also, I have a real horror of letting horses get too closely pair bonded due to previous bad experiences (but am aware some are absolutely fine!), so I would always want mine out in groups of 3-4 as a minimum...

As you regularly travel abroad for work, I'd be anxious about what would happen in an emergency, are your parents remotely horsey - could they catch and secure the horses if there was an escape attempt or one of them was injured for instance? It can work fine getting a freelancer once a day to check and feed etc. but they won't be guaranteed to be able to come out 24/7?

I sympathise with the frustration with lack of turnout, it is really a problem for me too (mine are currently out for a few hours in the day only and going absolutely loopy with it!), but it can be a bit par for the course with a wet winter - I don't suppose there are any other local yards that have better turnout you could look into?

I wouldn’t keep a horse long term at a yard with limited turnout. It’s a welfare issue as far as I’m concerned. I’d move.

Thanks Maxelly - you make some valid points. fencing is already horse-proof. i kept my youngster there for 3 years a couple of years ago. field shelter and barns are all already inserted. although if i was to move my horse there i may invest in taking down the barn external features and inserting proper stable fronts and dividers.
my dad is handy at keeping on top of the field maintenance and we previously had the local farmer come in and remove the muck heap

When i was kid/teenager ..(basically before i could drive!) .. they were hands on with the horses . My mum also fed my youngster most days for me when she was there. so i would trust them to know what to do in an emergency
The question is the companion.. my mum previously had mini shetlands who kept my youngster company . by they have now passed away.
i thought i would look at the bluecross or similar for a little companion. but i note you saying that the unexpected could happen.

Is the school that you can use 10 minutes hack or 10 minutes box away? How convenient would it be in the winter? You work from home, so theoretically you would be able to ride in the middle of the day?

10 min box away. there is potentially one a 5 min box away but i need to go knocking and ask if they would hire it to me.
i know for certain the one the 10 min box away would hire.
yes, im lucky enough to be able to ride in the middle of the day :)

I'm assuming that temperamental yard owner wouldn't be happy for you to move horse home for a month or 2 until you can have 24/7 turnout again?

This is a common problem this year with the non stop rain, mine has only gone out a couple of times so far this year, but will be out overnight once things dry out

I'd move back to the parents like a shot! I've known people compete as BS/BE without an on-site arena and who basically kept the horses in a field, with a stable, and travelled to a hired arena for any practice necessary. Schooled in the field otherwise. In fact one of my favourite trainers, who also rides BE, keeps her eventers in a field. All the time. No arena!

Temperamental YOs and limited turnout are deal-breakers for me.

I competed BE from home with no arena. I did a lot of schooling out hacking and had an arena ten mins away that I could borrow.

Things to think about-
Company- one companion isn’t really enough. Two horses become very pair bonded and it’s difficult to take one out riding and leave the other. Two companions would be better (so a herd of three).
Cover- we have someone freelance come in to do our horses a couple of days a week. It gives us a break and means there’s a good chance of cover for holidays and emergencies (and by someone who knows our routine).

I wouldn't divide up a lovely barn. I'd let them have free access to use it and the hard standing. I've just knocked 3 stables through to get that setup!