Choosing the Perfect Livery Yard

When you are researching the different options to stable your horse there are a few things you should look into before you make your final decision. Any decision on a livery yard needs to be a long term solution, as like most of us your equine friend does not want to be moving house every couple of months. Here are the five major things to watch out for before you commit.

Ease of Access

Where is the Livery Yard based? Is it close to where you live, or perhaps it is close to where you work or go to school. Regularly visiting your Horse is very important for both your horses health and for your own. When the stable is closer to you it is less of a hassle to visit, and much easier to stop in and say hello and perhaps feed a carrot to your best friend.

If you live close to a built up area like in London, Bristol, Manchester then the inner city stables can be very expensive. After all the land is a premium and stables do take up a lot of space.  However moving further out into the countryside is just not simply an option when you have wait for the weekend to load up the entire family and kitchen sink just to get out there for a ride.

Try and find the right balance and you will be happy,.

Personal Recommendations

We all want to not only have a great stable but also a great group of riders you share your enthusiasm for your equine pursuits. Going for an evening or early morning ride with a friend or group of friends is a really satisfying experience. So it makes sense that you would like to have a group of friends with you also stabling their horses at the yard.

Today we are surrounded by social media and it’s easier then ever to ask your friends and family where they are thinking about stabling their horses. Try and find one that is with a group of positive professional horse owners!

Type of Animal Feed

Like anything the quality of what you get out of your horse depends alot on what goes in. Now when the Livery Yard is supplying all of the inputs in your stable for a fixed price you should pay attention to make sure no corners have been cut in regards to the quality of the feedstock. Your Horse will love you for maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet!

Quality of Horse Bedding

The same goes for the Horse Bedding used in their Stables. There are old types of bedding such as hay and straw and their are new age bedding such as wood pellets and everything in between like wood shavings. You want to ensure their Stables remains dry and moisture free while also having a cost effective solution. The United Kingdom also experiences a shortage of wood this year and you will want to maintain a reliable and constant supply. If you are interested in absorbency then wood pellets are the best product, however if you want a white bright colour then nothing beats shavings.

The Management

Yes the management and the stable boy and girls are there everyday looking after the place and making sure things get done. You will want to ensure you have a responsible, professional and down to earth team that can deliver an exceptional service.

If you can manage to strike a balance between all these, then you will find an amazing stable and livery yard and I wish you all the best in doing so.

 

Does your horse make friends?

It’s all too simple to remember to take your horses feelings into account as well. Horses develop intense bonding and closeness with other animals around them. If your horse gets along well with the others it will make their stay even better and you will have a happy horse in a great mood when you turn up in the morning. Something definitely worth considering.