I’m moving John to a new yard today – and I’m soooo nervous. It’s a big deal moving your horse and not something you undertake lightly. Will he like it, will he settle, will he pine for his friends, would it be better to leave him where he is – these are all questions that went round and round in my mind and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone in the same situation. Trying to work out the pros and the cons is a nightmare, but after weeks of deliberation, sleepless nights and asking him (not that he ever replied) I have decided to go ahead and move him to Dedham…
… which is much further away from where I live unfortunately, but the reasons that swayed me are:
He will have year-round turnout, unless I decide to keep him in because the weather’s bad. At his current yard the horses were kept in rather a lot this past winter, even those days that other horses elsewhere were out, which I didn’t like.
One reason for this is the paddocks suffer from bad drainage and become waterlogged, so he was knee-deep in mud when he was out – which I didn’t like either.
At his new yard he will be able to live out 24/7 during the summer. Now I don’t know if he will take to that as I’ve never left him out before (never been at a yard where it was allowed), but I’m going to try it and see. You never know, he might love it.
The final reason – and an important one – finances. The new yard will cost me a lot less and even though I will spend more in petrol, it should work out cheaper. And I’m afraid that is a big consideration for me at the moment, as it is for so many horse owners. I have heard that many people can no longer afford to keep their horses, which is tragic. I hope never to be in that situation and I’m doing all I can to make sure John and I continue in our happy relationship, unaffected by the horrors of recession. If it means a longer journey for me then so be it.