Great facilities... Terrible Management

Competitively priced for the facilities on offer as a livery: use of indoor and outdoor schools, show jumps and working hunter fences, and horse walker which usually works. However the advertised "shower room" has been out of functional use for about 4 years, and I can't remember the last time the solarium looked safe. The cross country is also barely useable due to the state of the fields (which I will come to later).

And although stabling prices are competitive, hay and bedding have been steadily overpriced for the last 10 years. I don't use livery services, although MOST of the staff are amicable and have exams to around BHS stage II. Lessons are average, with only 2 qualified instructors in the staff cohort.

Despite this, the yard has two major failings which cannot be overlooked. Turnout is atrocious. Grass livery is not available, although they have been advertising 'year round turnout' since the site opened. With 150 acres a very simple worming and rotation programme could easily be implemented. However the yard is managed on a very much money-orientated basis, where two cuts of hay are required off every field, before it can even be considered for turnout. On top of this the fields used are very much overstocked: the 'mixed' field is a ragwort, swampy mess that has not been rotated since its purchase over 5 years ago. The 'boys' and 'girls' fields do not fare any better, and in response to mud rash and injury worries the reply is often "don't turn out", and appalling attitude to horse management.

I believe a lot of these issues are through ignorance rather than intentional rudeness. The yard is not run by the brightest bunch, and the work ethic appears to be "do less, charge more". However blatant favouritism and special treatment does sour the atmosphere somewhat for older clients who reside there exclusively for convenience.

With a different manager, and a better attitude towards clients, this yard could be fantastic. Unfortunately I don't see these problems being remedied at any point in the near future.