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Recently me and Annie have moved yards. After 3 years at our last yard it was time for a change of scenery. We were both getting a bit bored and were limited to what we could do. Hacking is one of my favourite things to do and Annie was so naughty I had to make the decision not to hack her out anymore. But since moving we have access to almost 20miles of off road hacking and more opportunities to jump and get out. Read on to find our more about our move.
We had been on our last yard for 3 years and we learnt so much during our time there. The atmosphere was very relaxing and the people were great. Everyone was really welcoming when we first arrived which helped me and Annie to settle in. Annie absolutely loves being out in the field, so with the field being on site it meant she could be out every day. At first she hated her stable and actually broke down the front wall to try and get out – oops! But once she was moved to inside the barn she finally calmed down a bit.
The yard we were first at for 4 years was just down the road, so we knew all the hacking routes. Over time Annie started to become much more worked up each time we went out, especially on the way home. In the end she was rearing, jumping through the air and spinning around in the middle of main roads. Which obviously was very dangerous. So that was when I decided it was no longer safe to take her out.
With the atmosphere being so different to our last yard, any competitiveness disappeared leading to us jumping a lot smaller than we had done previously. Over summer we had use of a jumps paddock and over winter had jumps we could put up in the arena. So we always had opportunities to jump. However over time I lost my nerve to jump Annie so high. She also seemed to loose interest and went through phases of anticipating jumps too much so ended up rushing them or not wanting to jump at all.
With Annie picking up bad habits it became very limited as to what we could do. This is what pushed my decision to move yards. I hadn't even looked at any yards when my friend said she was moving. When she described the yard it sounded perfect, exactly the kind of thing me and Annie would love. So when I heard there was a spare stable I went up to view it immediately. I fell in love and instantly put down a deposit. Two weeks later we moved.
Loading was stressful as Annie wouldn't get on the box. Eventually we got her on a different one and off we went. Annie moved with her best friend so actually settled rather quickly. Within a few days she was relaxed in her stable and in with the herd. She schooled perfectly in the arena and jumped the brand new jumps surprising well. On our first hack she was the same old crazy but because it's off road it wasn't an issue. There is xc jumps everywhere and the scenery is beautiful, it's like something every equestrian dreams of.
I absolutely love our new yard and Annie seems to as well. She is so much more relaxed and like a different horse to ride. I'm so excited to see what the future holds for us. Hopefully we can get jumping bigger again and can have some fantastic hacks out. I already get on with the people so well, who doesn't love a natter! As much as I enjoyed being at our old yard, this move was definitely for the best. I am hoping for many happy years ahead.