How to Choose a Livery Yard by Talking to Other Owners
Everyone knows that the best form of advertising is through word of mouth.
Getting a personal recommendation from someone that you know and respect will make you have a very positive view of whatever has been recommended to you.
The same is true of livery yards.
If you are choosing a livery yard then talking to other horse owners is the best way to get to know the best and worst points of the yards they are on.
Asking owners about their yard can open a catalogue of complaints and niggles.
For some people having a good moan about their situation is what makes them happy, but that does not mean they would change their situation.
After recounting a litany of disasters and problems and you ask if they are happy there they say yes of course! It is best to first know what you want from a yard and have a list of things that you want to find out more about.
Then you can ask some targeted questions, pin down the moaning owner and get the real story.
There are great benefits to be gained by talking to two or three owners from one yard.
They may all tell you different things and also confirm what others have said.
You always need to remember that other people are likely to have different priorities from you, and therefore their comments are likely to focus on their priorities rather than yours so remembering to ask specific questions about things you are particularly interested in is important.
Sometimes it can be the things that people do not say that tell you the most.
If you ask about a particular subject and the other person avoids answering by changing the subject or fudges the answer it may tell you more about the real answer.
It is important to look for the clues that are not in the conversation as well as the one that are.
By asking around generally you will get more information.
Your friends who have their horses elsewhere may have heard local gossip about the yard.
Whilst it is not sensible to accept this loose-talk as verbatim most gossip begins with a nugget of truth, so look for those nuggets and sort out the truths from the fiction.
Finding a home for your horse is quite like finding a new home for yourself.
There is a grave risk of making an emotional decision and then finding the facts that fit your desire and ignoring any that do not.
For this reason it is always advisable to have someone with you who will act as the voice of reason when investigating a yard.
Whilst you are busy asking questions your companion can be observing and listening to the answers, with a dispassionate view that should be taken into account in the analysis of which yard.
If you use these interviewing techniques at several yards you will soon get an all round impression of where you think your horse would be best suited and you will find the perfect yard for both your horse and you!
Getting a personal recommendation from someone that you know and respect will make you have a very positive view of whatever has been recommended to you.
The same is true of livery yards.
If you are choosing a livery yard then talking to other horse owners is the best way to get to know the best and worst points of the yards they are on.
Asking owners about their yard can open a catalogue of complaints and niggles.
For some people having a good moan about their situation is what makes them happy, but that does not mean they would change their situation.
After recounting a litany of disasters and problems and you ask if they are happy there they say yes of course! It is best to first know what you want from a yard and have a list of things that you want to find out more about.
Then you can ask some targeted questions, pin down the moaning owner and get the real story.
There are great benefits to be gained by talking to two or three owners from one yard.
They may all tell you different things and also confirm what others have said.
You always need to remember that other people are likely to have different priorities from you, and therefore their comments are likely to focus on their priorities rather than yours so remembering to ask specific questions about things you are particularly interested in is important.
Sometimes it can be the things that people do not say that tell you the most.
If you ask about a particular subject and the other person avoids answering by changing the subject or fudges the answer it may tell you more about the real answer.
It is important to look for the clues that are not in the conversation as well as the one that are.
By asking around generally you will get more information.
Your friends who have their horses elsewhere may have heard local gossip about the yard.
Whilst it is not sensible to accept this loose-talk as verbatim most gossip begins with a nugget of truth, so look for those nuggets and sort out the truths from the fiction.
Finding a home for your horse is quite like finding a new home for yourself.
There is a grave risk of making an emotional decision and then finding the facts that fit your desire and ignoring any that do not.
For this reason it is always advisable to have someone with you who will act as the voice of reason when investigating a yard.
Whilst you are busy asking questions your companion can be observing and listening to the answers, with a dispassionate view that should be taken into account in the analysis of which yard.
If you use these interviewing techniques at several yards you will soon get an all round impression of where you think your horse would be best suited and you will find the perfect yard for both your horse and you!
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