13 May 2008
HORSE Website
HORSE Magazine
Bright lights, big city: Improving dressage and yards in cities
Tube stations, tower blocks and tack-cleaning: they’re all to be found in even the biggest cities in the UK. Kate Large talks to the yard owners and liveries who call the city their home
While the dream of horse ownership often centres around idyllic scenarios of hacking through drifts of bluebells, the reality is somewhat different. Keeping a horse happy, healthy and competition fit is an expensive business, and the majority of horse owners see more of their office desk than their beloved equines. With the best jobs often based in big cities, a large number of horse owners are choosing to keep their horses in urban yards they can reach just minutes after leaving their desk. But what is life really like for the horses, owners and yard staff based at urban livery yards?
Out and about
If you are considering urban livery, there are various things to take into consideration, not least the biggest drawback of stabling a horse in a city-centre yard; reduced turn-out. (See ‘Urban livery checklist’, below, for more information.)
Some horses cope well with the psychological implications of this, perhaps due to temperament or a background where they have been kept indoors. However, many require the relaxation and equine interaction that turn-out brings, and, without correct management, could be at risk of becoming stressed and unhappy.
Two London yards, Wimbledon Village Stables, and the Knightsbridge Riding Club, a tiny, 200 year old mews yard, have no turnout at all. “I don’t think the horses miss the turnout. They’re exercised regularly and do a variety of work,” maintains Wimbledon proprietor Carol Andrews. City yard-dwelling horses are often allocated countryside ‘holidays’; at Wimbledon, the horses have two or three two-week holidays a year, and at Knightsbridge they enjoy a six-week holiday at the start of each year and also in mid-summer.
Out of the city centre, East London’s Lee Valley Riding Centre has four turnout paddocks. Liveries have summer daytime turnout, which is reduced in autumn, but by winter turnout is limited. “There can be a period of about a month when the horses don’t get out,” admits Systems Administrator at the centre, Rachel Seddon. “That’s probably the main drawback of an urban yard. Liveries would love their horses to be out all the time, but that’s the trade-off you have to make in order to do your job in the city and still have ready access to your horse.”
At Wheathill Riding Centre in Merseyside, livery horses have a maximum of three days turnout per week. “The limited turnout is probably the main difference between us and a more rural yard,” admits proprietor Terry Danher, “but in Germany, for example, yards tend to turn their horses out very little.”
A sense of security
It’s easy to assume that city yards are more of a potential target for crime, but urban yard owners disagree. Knightsbridge’s proprietor Jenny Dickinson feels much safer in the city. “In London, most people are too scared to even pat a dog, so they’re not going to go through a yard full of horses,” she claims.
As Lee Valley is open to the public, it is covered by CCTV, but in an emergency, Rachel Seddon sees her London location as an advantage; “the police can be with us much more quickly than in the countryside,” she says. Despite this, the sorts of crime she sees are mostly nuisance and vandalism; “people thinking it’s fun to scare the horses,” she continues. “We don’t get thefts of equipment, as nobody would have the time and seclusion they’d need; and even if they did, I don’t think they would know what they were taking, or where to sell it on.”
Planes, trains and automobiles
Traffic is always an issue in urban areas, but Wimbledon Village’s sympathetic local council, the London Borough of Merton, has overseen the installation of horse-height crossing lights and remotely-controlled lights that display a ‘Slow: Horses’ message. This led to the Borough being awarded the BHS Safety Award ‘for the person, persons or community group who have done most to promote equestrian safety.’
“The traffic around us moves very slowly,” says the stables’ Carol Andrews. “On a country road, they can be travelling at more than 60 mph, which would worry me a lot more.”
Knightsbridge’s Jenny Dickinson is more concerned about the people and events to be found in Hyde Park. “During the cavalry’s practices for the trooping of the colour, I’ve had 400 guards with cannons playing the national anthem come up behind me when I’ve been riding. And recently I’ve had to ride through Party in the Park with a Welsh pony in tow!” she says.
Cutting the red tape
Running a business involves copious amounts of administration, but complying with rules and regulations comes with the territory for local authority-run Lee Valley Riding Centre. “The local authority wants awards and accreditations from quality management bodies,’ says Rachel Seddon, “but nowadays everyone in the equine industry needs to meet high standards, so we just see it as being a step ahead.” She is therefore proud of the fact that Lee Valley recently became the first UK equestrian centre to be presented with a QUEST sports development award for quality, given by Sport England.
Property development can also present a problem for urban yards, however Jane Forrester, who runs Twylands Livery and Riding School in the West Midlands, feels she can look to her local councils for security: “We’re in an area of green belt, with one foot in Bromsgrove and one in Dudley; Bromsgrove District Council are real sticklers for not developing on green belt land,” she says.
Top of the heap
At tiny city yards, space equates to money; so, in deciding whether to have a muck heap or an extra stable, there’s usually no competition. Lee Valley even constructed its own waste compacter to deal with dung; barrows are emptied directly into the compactor, which then pushes the waste into a giant container, where it rots before going on to be used as mushroom compost. With 90 horses on the yard, Wheathill’s muck heap could easily be the size of a house, but luckily local mushroom growers come to the rescue and relieve Terry Danher of his muck three times a week, free of charge.
Some central London yards have even banned muck heaps. At Wimbledon Village, Carol Andrews decided not to have one at all - staff muck out straight into wheelie bins, and a privately-contracted company collects the muck daily. “Even in a country yard, I’d never have one again,” she says. “Why not get rid of it all daily? It’s really smelly, and can attract rats and pests.”
The main differences
So what are the main differences between urban and country yards? Wimbledon Village’s Carol Andrews says the establishment is a mud free zone, for a start. “The yard is very small, so it’s easy to sweep, and the horses are always clean,” she says. “The worst thing is not having more space - I have an unbelievable waiting list for liveries!”
Rachel Seddon’s greatest headache is getting supplies delivered to Lee Valley’s yard. “We alway pay a premium for deliveries,” she says. “However, the yard’s location compensates for this. Before I came to Lee Valley, I wanted to leave London, but now I’m happy to stay. I love the countryside feel you get out here – and then you can jump straight on a bus and be in the city.”
For Wheathill’s Terry Danher, the greatest difference in running an urban yard is that liveries don’t come from horsey or country backgrounds. “In my experience, they’re more likely to see the horses as pets and we have to fill the gap in their experience,” he points out.
At Wyndham Livery, located in a Cardiff suburb, proprietor Sally Barker’s greatest bug-bears are locals who mountain-bike and dog-walk through her turnout fields. “The dogs are let off the lead and leave mess, which can end up over the horses’ rugs,” she explains. Despite this, Sally loves running her yard, which she set up because she couldn’t find a livery yard that offered what she wanted.
Jenny Dickinson set up the Knightsbridge Riding Club with £8,000 and no horses. Despite the challenges of running her yard, she’s adamant she would not swap her lot for a rural idyll. “I’d be bored,” she laughs. “If I have a stressful day, I can be at a West End theatre in 15 minutes. It is very hard work though, and you have to be very PR-savvy. Even at the times when your business nearly goes under, you still have to believe in your idea.”
Case study
Karim Souki is an energy trader working in Mayfair - he owns Orange Truffle, or Treileigh, a 17hh chestnut Irish-bred mare stabled on full livery at Wimbledon Village. “I bought the horse as I had been riding at Wimbledon Village Stables and wanted to get my own horse,” he explains. “When a box came free, I began looking for a horse along with the yard manager.” Souki had ridden as a teenager but only got back in the saddle two or three years ago. “I live in Fulham, so I can ride at 7:30 and then in 20 minutes by motorcycle I can be at my desk,” he says. “It’s important to have Treileigh close to my home and work, and for me not to have to spend time on horsey chores. I work until seven or eight pm every evening and regularly travel out of the country - riding is my escape from stress; it totally changes my life and I wouldn’t be happy to stay in London without Treileigh.”
Urban livery checklist
SUBSCRIBE TO HORSE MAGAZINE - CLICK HERE AND GET 3 ISSUES FOR £1!
Subscribe
