A Morning at the Yard

What the first two hours of a livery yard actually look like, for anyone deciding whether they want a horse of their own.

It starts earlier than people expect and it is largely silent.

Six o'clock, the yard lights on, somebody already filling water buckets. Horses know the order things happen in and object loudly when it changes. Hay first, then mucking out, then turnout as the light comes up.

There is very little conversation until about half past seven.

The rhythm

Every yard settles into one and it is remarkably consistent between them. The work is not hard so much as unnegotiable - the same tasks, the same order, seven days, and it takes roughly two hours whether you have one horse or three.

Anyone considering ownership should do a full week of it before buying anything.

What you learn standing there

More about horses than any lesson will teach you. You see which one is off her feed, which one has been rolling, which one is standing differently. That daily baseline is the whole of good horse care, and it is only available to people who turn up every day.