Article from Cheddar Gazette - 25th November 2004

On the Hoof by Caroline Lowndes

Petruth Paddocks is a new Livery Yard that has opened in Cheddar. The Sayer family have worked hard to create a friendly, clean tidy and efficiently run yard that works both as a good environment in which to keep a horse, and as a small business.

They have just won British Horse Society approval. The British Horse Society runs a system of approving livery yards throughout the UK. Each establishment is rigourously inspected to ensure that there is a satisfactory level of horse care, welfare and facilities.

There is a registration booklet given to all prospective clients, with a comprehensive list of requirements. This sets out to "Create a comfortable home for your horse and a pleasant environment for all to enjoy".

This is well thought out, and pays attention to every detail, from keeping individual turnout paddocks clean to recommended levels of horse insurance. A detailed list of charges means that there are no nasty surprises, it costs from around £20 a week for a basic package and fees go up as services are added.

There is a Yard Manager who oversees the welfare of the horses and owners, and safety for all is a keen consideration. For instance, there is a board upon which riders may write where they are going and approximate time of return when they go off for a long ride, mobile phone numbers are given and taken, and there is a 24-hour answering service.

The atmosphere in the yard, although businesslike, is friendly and welcoming, well behaved dogs are allowed, and clearly enjoy romping around the fields with their owners. Traditionally, horses have been turned out in groups, and being old fashioned, I personally like to see them at large, rubbing each other's necks, squabbling over the hay and who gets to the gate first.

Electric fenced individual small paddocks are the way of the future though, with health and safety becoming so prevalent in our culture. Owners are safer just collecting one horse from its pen, the horses are safer with no jostling in gateways, no kicking or squealing and ropes being pulled out of hands, it is a sensible way forward.

There are plans to put in an all weather, floodlight arena to extend the riding time available to owners, and the yard has a visiting instructor who gives lessons every week.

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