100 acre or more

Just trying to decide what to do about the big chunk of land that might be heading my way.... I want to run a business / farm in it but just at the ideas stage..
 
depends where it was tbh. if it were here, I would get more ponies-maybe take on some youngsters (Fells, Exmoors ad Dales) and run them on and turn some of it into a luxury dog boarding kennels and training club (not for me to do the training, but to host it) and/or think about an equicentral retirement livery.

If it were somewhere I didn't want to be, I'd sell it.
 
Fence off under an acre for 3 of mine, take the 4th for a ride round to work out what would work best to build an xc course, all weather track on the boundary all the way round.....

I take it we'd have unlimited funds to do as we wished with it?
 
scats said:
First off, Id go for a fantastic hack!
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It would take fifteen minutes on 100 acres, it's only 700 metres by 700 metres, not nearly as much as it sounds.

B&B if it's in Cheshire like you are I'd sell it and live off the money. Farming is a hiding to nothing, especially that small a holding.
 
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ycbm said:
It would take fifteen minutes on 100 acres, it's only 700 metres by 700 metres, not nearly as much as it sounds.

B&B if it's in Cheshire like you are I'd sell it and live off the money. Farming is a hiding to nothing, especially that small a holding.
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I can turn our 35 acres into a forty five minute hack with some clever perimeter riding!
 
I dont need to make money off it its a business for fun, was thinking of running a small herd of dexters and making a cross country course... or farmimg herbs in poly tunnels but was just trying to think of some more fun things to do... its in cheshire
 
blitznbobs said:
I dont need to make money off it its a business for fun, was thinking of running a small herd of dexters and making a cross country course... or farmimg herbs in poly tunnels but was just trying to think of some more fun things to do... its in cheshire
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I'd keep rare breeds. Clydesdales, capybaru, bongo ....
 
I’d buy a lot of alpacas and run a business via them :p not sure would be a money maker lol.

Otherwise you could just contract half of it out to farmers for produce and make quite a bit of money that way plus you don’t have to maintain it.

You could put gallops in Around a large field and charge for people to use, if there is demand in the area. Otherwise retirement livery could be an option too, field only in a herd?
 
If money was no object, I would have a sculpture park with a riding trail separate from a walking trail and a lovely café with a place for horses to be tied/corralled whilst their owners had a drink and a separate part for non horsey visitors with a deli/farm shop arrangement . . . . and maybe a gallery for showcasing the art work of local people!
 
Take as much as land you need for your own ponies' for winter and summer turn-out incl fields that can be rested and do rotation system with their turn-out, and lay water, and have a field shelter built (which can be moved from one field to another.

Depending on the need for it in that particular area - would self-catering luxury cottages work from which people can explore the local footpaths? Or even these glam pods instead of cottages. If the hacking/bridleways in the area is good then it could be a base for riders to stay and hack from there, but that would be providing the hacking immediately from the property is safe and nice. Think you'll have to provide individual turn-out for them with a field shelter, or an allocated stable.

Or if you're not reliant on an income form the property at all, simply enjoy the land yourself with your own ponies and ensure their turn-out has short grass and a field shelter. Maybe keep a few Sheepies to keep the grazing short and nice.

You could perhaps build a massive high-fenced area where people can come and rent it by the hour with their dogs. They can have a play session, safe in the knowledge that their dog can't escape, even though their dogs are on the loose, Maybe throw in a few agility equipment?
 
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I'd talk to the local planning officer and see what they would allow first. Apparently even changing from farm land to horses needs a change of use approval in some areas, not to mention planning for taking down a hedge etc. etc.
 
If money was no object.
I would plant a 100 hundred acre wood. Or if the land was more suitable for mowing, I would make meadow hay full of plant species rather than the green deserts that have become the norm in many areas.
 
You could make hay for sale. As you say, keep a few cattle. Dexters are not my thing but if they are what you want then go for it. Condider some sheep as they are great at cross grazing with horses and do less damage to the land than cattle. A lot depends on your soil type and if you have winter housing or would have to have stock outside all year.
 
XC course and gallops round the outside. I used to keep my mare on a yard that had 100 acres plus and we could hack round a lot of it. They just had the local farmer's sheep on it though, they didn't really do much else with it. If someone came and gave me 100 acres right now, first thing I'd do would be fence some off for my two ponies and build a field shelter.
 
Start my own plant nursery!

Design and build my perfect yard plus a big barn out on the land and buy many, many more ponies!

Rent a portion out to a local farmer. Our local FB page always has pleas from farmer looking for a bit of extra land to rent.
 
I'd put an all-weather track around the perimeter/on a route around so I could have rideable off road hacking in the depths of winter!
 
A few of the ideas above, plus fence off approx 10acres & open a dog run business. They've become really popular & at £10 or so an hour for little maintenance, it strikes me as really easy money.
 
As above really - massive all weather gallops with cross country fences around the perimeter, as well as a huge all-weather (3x the size of ALW) arena with water, ditches, banks, etc. for XC in the winter. I'd also put in a big track system with proper fencing, hay feeders, a variety of surfaces, and several natural water sources. Around the track system I'd put a hardcore track for easy vehicle access for feeding and bringing in purposes.
Then the biggest indoors (x2) and outdoors (x3) I could get planning-wise. A few smaller barns with up to 10 stables, tack rooms, solariums, storage, and wash boxes in each meaning that they could be rented as a whole so people wouldn't be tripping over or annoying each other!

This is assuming that I've won the euromillions to facilitate the purchase of the 100 acres and still have a lot of money left after the purchase! I'd aim to run it as a competition centre and only offer livery to pros - track system would be for me and a few others on a full livery basis only. The ultimate dream would be to become a BE, BD, and BS centre - the nearest BE event from me is an hour and a half away so if we could become a regular centre for that we'd be the only one in west Wales.

A farm with just over 1000 acres came up for sale near us and this was/is the plan if we're ever lucky enough to be able to own something like that. OH would use any forestry on site to set up to run forestry rallies and run tarmac tracks across the land. We'd likely let nearby farmers use most of the land for free grazing for most of the year as neither of us fancy trying to maintain 1000 acres.
 
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Similar to DF I would set up a track system with different surfaces, auto filling troughs, shelter and places to hang big hay nets. Then I would open a "Paradise paddocks" type livery. I'd add a hacking track , maybe with a few jumps and if money was available a surfaced school so that I could charge a bit more.

I think loads of people would like to keep their horses on a yard like this if only if was available.
 
Depends on where it was - In the south east, I'd flog it to a developer and retire on the money - preferably abroad! West country/lakes/dales...I would see if I could put some holidays homes on it, if not use it for a Gundog training/trialling place and let some to a farmer to graze sheep or cattle...
 
100 acres is quite a lot if you don't have to make a living from it. The simplest thing would be to let it out and collect the rent money twice a year - no insurance, no expenses.

If you wanted it for your own horses - well for one of those "if I won the lottery" dreams I would have started a stud farm for a certain breed that I own, and have the young stock broken to ride and going well before selling, so a 4-5 time frame.
Plenty of scope for equestrian facilities too - cross country course, arenas to hire, driving facitities. Would have to be cross grazed ideally, though for cattle don't forget TB tests and any livestock needs much looking after. A dog exercising facility, securely fenced if near a centre of population, with a dog trainer there too.

Then there are the tourist things - camping/glamping, woodland walks. Planting orchards, wildlife meadows, having a natural burial ground.
 
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