Advice needed! Possible relocation to the Highlands

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Caitlinr27

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Hello all!
Looking for abit of advice from folk with experience keeping horses in the Highlands…

Husband & I work together and have been put forward for jobs in the Highlands, on the west, around 1.5hr from Inverness.

Before we Per-sue it further and potentially waste anyone’s time, we would be very keen to speak to people with experience keeping horses in such rural locations.

We have 3 mares, 2x tb 1x wbxtb and basically I would like to know if we are absolutely ludicrous even considering it with the type of horses we keep. They are hardly sick or sorry, 2 of them very good doers, the other is poorer but we manage it just fine in current climate and conditions. Info online seems to be geared towards more native breeds. The place and jobs are ideal to us but it is important we consider the impact on our horses. we currently live north east cumbria and rent 5 acres (for a good price) where we have built stables and have a small arena and love our set up as across the road from our house so are hesitant to commit to a relocation. We are on clay ground and quite used to wet conditions but would they cope well with the change and extra snow? Ideally we are looking for a house with land in the long term but initially we would maybe keep them on the grounds of the estate while looking for property (accommodation for us does come with the job) or hopefully find a similar set up we have already.

Could anyone please offer any insight or information about keeping horses around here and whether you think we should consider it? Is getting hay, farrier, dentist, feed an issue etc? We have found a few vets that can service the area but again keen to know what people think of this in times of an emergency.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the post and I look forward to hearing what anyone has to say about their experience ☺️
 
It’s not the easiest geography to keep horses, daughter is here, on a rural estate and spends a lot of time managing horses- the weather is not always kind, the growing season is short, it’s not easy to get good grazing going. Everything is doable but there’s always additional time/costs. Good hay can be hard to get. Indoor schools ( an absolute joy in winter) are few and far between, decent competition is rare( no BS, BE now) there are a few dedicated souls from the far north who are serious competitors but it’s generally hard work! Fairly busy riding clubs, depending where you are but it’s VERY different to further south and everything is a long way away!
 
Thank you both for your response. I do actually have one very itchy horse! She is sensitive to midges and they are not the best where we are so do keep them fly rugged and we use deosect throughout the season! Are they much worse than in the borders then?
 
suebou said:
It’s not the easiest geography to keep horses, daughter is here, on a rural estate and spends a lot of time managing horses- the weather is not always kind, the growing season is short, it’s not easy to get good grazing going. Everything is doable but there’s always additional time/costs. Good hay can be hard to get. Indoor schools ( an absolute joy in winter) are few and far between, decent competition is rare( no BS, BE now) there are a few dedicated souls from the far north who are serious competitors but it’s generally hard work! Fairly busy riding clubs, depending where you are but it’s VERY different to further south and everything is a long way away!
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Thank you for your in depth response. The hay being hard to get is a big red flag for me! We have had it hard enough trying to get decent hay around here this year so that is a big consideration, thank you for pointing it out
 
Not sure where you'll be but we were an hour west of Inverness on the Skye road. We had hunter types and kept them just outside Inverness on the Black Isle. I'm from Gloucestershire and the midges terrfied me when I moved up. The Highland midge is nothing like the english one.. a million times more abundant to start with!
We were on a deer forest so think rivers, lochs , mountains and rocks. Perfect for the Highland ponies who were impervious to the ticks and midges but in no way could we have kept horses there.
Riding clubs are very strong, particularly in dressage and showing. I did some RC stuff around Inverness where there were some arenas, indoor and outdoor.
The Caithness/Orkney continent are particularly dedicated and successful.
Farriers and vets were limited compared to what I was used to in Gloucestershire

Im not sure if I went back that I'd have horses. I found it too hard to stay motivated with it.
 
Caitlinr27 said:
Thank you both for your response. I do actually have one very itchy horse! She is sensitive to midges and they are not the best where we are so do keep them fly rugged and we use deosect throughout the season! Are they much worse than in the borders then?
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Short answer yes. I live in the borders and have no midge issues here at all. I avoid anywhere west/highlandish after May as it appears I have particularly tasty blood and get driven to distraction by the little b#ggers! Which is a shame as it is a glorious part of the country.
 
I tend to think the west coast highland midges taught the borders ones how to do it! Daughter doesn’t see too many (near Lairg) but you need to be aware….
Services are available but you can’t be picky and I think nancykitt is well into proper Highlands. She’s probably better able to do the geography in detail.
I really wouldn’t worry about the snow! We get much less than in previous years and estates/ councils are equipped for it.
Hay might not be a problem, wherever you’re going may grow their own but it might be silage. There’s unlikely to be a local hay supplier, it’s not easy to get a good crop, but supply should probably be sorted before moving big horses!
It’s been really hard for her to get going with the horse there, she used to sj to a reasonable level but it’s not easy.
 
Everything is more expensive…everything. Some companies won’t even deliver to Highland addresses. Everything is much further away..hospitals, vets etc If you work you will be taxed more than in England. I think lots of visits over a winter to see the area rather than over a summer would be a good idea.
 
Tax in Scotland is ridiculous can be thousands more than in England. Many deliveries have a surcharge and delivery time can be long, some add an extra day which can be annoying. If you get down to Inverness there are regular flights to London and you can be there in an hour. It’s possible to go south for the day!! Quite a few people go to spectate at HOYs or London and that’s definitely easier than from other places. There are some people who compete and North Highland College used to go sometimes taking a few students with them. Like most things anything is possible IF you want it to happen.
The midges are in my experience similar to midges anywhere, they have a field day with new people but once you acclimatise they’re less of a problem. You should expect them to be very persistent if visiting but a few years down the line you’ll hardly notice. We had a pony who was really sensitive to them the first year we had her but after that was fine just with fly spray. Good luck, think carefully. The quality of life and friends made can be great. With the right set up you’ll tackle anything but without back up you may struggle for a while.
 
Um, my tax is less than £4 a month more than same pay in England but I get free prescriptions ( as everyone does) ….
The deliveries can be a pain but I use Royal Mail/ po and I don’t buy stuff if it’s ridiculous delivery. Amazon prime works well.
I go to London fairly often and although a day trip is possible ( used to do it for work) it’s not easy and BA Heathrow flights are less handy than they were- the last one up is delayed a lot.
We’ve been here 36 years but Moray is definitely not as remote as west coast, wouldn’t choose there with horses not bred for it!
As said previously, everything is possible just not always as straightforward as it can be further south.
 
The area around Inverness is fine for horses, rainfall is only about 750mm/year, the further west you go, the wetter it is, so an hour and a half drive would probably double/treble the rainfall. East/North of Inverness is also great for horses.
 
Wow thank you everyone for your advice and experience! Definitely some mixed opinions but I think general consensus would be that it would be difficult if we per-sue it.
We don’t compete at the moment however my youngest is not yet 4 and that is something I should bear in mind for her training continuation as she gets older. The midges and hay advice has given me enough info to pause and really consider if this is the best move for the horses. Our next steps would be to go and spend a few days up there, we wouldn’t be moving until end feb/March time I imagine (if the employers will wait that long!)
Thank you for those who pointed out tax differences than the uk as I hadn’t considered that aspect thus far!
A lot to think about, very nervous of making the wrong decision!
 
Caitlinr27 said:
Wow thank you everyone for your advice and experience! Definitely some mixed opinions but I think general consensus would be that it would be difficult if we per-sue it.
We don’t compete at the moment however my youngest is not yet 4 and that is something I should bear in mind for her training continuation as she gets older. The midges and hay advice has given me enough info to pause and really consider if this is the best move for the horses. Our next steps would be to go and spend a few days up there, we wouldn’t be moving until end feb/March time I imagine (if the employers will wait that long!)
Thank you for those who pointed out tax differences than the uk as I hadn’t considered that aspect thus far!
A lot to think about, very nervous of making the wrong decision!
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It’s very easy to do an online tax comparison…. I’d say that isn’t at the top of the list of things to overcome…
 
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