Best quality of life for both horse and his human in the UK

[Bowie38]

Hi all! I'm hoping to pick your collective brains.... I can relocate anywhere in the UK and trying to find the best options for my horse to have good all year herd turnout and for us both to have lots of off road hacking to enjoy. Open to all suggestions, including livery yards as a home with land might be a bit too far out of reach at the moment. Having too much choice is sometimes not a good thing when making a decision. Thanks in advance!

 

[Spotherisk]

What a lovely choice to make! I expect you’ll get lots of responses but it’s so very personal.

I have a friend on Dartmoor who lives at the end of a tiny lane, in the middle of the moors, and offers 24/7 hear turnout on moorland scrubby grazing, on a large acreage. For some people that’s heaven - for those who want a stable, a school, easy access to major roads and not to bump into the hunt every five minutes it’s hell! Literally horses for courses!

 

[Peglo]

I’m up in Orkney off Scotland. The weather in Winter can be quite harsh and mine are definitely happier being stabled overnight through the winter months but on the other side I’ve never needed to use fly masks or rugs in the summer. We don’t have miles of off road hacking but hacking on the roads is ok and we have lots of beaches to ride on. (They are never closed)
There’s a very active riding club and we get great instructors come up but the downside is we have to travel off island for specialist equine vets or more advanced training.
We also don’t have saddle fitters, chiro or EDT’s on the island but they all travel up here.

There’s ups and downs to living here but I love it and horses seem happy. House prices with a bit of land isn’t too expensive compared to south and there is a few liveries to choose from.


Best of luck with your new home search.

 

[FionaMc]

Watching this keenly as I’m trying to make a similar decision albeit with a few more constraints.

 

[meleeka]

I'd say avoid the south if costs are an issue, if not the New Forest area is lovely. If I could pack up and go anywhere it would probably be Yorkshire. I just love it there. Wales would be out for me as it rains so much!

 

[Annagain]

Gower is lovely - sandy soil means living out is possible all year (damp but warm climate), amazing hacking along beaches and hills so plenty of variety and it's not too far from civilisation in Swansea - which is a lovely city, small enough to be friendly but lots going on, especially with the new arena. It's not the cheapest but not megabucks either

 

[Goldie's mum]

I would also take into account accessibility, whether it is a 'horsey area' and nearness of good equine vets, farriers, saddle fitters etc.
I'm NW Scotland. It would tick all the "space to roam" type boxes for you and is relatively cheap but there's only one vet (& he mostly knows about cattle), it's very difficult to get a saddle fitter, one farrier will come here but only in good weather & it's hard to get him in a hurry, no arenas or instructors near enough to avoid an overnight stay. Wouldn't recommend it for someone who has a free choice to be honest.

 

[reynold]

Shropshire - a forgotten gem of a county. Also Herefordshire.

Some lovely outriding in Shropshire (Long Mynd) but don't know anymore about livery yards there.

 

[HopOnTrot]

My preference would be horses at home and great hacking but that can vary so much, would you box to hacking? Good venues close by? Good equine hospital/vets near by. Distance from Waitrose.
Near where I live I would love to be able to ride straight onto The Malverns, as it is I have to box about 20 mins to get there.

 

[Meredith]

central Welsh Marches

 

[Alibear]

I'd say near any national parks or forests, gives you the best hacking options.

 

[slimjim86]

I'll always pick Northumberland for any thread like this lol.

 

[SO1]

Thetford Norfolk. There yards within easy hacking distance of the forest. The hacking there is lovely. A friend of mine regularly rides in the forest. It is sandy so the ground is good.

It is a horsy area so no problem with finding equine professionals such as vets etc.

Thetford town is a decent size and 25 minutes to a good hospital for humans.

It is not clay so you are more likely to get all year turnout.

I presume you don't need to think about work and getting a job? As you might want to look at what is available workwise if that is a consideration..

 

[paddy555]

I’m up in Orkney off Scotland. The weather in Winter can be quite harsh and mine are definitely happier being stabled overnight through the winter months but on the other side I’ve never needed to use fly masks or rugs in the summer. We don’t have miles of off road hacking but hacking on the roads is ok and we have lots of beaches to ride on. (They are never closed)
There’s a very active riding club and we get great instructors come up but the downside is we have to travel off island for specialist equine vets or more advanced training.
We also don’t have saddle fitters, chiro or EDT’s on the island but they all travel up here.

There’s ups and downs to living here but I love it and horses seem happy. House prices with a bit of land isn’t too expensive compared to south and there is a few liveries to choose from.
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Best of luck with your new home search.

lovely place, lovely horse and lovely riding in your first pic. but there is no way I would ever be riding down that road, There are 4 THINGS in that field. There is no way on planet earth that Ru would be going past those, even led in the strongest bridle known to mankind. In fact he would be going very fast in the opposite direction, most likely without me.

 

[gryff]

Gower is lovely - sandy soil means living out is possible all year (damp but warm climate), amazing hacking along beaches and hills so plenty of variety and it's not too far from civilisation in Swansea - which is a lovely city, small enough to be friendly but lots going on, especially with the new arena. It's not the cheapest but not megabucks either

Was coming on to say just this.

 

[Mrs Jingle]

lovely place, lovely horse and lovely riding in your first pic. but there is no way I would ever be riding down that road, There are 4 THINGS in that field. There is no way on planet earth that Ru would be going past those, even led in the strongest bridle known to mankind. In fact he would be going very fast in the opposite direction, most likely without me.

I thought exactly the same!

 

[Cloball]

I'd say near any national parks or forests, gives you the best hacking options.

I wouldn't suggest the Lakes the traffic is horrendous in the national park most of the year there isn't many livery yards any more and it's quite expensive. North Cumbria is cheaper but flat and uninspiring hacking. There are long bridleways etc. but it's difficult to always join them up.
I fancy Dumfries and Galloway or nearish Inverness. You can look on Bing maps at all the bridleways etc.

 

[Jenko109]

New Forest.

Hacking is amazing. Of course.

I don't know of any yards that don't offer winter turnout. There are even some grass livery options available if you want 24/7 turnout.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I love Wales, used to live in South Wales and spent my time hacking round lovely areas. I always think you remember things with rose tinged glasses but I loved it there and we will go back at some point.

 

[equinerebel]

I’d also say the new forest if you have a healthy budget

 

[Orangehorse]

Shropshire - a forgotten gem of a county. Also Herefordshire.

Some lovely outriding in Shropshire (Long Mynd) but don't know anymore about livery yards there.

Do you live there? I have always thought that the riding isn't that great in either County unless you have good local access, of course it can change within a few miles.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

If you have deep pockets for a property then the New Forest. You'll need an animal that won't get upset by the 'delightful' crab flies but you'll have plenty off road riding. The north of the forest is quieter tourist wise. South of Lyndhurst tends to be busier.

Happy hunting!!

 

[cold_feet]

Thetford Norfolk. There yards within easy hacking distance of the forest. The hacking there is lovely. A friend of mine regularly rides in the forest. It is sandy so the ground is good.

It is a horsy area so no problem with finding equine professionals such as vets etc.

Thetford town is a decent size and 25 minutes to a good hospital for humans.

It is not clay so you are more likely to get all year turnout.

I presume you don't need to think about work and getting a job? As you might want to look at what is available workwise if that is a consideration..

This. I’m just across the border in Suffolk. Not close enough to hack to the forest (there’s not just one, I have a choice of at least 3) but we box up at least once a week. Hacking at home is excellent too, quiet lanes and plenty of bridleways/green lanes. Very horsey, plenty of choice of farriers/saddlers/physio etc and clinics/events. sandy soil for all year turnout. If only we had hills it would be perfect!

 

[Reacher]

lovely place, lovely horse and lovely riding in your first pic. but there is no way I would ever be riding down that road, There are 4 THINGS in that field. There is no way on planet earth that Ru would be going past those, even led in the strongest bridle known to mankind. In fact he would be going very fast in the opposite direction, most likely without me.

Tell me about it, a farmer up the road has got them, I nearly ended up in the ditch trying to get past

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I am on the border of west Oxfordshire, about 20 minutes from Chipping Norton and 40 minutes from Oxford city centre by car but with regular trains three min down the road which are a 15 min trip.

Pros:

- Relatively easy travel into London
- Very pretty area
- Oxford is great for tech, health, life science (my career areas)
- The area has some lovely pubs and restaurants
- There is great access to fresh produce and farm shops, delis, butchers and other independent retailers. I don’t go into supermarkets beyond popping into a co op occasionally these days.
- Very horsey area with a lovely community of farmers and horse people
- Good livery yards when I need them (I have mine at home mainly) and there are a fair amount of competition and clinic venues nearby
- GPs and hospitals are relatively good, private health also easily accessible
- Good network of health, fitness and wellness service providers. Personal trainers, physios, massage therapists, Pilates, yoga, healthy meal prep etc.
- Decent amount of things to do like farmers markets, summer and Christmas fairs, harvest festivals, music festivals, horse events, farm shows

Cons:

- Road hacking is difficult because of the traffic
- Lots of houses are popping up everywhere so I don’t know how long the area will remain so pretty
- Relatively expensive
- Not so easy to find property to rent or buy if you want horses at home
- Oxford is great for my industry but I’m not sure how much work there is outside of my area. To be fair, I haven’t looked but I do get the feeling that it isn’t huge if you’re not on the university / sciences / health side of things.

 

[webble]

Do you live there? I have always thought that the riding isn't that great in either County unless you have good local access, of course it can change within a few miles.

Shropshire is great for hacking. Kiki and spent 3 days there in May, we averaged 10+ miles a day all country lanes or off road

 

[Miss_Millie]

If you are able to afford a house with land, that would give you so much security and peace of mind. Climate-wise I don't think anywhere in the UK is actually significantly better or worse at this point, as the recent flooding across the country has demonstrated.

Looking on the bridleway OS maps is helpful - IMO you couldn't go wrong with most parts of Wales or the English/Welsh border if you want fantastic off road hacking and stunning scenery. It is definitely worth checking what bridleways are like in-person too (or seeing if there is a bridleway FB group for the area) as sadly many bridleways are not maintained and are near-unrideable.

Good luck with your search!

 

[Time for Tea]

Although I live in the New Forest, and I love it (it’s good for everything except it is too expensive and, these days, too crowded) I am also familiar with West Dorset. There are some good livery yards, and it is a very horsey area, and there is a fantastic network of bridle paths.
Another area that is good is just west of Salisbury, Cranborne Chase. Spectacular countryside and many bridle paths.

 

[canteron]

I think that like a lot of the uk one area can be so different from another just a few miles away. A lot of the large estates around here you used to be able to ride around have got less accessible since Defra cut the stewardship headland scheme.
So I think I would first decide how rural you want to be, and how important civilisation and other facilities are, then how far north and hilly you are happy to be, then really concentrate on that area.
I think around here Thetford Forest is a good bet as you will always have good off road hacking and therefore good yards …. however move 10 miles away from there and a different story - large industrialised farming with limited off road access, so it really can be one village great, next rubbish, in most parts of the country!

 

[I'm Dun]

I am on the border of west Oxfordshire, about 20 minutes from Chipping Norton and 40 minutes from Oxford city centre by car but with regular trains three min down the road which are a 15 min trip.

Pros:

- Relatively easy travel into London
- Very pretty area
- Oxford is great for tech, health, life science (my career areas)
- The area has some lovely pubs and restaurants
- There is great access to fresh produce and farm shops, delis, butchers and other independent retailers. I don’t go into supermarkets beyond popping into a co op occasionally these days.
- Very horsey area with a lovely community of farmers and horse people
- Good livery yards when I need them (I have mine at home mainly) and there are a fair amount of competition and clinic venues nearby
- GPs and hospitals are relatively good, private health also easily accessible
- Good network of health, fitness and wellness service providers. Personal trainers, physios, massage therapists, Pilates, yoga, healthy meal prep etc.
- Decent amount of things to do like farmers markets, summer and Christmas fairs, harvest festivals, music festivals, horse events, farm shows

Cons:

- Road hacking is difficult because of the traffic
- Lots of houses are popping up everywhere so I don’t know how long the area will remain so pretty
- Relatively expensive
- Not so easy to find property to rent or buy if you want horses at home
- Oxford is great for my industry but I’m not sure how much work there is outside of my area. To be fair, I haven’t looked but I do get the feeling that it isn’t huge if you’re not on the university / sciences / health side of things.

You forgot the horrendous traffic, the fact its mainly flood plain so continually floods and is muddy year round in lots of places. The city is fairly spread out and the area I know covers about a 10mile radius of the centre. Outside of that traffic is a bit better, but I've not really found anywhere that stays dry. The continual building of houses with no infrastructure to support them is already causing issues and will get worse and worse. But mainly its the traffic that makes me hate the place. 90mins to go 4 miles if I need to be in uni for 9am!

And its not relatively expensive, it is almost London expensive. 2 bed houses for a million quid in some areas. I cant imagine having horses at home here is in most peoples budgets.

I'm not a fan and cant wait to move away!