Calling all Norfolk people!

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0310Star

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Just a bit of info needed :) Myself and my partner are toying with the idea of moving to Norfolk in the near-ish future, I am a horse owner and figured it cant hurt to do a bit of research.

Now my question is... what is it like for horse owners? Are there lots of livery yards to choose from and what is it like price wise for livery/farrier/feed/hay etc?

I currently live in Kent, so I am assuming it could be a tad cheaper in Norfolk?

Replies much appreciated :)
 
Hello!
No idea about livery costs I'm afraid, but I pay £20 for a trim, £80 for a set.
Hay £6.50 a bale from feed merchant, about £3 from farmers but round me they are mostly largely arable so not much hay on the doorstep.
There are several livery yards around Norwich which look well run:
Weston Park
Blackwater Farm
Whiterails
High Ash Farm
 
Thanks :) Well hay is a lot more than here, but I am guessing some yards may include hay at an extra cost as that's what I do now?
I am torn between leaving my mare where she is for now or finding a yard as I figured being on livery would be a good place to make friends too!
 
hello! Norfolk is lovely!

I keep my 2 at a DIY yard and it is £160 pcm per horse for stable, turnout (restricted in winter if fields wet) and ad lib hay. Assisted livery works out about £15 a day per horse for full livery. On top of that you pay for your own feed and shavings and obviously farrier and vet etc. I never seem to have the same thing done twice by my farrier but I think the last full set I had was about £70 or £80.

We have lots of venues (have a look on Horsedates for East of England and you can see there are quite a lot of events on most days) and I do a lot of organised pleasure ride in King's Forest and Thetford Forest which are lovely. Also North Norfolk has beautiful coast and you can ride there in quite a few places.

Drawbacks - Norfolk doesn't have the best road access, though we now have a dual carriageway all the way to London hooray! Its a biggish area so ideally you want some horse transport if you are going to get out and about.

Property will be MUCH cheaper than many parts of Kent - you might be able to afford to get somewhere you can keep the horse at home!

Good luck!
 
Whereabouts in Norfolk are you looking at - its huge. There aren't that many Big livery yards, but there a lots and lots of small yards and often if you live in a village you may be able to find a field to rent to keep the horse really nearby, once you are settled.
 
I lived in Norfolk (just outside Norwich) for three years, I absolutely adore the place, and I miss it. Both me and husband are from the south west, hence the decision to move back home.

I had my last horse at Blackwater farm (home of Great Witchingham BE horse trials) and whilst it wasn't perfect (what yards are?) it was laid back, friendly and fantastic facilities. It also wasn't a bad price compared to South Glos prices!

Good luck if you do decide to move- Norfolk really is a lovely lovely place to live.
 
Apologies for the slight thread hijack, but I am also moving to Norfolk - well, the Norfolk/Suffolk border so I'm keen to hear people's opinions too. I'm really looking forward to it as it seems a beautiful place but I've not had much luck looking for livery yards online. If anyone could recommend somewhere near Diss it would be hugely appreciated!
 
Thanks everyone, we aren't 100% on where abouts in Norfolk yet as its something we are giving ourselves 6 months to decide on, whether to move or not and where to.

We are planning to go and stay in a few months as we have friends that live there so we can have a good look around and get an idea of where we like.

Tobiano, I currently have the same livery for 1 for £200pcm so there is a definite drop in price there! I have heard its a fantastic place to keep horses and own dogs, which is ideal for us :)
 
If you come down to look round do PM me and we can have a chat - you would be v welcome to come and stay here too! V near Norwich :)
 
I lived in Norwich for a few years - beautiful city. I kept my horse at Whiterails for two years - I couldn't fault it, nice facilities, lovely fields and the staff were pretty decent. The only issue I found was that if you live in Norwich the nearest yard is a a good 20/25 minute drive out, and at rush hour the roads out of the city are a nightmare. Livery prices weren't as cheap as I'd expected - I was on part livery which was about £80 a week. I did also try full livery at another yard further out from Norwich for about the same price for a year (Ferry Farm - absolutely beautiful yard and the best livery I've ever had to date - my horse was treated like a king! Just sadly too much of a commute for me). My only real issue with Norfolk horse keeping was the farrier - a full set of normal shoes cost £80 and that was pretty standard apparently. Having moved there from London where my shoes were £60 (now gone up to £65) I was aghast! Property prices and the cost of living will be less expensive than kent though, providing you're not going for a really obvious village :)

NB This was about 5-8 years ago and the livery prices have definitely gone up since then!
 
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