Does anybody keep their horses at home?

I have a field 2 mins drive or 10 mins walk away, pretty lucky after a bit of networking, we are watching the rental market like hawks at the mo as there have been a few come up literally in view of the field which we have missed out on, dropped the ball there!

One day we'll have that smallholding... Quite jealous of you farmer's wives! My BF does like the idea of farming as he is a hard worker bless him, he'd make such a good grumpy farmer telling people to get off our land... maybe we'll ditch everything and farm alpacas or something!

I have always seen horses as me time too, if there are people to hack with sometimes then that's a bonus!
 
Yes and i`m another who wouldn`t have horses if I couldn`t (too many years of livery yards!)
I`ve kept them at home for 8 years now and before that I rented 8 acres and a barn a short drive from home. I love my own company!

The view from my back door in the mornings
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Ponies in the mist (View from my bathroom)
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Hacking`s not bad either

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And when I wake up to this, I don`t have to drive!
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It`s hard work but very much worth it as you get to know your neds so much better, they become part of the family!
 
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We've got somewhere in the middle - our own rented yard that is 5 mins drive from my house, which has another yard next door and 2 others along the road - and we can hack to a show venue.

I'd love them 'at home' but I also like being near another yard incase of problems (such as when my pony got out of his field into the outer boundary bit of our field and our neighbour saw him and sorted it out when I was at work). It's also nice to share vet call outs, swap hay suppliers numbers and to know there is someone just a shout away if needed.
 
I have had them at home for 2 years now and love it!
Can look out my window and there they are. Can shove a hoody and joggers over my pjs in the morning and stumble out the front door with horses in their cosy stables only 10yards away.
We also have our own ménage which doesn't freeze and lights.
Plus it means you can collect more ponies without livery fees!
 
For those who bought houses with acreage nd needing work- where did you look to find them!? Husband and I are finally in a position to do it but I don't know where to start to hunt!
 
I've always had horses at home, apart from.uni which stressed me out, im not cut out for livery yards!

Now live with OH who is a farmer and have them all at home. They are only as tying as they ever are, at home or in a yard, and we have never had issues getting away. We also manage to have a good social life, and I don't have to factor in getting up 20minutes earlier to drive to do them.
 
We moved to our house at the beginning of the year and have four acres at the end of the garden. It is bliss not being on a yard - no bitching or politics and I actually seem to ride more and make more of my time with no distractions.

However, it is a lot of work and it never ends. I am building my own stables and this weekend or next they will finally be getting a roof. Fencing cost quite a lot initially.

I wouldn't change it for anything though.....this is the view from my kitchen on a morning.

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You know what it is, I've had mine at a private yard 5 mins from my house for about a year now. I'm having to leave as the landlord wants it back, and I've realised I am genuinely excited to go back to my old busy livery yard. I am bored with riding on my own and bored of fixing things myself and can't wait to hack out with my friends and spend hours at the yard having jumping competitions and clinics. Having your own place isn't all it's cracked up to be, in my opinion :) There was benefits - doing what you want, such as 24/7 grazing, and no yard politics.

But of course, everyone is different.
 
I've always had horses at home and never been at a livery yard. I don't have facilities such as a school but to be honest I am happy that I can just do things my own way without any feeling of being questioned.
My non horsey OH probably wouldn't be as involved if I had mine at a yard, he'd probably be a bit grumpy at the amount of time I spend with them where as they are like outdoor pets.

I have ridden horses for other people kept at yards, but I found them to be like halls of residence at uni, great socially but always one or two that spoil it for everyone.
 
Oh I do hope one day I can keep mine at home again, I loved it and am quite happy in my own company anyway, so jealous reading about all of you keeping them at home, one day I hope to do it again...:)
 
When we first had them they were at livery but when we went from one to three we decided it may be cost effective to have our own place so managed to buy a property with just three acres and built our own stables. We rented another seven acres that was directly behind our house and within 2 years of living there we were able to buy the rented land which was fantastic. Don't regret having them home at all, there are plenty of horsey people living around me and if I wanted company to hack but I usually ride on my own out of choice. I think the only disavantage is when things go wrong as on a yard you have the support and experience of others but have to deal with it alone when your horses are at home.
 
mine are at home, I could never go back to yard now. Im antisocial and a control freak:p

I have no arena and limited facilities... when it breaks, it’s me who has to fix it. My field I rented just along from my house flooded a couple of weeks ago. However we’ve got 2 1/2 acres adjoining our existing halfacre paddock behind our house now so it’s worked out even better:D Everywhere is so wet though so Im in the throws of having 20 tonnes of roadplanings put outside my 2 stables, which is also lit and backs up to a barn wall so nice and sheltered. BEst thing is they can come and go as they please and the stables/hardstanding is right at my backdoor. I spent all last weekend putting up fencing and Ive spent hours and hours this week painting a new stable and sorting out various other bits and peices but give me that over being at a yard any day.
 
I keep my horses at home - good and bad. Good is having been on several livery yards I have yet to get everything I want. You often have to make sacrifices, whether it is the amount of turn out, amount of hay, beds not as I would do them, yard owners who have no customer service and think they are doing you a favour, the list can go on. At least at home you have everything exactly as you want it, lots of turn out, lovely beds, ad lib hay and all on your doorstep. The downside is, never having a day off, weather can be horrendous for long periods and therefore can end up costing nearly as much as it did at livery. It can be lonely - you miss the comarady of sharing facilities of like minded people, shoulders to cry on, laugh with, ride with etc. Therefore my recommendation is have your own place but have a like minded friend on your place, you can give each other a break and then you can't beat looking out your window and seeing your 4 legged friends grazing happily on your own land!
 
I've always kept my horses at home and would never change that - love having them all to myself and not worrying about what I'm wearing (ie. PJ's...!) etc.! The only downsides are not having a school to ride in (cant afford one) and not having anyone to hack out with. But I still wouldn't change it, you get used to adapting your riding according to the weather when you only have grass paddocks. Only other bad thing is the cost, we've moved to a new house with land so I want to move my horses here from my mums, but we need to shell out a few grand to build stables :(

I've ridden friends horses at livery yards and didnt like it at all. One yard was nice enough, people were nice but problem is then they chat too much so when I only have an hour, I want to get on and ride or whatever, not stand about chatting! The other yard was horrid, wont go into details! So I think either a yard is too nice and chatty or they're bitchy and nasty places to be!
 
I married a farmer
I highly recommend it! I love having my horses at home specially regarding turnout etc. We make our own haylage and lovely hubby does all the maintenance jobs. He even built me a school. Only issue is his obsession with putting fertiliser on the fields. I wasn't very experienced when I got my first horse (now have 3) so did my BHS horse owners certs up to level 4. Still learning and always will be. I love it!
 
Lucky enough to get a house with land with my job. I do miss having people to ride with and cover for holidays, but the pros far outweigh the cons. I love being able to look out of the window and see the boys out there.
 
Yeah and I've struggled with the transition. It's only now I've really settled to being at home and now I love it. I agree with MM about people chatting on the yard, contrary to popular belief I'm not a great chatter and more often than not, with a new baby, I'm on a time limit. As nice as people are it is really hard getting stuck nattering when you really have a zillion other things to do and then you're dicing with death if you excuse yourself, as the next week you're the "unfriendly" one :D
I'll stick to my bog standard home happilly. For now ;)
 
Ive got mine at home, and it does have its pros and cons..

pros
great just to get up in the morning and pop and feed them in my PJ's
I love being able to see them out the window
no driving to a yard
no bitchiness
its cheaper..
being able to sneak treats though my bedroom window

cons
have to stack all the hay and straw on my own
no one to ride with
very hard to get away, even over night
having my stallion, doing goodness what last night, (I think playing with his ball)... making a right noise and waking me up... his paddock is under my window..

view from my bedroom window.. :D
 
Yes, we are living the dream, although at times it certainly didn't feel like it ;)we mortgaged ourselves to the max and bought a derelict barn to convert in 4 acres and to be honest at the time, I was only worried about the land for my mare! I would have lived anywhere to have her at home. So 6 years later:eek: we have been living here 3, still loads of work to do building mostly finished off, but now the maintenance work is using up all the finishing off time & money. Never underestimate how much time this takes, would be my advice. My OH was working out there until dusk tonight. For me the positives out weigh any negatives. I couldn't afford livery for a pony for my daughter so we now have 2 and my mare who is now heading for retirement has a home for life,and still have room for my next project :D
I miss the girls at the livery yard but not the rules or the 4hours turnout! my mare so different here and I love turning out in my PJs too.
 
I do. He is bombproof so roams around in the day, shut in the paddock at night, getting stables soon - 3 acres and have grass nearly most of the year. Only con is we have clay :/
 
I'm at home and I love it :) briefly had one at a yard, and though the yard was lovely, I did struggle a little as couldn't decide when horse was going in/out or was fed, and I'm not good with large groups of people! I like hogging my arena to myself :P plus there's nobody giving unsolicited advice! That does mean there's nobody around for help though. My horse seems a lot more relaxed at home with the atmosphere being much quieter, and just having 3 fieldmates
 
freckles22uk said:
Ive got mine at home, and it does have its pros and cons..

pros
great just to get up in the morning and pop and feed them in my PJ's
I love being able to see them out the window
no driving to a yard
no bitchiness
its cheaper..
being able to sneak treats though my bedroom window

cons
have to stack all the hay and straw on my own
no one to ride with
very hard to get away, even over night
Click to expand...

This ^^^
 
Mine arent at my home, but as good as, theyre 2 mins away on my own rented gated private yard with every facility i need, plus 24/7 people on site and cctv.
Its probably better than having own place as my maintainance is part of the rent, fields, arena, muckheap water and electricity all included.
Ive great neighbours a few hundred metres away with horses if i want company to hack. I love my wee yard:D
 
I could never go back to being on a yard as everything is here. I can sit in my garden drinking Pimms watching my horse in his field. I save loads on fuel.

Downside is that I have to everything: fence repairs, drainage, poo picking, filling water troughs, drainage, making hay, disposing of manure, drainage... Did I mention drainage? Other downside is its hard to get time off. Girlfriend is away all weekend and its hard solo.
 
If I couldn't keep my horse at home I wouldn't replace her when she (eventually) goes.

I'm spoilt in that I've always had my ponies/horses at home, both as a child and now as an OAP! I have 3-4 livery horses as well which pays for my riding, gives me lovely friends and gives constant companionship to my mare. I can lie in the bath in the morning and watch the horses all grazing on the hillside 20 yards away. I can go out in my nightdress if I hear strange noises in the night, and often enjoy my elevenses leaning on the fence just socialising with them. I also discovered the poor TB at 2a.m. who had broken his leg.

I couldn't imagine being on a yard - all the horses are our extended family, as are their owners, and I just love being there for them all - and they are wonderful in return to me - that applies to humans and horses!
 
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