Feeling hacked off today.........

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crellow4

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I have an 8 acre field - no buildings, just the field with water. The adjoining field is 3 acres and has a 2 stable block with hardstanding and a covered storage area. For the past 18 months I have rented this field on an informal, ie no contract, basis. The owner of said field lives in Wales and bought the field as an investment. Shortly after I began renting the field he bought a horse from me which has remained here in Cornwall - with me so far? The arrangement was that I paid a small rent and continued to look after his horse, deducting expenses incurred for this horse from the rent. I have also paid to improve the grazing - spraying for docks etc and have had the field topped and harrowed as required. All has worked extremely well until the land owner decided to sell the field. He is now insisting that there are no horses in his field - even though his horse is in my field. Today he left a voicemail message instructing me to move everything off his property immediately as the agent selling his field had complained it was 'in a right state'. I rang him back and pointed out that it has been raining heavily on and off for weeks - hence the field is muddy. I do have one mare in his field simply to balance the fact that his horse is in mine - she won't stay in a field on her own whereas my mare is quite happy that way. I have a bale of aylage on the hardstanding which I fork over the hedge to my field - the hardstanding is raked daily to keep it tidy and the waste haylage is taken over to the muck heap - not sure what else I can do? He's driving down tomorrow to see the state of things for himself and the way I'm feeling he best fetch a trailer and take his horse back with him! Large glass of wine for anyone still reading!!!
 
right so you own the 8 acre and have your horses (minus 1) and his horse. he owns the 3 acre with stables etc and your mare is on there as his horse is in yours!! right?? he is selling his 3 acre so you wont have stables etc, but maybe still his horse??
 
When his field sells he'll be moving his horse, in the meantime it looks like he expects me to look after his horse but no-longer allow me to rent his field and stables. Doesn't seem fair to me:-((
 
I'd be a bit hacked off too! Sounds like an estate agent who wants to sell to people who think the country should look like something out of an Enid Blyton book! Have you asked him what he wants doing with his horse? Or is he just expecting you to continue to look after her until it suits him?
 
Oh dear :(

I guess you aren't in a position to buy the additional 3 acres and buildings?

I think I would be telling him that with the loss of the additional grazing, you have no other option but to ask him to remove his horse from your field with immediate effect. see if that changes his mind and you can keep using his land until it sells.

good luck, sounds complicated.
 
i'd move my horse back to my own land and tell him that you will be charging him x amount for the rent for his horse and also any extras involved such as worming and feed.
 
crellow4 said:
When his field sells he'll be moving his horse, in the meantime it looks like he expects me to look after his horse but no-longer allow me to rent his field and stables. Doesn't seem fair to me:-((
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that is taking the p*ss to be honest. say to him that if he doesn't remove his horse or pay you money to look after him or let you use the field. just put his horse in the field and say you are not looking after it anymore and that it is his responsibility then he will have to do something!!!
 
We did consider buying his place however he wants £75k for the 3 acres and stable block - he also has power and a bore hole but I still think it's too much money. We're progressing a planning application for our own stables etc which we hope to started with soon. I was thinking along the lines of charging to look after his horse, however, she would have to be stabled as she will not stay in a field on her own and I don't have the time to full livery his horse (or the inclination). I agree with the comment about the estatae agents - not sure how much tidier you can keep a yard when it won't stop raining! I'm not trying to hinder his attempts to sell the field but equally it's not reasonable to expect me to move eveything at short notice yet still leave me with his bloody horse!!!!
 
Tomorrow meet with him, have a plan for what you are ahhappy to do with his horse, in return for x amount of money or for the fact you are not happy to do his horse ~(in which case tell him to bring a trailer!)
 
crellow4 said:
We're progressing a planning application for our own stables etc which we hope to started with soon.
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If you're having problems with the planning application, why not just get a mobile field shelter/stable. You don't need planning permission for that. Sorry, I know not about original post....
 
haras said:
I think I would be telling him that with the loss of the additional grazing, you have no other option but to ask him to remove his horse from your field with immediate effect. see if that changes his mind and you can keep using his land until it sells.
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^^^ This
 
We did make enquiries about a mobile field shelter - our Council insists on a planning application for these too!! I'm heading up there now to make sure everything is 'spic and span'. I've decided that I'm not prepared to move anything until he moves his youngster - he can either arrange transport to Wales or arrange full livery down here until he can move her. Had enough of being dictated too and treated like a 5 year old xx
 
crellow4 said:
We did make enquiries about a mobile field shelter - our Council insists on a planning application for these too!! I'm heading up there now to make sure everything is 'spic and span'. I've decided that I'm not prepared to move anything until he moves his youngster - he can either arrange transport to Wales or arrange full livery down here until he can move her. Had enough of being dictated too and treated like a 5 year old xx
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Good for you C4!
 
Hope its all gone well for you today. Dont take crap from people like this they are just users and think they can get away with treating people badly!
 
Land owner drove down from Wales and apologised profusely for upsetting me. He is completely happy with the condition of the yrad/stables/field and will be 'phoning the estate agent tomorrow. I did ask in future if he could talk to me first before he leaves ranting answerphone messages - he really couldn't have been nicer.
Also while waiting for him to arrive I got talking to 2 ladies who were out hacking. They live 10 minutes hack from me and have an outdoor school. I was explaining that I lack motivation to ride and would like to learn to jump and they've invited me up to use their school and to hack out with them!!!! What a difference a day makes eh? x
 
crellow4 said:
What a difference a day makes eh? x
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crellow4 said:
Land owner drove down from Wales and apologised profusely for upsetting me. He is completely happy with the condition of the yrad/stables/field and will be 'phoning the estate agent tomorrow. I did ask in future if he could talk to me first before he leaves ranting answerphone messages - he really couldn't have been nicer.
Also while waiting for him to arrive I got talking to 2 ladies who were out hacking. They live 10 minutes hack from me and have an outdoor school. I was explaining that I lack motivation to ride and would like to learn to jump and they've invited me up to use their school and to hack out with them!!!! What a difference a day makes eh? x
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Brilliant!

Very pleased for you hunny, on both counts :D

Looking forward to hearing how you progress over the coming months :D :D
 
i dont think the price for the land and stables is too much, esp as it has electric and water. why dont you be cheeky and offer him 60/65 would save him on agent fees. by the time you have paid the planning application, put down concrete, and put up stables, and got electricity connected you could well be up at 30 k. (connecting to electric can be enormously expensive) glad you got the other issues sorted.
 
Glad everything worked out. Sounds like it was the Estate Agent winding it all up!

I think that they will get £60k for 3 acres, stables and water and electric. Our stables came in at £20k including ground work, and a borehole costs about £10k - but it great once its there.
 
I still think even £60k is expensive for land around here. He has granted an easement so that we can connect to the mains - the land owner on the otherside did the same last year and it cost him £1550 all in!! We've applied for block stables and have been quoted under £10k to build them - so with the electric we're coming in at under £12k. I don't need any more land as I'm reducing to 6 horses max.
 
Glad all went well today, who have got got a quote from as we have just put up a new tack room and stable recently and used a chap from helston we are very impressed,he did it very quickly but they are very good quality, even my farrier commented on them!
 
A local builder is going to do the block work - always assuming the Council is happy for a block building. If they insist on wood I'll get back to you for details of the chap from Helston - thanks.
 
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