Field ideas!

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horsesatemymoney

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Ok, I've got the option of 4 acres for £100 pcm, so long as I take the lease of a field for 12 months, it's got no running water but right near a road, so fine, it's also got a shelter and natural hedges. It's overlooked by houses and stuff.

It sounds tempting, but there's no schools nearby so I was wondering if anybody keeps/gets their horses competition fit from the field. There's no hardstanding or anything, the gatte is right onto the road so no space for farrier/vet; how do you go on with that?

Thank you!
 
I'm all for having your own place, and four acres to play with with shelter sounds great...but not having any hard standing will be a right pain esp in winter. Could you put mats down maybe in the shelter to act as some sort of base? What about somewhere to keep your hay/feed/rugs etc?
 
I know that's the problem; it's pretty poached in places, still grassy but it's hard to walk through so will surely be worse with pony hooves on it! It's on a slight hill, but then there's a flat area where you could ride/lunge if dry; but nowhere to store stuff
 
It sounds perfect if you just wanted to ride your horses 2/3 a week hacking.. But i dont think it would be suitable to keep a horse at competition level. I dont think i could cope without any electric ( Im assuming) or water ect...Also id be worried that ther would be no where to put him if he needed to be stabled in an emergency. But good luck in whatever you decide :)
 
Thanks Klix- I have a youngster too that needs backing etc, so maybe not the best idea- hacking is all roadwork, straight out onto the road, with nowhere to tie to tack etc....unless I could build some sort of stable, but I don't know where to start, if I'd need planning or how much it would cost!

No elec or water
 
I rent a field of about 3 or 4 acres for £100 a month.
I also have a shelter , river for water. No electric. Shelter is on concrete.

Its fine for me as I just hack really a few times a week. Done need electric as I basically go in with my headtorch, check theyre alive and ok, feed them and go. Dont hang around in the pitch black :)

I dont think I would of done it if I had needed any sort of facilities.
Im very happy there, but you wont really know until you do it.

ETA : I tie mine up at the shelter for trimmer/vet etc.
 
I'd initially make a corrall or yard area just inside the gate, maybe a 20m x 10m (min) area fenced off securely with electric tape, or if flush use wooden posts & wide tape or even rails.
Pop in a hitching post or a rail to tie up to.
Then you'll have somewhere to take animals into away from others & also keeps them back off main gate saving it from getting very poached in wet weather.
If poss, make 2 opposite gateways from this into field just in case one gets too poached up.

In the late spring, put down some grass mats to get a decent surface before next winter.

Look on ebay or on local gumtree for a garden shed, these can be picked up cheap & put it up next to of behind shelter & then you'll have somewhere to store bits & bobs.

Good luck if you go ahead :)
 
Thanks everyone; that sounds good! How would you make the coral area Fuzzy? (I am dumb, sorry!)

Has anybody made their own stables?

It sounds fab, because it would be cheap and I would be able to do my own thing, and in dry weather there is a lovely flat area which could be used to schooling in- but not winter, as it wuold just churn it up!
 
Personally from that perspective I wouldnt.. You would need planning if it was a fixed structure (Im sure ill be corrected) .. And there would be alot of field maintenance. I will stop rammbling on as im sure im not helping :P But its all down to personal preference I think. I couldnt be bothered with all of the hastle and expense.. And even then the landlord may not even want any changes made to the land.
 
When I bought my land it had no fencing to speak of, nowater, no electricity, no nothing basically. It has taken me a lot of money and time to build stables, hard standing and a school. I used a generator for years, which was ok, but nothing like the luxury of on tap electricity.

I have mains water, it was one of the first things I did. When it freezes
I have to cart water up to the filed which is a real pain.

I guess what I'm saying is that I've invested hugely in my land, but then I own it. You'll be renting, so not worth you spending thousands on water and electricity.

Then you've got maintenance costs depending on your rental agreement.

I wouldn't be happy keeping my horses with no stables even if you just need them for emergency. It's tempting to have your own place but you need to invest a lot of time and money to make it work.
 
Klix said:
Personally from that perspective I wouldnt.. You would need planning if it was a fixed structure (Im sure ill be corrected) .. And there would be alot of field maintenance. I will stop rammbling on as im sure im not helping :P But its all down to personal preference I think. I couldnt be bothered with all of the hastle and expense.. And even then the landlord may not even want any changes made to the land.
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Lol no not rambling at all, I really want opinions as I am a bit blinkered by no livery yards ideas! But you're right, it would be a lot of expense on somebodies land and still no school :( I suppose stables wouldn't be necessary, but I would rather have them to get the horses in for a break if needed
 
I started with a totally blank canvas but my parents own the field so what i have done/planning to do isnt necessarily what you would do to a rented field. We have 2 mobile field shelters, except we have been a bit naughty with one and put road planings down as they get really muddy inside.(you need plannning permission for permanent hardstandings in the shelters) The other shelter we are going to try putting a lorry curtain down then rubber mats on top. One of the shelters has gates on the openings and inside so it can be converted to 2 stables.
Echo xmas furry, i am planning to make a corral area at the gate so you have somewhere to brush etc without getting attacked by the others. I'm going to make mine big enough to drive in with trailer for safe loading/unloading. Also i'm planning on sticking a shed somewhere discreet for storing feed/brushes/headcollars. I'm yet to try competing from the field but when i used to have them on livery i was never one for using the arena anyway, i do my training on hacks and on schooling days at xc courses etc.
We have a mains water supply but i collect the rain water off the field shelter roofs to save money.
I love not having to obey other peoples stupid rules!
 
horsesatemychristmasmoney said:
Thanks everyone; that sounds good! How would you make the coral area Fuzzy? (I am dumb, sorry!)
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If you think of fencing a small area of a field off with electric fence, then instead apply this round the main gateway. Sort of like creating a fenced off car-park bit, but means you can use it as protection to keep horses away from the main gate & it will give you somewhere to tack up/rug change or if ground very dry you can invite farrier inside main gate too :)
I really would use wooden posts tho if possible & the tape holders screwed into them. Obs a permanent fence would be better but more pricey
 
Go for it it sounds great. I bring my horse home and have them shod there when necessary. I have a water bowser to pull behind the landrover for the water but you can always take it in water containers in the back of the car which is what we do in winter when every things frozen. I have no lights but a decent head torch does the job in the dark. You just cant beat having your own place. BTW I have youngsters and back and bring them on myself. I have never had a school on 40 years of horse ownership. I've never found it to be a problem. Good luck and enjoy.
 
It depends if you want to be on your own, or if you'd rather be on a yard.

I wouldnt be on a yard, so I rent. We have invested quite a bit in the place, however most of it is moveable if we leave. We have put up a field shelter this year, with rubber mats (playground mats) but have been fine without one.

Its my own bit of paradise basically :)
 
I rent a 4 acre field, I get ridiculously cheap rent though.

I bought 2 mobile field shelters, one which is actually used as a shelter and another which stores my hay/straw/feed/rugs etc - it's great. I got both of these and 2 years of rent for cheaper than 6months on my old livery yard so it's definitely worth it.

It is hard work to maintain though, but I enjoy it. Much prefer it in fact :)

Good luck whatever you decide :)
 
weebarney said:
I started with a totally blank canvas but my parents own the field so what i have done/planning to do isnt necessarily what you would do to a rented field. We have 2 mobile field shelters, except we have been a bit naughty with one and put road planings down as they get really muddy inside.(you need plannning permission for permanent hardstandings in the shelters) The other shelter we are going to try putting a lorry curtain down then rubber mats on top. One of the shelters has gates on the openings and inside so it can be converted to 2 stables.
Echo xmas furry, i am planning to make a corral area at the gate so you have somewhere to brush etc without getting attacked by the others. I'm going to make mine big enough to drive in with trailer for safe loading/unloading. Also i'm planning on sticking a shed somewhere discreet for storing feed/brushes/headcollars. I'm yet to try competing from the field but when i used to have them on livery i was never one for using the arena anyway, i do my training on hacks and on schooling days at xc courses etc.
We have a mains water supply but i collect the rain water off the field shelter roofs to save money.
I love not having to obey other peoples stupid rules!
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Thank you- that sounds fab! Exactly my reasoning too! It would be a long-term thing, so I wouldn't mind investing a bit if it meant a livery-free place :p The ned will live out happily, so no worries there, but I really would need that coral area, with some form of hard standing- if you used paving slabs, would that work and would it cause issues with planning permission?
How does your water supply work then (I really am clueless!)
 
The Xmas Furry said:
If you think of fencing a small area of a field off with electric fence, then instead apply this round the main gateway. Sort of like creating a fenced off car-park bit, but means you can use it as protection to keep horses away from the main gate & it will give you somewhere to tack up/rug change or if ground very dry you can invite farrier inside main gate too :)
I really would use wooden posts tho if possible & the tape holders screwed into them. Obs a permanent fence would be better but more pricey
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That sounds great- I don't mind investing a bit of stuff, and have a handy OH who would make a secure coral area with some good fencing. It's just flooring for it I'm not sure about :D
 
TigerTail said:
It depends if you want to be on your own, or if you'd rather be on a yard.

I wouldnt be on a yard, so I rent. We have invested quite a bit in the place, however most of it is moveable if we leave. We have put up a field shelter this year, with rubber mats (playground mats) but have been fine without one.

Its my own bit of paradise basically :)
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I'd do anything not to be on a yard- I'm anti-social and can't be doing with finnicky rules- I'd forfeit a school for that I think. If you don't mind me asking, did you buy or build the shelter? Could you get away with putting some doors across to make a stable?
 
ABC said:
I rent a 4 acre field, I get ridiculously cheap rent though.

I bought 2 mobile field shelters, one which is actually used as a shelter and another which stores my hay/straw/feed/rugs etc - it's great. I got both of these and 2 years of rent for cheaper than 6months on my old livery yard so it's definitely worth it.

It is hard work to maintain though, but I enjoy it. Much prefer it in fact :)

Good luck whatever you decide :)
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Mine would be 100pcm, not sure if that's good or not. I'd obviosuly have 2 on it, but not sure if I'd need a third (like a mini?) to keep them company if I wanted to ride one out?

If you don't mind me asking, roughly how much are shelters? I guess you could sell on if you moved, and I don't mind a bit of maintenance for an easy life ;)
 
100 a month is really dear as well. I suppose its the horse inflation but I pay 44/acre/year max for grazing land!

Is stuff likely to be pinched would be my first Q. I have had feed buckets nicked from a field on its own :rolleyes:
 
horsesatemychristmasmoney said:
That sounds great- I don't mind investing a bit of stuff, and have a handy OH who would make a secure coral area with some good fencing. It's just flooring for it I'm not sure about :D
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err :confused: wasn't going to suggest flooring except in my 1st post about poss putting grass mats in the main gateway or in this area next spring.
The only things to make it decent would be to put in scalpings or hardcore etc & am sure your landowner wont be happy at that.
You'll soon find where the dryest bits are & in dry spells it will be fine anyway if you take a car in then :)
 
I pay 40 per month per horse on 4.5 acres of grass landowner does all maintenance and we have water and mains electricity. we have a field shelter with doors on that we use for storage and ride on the flat part of the field we do compete and do very well There is a school a few miles away that we hire just before competitions and winter once a weekish for a tenner. They hack to the school. The advantage we have is the soil in the top flat field is sand and although it doeant grow a huge amount of grass even in summer it drains really well and is rarely unrideable even in winter. Biggest problem is frost as that makes it hard
 
04C10175-B24A-4363-A1F7-CF880F33F150-900-000000A1ABD8B3F2.jpg


Here we go - 24 x 12 shelter. 6 ft tackroom, 18 ft shelter. It has a stable door and the big gateway you can see here - I leave both open unless Im there doing something with one so nobody can get pinned in a corner. Obviously if needed I could shut one in.

However I didnt have a shelter last year and just made an electric fence pen when I needed to rest one with an abscess last year.
 
TigerTail said:
04C10175-B24A-4363-A1F7-CF880F33F150-900-000000A1ABD8B3F2.jpg


Here we go - 24 x 12 shelter. 6 ft tackroom, 18 ft shelter. It has a stable door and the big gateway you can see here - I leave both open unless Im there doing something with one so nobody can get pinned in a corner. Obviously if needed I could shut one in.

However I didnt have a shelter last year and just made an electric fence pen when I needed to rest one with an abscess last year.
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wow that is just like something I'd love- bit worried about it on rented land though, it looks pricey!:D
 
The Xmas Furry said:
err :confused: wasn't going to suggest flooring except in my 1st post about poss putting grass mats in the main gateway or in this area next spring.
The only things to make it decent would be to put in scalpings or hardcore etc & am sure your landowner wont be happy at that.
You'll soon find where the dryest bits are & in dry spells it will be fine anyway if you take a car in then :)
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Oh no that was me thinking aloud...it's so wet that I would struggle to stand upright to tack up etc!
 
windand rain said:
I pay 40 per month per horse on 4.5 acres of grass landowner does all maintenance and we have water and mains electricity. we have a field shelter with doors on that we use for storage and ride on the flat part of the field we do compete and do very well There is a school a few miles away that we hire just before competitions and winter once a weekish for a tenner. They hack to the school. The advantage we have is the soil in the top flat field is sand and although it doeant grow a huge amount of grass even in summer it drains really well and is rarely unrideable even in winter. Biggest problem is frost as that makes it hard
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That sounds good- I think that this might be clay based :cool:
 
I rent a three acre field behind my house for £100 a month, it does have stables though

I collect water off the stable roof by directing the guttering in to an IBC tank, this tends not to freeze solid in the winter and most days I can get at least some water from it.

The summer is harder for water as the roof gets dusty and any water collected is usually dirty so I fill 25litre containers at home and drive them on to the field at weekends filling up dustbins for the week's water supply

I plan ahead as much as I can and always have 6 weeks worth of bedding and feed just in case I cant get the car on to the field but obviously am mindful of thieves. For anything I really dont want to store at home I have a couple of plastic containers roughly hay bale size and hide these in amongst the hay

regarding shelters you will possibly fall foul of planners unless these are officially moveable which adds to the cost.

Dont forget to add in paddock maintenance in your sums. hedges, fences and gates need to be maintained as well as the land. I do the work where I can and get a maintenance co in to do the rest over 3 years I have probably paid out around £700 for different things, not too bad but needs to be factored in to yearly costs

I've never been on a livery yard so cant compare it but I do love the field, its my little bit of paradise we have a smallholding on there and have only recently added the ponies

Of course a benefit of renting a field is that if you ever fancied a couple of sheep or goats you just need to do the Defra paperwork and away you go! ;)
 
horsesatemychristmasmoney said:
Thank you- that sounds fab! Exactly my reasoning too! It would be a long-term thing, so I wouldn't mind investing a bit if it meant a livery-free place :p The ned will live out happily, so no worries there, but I really would need that coral area, with some form of hard standing- if you used paving slabs, would that work and would it cause issues with planning permission?
How does your water supply work then (I really am clueless!)
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You shouldn't need a hard standing if you don't turn the horses out into it. If you just use it for tacking up etc it should be fine.
 
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