Finding land to rent - how?

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chaps89

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I've found 3 plots of land to rent over the last year or two, but all have fallen through (1 the perimeter fencing was shot and owner not in a position to replace, 2 the neighbours wouldn't allow access- it all got a bit political, 3 has sycamore trees all the way round - particularly gutted about 3 as it's otherwise spot on)

I've Googled and googled and have wanted ads up but finding nothing.
I really want 1.5-3 acres, with secure perimeter fencing, the rougher the grazing the better and vehicle access, close to bridleways network/off road riding/quiet roads. I know lots of people want their own set up (although I was hoping by not wanting/needing stables, facilities etc it would be a bit easier) but I just can't find anything. I've left notes on gates/through post boxes of fields that look like they might be suitable but I'm drawing a blank.

I'd so love to find somewhere, so those of you who rent your own place, where did you find it?!
 
you are looking for what lots of us would want,couldnt you have rented no 1 and put up your own electric fencing? i did rent land from the local council but had to sort out the fencing ourselves , so may be seeing if there is any council land or water board land around, otherwise you just have to be patient and keep looking
 
I know, we all want it don't we!

Number 1 needed alot of work, it wasn't just the perimeter fencing, so all of it combined meant it wasn't really viable. Turns out to have been a good thing as it's on the market now for sale anyway!

Number 3 is council owned but being rented via an agent - they seem quite desperate to shift it. I had looked at other council websites but couldn't see anything about renting land, so I just need to put an email together to try sending - number 3 is literally only looking unlikely as of today so hadn't got that far yet.
The water board is a good idea too, thankyou!
 
Ask your blacksmith and pet shops. They often know if there is somebody who might rent some out.

Mention it to your colleagues, one of mine, offered me an acre and then when the land was sold for building, their ex-neighbour took my cob in for free as he knew I was a good owner and would help out with his horses.

Don't leave notes, they will get blown or thrown away. Go door knocking at the big houses: "Do you, or anybody you know, have some land I could rent for my...…" another way that worked for me.
 
Preloved, Facebook, write/contact farmers (I have written and followed up with a phone call), leave wanted ads in agri stores and Preloved etc and be prepared to rock up and just ask (nicely and at a sociable time).
 
There will be a number of houses which have land with them that the owners just do not use and may be happy to rent the land out to you. You just need to find these houses with land and the best way would be to keep your eyes open when riding around. Then just go door knocking and ask them if they would like to rent the land.
 
Who do you get your hay off at the moment? just asking as OH makes mine, and he cuts a bit for other people including those who just cut the hay to get rid of the grass on land they aren't using. Might you have someone similar who does a bit of grass/land management that might be in the know?
 
I've found mine over the years by a) knocking on the door of the landowner, who in that case was only too happy to have someone do something with the field. Their daughter had left home and they no longer had horses, so the field was a pain to them.
b} found a small postcard in a local post office and rang them up - again, they'd bought the house and had no use for the 3 acres of land it came with. We do all the maintenance and they like seeing the horses, and also like having someone around when they're away
c) saw a listing on a local FB page from the previous tenant, looking for someone to take on 10 acres she was vacating. It's at a reduced rent as the fencing needs improving, so we're re-doing sections of it each year.
Currently rent the 13 acres in total from b) & c)
 
i wouldnt risk sycamore, my old yard has a field with sycamore along one side and it cant be used for some of the year because of the amount of sycamore seeds., not worth the risk for me..
 
There are a few fields round here which are owned by local factories, annoyingly already snapped up by farmers, and the railway owns a lot of land, could be another place to try?
 
I rented your number 1. However we got it 6 months rent free after negotiating with the owner. It put value on her land and was being wasted so it worked all round.
Previous tenant had also left a lot of junk we had to get rid of but it worked well.
 
Thanks everyone, lots of food for thought here. I've been brave and asked a farmer friend/acquaintance today about pinching a bit of a field but going to go for a more structured approach trying places/companies over the weekend.

The one with sycamore I'm just wary of because it's only 1.5 acres, and I'd intend to run a track round the edge, so fencing bits off won't really work.
(I know 1.5 acres might seem mad but I'd intend to track system spring-autumn, then use the middle bit plus a teeny bit of track for shelter in winter then it has most of the rest of the year to bounce back after a bit of tlc in spring. I hay all year round currently so not opposed to continuing with that if I have to, and land is quite well draining)
 
Local feed store post card for our current field our previous field was a grass field with water but not much of a fence we took it on ring fenced it with electic fencing and divided it up for the ponies it was £10 per acre per month so the 7 acres was £70 per month with an old ramshackled barn area with secure gates and half a dozen water tight but ramshackled stables to store the lorry and hay included but not in the land it was a short walk away. That was 10 years ago though we have been on our current field for 10 years and take the very best care of it we can so the landlord is happy. We maintain it the fencing and the buildings we have for storage and poo pick daily into a trailer that he removes it looks like a bowling green from his windows we hav estanding foggage away from his house so his view is always preserved. If you find it you must take good care of it and keep it looking nice and respect your landlords wishes.
 
chaps89 said:
Oh gosh, I wouldn't dream of doing anything but wind and rain! :)
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You would probably not be surprised at how badly some people treat the land and their landlords. Demanding, showing no respect for either and destroying the land by poor management. The field when we took it over had great piles of poo all over them where they had poo picked and dumped it in heaps. Fences were knocked down and not repaired in spite of the landlord providing the posts and rope. He is a wonderful landlord but is too busy to do much work so he provides the bits and OH does the repairs works well for both as jobs get done at minimum cost to both
 
Generally speaking certainly at somerset location all landowners consider that horses wreck land, and they would rather it go wasted than let horses on it, but then most of it is good grass land initially so more to loose and people will just buy the grass off it at auction instead which is easier.
 
ester said:
Generally speaking certainly at somerset location all landowners consider that horses wreck land, and they would rather it go wasted than let horses on it, but then most of it is good grass land initially so more to loose and people will just buy the grass off it at auction instead which is easier.
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It took me months to persuade the local farmers that I would a) pay b) not overgraze or overstock. I rent a 5 acre meadow in summer and a 7 acre field in winter-one is completely unimproved grazing and the other was reseeded about 25 years ago and has cattle and sheep on it the rest of the year. Farmer had been taken for a ride by local RS and on another occasion travellers, who put 15 horses on the unimproved meadow and then refused to leave in winter (its too wet to use from about December-may). Then they see overgrazed, over poopicked weedy bogs with horses on all around so I'm not surprised they are picky. So we had an agreement I would get off land whenever he saw fit-he's never asked me to in 5 years but I have done it voluntarily in very wet weather. We're now family friends, he lets me use his barns and a byre and even fenced off a fatty paddock for me. I supply his wife with duck eggs for baking which helps I'm sure!

OP if you are polite, can offer references and have any mutual aquaintances with landowner it will help. These things take time though, I once got offered 4 acres grazing from a pretty old Preloved ad and as I said, when we moved over here I found it much harder to find grazing than where we were in the East.
 
chaps89 said:
I know, we all want it don't we!

Number 1 needed alot of work, it wasn't just the perimeter fencing, so all of it combined meant it wasn't really viable. Turns out to have been a good thing as it's on the market now for sale anyway!

Number 3 is council owned but being rented via an agent - they seem quite desperate to shift it. I had looked at other council websites but couldn't see anything about renting land, so I just need to put an email together to try sending - number 3 is literally only looking unlikely as of today so hadn't got that far yet.
The water board is a good idea too, thankyou!
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You will be lucky to find anything in Surrey that doesn't have sycamores on it or near it. I manage mine by strimming, weedkilling and relying on ponies having more interesting things to eat. And if it's not sycamores it will be oaks or rabbit holes, there are risks with everything. If it suits otherwise then I'd seriously consider it, land in Surrey is very hard to find.
 
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