Having your own yard

H

Holding

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With three on full livery, the cost right now is insane, and I am seriously considering looking for my own yard to rent. So for anyone who rents/owns their own yard, can I ask:

1. Where did you find it? I can seem to find anything advertised, am I just being silly or do I need to get in touch with estate agents?

2. How did you find the change from livery to going it alone? Would you advise it? Has anyone gone back to livery for whatever reason?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
I wouldn't go back for love nor money, but I do spend more of my life up here waitig for haylage deliveries / fixing fencing etc. I also spend a lot more time worrying about them as although tucked away but over looked by neighbours, there are fewer people around if one escaped / ill / injured when I'm not here.

Plus it's currently a mudbath, no electric and no school. If you are lucky enough to find somewhere with a school and have the money to pay the premium for it, it would be a lot easier.

Other than that, I love it - no politics, a lot cheaper (also have 3), no inane pleasantries with people I don't like, it's so quiet and I can do things at my own leisure and according to my own beliefs on how horses should be kept.
 
I had my own little yard a few years ago, I only knew of it as I used to ridea couple of horses who were kept here before they moved. i enjoyed being able to do things my way and at my own pace but i did miss the company. I only stayed there 4 months and then moved my 2 back to a livery yard. I felt happier leaving them at a yard as the owner lived on site and there were liveries coming and going throughout the day (I often worried about them at own yard as it was in the middle of nowhere with very few houses nearby!)
 
Word of mouth and drive by's are the best way. If there is a little yard you've noticed, find out who owns it and ask.
Village pubs are good places to ask too! Maybe an add in the local shop window as well.
Also, farmers are good to ask as they usually have a few un-used stables within the farm which in my experience they have been keen to rent out - and for a reasonable amount too.
Good luck :-)
 
Just in the process of selling mine. Dont worry this isnt an advert, as its under offer !!

It was literally marketed for 1 week. Had lots of interest.

My advice would be to contact your local land / specialist estate agents and ask to be put on a mailing list so you can be the first to hear.

Good luck, being on your own yard is fantastic.
 
I've looked into this myself and you can find some on Right Move and Preloved if you search for land to rent in your area. This came up with quite a few in my area. I keep one of my horses retired at grass where I rent a field and agree I spend a lot of time waiting for farriers/vets/deliveries and if you are ever ill/go on holiday it is much trickier to find people to help. I also have one on livery and love the peace of mind it gives me and also the second opinions on things. I do tend to worry about my retired horse much more than the one of livery. Given the option I would keep both of them on livery or would rent stables somewhere privately where I could maybe share with other horse owners. Good luck!
 
Like you I worked out how much my horses would cost on livery if they lived a natural lifespan and decided it was far better to buy my own place.

Bought some land that was advertised through a land agent and built the yard myself.

Love being away from liveries as some were lovely, others horrendous and spoilt the atmosphere for everyone else.

Only advise is think of a budget and double it and view any property in the winter to see how it looks worse case scenario and how wet the land gets.
 
I did the same as BBH - bought land with no planning and built own yard - you can get planning advice on land that you dont own if you ring planning office and can even (with owners consent) apply for planning on land you dont own.

I would never go back to livery I love it - yes, the maintenance can be costly and there is always something you want to do to improve it but its an investment and worth it - I borrowed the money against the house on the mortgage - very easy to do (may have implied it was for debt consolidation or home improvements !!)

I just bought part of field next door to my yard - never met owner - saw him there - approached him and we did a deal - it wasnt up for sale but especially in this financial climate if an easy sale comes along people find it hard to say no !
 
I love it. However DIY to own was a lot of work and is a lot of time.

Full to own would be a huge jump. I'd tally up time anf cost (only becomes cheaper with more horses from experience) 1 horse plus fencing, checks, furl, field maintenance, building maintenance etc I probably better doing DIY. The more horses, the more the cost is spread over the horses. If that makes sense!
On a personal front I hate livery yards and live being on my own so the cost and time is worth it per horse
 
Just a thought, have you considered that going from having 3 on full livery to 3 to do yourself is a massive time committement. I love having mine at home but sometimes the riding is lower down the priority list of jobs.
 
I got mine through my farrier. He shod the pony that was there as well as the owner's pony and knew it would be coming up for rent. He gave me the owner's number, I called, and after a 3 month wait it was mine! I've been there 7 months, have 2 stables, 3.5acres, electric on a generator, running water and a school, and I will only leave if dragged kicking and screaming! Yes at times it is a bit lonely, but the pros way way WAY outweigh the cons.
 
i did it - went from 1 on part livery and 2 on DIY to 2 at home and 1 on DIY and now they are all at home with me!

best thing is i no longer have the stress being on someone elses property and someone elses rules. the worst thing is the loneliness and lack of motivation.
 
Thanks for everyone's input - I just got up the courage to call about a yard I've seen advertised locally. It's too big for me alone but if they can find somebody to take the other half I'm going to go for it.

Just a thought, have you considered that going from having 3 on full livery to 3 to do yourself is a massive time committement.
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To be honest, this is partly why I want to do it. I have always had mine on full livery (although I've worked on yards for years so I do know how much work is involved!) and I've reached the point where I kind of want to do it myself. More than the time commitment I'm worried about not having somebody around to ask for a second opinion if I'm unsure about anything - I've always had a safety net there in case things go wrong and being without that will be hard at first. I'll just have to cover all bases with a comprehensive first aid kit and a big book of veterinary advice!
 
We are going to rent half our yard out this summer hopefully but don't have a ton of land, would only be able to offer 2 or 3 acres so that we have enough for ours still. Trying to work out an advert currently, not sure how to word it!
 
Instead of going from full livery to own yard why don't you go diy or assisted livery?
Help when you need it, back up, plus things like maintainence and deliveries not on your to do list!
 
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