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shezza

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Hi there has anybody ever gone from keeping their horses on a DIY yard to their own land where they live (rented, I might add!) What are the pitfalls and benefits and (if you don't mind) roughly what do you pay for a yard/house/grazing (any combination of above!) set up? This is something we're considering but it seems a bit overwhelming! Thanks :D
 
We bought a bungalow with a couple of barns and paddock. The whole is not large just 1.75 acres so we had to plan the usage very carefully. We installed stables in one barn and a 40 x 20 sand manege. Until 2 years ago we would sacrifice a smallish patch of land in the winter and save the remaining paddock for spring/summer grazing. However we now have 3 horses and a pony (used to only have the 1 horse and 1 pony), but also another 5 acres of land just up the road, so we now sacrifice the whole paddock in the winter as it has all summer to recuperate.
The pitfalls I would say are that you are responsible for the upkeep of the land and fences and hedgerows and this upkeep is quite expensive it takes up so much time also, do not underestimate this.
We have invested in a tractor and a post knocker for fencing and cutting deck and harrow and roller, also a spreader for seed and fertiliser and just recently a manure spreader. So the initial equipment costs are high.
We depoo our paddocks daily to prevent any worm infestation and souring of the grazing. We also overseed the summer grazing as required (it was a fallow field when we bought it so grass quality needs improving).
It is a big responsibility, but you can't beat having your own yard and at least everything you put into it you reap the rewards of and you can turnout as much or as little as you please as it's your land!!!
As for cost it depends where in England you buy - grazing/amenity land in the Essex area is around £10k an acre (depending on how many you buy) and entry level equestrian properties (with 1.5 acres around Essex/Suffolk start at around £495,000, but look in Berkshire and you double that price at least!!!
 
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Thank you I've had horses for a long time but not done this before so I feel like a beginner again and unsure where to start! It is only renting we are looking for so perhaps I might be able to negotiate maintenance into the deal? I'm not after anything flash, just somewhere where I can look out of the window and see my neds! (sad, I know!) we're off to look at somewhere today so hopefully I'll know a bit more after I see it! Thanks for the tips youor place sounds lovely!:D
 
I went from part livery to horses at home.

As YasandCrystal says it's easy to underestimate the maintenance. Farmers have all the equipment and can do the job in no time, but it's very expenssive to buy everything you need, starting with a tractor, tipper trailer (for muck), spreaders, harrows, etc. Allocate some time to maintenance, there will always be broken rails, problems with the water, leaky roofs, etc.

How many horses will you keep? One on its own can be a bit of a problem, two can get horribly attached to each other, three or more is ideal but clearly more work. Getting someone to share with you is a good idea, as long as they pull their weight and you don't just get landed with their horse to look after in addition to yours! The other big issue is cover for when you are on holiday or feeling unwell. It can get quite tough to have to do the horses everyday no matter what, but this may be similar to DIY so you may be used to it.

Things to think about with respect to the field you are renting:
- does it have a water supply? If not you need a bowser or similar solution
- does it have electricity? If not you need a generator if only for emergencies, but I think you will need it on a regular basis, e.g. cup of tea, clipping, lights at night, etc.
- is the fencing suitable for horse, if not who will pay for putting in new fencing?
- what is the access like? Can you park your car somewhere even in winter? Can you get a truck down there for bedding/feed deliveries?
- is there any storage for your tack, feeds, bedding, etc?
- are there any stables, field shelters, or at least hard standing for getting the mud off?
- what is security like? It's sensible to paddlock all gates, it's best not to have any footpaths through the field and get friendly with the neighbours so they can let you know of any problems


If you are looking to rent a house with land some of these problems are no longer relevant but such houses are tough to find!
Good luck!
 
Well good luck! Good idea to rent. I had to wait until middle age to get my horses at home - and I love it for sure. They say 'youth is wasted on the young' - my daughter is so used to having them at home she hardly appreciates it, but me after years of DIY oh I appreciate it just sooooo much!!!
 
Hiya thank you for that as well really useful- I didn't even think about the problems of having two- I would probably get another, perhaps a companion, so that I could ride- also I have a youngster so when they go off to be broken then I would like company for my one left at home. I am looking for a house with land, simply because of the security element as I am uber-paranoid so at least I could monitor them! I am lucky enough to mostly work from home apart from 2 days a week so that's reassuring, however I'm not too sure if the one I am seeing today has any type of stabling/shelter which obviously has a whole host of potential problems- i think very important to find out where I could get muck emptied etc as you're right, on a livery you just rock up and empty your muck/fill your buckets without a second thought! This one is within the area where we live atm so not too much of a headache but have been looking further afield- can get some lovely properties in West Wales for very reasonable budgets! Thanks for your comments :)
 
I have my horses at home. We have two horses and a large pony on 2.5 acres. We've been there 15 years but haven't invested in any expensive equipment - I section off small areas at a time and weedkill/fertilise by hand.

The horses are stabled at night in the winter to avoid trashing the land too much and they are on rubber mats and a small amount of Megazorb. This means the muckheap doesn't get too big and we use some on our garden and the neighbours take some too. If you bed on shavings then you will have more of a problem with the heap as shavings don't rot down and a lot of people don't want shavings manure.

When looking for land, take account of the soil type and drainage and try and avoid deep clay soil in the bottom of a valley, as this will make life much more difficult for you as will get terribly wet and boggy in the winter! The more well-drained the soil and the bigger the acreage the more likely you are to be able to keep the horses out 24/7, meaning you don't have to worry so much about stables. However, some sort of dry sheltered area is handy for farrier and vet visits, and you need to think about storage for hay unless you intend to use haylage.
 
thank you- your set up sounds great! The one I went to see isn't for us- very nice but it is actually part of a 'complex' almost and the grazing is about a 10 min walk away no stable, water or storage- so not for us! And field not near houses so security may be an issue...hunt goes on! :rolleyes:
 
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