Horses at home... Is it worth it?

atlantis

atlantis

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Amazingly a house has come on the market in our village with a bit of land that we would be able to afford. Even more amazingly my husband is keen to go and look at it!!!!! It has about 3 acres with 2 stables and a large barn. I have a Connemara who needs very very little grass and we would get my daughter a pony too, who would be a notice so would also need little grass. I would want to put a track system in place, little by little, and I would like one or 2 liveries, also smaller no big horses really, to have some company and help eith costs. I am also setting up my own Physio/pilates business and it has the potential to run the business from there.

The downside is the house. On paper it has all we need. However it is a bungalow and we currently live in a pretty period cottage. It is nice inside but the bedrooms are small. I know I would compromise on the external looks of a house to have horses at home in the blink of an eye, but I'm wondering if my husband would. He is keen to look to see if the lifestyle would be worth the compromise. Also a livery would be helpful financially too but I don't know if you need planning permission / change of use to do that.

Opinions please!!!!!
 
Just buy it !
Would suit you and your own horses.
Probably not enough land for liveries, and you may find you prefer not to have them.
 
I've had horses at home for 20 years . Loved it whilst daughter was young and nothing beats popping out to just be with them .3 acres is about right , won't leave you much for livery. I would also say it's hard work keeping on top of maintenance , fencing , sourcing hay etc. I still keep my old girl and companion at home but have just bought a youngster and am keeping her at livery for facilities and support and it's great having all the work done so I can just enjoy her. Depends on what you want really.
 
We went from a very pretty period cottage to a farm bungalow with some land. Believe me you soon get over it when you can have your horses at home. We have been here for almost nine years and are very happy and don't regret it for a moment. I don't know about the livery side of things. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
I agree. . Not enough land for liveries.

That said however, we moved from a three bed to a tiny two bed cottage to be able to have horses at home, and it was 10 years later that we managed to add an extension. ..

Fiona
 
Our farm bungalow is little more than shack but to have our own land /buildings & horses @ home totally worth it
 
Good hacking. About 50m from a bridle way and another 2 in the village (1 not really suitable for small child due to crossing busy road). Land is level higher up in the village (we are currently further downhill and flooded 3 years ago). No school but 3 neighbours have them along the same row do potential to share possibly.
 
If you like the area, and it ticks all the other boxes just do it. Get a planning consultant round and find out what you would able to do with the house. You might be able to extend or add an upstairs.

We bought a run down farm about 3 years ago , it's been blinking hard but when we look outside and the neddies whinny back its all worth it.

We where just chatting about it, best thing is there are days you don't have to leave the house, everything is literally on your door step.
 
Hubby has just said gut feeling is no. Nowhere in the house for him to set up his bike / turbo trainer. The garage or one of the empty stables or the barn don't do. I'm thinking maybe 3rd bedroom.
House is quite a bit smaller. Essentially loosing 2 rooms. We currently use these as playroom and bike haven/man cave. Obviously a luxury and playroom not a problem, but his bikes are as important to him as horses are to me.

For perspective on amount of land... My mare is on livery (and situation is the same at every other livery in the area) on a postage stamp all year round with one other. She is still needing to be muzzled so with a track system would this really be so much of a problem? I'm seriously asking. The comparison seems ridiculous.
 
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Go for it OP, you'll regret it if you dont ;) Ive always kept my horses at home and having ridden friends horses who were kept at livery yards, I'd definately always choose it - means you can feed them in your jammies in the mornings ;) But hey you're asking someone who is going to look at a house tomorrow because it has more acres, a sand school (always dreamt of one...) and a 7-horse stable block which is actually far too much for me as I'll never have that many but that's good barganing for my OH as he could have a couple as his man cave... ;)

Surely you could just put up a decent shed for your OH and his bikes? Or could you extend the house a little?
 
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One advantage with bungalows is the roof space is usually easily developed and would make an ideal gym, it will add value for not too much outlay.
From your point of view having the horses at home makes life so much easier as you can pop out to do them without getting in a car or disturbing your child who can stay inside safely, I can be cooking and go out to do something I forgot, as I just have, which makes mulititasking even easier.
I think 3 acres is enough for a livery, 2 good doers on a track will probably need about 11/2 acres, if you give them access to a barn in winter it would be ideal, the livery could be on the middle 11/2 acres and as long as it is not out 24/7 in winter there should be plenty of grass with a bit of care, you may prefer to be alone but equally having a good livery that fits in will mean company for hacking and possibly cover if you go away, getting away as a family will become the only potential stumbling block as it does take planning but is not insurmountable.

I would go and look it can do no harm to think it through fully, if it sells quickly then it was not meant to be.
 
Just convince him to go and have a look, you never know, he may see the potential of the space. My very non horsey oh ends buying us a very average house but with 7 acres of land and stables because it had space for a very big garage / man cave -and space to drive a few toys around. He wouldn't change it for the world now.
 
Would there not be enough space in the garden to build your husband a very smart "bike shed"??? My son has built a beautiful Swedish style extra room at the end of his suburban Surrey garden with no planning needed. Its has under floor heating and TV /lights etc. Another friend of ours who is actually into vintage cycles but has a less than enthusiastic partner has also built something similar.
 
Asha said:
If you like the area, and it ticks all the other boxes just do it. Get a planning consultant round and find out what you would able to do with the house. You might be able to extend or add an upstairs.

We bought a run down farm about 3 years ago , it's been blinking hard but when we look outside and the neddies whinny back its all worth it.

We where just chatting about it, best thing is there are days you don't have to leave the house, everything is literally on your door step.
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This.
You can always change what it is but never where it is.
We bought the ugly bungalow, with run down out buildings. I now have a state of the art super efficient house with hardly any bills, and the ponies outside my window.
You do spend a lot of time working outside though, if you do not do it it does not get done.
 
Get it now!
Currently in the process of buying a house with land and although it's a pain in the butt.... It will be sooooooooo worth it I can't wait!
 
As above, we have been looking for a few years. Trouble is our current house is perfect for us and has stables and we rent additional land next door. My husband won't compromise on house quality and tho I would- if we could own more of the land, I know he wouldn't be happy in the long term.
 
40 years ago we broke the bank and moved out a lovely modern 4 bed house to a derelict pair of farm workers semi's, a range of equally derelict farm buildings and 12 acres.

Now have the dream yard, staff accommodation, lovely house and 40 acres. As and when money became available we bought more land and developed house and yard.

It was very scary to begin with but so worth while. Go for it!!
 
if you need to ask should you buy it then maybe it isnt for you. Most horse owners would live in a chicken shed if it meant having horses at home. nothing would put them off.
 
My husband has come round to my way of thinking and his attitude when we were buying our own equestrian place was, "Does it suit the horses? Can the kids go to a good school? Does the house have the footprint we need?" Everything after that could be changed. We moved from a five story Georgian town house to a much smaller property and converted outbuildings to give us the extra living space we wanted, which, funnily enough, included a children's play room and a man cave! They don't have to be in the house and with the playroom, it is a blessing that they are outside! Unless you have a huge budget it is very difficult to find to find an equestrian property that ticks all the boxes - big houses with land come with big price tags and and size houses with land are always harder to find.
 
Thanks all for your replies. Strange evening last suddenly resulted in OH going mad about me being selfish about horses and how his life is miserable because of the sacrifices he has to make for my horse. I'm still not too sure where it came from seeing as he has been driving this house thing forwards and not me.

It is a stretch financially and a downsize. OH also thinks the house is ugly and he doesn't wasn't the land (or the horses it would appear) and is just trying to please me. My gut feeling throughout has been that it is too much of a compromise for him. I think last night's explosion from him proves that.

I have just downgraded at work to change direction slightly and have not yet quite set up my business to run alongside my job. So really the house has come on the market a year too soon. Oh has been massively supportive of my changing jobs and helped me find courses etc to enable me to change direction. It's it like he isn't supportive he really is. I probably wouldn't have the time to put into a new yard ATM tbh and I think whoever said that if I'm asking the question then I must know it's too much of a compromise, is right.

It's a shame it could be great.
 
atlantis said:
Thanks all for your replies. Strange evening last suddenly resulted in OH going mad about me being selfish about horses and how his life is miserable because of the sacrifices he has to make for my horse. I'm still not too sure where it came from seeing as he has been driving this house thing forwards and not me.

It is a stretch financially and a downsize. OH also thinks the house is ugly and he doesn't wasn't the land (or the horses it would appear) and is just trying to please me. My gut feeling throughout has been that it is too much of a compromise for him. I think last night's explosion from him proves that.

I have just downgraded at work to change direction slightly and have not yet quite set up my business to run alongside my job. So really the house has come on the market a year too soon. Oh has been massively supportive of my changing jobs and helped me find courses etc to enable me to change direction. It's it like he isn't supportive he really is. I probably wouldn't have the time to put into a new yard ATM tbh and I think whoever said that if I'm asking the question then I must know it's too much of a compromise, is right.

It's a shame it could be great.
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Oh dear. :(
 
So sorry to hear of your bust up. I was going to write and say go get it while you can, but if it is going to cause that much bother, then I would walk away and stay as you are. I hear the 'bl**dy horses' thing from my OH from time to time, usually when a holiday is mentioned so I feel your pain OP and I think this would be such a huge compromise for your OH that it could be one you can't get over. Shame though.
 
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