horses at home with no facilities or livery?

[holly.91]

Considering bringing my horse home from livery
I have 2 acres of good draining land at home with 3 stables and good post and rail fencing, currently my youngster and small pony are at home and i absolutely love it, but of course neither are in work.
My third horse is on full livery, I am paying £1000 PM for 3 schools, XS course, private hacking and amazing livery staff and care! its a 40 min trip each WAY though

Predicament:
My youngster will be backed this summer (by myself) and to be honest i want to keep her at home, she's very happy with me and i think she's too highly strung to go on a big livery yard, not to mention the cost. I'm considering bringing my main horse home and boxing to arenas a few times a week, we have a few indoors within 15 mins of us and we have great hacking on our doorstep.

Its obviously a big cost saving, but I think i will struggle without facilities but given i will be riding my youngster doesn't it make sense to have all three at home? Has anyone had a similar situation and can advise me on there experience?
TIA!

 

[holly.91]

the £1000 per month is inclusive of pertrol and id like to point out that i LOVE the livery yard im on. But its a lot of money and work to drive there + look after my other 2 at home.

 

[blitznbobs]

1000 per month hires a lot of courses - do you have transport?

 

[SEL]

I don't have anything apart from a field. I've laid out an arena in it so I can school at home when the ground is OK but investing in a 3.5 tonne has made a world of difference.

 

[holly.91]

1000 per month hires a lot of courses - do you have transport?

Yes 3.5t

 

[callybbi]

My sister moved her competition horse 'home' to the private yard we rent when the livery yard he was at closed. We don't have an arena. Summer works perfectly, we have good hacking that enables her to 'work' him in all paces to keep him fit. She Arena hires or pops to a local show for a class once a week.
Winter is a bit more tricky as everywhere has been waterlogged. He hacks twice a week but can really only walk. She tries to arena hire up to 3 times a week in winter but realistically it is normally only once or twice.
On a positive note, the horse actually thrives being at home. He now lives out with my oldies and absolutely loves it. This has shown in his work so my sister is happy to keep him home.

 

[webble]

Will the land take all three when the weather has been like it has been?

Are there other livery options that are cheaper and closer?

 

[blitznbobs]

It is difficult and really depends on how much time you have - I would struggle competing without an arena and tbh I tend to give my horses a couple of months off in the middle of winter because I can’t be consistent and I have an arena at home … so it really depends how dedicated and how much else you have on… and how well your horse travels etc etc oh and on what you want to do.

 

[IrishMilo]

I'd either have all ridden horses at livery or all at home in your shoes. Personally I'd use the money you save on livery to box out more regularly and do all of my ridden work at home out hacking if you have no arena.

 

[holly.91]

Will the land take all three when the weather has been like it has been?

Are there other livery options that are cheaper and closer?

Yes because they are stabled

 

[Maxidoodle]

No brainier for me, have them at home and box to hire arenas etc, £1,000 per month plus think about all the time you will save In travel etc.

 

[Sossigpoker]

With all the money and time you save you could go out to.lots of arena hires and even hire an instructor to come and help you.
This would be a no brainer for me !

 

[Pinkvboots]

I would do it I have 2 horses at home with similar acreage with no arena although I can use next doors which is a 5 minute hack, my hacking is ok but I don't compete anymore really so if they are not ridden it doesn't matter.

 

[TGM]

A lot will depend on what time of the day you will be riding? If you work away from home and have to commute, then your main restriction will be lack of daylight, which is when having an arena is more important. However, if you can ride during the day, you should be able to manage without one. If your land is well drained you should be able to mark out a schooling area which should be usuable for a good amount of the year, reducing the amount of times you need to hire arenas. The type and temperament of horse can be a factor too, if you have highly strung types with lots of energy, it can be useful to have an arena for lungeing or loose schooling, particularly in bad weather!

 

[Polos Mum]

Sounds like the main 'facility' missing is the arena and services when you need them (if you're not 100% DIY).
they can certainly be worked around with the time and cash saving.

If you explain to your yard the situation and leave on ultra friendly terms you could try it for a few months and if it doesn't work out then you can always go back.
You never really know whether it'll work for you personally until you try.

I'd have thought having a ridden horse at home would help with breaking - ride and lead and if you have a suitable friend a companion when you get started too.

 

[dorsetladette]

I'd bring him home.

I have 3 at 'home' with no facilities. I found it doesn't take much more time doing 3 compared with 2.

With the money you save you could employ a freelancer to either help with the starting of your newbie or jobs to free up your time with your ponies or even exercise your ridden horse a few times a week.

I have an area in my field set up for riding/lunging/long reining in the summer. is this something you could do in case you don't have time to box out to an arena for short schooling sessions? (ie before or after a hack) I've found mine very handy with backing my babies.

 

[cauda equina]

I'd bring him home too
Back the youngster in the field then get her out hacking with your older horse as nanny

 

[ponynutz]

I found it very difficult when I was younger and pony was in full work as only way to keep her fit enough to go out to arena hires etc. was to hack but that was difficult in the light. I ended up hiring an arena occasionally from someone I knew who lived within hacking distance.

I found it extremely difficult though and wouldn't really recommend it.

 

[Kirstd33]

It'd be a no brainer for me also, as I'd bring him home and save the £1000/month. I dont know your financial situation and how much £1000/month is to you but that would buy approx 30 arena sessions in our area or again freelance help to come in at approx £20/hr if you need some help with daily chores. My pony is on a diy with no arena but daily turnout which means a lot and also great hacking routes from the yard.

 

[Abacus]

On the whole i would say try it at home if you have the time to make up for the extra work, and can b motivated to get out ad about. The only thing about the youngster is that maybe she'd be better at some stage getting used to the busyness of a yard, rather than sheltering her from it - it's probably better prep for outings later on. Mine are at my own tiny and very quiet yard, and I have had one or two who just couldn't cope in the big wide world.

 

[holly.91]

I'd bring him home.

I have 3 at 'home' with no facilities. I found it doesn't take much more time doing 3 compared with 2.

With the money you save you could employ a freelancer to either help with the starting of your newbie or jobs to free up your time with your ponies or even exercise your ridden horse a few times a week.

I have an area in my field set up for riding/lunging/long reining in the summer. is this something you could do in case you don't have time to box out to an arena for short schooling sessions? (ie before or after a hack) I've found mine very handy with backing my babies.

Yes I could build a lunge pen quite easily actually. Good idea

 

[dorsetladette]

Yes I could build a lunge pen quite easily actually. Good idea

Yep - mine started off as a lunge pen and has now grown to 20x30 which is enough for the work I'm currently doing with mine. It will need to be extended again in the summer as we start to do a little faster work.

 

[Squeak]

I'd say give it a go and see how you get on. I have them at home with no facilities and have found that my horse has hugely improved for doing lots more hacking and less schooling. I arena hire once a week and either compete or have a lesson once a week, I often box out for a hack somewhere different too.

It seems to work for some people and some horses and not for others, give it a go and see how you get on. I love it and wouldn't go back.

 

[ycbm]

You're going to save £8-900 a month. Can you get planning for an arena and pay a loan to build it out of what you're saving?
.

 

[holly.91]

You're going to save £8-900 a month. Can you get planning for an arena and pay a loan to build it out of what you're saving?
.

Don’t have enough land, and wouldn’t get planning anyway we’re on green belt

 

[cauda equina]

No one had an arena when I was a kid and we all managed

 

[lme]

I'd bring the horse on full livery home. You would save 80 min each time you ride them. 2 of mine are on full livery on a yard with a huge arena with a great surface but we barely use it. Our horses stay fit enough for what we want to do through mostly hacking. If we wanted them to do more and didn't have an arena we would probably box them to lesson or course hire once a week.

 

[HopOnTrot]

Having horses at home works well for me, (work from home) also starting a youngster by travelling to different arenas would be a great education.

 

[paddi22]

a lot depends on your work situation as well. I manage your scenario, but only because I work from home and am flexible with time. if I commuted to an office job I wouldn't manage it. I can shift work so I can ride when its bright.

2 acres with three horses will get very churned up quickly in wet weather, so realistically you'd be looking at feeding forage and stabling a lot. so that adds on mucking out time etc.

when the youngster is ridden it will be easier having two at home instead of driving to yards. i ask friends to hack out with me on my youngster and that's been great

 

[dottylottie]

since you have your own transport i’d definitely have them all at home.

assuming you hack more than you school, i think it’s massively worth it - loading & travelling time may amount to a 40min commute on the days you hire an arena/go to a clinic or lesson, but on just hacking days you’ll have so much more free time