How much land?

M

misswinter

Member
Joined
14 April 2014
Messages
17
Visit site
Not sure If this is in the right area :)

Have been looking at buying a horse for myself for quite some time, we are now in the possition having saved up ect to look at buying some land next year and building a house.

My question is how many acres would I need to have? Ideally I'll be buying something between 14-16 hands but would either have a rescue companion any height really or a horse for my partner and I'd imagine in the future if we have children a Pony for them if they wanted one. So possibly either 2 or 3 horses, we will build stables on hard ground, and Menage etc but ideally I would like the horses to be able to live out as much as possible as it's more natural for them so would have free standing shelters,

I've been guessing around 5 acres meaning I can use some for winter some for summer etc but just wondering people experiences of horses living out all year and how muddy ground can get. I know the grounds around where we'd be buying has limestone and acidic soil according to the Internet haha so not clay based so hoping this means not as muddy.

Would be looking for land in staffordshire or would consider Shropshire or Cheshire so the weather here is never really too bad, usually rain but not floodplain or rarely get snow in winter think it's been years hah


Also any things to look for when viewing the land?

Any advice would be appreciated to help me know the best kind of lands to search for :)
 
Last edited:
I think the main thing when you are looking is whether there will be any chance of finding a plot of land that will be given planning permission to build a house on, you will pay a premium if it already has planning and take a huge risk of never getting it if you buy a bare plot.
About 5-6 acres should be enough but I would think it will be like searching for a needle in a haystack, you will need deep pockets and plenty of patience while applications go through, it might be worth basing your search area on places that are more known to allow horses and have given planning for similar developments or finding a barn to convert which may be easier.
 
We've found lots of land with outlined planning permission for houses etc but they range from 2-20 acres as we don't mind living in any of the three counties and there seems to be lots of choice obviously for different budgets but would rather not waste our money buying way more land than we need.

If I was to buy around 5/6 for the horses would you recommend having them on like one acre and move around every 2 month ect or spilt in 3 acres and just do 6 months in each. Would be totally new to me. In the riding school the horses had plenty acres so never really had to think of the logistics just turned them out which ever field they asked :p
 
You will also need to consider what kind of soil you will be on. We are lucky that our soil drains well but my friend who lives about 5 miles away can't use her fields in winter as they get water logged - she has 5 horse and 18 acres so in theory, more than enough land.
 
We have three horses on about 5 and 1/2 acres of grazing, with yard,house and garden in addition,so just under 7 acres. Our soil is clay,but on a slight incline so quite well drained. In the summer we have too much grass and the horses have to be restricted but in the winter I always wish we had more land. That's the problem with land- you always wish you had a little bit more!
Arenas and yards can take up an amazing amount of space, as can parking, storage and access to these areas.
You would manage perfectly well on 5 or 6 acres and could manage on far less, but if you can afford it don't be put off by the prospect of a larger acreage.
 
Shropshire< staffordshire< cheshire on pricing.
Then again if you want to sell, cheshire will sell fastest.

Bear in mind, planning permission for a house and getting planning permission for a stable yard are very different things, also you will need a change of use for the land and any remaining buildings from agricultural to equestrian (adds up!). Oh and pp for field shelters is a PITA as well.
Personally I'd buy 10-15.

You can get a contractor to make your own hay (sounds daft but you'll save and know the quality), and you can harrow rather than poo pick daily. Plus it gives you the option of an isolation paddock, a starvation paddock/ paradise for fatties, ability to rotate if you do get a terrible patch of weather etc. Also it enables you to divide your land into sensibly thought out paddocks, ie with good access and a gate not in a corner (this is so much easier for getting horses in and reducing potholing around gates). You will also need to put water to your newly divided paddocks. Personally on my land I have large paddocks, with real post and rail fencing and rounded corners. I then divide them as necessary with electrical for strip grazing etc. Please consider planting trees/ hedgerows for shelter, it will make a great difference to your horses well being.

If you find you have waaaay too much after a couple of years you can always sell land, but you can barely ever add suitable contiguous acres!
 
Thanks everyone for your advice al very helpful :)

Yeah I will have hedges trees and have seen some free standing shelters. Think it might be cheaper as someone mentioned above looking for old barns or something with land which Er can knock down and them rebuild a house depending on permissions etc.

So many things to consider haha just want to have it built and have horses in my garden. Think I will end up worrying with so much land they may be stolen. Anyone who has lots of land do you freeze mark your horses? Might decorate them in glow in the dark paint so can see them in the dark from the house ;)

Too much land means an excuse to get more horses ;) or a donkey haha
 
Hi just looked at your previous posts which suggests you are quite inexperienced. I know this is a long term plan but if you are intending to keep horses at home, it would be really helpful to do some training. I know you worked in a riding school as a teenager but it's can be a bit daunting to be completely responsible for horses on your own. I came in to riding quite late in life, for the first couple of years of horse ownership I kept my horse and daughter's pony on a yard where i got lots of help and advice. There was always someone to ask if I was unsure and always someone to ride out with. For those two years I was on a very steep learning curve but i was able to go to the PC B test training on horse management, which was really helpful and taught me a huge amount of really practical stuff. The BHS do similar courses. We moved to our own yard and although I felt pretty well prepared for the management side of things it was still a bit of a shock having no-one around to use as a sounding board. fortunately I found a great local trainer, who even 15 years on, is my first point of call if I'm unsure about something. Believe me, you don't know what you don't know, if that makes any sense. Please don't think I'm trying to put the dampers on your plans but there's so much you can do to prepare yourself before making tht big step. AND the more you now, the less likely you are to make a mistake in designing your yard. Good luck with your plans, I'm sure lots of folk will be very envious of your situation, but keeping horses at home does have it's drawbacks.
 
I have a horse on full loan at a diy livery atm :) so am aware of being responsible for a horse :) but not three haha I have an instructor who I use atm who would come to my house and have lessons with us so that's all though out :) plus would have another year of loaning my current horse before any building is complete if not longer :). I'm only 22 so was only about 3 years ago when I left the stables :) stables was fab as I had been riding there for years I was given a bigger part than just mucking out meaning I learnt lots as over the years foals were born, some poor horses had colic, got lame grass sickness etc so got to be very hands on with how they were treated, how you look after horse whose in labour ect things I might not normally see :) ans hopefully won't have to have any horses having foals haha they also were training me to be an instructor shame I moved away haha! I'm used to riding alone atm as ob a small yard, hopefully my partner will start riding as he'd been on a few treks on holiday with me and enjoyed it :)
 
That's great. Sorry didn't mean to offend you .
misswinter said:
I have a horse on full loan at a diy livery atm :) so am aware of being responsible for a horse :) but not three haha I have an instructor who I use atm who would come to my house and have lessons with us so that's all though out :) plus would have another year of loaning my current horse before any building is complete if not longer :). I'm only 22 so was only about 3 years ago when I left the stables :) stables was fab as I had been riding there for years I was given a bigger part than just mucking out meaning I learnt lots as over the years foals were born, some poor horses had colic, got lame grass sickness etc so got to be very hands on with how they were treated, how you look after horse whose in labour ect things I might not normally see :) ans hopefully won't have to have any horses having foals haha they also were training me to be an instructor shame I moved away haha! I'm used to riding alone atm as ob a small yard, hopefully my partner will start riding as he'd been on a few treks on holiday with me and enjoyed it :)
Click to expand...
 
Land management is a whole separate issue in addition to horse care by the way, so it might be worth researching some courses or at least reading up on it. From the sounds of it you might be better having a farmer run sheep or cattle on the land before you're ready to move horses on. Rather than leave it empty. Also, from experience, planning permission, building a property and agricultural buildings are an absolute nightmare. It can be very very tough and depressing. I would definitely advise on getting some advice on possible layouts from a variety of people who keep horses at home and have kids.
Oldie48 isn't trying to wee on your chips, merely trying to save you a lot of the stress and heartache. You'll have enough with the building.
 
No its okay you didn't offend me :) thanks everyone for your advice yeah no kids yet or any time soon haha but maybe in the future although I prefer horses and dogs to children :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top