Keeping a horse in Sussex - costs please...

zoeshiloh

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www.stowmarketanddistrictridingclub.com
I am strongly considering moving back to Sussex, and have been online researching livery yards and land that is for sale. It's been a few years since I have kept a horse in Sussex, and so far the places that I have spoken to are quoting astronomical prices (compared to Suffolk) for everything from hay to shoes.

What I want to know is;

- The average price of a DIY yard in Sussex with decent stables, all year turnout, and a menage
- The average price of a set of shoes
- The average price of a bale of hay
- The average price of a bale of straw
- The average price of a bale of shavings
- The average price of grass livery

Are there many DIY yards around that will accept a stallion? I know when I lived in Sussex before, I couldn't find any! Only part and full livery yards.

I am mainly looking around the Horsham area, as that would be where I would move to. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Can't answer all your questions, but will have a stab at some:

Set of shoes: £60 + (without including road nails, stud holes etc)
Hay: £2 - £3.50 a bale (but cheaper for bulk quantities, or bought off field)
Grass livery: £10+ per horse
 

For our horses in Sussex (not far from Horsham) we're paying:
£30 DIY livery / week
£6 ad lib hay / week
£60 ex VAT for shoes
£7 for shavings / bag

£15 week for grass livery, but hard to find in Sussex - this bit anyway!

Not sure about bales as ours come in bulk!
 
Shavings - you're looking at £7 a bag, if not more
Shoes - £60 + and that's without anything else (stud holes, road nails)

Can't help on the others
 
There seems to be mainly farmers with DIY and the ones I've met are abit clue-less, best avoided and won't take stallions. The nice compant (sp) yards which would take stallions tend to offer part or full... it's pretty dear down here so it's the only way to cover costs really. What part of Sussex we taking?

Here are my guesses...

- The average price of a set of shoes = Min £55 max £80 ( I pay £73 with four studs holes )
- The average price of a bale of hay = £2.50-£4 (depending on quailty and bulk)
- The average price of a bale of straw -£2?
- The average price of a bale of shavings -£5/7
- The average price of grass livery - £20
 
I am in Horsham ... and think I know someone who you know very well
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This is the info I have for your questions, based on what I pay ... but can always keep a look out if you want, just PM me
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- The average price of a DIY yard in Sussex with decent stables, all year turnout, and a menage ..??
- The average price of a set of shoes .. £72 + VAT
- The average price of a bale of hay .. £2.50
- The average price of a bale of straw .. £1.50
- The average price of a bale of shavings .. £6.95
- The average price of grass livery .. ??
 
Here in Surrey it's

£64 for a set of shoes
£6 bale of shavings
£30 grass livery (with off road hacking, walker, all weather school, 40 acres of good grass for 4 horses)
 
Argghhh - I know a lot of people in Horsham, some that I would rather forget, lol. When I left Horsham I was paying almost £100 for a set of shoes, although that was with a special farrier. On the whole everything seems to be a lot more expensive.

I have been looking at a few yards to rent, and start up a small livery business, mainly part and full livery. I don't know how much need there is for such things down that way now though, the market seems to be flooded with full livery yards.

Eaglestone - pleeeease pm me with the name of the person who we know in common, would love to know who this is, although I have my suspicions.....
 


What I want to know is;

- The average price of a DIY yard in Sussex with decent stables, all year turnout, and a menage

We have 2 yards at our place 1 charges £35 and the other £40 this includes hay / haylage use of school and gallops. If stallion is ok in with geldings then same price if not then probably £10 extra for individual turnout in YM paddocks.

- The average price of a set of shoes

I pay £60 per set but others pay anything from £50 to £70

- The average price of a bale of hay

Not relevant as its included in price

- The average price of a bale of straw

Can't use straw at our yard shaving are between £6.50 and £7

- The average price of a bale of shavings

as above

- The average price of grass livery

I just bought my girl back from grass livery and it was £15. We do have a yard nearby ish that does part grass livery ie rug changing feed hay when needed etc etc for £30 per week

Not in Horsham area but hope this helps.
 
Zoe,

I'm setting up a new yard in Ewehurst in september, 8 miles from Horsham, we will take stallions and charge normal amounts for livery!
 
I think the cost of feed and bedding varies depending on how good it is, the same with farriers.

I can recommend a high quality livery in Slinfold, which is close to Horsham. They will take stallions and have indoor and outdoor school.

Google Gemsbrook.
 
We are down nearer to Worthing, than Horsham, but :

DIY livery with off road riding and school - £36 a week
Hay - £3.50 a bale
Shavings - if you can get them, £7-8 I believe, but most of the liveries using shavings have gone over to paper at £4.80 a bale as they were having trouble getting shavings.
Farriers - mine's barefoot, but my sister pays £91 for a set of rim shoes and stud holes in the back.

Yards to rent - none in our immediate area, but more do seem to come up Horsham area.
 
tracey01 - Paula is one of my best friends
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and might well be where my stally ends up, as I have already asked her to produce him for grading for me.

I can't believe how expensive livery has become down in Sussex - when I last had a horse there, it was between £18 and £25 per week, depending on facilities. The yard I was at (which is sadly now privately owned) was £20 per week, and have an enormous outdoor school, lovely American barn stabling (14x14 boxes) huge tack room, and literally a gate that opened out onto a bridleway. Oh, how I wish the place was still a livery yard!

I mainly use shavings for all of mine, but foal down broodmares on straw, so need to know rough cost. Up here I pay 50p a bale! Hay is more expensive this way though, mainly due to the fact most of the fields around here are given over to arable farming, so what we save on straw, we pay out on hay, lol!

My farrier in Horsham used to charge me £105 a set, including stud holes and road nails. My farrier in Suffolk charges me £55 for the same thing.
 
used to live in sussex so here goes.....
diy livery....NYTHING FROM 25-34+ Per week depending on facilities, hacking etc.

grass 10-15 per week

shoes 60-65 a set


much cheaper in wales hehe!!
 
hi. i know where there is an empty stable as of today having moved my boy from southwater/horsham yard (diy and part livery) to his new loan home, he has already emailed me today, yes my horse has emailed me haha how cute! it is 30 per week that includes them getting fed each morning, huge school, horsewalker, and lots of hacking. straw and hay delivered on site and the most amazing people you ever met in your life, cant speak highly enough of all of them, yo, helper, stablemates etc.
 
I have no idea seahorse - I might know of you, lol! I do not actually know Eaglestone directly, more through a mutual aquaintance, lol.

PM me with your name and your horse details, and I will tell you whether I know you... I have kept my horses on both the Crawley side of Horsham, and Southwater area, so know quite a few horsey people. I also know most of those the same age as me from C&H Hunt PC and Horsham District Riding Club.
 
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