Keeping horses at home - obvious & hidden costs

HiPo'sHuman

HiPo'sHuman

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Looking at equestrian properties, woooo - exciting! I've only ever had mine on livery and am pretty clueless about land management etc. I definitely have lots to learn. I expect that there will be tonnes of costs for things I haven't even considered, would anyone mind giving me a rough list of what I can expect to pay out for please? If we base it on one I'm potentially interested in

4 acre field, not sure what grazing is like as I'm not viewing until next week
menage
stables

So I'd have the usual forage, bedding, wormer, farrier etc. everything I'm paying out for now minus livery cost.

Plus;

Field maintenance
Electric fencing for track/strip grazing
Harrowing menage
Muck heap removal
General maintenance (I suppose this is limitless!)

What else? I'd be moving my Highland and getting a companion pony.

My eternal thanks to anyone who can add to my list of expenses ;)
 
Oh god the list and cost can be endless so pick a figure! Be prepared to spend more time maintaining it all than actually riding! Electrify ALL the post and rail, will save you a fortune in the long run. Get a quad or a towing vehicle that can drag a chain harrow so you dont have to rely on anyone else. I have three acres, really simple yard and stables and its just the way i like it and I spray on foot using my backpack sprayer. The more you have the more you need to maintain the more it all costs!

But go for it. There is nothing like having your own place :)
 
Are you actually buying a house with land, or just the land/stables etc. When we viewed ours, I barely noticed the house - but it ate our entire budget and much, much more, when we came to realise what a sorry state it was in. Then we had to re roof the stables, replace the oil tank, get a calor supply, the septic tank is on its way out...and that's before we can even think about decent fencing....It's been 3 1/2 years of very hard work and massive expense - but we do love it, and we feel very lucky.
 
Companion for the companion. More additional fencing materials to contain said companions than you would think possible. Gin.
 
It's the best thing ever would never want to go back to livery again, one thing I will say it can get a bit lonely riding alone all the time, I would get another riding horse and find a riding partner a few times a week, I have 2 at home and have a few friends that come over and ride it's really lovely
 
Like others have said, it is great but a lot of maintenance.

Thinking about it I would say the biggest hidden cost for us is tools and equipment for repairs and maintenance. We have a quad sprayer, which is easier to control when it gets done. Also basic tools like wire strainer, hammer, millions of electric fence insulators as they break!!!

The thing have always struggled with having only 1 or 2 is getting a farrier reliable enough to be bothered to come. I now take mine to the neighbours as she has a big yard to do!!!
 
I do love having mine at home, but it is more expensive than livery I think!

We had to repair the drive, resurface the school, refence the school, woodworm treat the stables, re-roof the stables, fit a fuse box in sthe stables, paint the stables rubber mat the stables, water and electricity, cut the bloomin grass as there is too much - bought a lawn tractor for that, which also pulls the harrow for the school, sprayer and roller too... Field shelter, new fencing electric fencing, new gates, fertiliser, weed killer, chain saw, buckets and troughs, buying in someone t cover when we cannot be at home, trailer for muck removal, paying for the actual muck removal, having small bales is more expensive than large, especially if you only have a small storage space.

Lockers for the tack room, feed bins, tack racks. Alarm for the stables and tack room.

We have lived here 20 years.
 
Mines a hundred percent cheaper at home!
I am able to have my retired and riding horse, companions and daughters. Absolutely no way I could keep them all on a yard.
Yes you have to buy stuff like electric fencing but it’s not that major!
I don’t have a school so no maintenance there.
I’ve not had many maintenance bills at all really. I treat the wooden stables yearly, replace the odd bit of fence but it’s minimal.
 
I have 7 acres.
Hedge cutting and ongoing fencing maintenance sets me back around £150-200/ year. Weed killing and fertilising around £350 every other year. Trough water supply £30 per quarter. I have my own harrows and roller that my 4x4 tow but had to get some power harrowed this year due to bad ruts, £50. Winter forage or cutting own- roughly equal costs but more satisfying to grow your own!
 
Field and yard maintenance will take up more time than you think. I have my horses at home and don't regret it but am lucky enough to have enough stables and land to have a couple of friends keep their horses with mine so I do have company and help.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of help for when you are on holiday, etc.
 
Red-1 said:
I do love having mine at home, but it is more expensive than livery I think!

We had to repair the drive, resurface the school, refence the school, woodworm treat the stables, re-roof the stables, fit a fuse box in sthe stables, paint the stables rubber mat the stables, water and electricity, cut the bloomin grass as there is too much - bought a lawn tractor for that, which also pulls the harrow for the school, sprayer and roller too... Field shelter, new fencing electric fencing, new gates, fertiliser, weed killer, chain saw, buckets and troughs, buying in someone t cover when we cannot be at home, trailer for muck removal, paying for the actual muck removal, having small bales is more expensive than large, especially if you only have a small storage space.

Lockers for the tack room, feed bins, tack racks. Alarm for the stables and tack room.

We have lived here 20 years.
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If it makes you feel any better none of the yards in my area do any of the things you mention (other than remove muck and provide mains fencing), so they are either a dump, or the liveries have to carry out/pay for the work. I imagine that your property looks lovely!
 
SilverLinings said:
If it makes you feel any better none of the yards in my area do any of the things you mention (other than remove muck and provide mains fencing), so they are either a dump, or the liveries have to carry out/pay for the work. I imagine that your property looks lovely!
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You are right, it does look lovely, but a lot of it is necessary as well as looking lovely. I did forget the hedge cutting, the ditch digging, the damp proof..... oh, and we are getting ready for new windows.
 
The list of things to be done is sometimes endless .We are replacing post and rails and gates atm that’s for the third time for some of them .
It’s not only the money the general maintaince can eat into your Riding time so my top tip is ride first then work or you can easily fall into the no time to ride trap .
You must have a back plan to cover the care of the horses if you are sick or injured and so you can get away from home or non horsey partners can get very sick of it .
But nothing beats looking out the window and seeing your horses or hearing them whinny when you open the house door .
 
Red-1 said:
I do love having mine at home, but it is more expensive than livery I think!

We had to repair the drive, resurface the school, refence the school, woodworm treat the stables, re-roof the stables, fit a fuse box in sthe stables, paint the stables rubber mat the stables, water and electricity, cut the bloomin grass as there is too much - bought a lawn tractor for that, which also pulls the harrow for the school, sprayer and roller too... Field shelter, new fencing electric fencing, new gates, fertiliser, weed killer, chain saw, buckets and troughs, buying in someone t cover when we cannot be at home, trailer for muck removal, paying for the actual muck removal, having small bales is more expensive than large, especially if you only have a small storage space.

Lockers for the tack room, feed bins, tack racks. Alarm for the stables and tack room.

We have lived here 20 years.
Click to expand...

All of the above but we don't have a school yet 😁
Make sure you have adequate space for hay storage. Best part is you can have more ponies, with no real extra outlay 😂😂😂
 
Red-1 said:
You are right, it does look lovely, but a lot of it is necessary as well as looking lovely. I did forget the hedge cutting, the ditch digging, the damp proof..... oh, and we are getting ready for new windows.
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When I eventually own somewhere I can keep the horses at home I aspire to your standards and organisation. I am quite a tidy person and it is disheartening trying to bring order to a yard when either the YO or other liveries see making a mess and damaging things as some kind of achievement! I know we all have different standards of tidiness, but I don't understand how some horse-owners are happy for the environment to deteriorate to the point where it is dangerous for the horses.

Good like to the OP, it sounds like a very exciting prospect!
 
Mine are sadly not at home but I rent land and I’m responsible for all maintenance.
Thankfully our water is pumped from the river via the farm so no cost to us, as could imagine that could add up a bit on a water metre at home.
Although it is only a small acrage, unless you get the equipment cheap it is probably cheaper to just pay a local farmer/contractor to Harrow/roll/top when needed. Also depend on how much storage you have and security as things like quad bikes are expensive and very stealable (hate to be negative!)
Weed killer with a back pack sprayer less than £100 a year but can take a little while
Fencing can be barely anything. As even replacing all electric tape when it has seen better days is not much, but rotten posts and rails add up. We spent over £1000 one year as we needed to replace a lot of ancient fencing and was too much work to manage ourselves.

When you view I would look at access for hay delivery- we are lucky to have a barn so a tractor can deliver big bales but a friend who has horses at home has ended up buying small bales of haylage due to access and storage issues
 
I have 14 acres.

We have room for one DIY livery, and this helps in paying the bills for my own horses, so this is something you might consider?? But if you live on-site, make sure you vet your livery VERY very thoroughly indeed - in 25 years of being here we've only ever had one really bad livery and thank goodness she only stayed for a month! But if you're living on site, and have your own horses on the place too, then you'll need to have not only a person(s) you can on with OK, but who's horses are easy to deal with as well. You don't want a cribber or a kicker do you. I keep livery's horses and my own totally separate, find it works best.

Remember: it is better to have a livery place "available", than to fill it with the wrong person.

The advantage of having a livery is that (if you get the right person) you'll hopefully have someone to ride with, as well as natter about horsey stuff, maybe you could go to stuff together, have lessons together or whatever. And of course you can always arrange to swap duties if needs be, very helpful this.

My essentials: mains electric fencing - you need to find a place to position your mains unit, not easy this. One of my horses has sweet itch, and the blighter knows when he's dealing with leccy tape where the battery's going a bit flat, and he'll just flatten it! Mains leccy fencing has taught him a bit of respect!

IF you go down the route of battery energisers, always always always keep a spare battery to hand. You don't want to run out of battery-power on Christmas Eve at 5pm with no chance of getting one for the interim, and a hairy mammoth who's committed to tanking through your fencing as soon as your back's turned!

Another essential: get a local farmer or contractor sorted for your ground maintenance and hedge trimming. If your fields border the public highway you have a legal responsibility to trim the excess, and there are regulations as to when (and when not) you must do it, usually avoiding the bird nesting season.

Or of course you could get the kit and do the field maintenance yourself.

IF you are going down the route of "getting a livery", then bear in mind that the Buck will stop with you! You will be responsible! You cannot hand over to the YO/YM and let them deal with things, it will be your problem! Sometimes, if you've been at a yard, that can be a bit of a culture shock.

But nothing can reward you quite like sitting out on a sunny evening, with a glass in your hand, looking at your Pride & Joy(s) out in YOUR field.
 
My advice is not to get carried away. Just focus on what is really necessary. Start with fencing and water. Maybe an electric fence so you can sub-divide. The rest is luxury. Resist the long lists of things and learn from experience and work our what works for you.
 
Cost is one thing but you will have to deal with the horses getting separation anxiety. lack of friends, no community spirit no support when you are ill or on holiday. Livery costs for one horse if you own it for 30 years purchased age 5 approx 50000 pounds which would only just cover getting a menage and stables built.
 
GTRJazz said:
Cost is one thing but you will have to deal with the horses getting separation anxiety. lack of friends, no community spirit no support when you are ill or on holiday. Livery costs for one horse if you own it for 30 years purchased age 5 approx 50000 pounds which would only just cover getting a menage and stables built.
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Horses do not have to get separation anxiety and having them all under your own control means even if they do it is easier to manage than in a livery yard where you may have limited control over what goes on, so I see being at home as a positive rather than a negative on that.
Why should being at home mean you lack friends, you can meet local riders, meet old friends, new ones and choose them rather than spend time with someone just because you share a yard.
I would make a priority of finding a local freelancer who will cover illness/ the odd day off/ holidays, I am moving to a new area soon and apart from a few urgent jobs to do this is next on the list, I plan on joining the local RC to get a few contacts as well as popping in to say hello to the neighbours who have horses, the local feedstore will usually be a good source of local info.

The cost of livery can be cheaper in many ways than paying a mortgage on an expensive equestrian property, maintaining the place, building etc but it will be yours and I cannot imagine keeping mine at livery after years of having them at home so it is well worth it in my view and at the end of the day if you do give up you can either sell and move on or rent the yard to gain a small income, land will always be a good investment.
 
We're on ten acres. Here are my tips FWIW:

If you're going to subdivide the 4 acres into smaller paddocks start off with electric tape before you put the permanent fencing in. That way you can get an idea of whether your field setup works and you can change things around before you invest in expensive permanent fencing.
I regret not putting a laneway down the middle of our property to access the paddocks and move horses without going through other paddocks.

Look at drainage and drought tolerance (the drought thing is probably only an issue in Australia mind you). If you can, have a look at the property after significant rain. It would be a shame to have a section of your land unusable for huge parts of the year due to bogginess. If you're interested in pasture improvement and/or cutting your own hay get a soil test and grass sample analysed by a suitable ag company.

In terms of social activity, yes it can be a bit boring and unmotivating riding on your own. We picked an area that is very horsey and I have joined a local riding club and a trail riding club, plus I have a couple of neighbours who I ride with, and one who now shares one of my horses.

In terms of money, having your own property is an endless money pit. Honestly there is CONSTANTLY stuff that needs doing and you're pretty much always looking at things that could be improved, better fencing, better sheds, stables, etc. Farm machinery ALWAYS breaks down and ALWAYS at the most inconvenient times! :mad:
Having holidays becomes a bit more difficult because you've spent all your money on the property, and also you'll need a house-sitter who can deal with looking after the horses (and dogs, and cats and chickens :eek:)

Having said that, being able to setup your own little horsey heaven really is the best feeling ever. I cannot imagine ever going back to agistment/livery ever again. Looking out at your own horses and being able to just pop out and change a rug or just give a carrot and a pat whenever you want is just amazing. :)
 
poiuytrewq said:
Mines a hundred percent cheaper at home!
I am able to have my retired and riding horse, companions and daughters. Absolutely no way I could keep them all on a yard.
Yes you have to buy stuff like electric fencing but it’s not that major!
I don’t have a school so no maintenance there.
I’ve not had many maintenance bills at all really. I treat the wooden stables yearly, replace the odd bit of fence but it’s minimal.
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Lol, I’m on livery and still have to buy electric fencing because other than the perimeter, the yard fencing is practically non existent. Which was interesting when I turned up on the first day (hadn’t been told I needed to provide my own fencing when I viewed).
 
I think the cost will depend on how many horses you try and get on - 2 on 4 acres will do less damage and need less land management than trying to get 6 on 4 acres.
Also is the 4 acres the fenced grazing area or the whole lot. Agents usually put the whole lot and house, garden, yard and school take up a lot.
Mine is 10 acres but only 8.5 available to graze.
I spray once a year - £250 guy comes in to do it
Constantly replacing chewed/ broken rails and pushed over stone walls - probably £700-1000 + husbands time
Electric for the school
Check whether you are metered water - if so that'll be massive - best stick to water rates if you can
Mole/ rat / pest killing - easily £200 a year
School surface top up - £2k every few years (depending on how much you use it)
Harrowing - we do ourselves 4 x 4 and old gate / pallet cheapest option
We borrow sheep and that really helps the ground
Muck heap removal / spreading is about £500 a year more if you use straw vs wood pellets
drive is a disaster but quote to fix that properly was £10k - so we patch it up
Stable roof leaks - we spent £1k fixing it in first year - still leaks so just have buckets under the dripping parts now!

If you maintain the land it's not cheap but pays dividends in the long run
 
Antw23uk said:
Oh god the list and cost can be endless so pick a figure! Be prepared to spend more time maintaining it all than actually riding! Electrify ALL the post and rail, will save you a fortune in the long run. Get a quad or a towing vehicle that can drag a chain harrow so you dont have to rely on anyone else. I have three acres, really simple yard and stables and its just the way i like it and I spray on foot using my backpack sprayer. The more you have the more you need to maintain the more it all costs!

But go for it. There is nothing like having your own place :)
Click to expand...

Agree with this. I also have 3 acres and I think any more would be a pain to maintain!

We have a set of harrows we can tow with the 4x4. We are looking in to getting a ride on mower for topping the grass. We haven't had to spray for weeds yet but I would do exactly as above. I also fertilised one of the paddocks by hand - yes, it was very time consuming but saved me money! :D OH fixes gates and fences as necessary.

The only things I've had pay someone else to do is deliver round bales of hay in Winter and remove muck heap.

Hope you find somewhere lovely! We've been here since November and feel very blessed being able to have our own place. :)
 
Landcruiser said:
Are you actually buying a house with land, or just the land/stables etc. When we viewed ours, I barely noticed the house - but it ate our entire budget and much, much more, when we came to realise what a sorry state it was in. Then we had to re roof the stables, replace the oil tank, get a calor supply, the septic tank is on its way out...and that's before we can even think about decent fencing....It's been 3 1/2 years of very hard work and massive expense - but we do love it, and we feel very lucky.
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This is true and I would add that if you buy a very old house (ours is over 200 years old) their is a HELL of a lot of maintenance to take in to consideration. You just need to make a list of what needs doing, prioritise the jobs and do them as and when you can.
 
Hack4fun said:
My advice is not to get carried away. Just focus on what is really necessary. Start with fencing and water. Maybe an electric fence so you can sub-divide. The rest is luxury. Resist the long lists of things and learn from experience and work our what works for you.
Click to expand...

This
 
As above..we’ve just moved too, drainage of the field is a must where we are but it might go on the back burner till next year, the house is more important, As long as you have the basics covered, water, hay, feed supplier, shelter and fencing for your horse and a companion if needed, then see how it goes..everything else can be done as and when needed and the weather permits!
 
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