Keysoe

[TheChestnutThing]

Locals at war with £2bn pandemic tycoon over plans for 400 stables

Sarah Stoute, 49, has planned to erect 411 stables near thatched cottages and a medieval church, horrifying neighbours in Keysoe village, Bedfordshire.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Anyone seen this?

If it was housing I bet no one would really care...

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

Aren’t they were no longer running as a competition venue? For what reason do they need 411 stables?

 

[Bernster]

It’s all a bit odd up there! But I really hope it continues to be avail as an equestrian centre in some form or another. Amazing facilities. Shame not so many events these days.

 

[rara007]

It’s up and running as an international venue. They’ve upgraded!

 

[Sealine]

I've had some great times at Keysoe over the years and it's a great venue but I'm suspicious that this is a long term plan to eventually get planning permission for housing on the footprint of 400 stables.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

I've had some great times at Keysoe over the years and it's a great venue but I'm suspicious that this is a long term plan to eventually get planning permission for housing on the footprint of 400 stables.

that actually makes sense!

 

[SOS]

I think the venue was going to be sold for housing development before it was brought by the current owners. Keysoe was by far my favourite venue a few years ago, particularly the BEs which were beautifully put together.

The new owners clearly have enough money that they can run the venue however they would like and have chosen to make it a training only venue. I question whether there is a huge demand for extremely fancy and high priced training venue - see their recent plans on Facebook for some very lovely but slightly OTT arenas.

They also posted saying their International Arena is available to hire again and comments suggest it’s £80 a rider and £10 per extra horse… amateurs won’t want to pay those sort of prices and there is a cost of living crisis going on. Some professionals are struggling to run yards with bills ever rising, so unless they can get some really top class/resident trainers in, then there may not be much of a demand from the professionals either.

Keysoe have previously said that competitions (BE/BD/BS) don’t make enough money for them to be financially viable so interesting that they feel training will. Perhaps this is estimated on 411 horses stabling for training at once!

 

[Nasicus]

I've had some great times at Keysoe over the years and it's a great venue but I'm suspicious that this is a long term plan to eventually get planning permission for housing on the footprint of 400 stables.

I think you're right there. 400 stables is an absolutely mindboggling amount. 400 stables, plus arenas, buildings etc, all on 225 acres, how much would be left for turnout for 400 horses? And if the idea is for the horses to remain stabled most of the time, imagine how much storage they'd need for bedding, forage, parking for the staff and/or owners and can you picture the absolute size of the muckheap?
Something very odd going on there...

 

[rara007]

It’s for use as a training venue so turnout not needed.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0n4AdP6qoAoUZGYqCej2YViZp3A4pMj3ws1JEFz4VBHNdNMsHe832jkZhr919Cfvil&id=100064756264212

 

[Sealine]

Have I misunderstood something? The facebook pages states no competitions just a training venue. Therefore there will be 400 visiting stabled horses at any one time for training?

 

[PipsqueakXy22]

Have I misunderstood something? The facebook pages states no competitions just a training venue. Therefore there will be 400 visiting stabled horses at any one time for training?

This is what confuses me as well. What training are they running that requires 400 stables all in one go

 

[shortstuff99]

SJ course hire is £80 an hour currently!

Plus she always mentions it was going to be sold for housing but the old owner always says it wasn't.

Please also don't forget she took 2 billion of taxpayers money to provide PPE of which 1 BILLION pounds worth was useless and had to be thrown away as not suitable.....

 

[ycbm]

I think you're right there. 400 stables is an absolutely mindboggling amount. 400 stables, plus arenas, buildings etc, all on 225 acres, how much would be left for turnout for 400 horses? And if the idea is for the horses to remain stabled most of the time, imagine how much storage they'd need for bedding, forage, parking for the staff and/or owners and can you picture the absolute size of the muckheap?
Something very odd going on there...

There are currently around 300 stables at Somerford Park Farm, well over 200 liveries, with a new barn in construction and a livery horse/turnout ratio of at least 4 horses to the acre.

I'm afraid this is the future of horse owning in this country if you don't have your own land, and I want none of it.
.

 

[Nicnac]

Currently sitting in a room full of PPE - some of it already out of date....

I thought it's going to be a training centre but the previous comment of housing on stables footprint makes a lot of sense. I do wonder what a £30 million holiday looks like!

 

[shortstuff99]

Currently sitting in a room full of PPE - some of it already out of date....

I thought it's going to be a training centre but the previous comment of housing on stables footprint makes a lot of sense. I do wonder what a £30 million holiday looks like!

Worse than out of date it was always classed as not suitable for medical use but was sold to hospitals for medical use.

It's not a holiday she has bought a 30 million villa in Barbados that she holidays at.

 

[Nicnac]

Worse than out of date it was always classed as not suitable for medical use but was sold to hospitals for medical use.

It's not a holiday she has bought a 30 million villa in Barbados that she holidays at.

Not hospital setting, social care so not affected by hospital quality. Just a pain that it's out of date. Government has prolonged free PPE for another year but we stopped ordering months ago as had so much stock.

Yes the "Fail" said £30mio holiday twice but further down said a villa. Still a lot of money even for Barbados.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

There are currently around 300 stables at Somerford Park Farm, well over 200 liveries, with a new barn in construction and a livery horse/turnout ratio of at least 4 horses to the acre.

I'm afraid this is the future of horse owning in this country if you don't have your own land, and I want none of it.
.

200 liveries??????

 

[ycbm]

200 liveries??????

Well over, 7 or 8 separate livery businesses on the site renting barns, and another huge barn that will probably have 30 or 40 in it being built right now.

And 3 huge barns used for training stabling hired by the day in another area nearby.
.

 

[ponynutz]

Having been to Somerford many a time it is a gigantic site and can easily imagine there being over 200 liveries. Always got the impression horses had individual turnout there though but perhaps that's because I've only driven through and used the facilities, never stabled there permanently.

 

[ycbm]

Having been to Somerford many a time it is a gigantic site and can easily imagine there being over 200 liveries. Always got the impression horses had individual turnout there though but perhaps that's because I've only driven through and used the facilities, never stabled there permanently.

They are turned out in ones or twos, and rarely, in threes, depending on the barn manager and the horses. But there is so little land available for that number of horses that different horses go in the same paddock at night and during the day. It's also the case in several barns that the horses don't have their "own" paddock, but may be turned out in any of the paddocks that belong to its barn. This can result in many different horses sharing the same paddock in a week, which is fine maybe if your worm control is spot on, but that wasn't my experience, having moved into one barn and then to another and neither time being asked to worm or test my newly arriving horse.
.

 

[Bernster]

I’ve been reading the Facebook comments. I get that it’s her business and therefore her choice what to put on ie no competitions. But if it’s a training yard only, people still need the competitions to train for. And little point only catering to top level competitions (if that’s the aim of the 400 stables) if there isn’t a pipeline of smaller events for people to go to.

Although with so many closures I am glad it’s still going at all!

PS I think it’s temporary stabling so presumably not for liveries.

 

[ycbm]

I don't understand how they will ever need temporary stabling for 400 horses, with or without competitions. That makes no sense to me.
.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Maybe thinking of top class auctions.

 

[j1ffy]

I get the 400 stables if she’s planning to run European-style SJ tours (there are 1000s currently at Montenmedio in southern Spain for the Sunshine Tour), but not for training. Also £80 for an hour’s arena hire is bonkers! I think she’ll need to re-look at her business plan…even the fanciest training only centres near me are a fraction of that.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Worse than out of date it was always classed as not suitable for medical use but was sold to hospitals for medical use.

It's not a holiday she has bought a 30 million villa in Barbados that she holidays at.

I get the 400 stables if she’s planning to run European-style SJ tours (there are 1000s currently at Montenmedio in southern Spain for the Sunshine Tour), but not for training. Also £80 for an hour’s arena hire is bonkers! I think she’ll need to re-look at her business plan…even the fanciest training only centres near me are a fraction of that.

Addington also has a ridiculous cost for their arena hire and so many friends would rather travel a bit further than pay a huge amount.

 

[eggs]

Addington also has a ridiculous cost for their arena hire and so many friends would rather travel a bit further than pay a huge amount.

My friend and I went to Addington after Christmas. It was £40 for the two of us for an hour to use their smaller indoor school (20 x 60). The surface had been harrowed and the lights were on. I think this was good value.

 

[sport horse]

Addington also has a ridiculous cost for their arena hire and so many friends would rather travel a bit further than pay a huge amount.

Addington charge £60/hour for two horses for their main intrnational arena with a complete set of jumps. each extra horse up to max 6 is £10/horse.
Smaller 60 x 20 indoor is £40/hour - no jumps

If you think of the capital cost and the running costs these charges seem fair. Not sure where you would go to find better value?

 

[Jellymoon]

Such a shame.
They had a lovely riding club there with brilliant, affordable training, which has had to move to different locations.
I do get that businesses have to make money and it’s her property and she can do what the hell she likes. However, I do think there’s a sort of unwritten rule in the horse world that you give a bit back. It’s a tough lifestyle choice and we all rely on the generosity of people more fortunate than us to occasionally let us use their facilities at an affordable price, and the volunteers who make it possible for us to compete.

 

[Starzaan]

200 liveries??????

I managed a yard with over 200 liveries for years. They are out there!

 

[stormox]

I walked round the public footpaths there with my dogs not long ago.
Theyve put post and rail fencing either side of them and removed most of the fixed XC fences.
All a bit strange if its going to be a 'training venue'.
Training for what? Obviously not XC.