livery versus renting a field

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Firefly9410

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The "grateful" thread has got me thinking. As a child all I wanted was a field and a pony. That was it. Now I am older with two on livery with livery being the biggest cost. I am not ambitious and have started wondering if I am wasting money on livery and should rent a field instead. For the plusses I can see being able to turn out 24/7 which makes horse keeping easier and no livery yard dramas. The cons would be no arena, no stable, no lights and minimal security. On livery people come and go at different times, there is often someone living on site so horses are seen many times per day whereas with a field there would only be me visiting twice a day and nobody living there. Is security a real worry for example people feeding or riding horses without my consent, horse thieves, dogs chasing horses. Or am I worrying about nothing?
 
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depends on where you are I would think. I am very rural, I do have a neighbouring, busy farm who are always out and about who would notice if anything were too untoward although I do not worry about theft or stray people/dogs where I am.

I have mine at home, I do have stables but no arena, no transport. No near horsey neighbours. I have a non-horsey OH who helps when he can but has kids of his own and a demanding job. It's hard work-worth it to me but not always much fun when the wind is howling and the rain/snow/hail is horizontal. I have kept them somewhere with no electricity and with flexi time, it was doable but again-quite hard work.
 
A lot depends on your circumstances, how much you want to ride, and the location and microclimate of the field you propose to rent. If you work full-time hours, and want to continue riding during the week in the winter, it will be hard without a school or lights, although if you have a trailer/lorry this does allow you to box to arenas mid-week. However, if you are around during the day, then things are likely to be easier in terms of riding in daylight, and also being able to keep an eye on the horses. Where the field is situated is also a consideration, as if it is tucked away in a remote location then security may be more of a problem than if the field is overlooked by several houses (particularly if the neighbours are friendly and interested in horses). The soil type of your field is another factor to put into the equation - a low-lying, boggy clay field may make 24/7 turnout unpleasant, and restricts riding in the field to only the very best of weather. Whereas a well-drained field will let you have the horses out 24/7 with fewer problems, and you should be able to use the field for riding in on a regular basis.
 
I rent the field and stables behind my house and have a smallholding there

I wouldn't change it BUT...

The time I spend on maintenance is surprisingly high, some recent examples:

creosoting fences - 9 hours
cleaning roof of stables, gutters, pulling back ivy etc - 6 hours
moving electric fencing - 3 hours
repairing gate - 1 hour
Lights and electric repairs - 4 hours

things like the creosoting of fences and the stable roof are not done regularly but even then I am only about a tenth of the way through the creosoting and the stable roof still needs some replacement tiles, even little things like buying and stacking bedding can take up huge amounts of time

Its pretty much never ending and is crucial since you are looking after someone else's property
 
We rented a little patch of heaven for three years... about five acres with leaky-roof stabling and three huge concreted and brick "field shelters" spread around (the land used to be an RAF rifle range). The hacking was good, the owners lived across the way, but left us in peace and my boys happily lived out 365/24/7. Owners also had a large school I could use at no extra cost. When the sun shone, life was good. In the midst of winter, when it had rained for days and snowed on top of that, it was hell. I poo-picked daily, without fail, they constantly "challenged" the fences and if I didn't get there twice a day, especially in winter, they went hungry. I spent each winter worrying that our (only) car would breakdown and I'd have to walk the five miles to the yard. Days out or weekends away were nigh-on impossible and hacking out was a solo affair. When gypsies camped up nearby, I panicked about my pretty, hairy traddies and hay deliveries were difficult in winter because of access. At the time, I didn't really know any different so I sucked it up and got on with it.

Then, last summer, we had to leave and I moved onto livery. I was dreading it, if I'm honest, having to dance to someone else's tune but now, after nine months AND wintering them in at night, I have to say I actually really love it. The hacking is GREAT, the people are great and you can always find someone to ride out with if you want to. On-site hay and straw. No poo-picking, no field or fence maintenance, in summer I can just turn up, pull out of the field and ride.... luxury!!

Would I go back to having my own space? D'you know what? At this moment in time, it is worth the extra livery costs.....
 
As others have said, I think it completely depends on how you feel about livery and then the type of field you take. I have hated being on a livery yard for the last few years. I have 2 ponies who I like to compete locally, but because they are hardy and live out all year round, I liveried them on cheap DIY.grass livery yards. Unfortunately, I found that cheap yards in the area I was, harboured lots of jealous women with nothing better to do than stand around and gossip all day. I moved to a couple of different yards, and each one was worse than the last!

Towards the end of summer last year, a field became available near by. It is 4 acres in the middle of a couple of other plots, all rented from the same farm. So I have my own private land with water but also neighbours and we are overlooked by houses and the security is good. We have excellent hacking on the doorstep and a nice flat areas for schooling.

I did spend lots of money buying a shipping container, shelter (that they don't use) and a small fortune on fencing, but so far it has been amazing! Yes there are down sides, but I feel confident that I have neighbours and we all look out for each others horses and there are no yard bullies! Bonus :)

I think if you enjoy being on livery and it is purely the cost, you may be in for a shock. I love being on my own and not having to make idle chat with people, but if you are the social type then it may be a problem. Also if you end up in an isolated place, you may regret it too.
 
Hmm so it seems that security could be a bit of an issue. I definitely do not worry about security where I am now.

As for maintenance I do end up with a fairly poor deal at livery though I love my yard so I am not complaining. I ragwort because nobody else will do it so I spend all summer doing it. I mend fences because if I do not it is my horse in an insecure field, others do not seem to mind.

There are no groom services so I have the same worries now about no weekends away or not being able to get there in the snow. Although I suppose one of the other liveries would throw hay over the door and top up water in an emergency. The yard is aprox 10miles from home so walking there not an option if I rented a field I would make sure it was closer to home.

I am actually not that bothered about riding. I would quite enjoy being a fair weather rider on field fit horses instead of it feeling like I have to ride whether I want to or not. I do miss forage and bedding being available on site but do not have that now on livery. I would enjoy better hacking if I moved closer to home, elsewhere it is just roads. It is a difficult decision. I do like stabling nights in winter it is easier to manage horse health but I was happiest years ago on grass livery. Riding up the mile long drive, trotting along the verge at the last part, returning cantering on the opposite verge and popping the fallen log before walking down and up the driveway hills to the yard. I could be groomed ridden fed and gone in an hour and I loved the freedom it gave me.
 
I have done both. Had one on full lovery at an amazing yard with every facility you could want and now rent 9 acres. There are pros and cons. I love having my own space. I have water, electricity, stables and 2 field shelters. The owners live on site so security it also good.

The cons are I get lonely. I have no one to ride with so tend not to ride as much.

I now have 4 horses so it hasn't saved me any money either 😝
 
Personally I would always prefer a livery yard as there is always someone about. In my own field I wouldn't like to keep any of my belongings on public display, although I like the thought of the peace and quiet, after a while you would be bored having no one to talk to and there would be no one around to help in the event of an emergency.

Also for me I wouldn't be able to get to the horse before work so that's why I am on assisted DIY or part livery.
 
Firefly9410 said:
As for maintenance I do end up with a fairly poor deal at livery though I love my yard so I am not complaining. I ragwort because nobody else will do it so I spend all summer doing it. I mend fences because if I do not it is my horse in an insecure field, others do not seem to mind.
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Sounds like you are halfway to having your own place anyway then!! You'll be surprised how well horses can do living out all winter. My ex-racing teenage TB did FAR better living out, through that prolonged really cold, snowy weather a few years back than the previous two winters of coming in overnight, so you just never can tell.....
 
I rent a field and I love it, but its not for everyone.
Maintenance does take up a lot of time so don't underestimate this! I would say most people who rent land end up riding less as more time has to be spent on other stuff that you don't have to do on livery. But if you're happy to just ride when you feel like it then I don't suppose that matters much?
I've got a mobile stable and shelter on my field. Theyve done 9 years so far and are still in good nick. I keep one side of my stable block locked up and store all my stuff in there. I'm in a fairly rural spot but close to a couple of big towns, the only things I've had stolen are 3 fence energisers. So now I keep that in the locked stable too with a lead out cable running to the fence. The only thing I don't leave there is my tack.
I have solar lights fixed to my sheds which are great so always have light in winter. I collect rainwater, I've got 5 butts in total, you need plenty (3 horses). The only time I struggle for water is in freezing conditions when I have to take it down in containers filled at home.
Mine live out 24/7, there's no livery round here I could do that on all year round. Choosing your own management style is a major upside of not being on livery. My horses have never been healthier and happier but it wouldn't suit everyone. If I need to stable I've got my mobiles so its not a prob. I wouldn't want to be without the sheds, so bear that in mind.
I've made a schooling area in a flat bit of my field - OK in summer but mainly school out hacking in winter. But I ride less in winter anyway because of the short days.
The only thing I would say about being on your own as opposed to livery that causes me problems is not having anyone to help out or cover for you in emergencies / holidays, who is on site. So I either had to pay someone or drag my mum (nearly 70), down to help me! But the OH is just starting to realise he needs to learn a bit too so hopefully I might eventually have another pair of hands to call on!
I wouldn't go back to livery so I would say go for it if you would be happy with all the things us field renter's have pointed out. Its heaven spending time with your own horses and no one else to worry about!
 
Have done part/full livery, now rent a field and stables. I actually could have kept my horses on full livery at a yard with excellent facilities which is about the same distance away, but am so glad that I took the plunge when we moved and rented the stables and field that we have now. It's just under 4 acres, hardstanding, 2 wooden stables, storage and a tackroom with electricity and running water - really good quality, well-built stables too. I also have use of a neighbour's arena and am mere minutes of roadwork away from a bridleway with hundreds of acres of hacking. I am now hard-pressed to think of a reason as to why I would return to livery and all the yard politics..!

It is a bit cheaper than livery but, as others have said, once you factor in all the maintenance and even simple things like muckheap removal the costs do add up. You'll need to arrange your own hay deliveries, field rolling, move the fencing, wait for the farrier/vet etc etc too. Winter can be tough, but summer makes it all worth it as the horses go out 24/7 and they love it! I pop up on an afternoon sometimes when working from home and catch them sunbathing! When we go on holiday, we have had a housesitter/paid a groom/had knowledgeable friends check in various combinations. I was initially worried about security/injuries when no-one there, after coming from livery yards where someone always lived on-site, but the lane is very private, the owners live opposite and their neighbours are very close, have CCTV on the lane, and are also horsey. The estate manager (it's on a private estate) also passes regularly and has our number if there were any obvious problems.

I've never been happier with my horses since going solo :)
 
selinas spirit said:
Where do you find fields to rent? They seem very few and far between here.
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I asked about and wrote to local estate owners and farmers-its also how I found the two previous places on the other coast of Scotland. They're at home now but I rent additional grazing-the local sheep and beef farmers took some persuading to rent to a horse owner but I now have a choice of fields including a 35 acre field for winter turnout.
 
I own my own field and small yard. The time taken up my maintenance is big fencing muck heap removal and so on. last weekend we repaired fences and put up electric tape. had to buy yet more posts and rails. next weekend its painting the stables weekend. had shoes on the horse a month ago and have only ridden about 6 short rides and I dont even work. I hardly ever ride nowadays whenever DH is home we seem to spend the time mending or replacing something. We used to enjoy our riding out together but thasts mostly ended now :-(
I wouldnt want to do livery yard thing though I enjoy my own space too much.
 
with the maintenance vs riding thing, its an easy 'trap' to fall in to but not inevitable. After having a few years of not riding due to having a horse with stifle issues and rehabbing, then having said horse PTS for something different and the others then too young to ride, I am determined to not not ride due to something like painting, or much heap shovelling, or spraying for buttercup etc. Those jobs get done when they get done-the weather and conditions are a long-time rubbish over the winter, I refuse to waste good (or even ok) weather doing chores at the expense of horse-time anymore.
 
I moved from livery to privately renting about 2 months ago - have rented before so no big shock for me.

I actually pay more for my two stables than what I did on livery. BUT I save a huge amount... - there is tonnes of grazing so they are out much longer, therefore less hay and bedding used; they are full when they come in so again, less hay is used; I can buy in my own hay/bedding which is far cheaper and better quality than previous yard; I don't have to pay someone to catch in for me while I'm at work (old yard rule) and that saves a huge amount.

I think so far this month I've made a total saving of approx £230 even with the more expensive base rate!

Privately renting is far better for me. No politics, I can do what I want at whatever time, no stealing and best of all I can poo-pick everyday :D
 
A lot of the negatives stated here,I am already experiencing whilst on livery. Including not spending time with the horses because of either having nowhere fun to ride or seemingly endless chores or wanting to be gone from the place to avoid someone or other.

So if I get a field how many acres do people think I would need for two medium sized good do-ers out 24/7 all year on ground that holds the wet?

I currently pay over 3k per year for livery which is grazing, stables, winter forage and use of facilities which are fab. I have no idea of field rent prices so what is your opinion on how my current set up compares price wise? Obviously I would not have facilities or probably stables so I assume it would work out cheaper?

How does a mobile field shelter work? Can you put bedding down? How often does it need moving to be considered mobile? And moving to where, off the field entirely or just to a new location within the field?

Sorry for all the questions! Everyone, your replies to this thread are so helpful though. :)
 
I have 5 acres. horses are out most of the time but they do come in most days for a few hours . the 5 acres is split into 3 paddocks. we shut the big one up from now til October and take hay off it. the remaining 2 paddocks are grazed alternate months during the summer. in the winter the horses have access to everywhere. I have 2 horses. If I could I'd like 2 more acres for about 3 months in the winter. I like my fields to look good and not be too poached but we still get mud and poaching in the winter. I really think 5 acres is the minimum if they are mostly kept out especially over the winter.
 
I have both my mare and Shetland are on a private yard, I rent privately and have friends pony there now that my gelding is on livery!

I have 6 acres, (3 only useable in the summer as it gets wet in winter) a massive field shelter! I do have a barn with 4 stables and a tackroom! but the stables are great, the barn looks ready to fall down but it does seem to with stand the winds that we've had the last few winters! I have lights and electric, some times! when it rains it tends to trip out, but its been off for 2 weeks now, farmer isn't interested in getting them sorted! last time I waited 6 weeks :(

He doesn't do any maintenance, so I have to get the fencing sorted myself, have 3 separate energiser to electrify certain sections of the field!

Obviously no school or anything but I do love it there, as there is no drama and everything is done my way!

My rising 5 yr old was moved to a livery yard in November as he was on box rest, I needed the horse walker to exercise him. It cost me £40 a month more than the other place (per horse) but I don't have to muck out the field (I pay someone at the other yard to help muck that field out, so the costs is about the same per horse really)

The yard is lovely, people are really nice, helpful etc. The fields aren't the best, they do get quite wet in the winter, as its low lying ground, next to a big river! and they don't have refillable troughs. we had to sort the filling this winter! but a few of the fields have access to the river for drinking (I don't really like that idea)

Oh the plus side I can hack around the farm, so don't have to ride in the business village!

the 2 yards are in the same village, so hacking from the other yard would be mainly road work, but I could go around some of the other fields on the farm!

I didn't think I'd like being on a yard but I actually quite like it! and its nice having people around to help!
 
Me and my friends had always previously just rented grazing. It was literally just a field. The fencing was our responsibility as was spraying the field. It takes up lots of time keeping on top of things. We rented approximately 8 acres and it was £380 a month. The riding was good but you had to negotiate a main road to get to it. We had 2 energisers stolen whilst we were there aswell. Had no electric and no stables. We got fed up and went on livery. Best move we made. 2 stables, a yard, a kettle! Electricity and the same amount of grazing. ☺
 
Having been on livery for the best part of 12 years, I am now going to have to rent a field as our yard is closing and all the yards within a 5 mile radius are full.

The pros:
Cheaper (about £50 a month) but there will be upkeep that will probably eat into this
5 min walk from home. Given I'm 6 months pregnant, this is a huge bonus
Myself and my co-renter are in charge - the estate we are renting from have basically said it's up to us to manage how we best see fit

The cons:
No power (lack of lighting is my biggest concern)
No stables, though we have permission to put in shelters
Worried about sufficient grazing: 3 acres between 2 x 14.3 horses should JUST about be manageable but we will need to be careful

It's not ideal (the yard we are leaving has been my idea of heaven and I am devastated) but we are trying to make the best out of it :-)
 
My sister and I have been renting a field since last November, after years of being on livery. It is the best decision we have ever made, hands down. We pay slightly more than you'd expect to for grass livery, but then we don't have grass livery exactly. We have sole use of a beautiful, well draining 4 acre field. Over winter, the farmer who owns it suggested that we open the adjoining gate to give the horses access to a further 4 acres for no extra cost. Both fields have high hedge rows all round with mains electric fencing. There are automatic water troughs in both fields and a large field shelter in our main field, which has been split in two for us by the farmer so that we can use half as storage. A month or so ago the farmer rolled the fields and removed our muck heap (we poo pick) without us having to request it. His house also overlooks our main field and he and his wife are retired so are at home quite a lot of the day, so are always looking out at the horses. There is one gate out onto the small, quiet road, which is double padlocked, hinges secured and overlooked by a friendly neighbour. Otherwise the high hedges stop anyone clambering in for a nosy. Now the grass is growing and we need to restrict our grazing, we can make the space smaller as we need to. We had so much grass over winter for two that we hardly needed to feed any hay - only when it snowed or was very frosty. It has been the cheapest winter we've ever had!

Now we don't have lights or running water, which are probably the two main downsides. However, I work 5 mins away so quite often was able to pop up and feed/ poo pick in my lunch break over winter to save going up in the dark. But even when I had to go after work, I didn't find it too bad. I kept a decent torch in my car and we had push lights in the shelter, so I was always able to make feeds etc no problem and just left poo picking until I was next up in daylight. The running water isn't an issue as we have an automatic trough and if we ever need clean water for anything I just take it up in a container from home.
Our horses are both retired so obviously this set up works better for us than it probably would for someone who wanted to keep their horse in work over winter. But we are allowed to ride in the field so long as it's not too wet and the hacking is good, so if we could ride our horses we would be able to do what we like which is hacking and a small amount of schooling.

The bonus of renting from our farmer is that he is very good at maintenance and so we don't have to worry about it! All his fencing is secure and he was happy to do muck heap/ roll the field without even being asked! From his point of view I think we are probably an ideal way for him to earn a bit of extra cash - our horses don't ruin his land or fencing, the only time we bother him is when we pay our rent every month (always in full and on time) and we aren't up at all hours, making a racket or dragging dozens of friends and family round his field right next to his back garden! Plus, his wife says she likes looking at the horses from the house :D
 
ladydoone said:
Me and my friends had always previously just rented grazing. It was literally just a field. The fencing was our responsibility as was spraying the field. It takes up lots of time keeping on top of things. We rented approximately 8 acres and it was £380 a month. The riding was good but you had to negotiate a main road to get to it. We had 2 energisers stolen whilst we were there aswell. Had no electric and no stables. We got fed up and went on livery. Best move we made. 2 stables, a yard, a kettle! Electricity and the same amount of grazing. ☺
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This really depends where you are, if you are very rural you are probably going to get this, we are almost in a city with ours and in 9 years had one battery go missing as i hadn't attached it down as i dont think they realise round here the value of energisers, never had any problems with keeping ours, i have a grass arena which is fine to be ridden in all year round have 3 horses on nearly 5 acres and far too much grass. Stables wise we have them but the horses do not use them as they are open at all time for them to go in, only when it is extremely hot will they chose to take themselves in.

When we rented nearly 8 acres near central Cambridge that used to cost us £2200 per annum now lease half of the same field for £950 per annum which i think is a great deal, check if you are leasing vs renting as leasing you will have upkeep of external fencing whereas renting should be the landowners. Maintenance wise it does take a lot for ragwort and that sort of thing but i think ours is only so bad as the colleges do not spray there fields bordering ours.

Security wise we have 2 heavyweight locks on our main gate and one on each side of our lower gate as this one has the potential to be lifted off. I think in the 9 years we have only ever had one person caught on our field and we boarder a busy footpath, but people feeding them is a massive problem but this is stopped by taping anything that has potential for someone to hangover or piled branches. Also make sure you have running water.

I wouldn't move to livery unless i had to and the only thing i do miss is a ménage when its really awful weather but wouldn't change it for the world
 
I think it hugely depends where the field would be in relation to where you lived and where it was in general. If the field was down a long track right beside a busy working farm for example, you'd think they'd be pretty safe and there'd be people milling about in case something happened. But if it was a field right beside the road with no houses nearby I'd be worried personally. I'm very lucky in that I keep mine at home, I couldn't imagine not having stables and a tack room etc. though. I would however love a school and people to hack out with!
 
This prob isn't going to help you make a decision OP but... I have done both, spent 3 yrs sharing a rented field with a friend, just our two on about 5 acres, field shelter but no electricity or easily accessible running water (we used to take our own and/or collect rainwater). On good days and in summer it was bliss but land owner was a non horsey, controlling b!£?h and winter was very very hard work. I have now been on a yard for 4 yrs with fab facilities but the bitching and clique-ness can be awful (flashbacks of the school playground)! So in conclusion there are pros and cons for both- one was physically draining, the other is emotionally draining! I suppose it depends on your priorities and preferences. Good luck either way x
 
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