Moving from a yard to a field - any tips??

[Chumsmum]

Please don't say 'Don't do it!' - I've already handed my notice in on yard

ATM I've got my pony and two mini shetlands on a rather expensive DIY yard. Can't afford to carry on doing this and as all will be out 24hrs for the summer I've decided to rent 1.5 acres for a very cheap price in village down road. Feeling rather nervous but excited too.

Good things about field..
The money I will be saving - I might be able to get through the month without using credit card, might even be able to *gasp* put money INTO savings account...
I can control my grazing with electric fencing - worried all last summer about my good doers and it cost me more in livery to keep them in and off the grass.
All my gang will be together in one field.
Good hacking with friends and old yard not far away.
Nice neighbours who look out for ponies (a friend rented same place last year no problem).

Bad things about field...
No stables if needed though plenty of natural shelter.
Only available until winter then need to look again - though not too worried about this and will give me time to find a bigger place, maybe even buy.
Quite boggy ATM but should be okay for summer.
No electricity.
Will have to bath in cold water though I could actually transport them to my house and do it there.
No assistance.

Friends have told me to go for it and worse case senario I would have to go back to yard or find another.

Sorry for waffling on but it's good to put it down in writing.

So any advice/tips/same experience good or bad gratefully received

 

[nicia]

Best thing I ever did with my lot! Managing with just a field was a bit tricky - where do you tie up, what to do when the farrier comes, etc. but we got round them. Electric fencing is wonderful - although don't necessarily expect your Shetlands to respect it - mine certainly don't!!!

We moved after a while to a bigger field shared with friends, attached to a livery yard, which gave use of yard facilities. That was great but we didn't really have enough grazing for the very wet winter we've just had. We moved again in Jan to a small private yard, which is perfect. We have a stable (used as a feed room!) and tack room, small yard, two half-acre paddocks, a 5 acre paddock and have just taken on an additional 8.5 acre paddock!

All our horses (between me and two friends we have three horses, three ponies of 11-12 hands and 2 mini Shets) live out and have wintered out fitter than ever before. They range in age from 11 months to an estimated 25 years!

We have privacy, control, basic facilities (water, electricity, storage), no yard politics - fantastic. We do have to maintain grass (poo picking, harrowing) ourselves, and also look after the fencing. But it's not hard to do.

And best of all, I pay in a month about what I used to pay in a week - and I've managed to add a couple of extra ponies in too

Making the move from livery yard to field was the biggest and hardest step. If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't have our idyllic little yard now.

Go for it and enjoy

 

[Daisychain]

You will miss having a stable, could you not put up something temporary? as it is handy to have somewhere to tie them up for riding out, blacksmith etc. The flies can be a pain in the neck for your ponies without a shelter.

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for reply, your place sounds great

It's been agreed that I can put a few paving slabs down and a post to tie them to for farrier etc so that should be okay.

My shetlands are okay with electric fencing, one in particular wont go anywhere near it lol, so hopefully I'll be able to section bits off to save or cut down on grass as required.

I know they will defo be okay out for the summer, pony has come in at night in the winter in the 3 years I've had him but he is a native type so I'm hoping he would be okay in the winter - will have to see how he does. I will buy a field shelter at least for winter.

I'm taking this opportunity exactly as you did - a stepping stone until I find the perfect place.

Thanks for your reply

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for reply - both concerns of mine.

Hopefully I can make a little 'yard' out of electric fencing, slabs and posts for farrier etc - anyone else done this - do you have photos, ideas?

They don't have a field shelter in the fields they usually graze ATM and seem happy enough under trees in the summer - pony has flymask and spray on and will happily graze in hottest weather - but that doesn't help his diet

Shetlands don't seem to get too bothered by them.

 

[pottamus]

Well I have a field that I rent and it has been brilliant! It is down the road from where I live so I take my horse to my driveway for farrier but it could be done in his field if needs be...just gets a bit wet in winter that is all. I use electric tape too as I have a native to keep slim and I can give him as much or as little as I like and when I like!
When I go away or something my friend up the road looks in on him and does water etc so perhaps when you get out riding etc you might meet someone you can make an arrangement with?
I have no electric either but cope very well with an LED head torch!
I must admit to buying a field shelter/stable though as I like to get my boy in off the grass at night and my field does not have very good natural shelter.

 

[_daisy_]

its the best thing i ever did with my lot! you will love it. I however have got some mobile stables for my 4, but they are open so they can come and go as they wish. I have put rubber matting in my stables so at least I have a surface for when my trimmer comes. I bath them in cold water - they dont seem to mind. I dont have electric on but it doesnt affect me. I have rechargeable lights for the stables in the winter and have l batteries for the electric fence in the summer.
I have the field all to my self and its very private. Im really glad I made the decision to move them to living out, they are so much happier, calmer, fitter and most of all no mucking out therefore no more 4am starts in the morning!!!

You wont regret it.

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for reply - hopefully the little hardstanding I am going to create will do the trick but I could hack/trailer to my house if need be.

I've got quite a few people who said they would check them for me if away (and a couple of people who I can pay too) and apparently the old man who lives next door loves it when ponies are on there and looks out for them too

Looking forward to it but have a list as long as my arm of things I need to sort out!

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for reply.

I will look in to rechargeable lights etc and this is obviously the best time of the year to move too. I will be looking at field shelters but ponies will be okay for the summer.

Getting more excited about it - can't wait to have my gang all together. Means I can have a bit of a lie-in at the weekends - yippee

 

[seche]

How about a movable field shelter? - we had one years ago when I was little Dad banged a wooden front onto it and my pony had its own stable, and a push button military light thing hung where I could reach instead of elecs! worked well as a tempory light. But being summer time do you really need lights?
It was a very useful bit of kit but when we left Sussex it stayed - as move up to Shrops would have been abit much for it.

 

[jacks_mum]

I did it last year and it's the best move I've ever made. I have a CBx and a mini shet and wa sat an expensive yard - even DIY was expensive - I now rent 2.5 acres with 4 stables for a very small sum a week. I have saved heaps of money, am on my own, have fun with my two, ride more than I did at the yard and absolutely love it. I would never like to go back to a yard now. I think 'control' is the best thing about it. Good luck, you will love it.

 

[BBH]

Mine are at home and lovin it that they are all together, but one thing is that my farrier will not shoe anywhere that isn't undercover, ie. he wont get wet so if yours is also picky you might have to have a field shelter at the least. Good luck we horse owners have to save the pennies where we can.

 

[_daisy_]

look into them at Macro - i think ours cost us £16 each - double tube lights and they are suitable for external use as well.

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for replies everyone - feeling very positive about this move

Farrier coming to yard today so will ask him how he feels about shoeing in the open. Won't even be able to offer a cup of tea in the field, will have to buy him a pint from the pub round the corner instead

I've got plenty of contacts for carpenters/timber merchants (I'm in construction) so should be able to get a mobile field shelter knocked up pretty cheap if I have permission from owners - will investigate. Anyone have a link / details of minimum requirements (thickness wise etc) to build a shelter?

Thanks again for replies

 

[shellonabeach]

As you know from a similar thread further down I posted on I left livery last November to move onto a 7 acre field with a friend.

For us our field neighbours (householders whose gardens back onto the field) whilst non-horsey have been invaluable. One in particular couldn't have made us more welcome and really looks out for our horses. This summer we plan to have a BBQ on the field for the neighbours, just a little get together to say thank you really.

We have 1 mobile stable, which we use as a tack room, and 3 mobile shelters (for 3 horses) all arranged in a line so it looks like a little yard

We tie to the side of the tack room, or inside / outside the shelters.

Our farrier has cold shod for us through the winter in my shelter which has rubber matting down in, we take a wheelbarrow to the gate for him to bring his things up with. Once the ground dries we will be putting in a pole to tie up to just inside the gate so he can hot shoe again. We make sure we take a flask of coffee to the field for him. He likes to moan about the mud, barrowing etc but is fine as long as he gets his coffee!

The only thing I really miss is a surface to ride on but now the evenings are lighter I can hack to, and hire out, the school from my own yard.

My horse is much happier as is my wallet, I've used approx 5 bales of hay all winter (they just haven't wanted any so I still have approx 50 left which I bought).

TBH our horses don't tend to use their shelters, in the rain and snow they were well rugged and tend to back up into the hedges (we have a lot of natural shelter). I have read that they may use them more in the summer to get away from the flies etc.

 

[shellonabeach]

Tried to edit but too late, I am planning to rent school from the old yard I was at (not my own yard!!)

 

[Chumsmum]

Thanks for reply, sounds like you have a lovely set-up. My friend rented the same spot last year and she said the neighbours were lovely so hopefully they will keep a look out for mine too.

Just out of interest, how mobile are your shelters, i.e not just moving in field, would it be possible to easily move them to another place or do they have to be completely taken apart?

Thanks