Moving from DIY to own field - is the lack of facilities etc.going to do my head in?!

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diddy

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Dear all,

I'm looking at moving from DIY to taking on my own field and would really welcome some advice! I've found something that seems just what I was looking for so am now freaking out!

It's a 5-acre field between a lane and a river. It's mainly well fenced. There are a few sections where the only thing between the field and the river is a bramble or other bit of hedge. Overall, there's quite a lot of (waist-high!) grass but some fairly scrubby bits. There are no buildings of any kind, no electricity and no water apart from a stream that's located quite a walk from the gate.

I have a 14.2 hh good doer and am thinking about buying a baby over the winter. And possibly asking a friend if they'd like to share. (I wouldn't move until I have the company issue resolved of course.) So... questions are:

- Do you think the fencing situation is OK? Is it realistic just to patch up the dodgy bits with electric fencing or given the amount of grass in the field are the horses not that likely to go crashing through the hedging & fall into the water? (It's not that deep I don't think btw!)

- Should I section it off to save some parts of the field over the winter & stop my lad ballooning..?

- How much of a pain is the lack of water/electricity? Is it likely to do my head in..?! Just can't imagine it after being on a yard all this time.

- Do you find the lack of school etc. a realy problem or do you just get used to it? I'm very lazy at schooling but will have to rent one for lessons, bringing on the baby etc.

- Trailer - can I just leave it parked in the field or is that asking for trouble?

- Company - those of you on your own, would you prefer to have a friend to talk to/help out or do you prefer the independence..? Needless to say, I'm partly moving because I'm an anti-social so-and-so!

- Storage - have any of you put in a container or something? Assume this doesn't need planning permission..?

I think as I'm writing this, I've really made up my mind I want to do it so what I'm looking for is a bit of moral support, and any reminders of things I need to check out before I sign the lease! But feel free to tell me I'm doing the wrong thing of course!!

Thanks for your help - just putting the kettle on for anyone who's made it this far :)

D. x
 
Some will say that they love this kind if set up and wouldn't go back to a yard but I can't think of anything worse! Why not try going to your current yard late at night for a week or so, don't turn the lights on and try to replicate how you would transport water etc... You're braver than me!
 
Also, definitely wouldn't leave the trailer in the field. I wouldn't expect it to last a week! If the gaps aren't too large then electric fencing will help but you could patch it up with some second hand post and rail over time perhaps? Negotiate the fencing when you take it on?
 
I rent 2 fields with a barn in. Share with a friend and we have one horse each. Would never go back to a yard now - i'm also anti-social! :p

O.k we have a hosepipe to fill buckets that is dragged across the road. Is a pain when frozen in the winter and I have to container hot water from home but not too bad.

Lack of school not a problem, ride in the field when ground allows but got fab hacking all around.

Your fencing sounds similar to mine in certain areas. Have electric taped across and as you say, enough grazing to keep them happy.

the 1st year I strip grazed as there was so much grass - each year has improved though and now (4 years later) it is fantastic grazing so no need to and they keep on top of it on 3 acres.

I would be wary of the stream and fence that completely off. What is security like there? I've put a camera (battery operated) up and warning sign on gate.

Lack of lights o.k as i'm used to staggering about with a torch on winter dog walks anyway - get yourself a headlamp for handsfree feed making etc...

Good luck - I say go for it! :)
 
I can relate to this in some ways as I have kept my horses at home for 8 years...I do however have stables, tackroom and small turnout pen at my house - but our field is half a mile away and my mare lives out most of the year. I would section the field off into say three paddocks and rotate them to save your ground. This means each paddock gets well rested after being used. I would be inclined to fence properly along the river as you never know with horses!

As for water, I have always just taken water down in big containers and used blue barrels as drinkers. I have also occasionally filled the barrel from the stream beside my field as it's very clean water. Could work for you if you have a river :)

My mare and I have always been happy hackers so I was fairly content just to hack most of the year, school and jump in the field when the weather/ground allowed and hire an indoor arena every couple of months. However, now that I've gotten used to being on a livery yard with 3 arenas and an xc course, I would struggle to keep my gelding at home happily...but really it depends how much schooling you want to do! I rarely minded having no one to talk to, it was a nice break just being me and the horses!

I'm afraid that's all I can help with really! Hope you get everything sorted and it all works out for you :)
 
diddy said:
Dear all,

- Do you think the fencing situation is OK? Is it realistic just to patch up the dodgy bits with electric fencing or given the amount of grass in the field are the horses not that likely to go crashing through the hedging & fall into the water? (It's not that deep I don't think btw!) - I think I would do the fencing up for own piece of mind.

- Should I section it off to save some parts of the field over the winter & stop my lad ballooning..? - Yes I would section it off for both of the reasons you mention.-

How much of a pain is the lack of water/electricity? Is it likely to do my head in..?! Just can't imagine it after being on a yard all this time. - This would do my head in. We have moved our from a field with automatic water to having to use a hose pipe and it does me head in. The lights could be an issue in the winter depending on what time you are visiting.

- Do you find the lack of school etc. a realy problem or do you just get used to it? I'm very lazy at schooling but will have to rent one for lessons, bringing on the baby etc. - I went from a yard with a school to a farm with just me and a friend, I thought I would miss the school a lot more than I do, I guess it depends on if you go out competing as too how much you need a school, you can always school whilst out hacking.

- Trailer - can I just leave it parked in the field or is that asking for trouble? - Asking for trouble - they get your trailer out I doubt they would close the gate after so the horses would get out too!-

Company - those of you on your own, would you prefer to have a friend to talk to/help out or do you prefer the independence..? Needless to say, I'm partly moving because I'm an anti-social so-and-so! - I like it now with just me and a friend and wouldn't want to go back to a big yard, it is as good as our own yard, just make sure it is someone you get on with :) It also gives you some flexibility to cover looking after each others horses if you aren't around.-

Storage - have any of you put in a container or something? Assume this doesn't need planning permission..? - Depends on what you want to put in I would think.

Thanks for your help - just putting the kettle on for anyone who's made it this far :) - Mine is white with 2 please :D
D. x
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Good luck and hope it works out.
 
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It would not be for me having done it and hated it and that was only sharing!

BUT

the main thing you need to watch out for is checking that the land has equestrian usage with the council. You don't want to find a month in or so some busy body points out to the council that the land is only for agricultural use. This would mean you can not feed your horses hard feed in the field, exercise them in it, have field shelters or jumps!! You can get it changed to equestrian use depending on your council but it does cost to do so.
 
I moved my horse to a field last year and I really enjoy the freedom and space.

I share the field with a few other people though and think that I would hate it without them, I enjoy having other people to talk to after work, ask their opinions/advice about things and have people to hack out with.

Another thing that I don't know what I would do without is our shelter. We store feed and hay in it and have somewhere to tie the horses up and groom/tack up when it's raining.

Last winter I coped just fine with a head torch and a solar powered light, but this year we will be looking to connect some outdoor lights up to a leisure battery.

Although we don't have running water, we do have automatic water troughs in the field, another thing I am glad we have. We tend to fill up containers from the troughs to use for feed/bathing etc.

Good luck!
 
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Does the hedge go all the way around (albeit with gaps)? If so then I would back it up with electric fencing. Keep the thing well charged and you should be okay as long as the gaps aren't huge. Posts and sheep netting aren't that dear (for the gaps) if you prefer to use them and still back that up with electric (don't want your horse getting his feet in the netting)

DO NOT (a thousand times DO NOT) leave your trailer there or you will lose it to less honest members of the community.

I would definitely divide it up to save your ground and if you have too much grass there is always the possibility of making hay from the surplus.

Lack of electricity wouldn't worry me (it's nice to have but not a deal breaker imo)

Water might be a pain if you have to cart it. However you could invest in one of those bowser things that you tow on a trailer and fill it up at home and leave in the field over a tank arrangement. I used to have 6 big water containers that would go in the back of the truck, fill them in there and reverse up to trough and empty in. 3 trips and there was enough water there in high summer for a good while for one horse.

Storage can be by container but I am unsure if you would need any planning (best check).

School, no dramas. My OH has mown a trackway for me (60m x 40m) so that I can see where I'm going on one of my paddocks. Ok it isn't ideal but it works.

I prefer to be on my own really then my routine isn't messed with, however it can get a bit lonely at times when you ride alone all the while. It also has drawbacks if you need to go away anytime but then if you have livery local you could always send the ponio on holiday as well and problem solved.

Good luck with it.
 
Well the lack of shelter will be annoying mainly because when its awful weather you will have to change rugs several times and the ones you swap won't dry out very fast so you will need a lot of rugs. That amount of grass will not help your boy at all, in fact i would get a cut of hay or haylage off it before putting your horse in. If you get a youngster you will have to be aware that you will eventually need to make an arena otherwise his schooling skills will be nill, effectively making him only suitable for a hacking home. Lights will be annoying in the winter and you won't be able to see / security will be next to none.

Honestly its not something i would do.
 
Ella19 said:
It would not be for me having done it and hated it and that was only sharing!

BUT

the main thing you need to watch out for is checking that the land has equestrian usage with the council. You don't want to find a month in or so some busy body points out to the council that the land is only for agricultural use. This would mean you can not feed your horses hard feed in the field, exercise them in it, have field shelters or jumps!! You can get it changed to equestrian use depending on your council but it does cost to do so.
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Just on this point, anywhere i have ever asked about horses class them as agricultural when it suits. The river agency tried to do me for having a contaminated river in my field and said that two horses could easily have filled a whole river full of cow manure......:confused::confused::confused: :confused: and that under the agricultural act ablabalbala. Then the water people tried to make me pay business rates on water because i used it for agricultural purposes i.e. drinkers and water trough. We turned them off for the inspection and then turned them back on again lol
 
diddy said:
- Do you think the fencing situation is OK? No, you will need to ensure that the entire field is appropriate fenced with post and rail or similar.

- Should I section it off to save some parts of the field over the winter & stop my lad ballooning..? Yes, I'd be inclined to half it.

- How much of a pain is the lack of water/electricity? Is it likely to do my head in..?! Just can't imagine it after being on a yard all this time. Mega pain, I would have thought.

- Do you find the lack of school etc. a realy problem or do you just get used to it?. It wouldn't particularly bother me.

- Trailer - can I just leave it parked in the field or is that asking for trouble? Asking for trouble.

- Company - those of you on your own, would you prefer to have a friend to talk to/help out or do you prefer the independence..? Needless to say, I'm partly moving because I'm an anti-social so-and-so! I like company, but each to their own really.
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How big/deep/fast is the river? I've had horses in a field with a small river before and it was brilliant! Fresh access to clean water, didn't ice over in the winter and had a shallow patch to stand a horse in, in lieu of cold hosing. I would fence in front of the hedge though.

My old yard had no electricity the first winter we were there (I moved in before YO!) and we didn't struggle as horses were out, we both had a wind up head torch though which I would highly recommend you get (never worrying about batteries!). Changing rugs was never an issue as it was very cold with lots of snow instead of rain so rugs didn't get wet through. Only thing I didn't like was trying to check horses over in the dark with a small amount of light so they all got a good once over at the weekends.
 
Wouldnt recommend it myself.I moved from a busy yard to a small private field on a small estate., but had stable and electric water tap to hand which in bad weather is a godsend.The field had reasonable hedge shelter and I reinforced the fencing. What worried me most was the lack of other people about to keep an eye out although I shared the field with a very novice horse owner it was a bit worrying to begin with.You cant rely on a stream for water, it may be contaminated and you will need a place to store rugs and feed etc.Think of the dark nights if you have to go there in an emergency, no power or shelter! OOh not for me .
 
amymay said:
diddy said:
- Do you think the fencing situation is OK? No, you will need to ensure that the entire field is appropriate fenced with post and rail or similar.

- Should I section it off to save some parts of the field over the winter & stop my lad ballooning..? Yes, I'd be inclined to half it.

- How much of a pain is the lack of water/electricity? Is it likely to do my head in..?! Just can't imagine it after being on a yard all this time. Mega pain, I would have thought.

- Do you find the lack of school etc. a realy problem or do you just get used to it?. It wouldn't particularly bother me.

- Trailer - can I just leave it parked in the field or is that asking for trouble? Asking for trouble.

- Company - those of you on your own, would you prefer to have a friend to talk to/help out or do you prefer the independence..? Needless to say, I'm partly moving because I'm an anti-social so-and-so! I like company, but each to their own really.
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This^ I used to really think that I wanted this kind of set up, however moved livery yards and now couldn't be happier and, in light of this, I couldn't think of anything worse that what you suggest- sorry! :o
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I moved from a livery yard to a field, but there is a container on site, and the farmer lives there so security is not an issue. We bought a generator, and so have no problems there. Battery powered clippers are great. We don't use headlights in the field generally, and the horses seem happy. Our current field has water, but I did keep them in a field with only a stream, which wasn't a problem.
Our lorry is there on hard standing, but again security in our situation isn't an issue.
And a major plus is no YM telling me what to do with my horses, and how mad they are, but a lovely farmer who although not horsey, is animal orientated.
 
When I bought my land 20 years ago, the first thing I did was sort the fencing - oh, after applying for pp for change of use from agricultural to equestrian. Then I got water and Then I put in stables and storage.

I managed without electricity for a good while, using battery operated lights and so on, but I wouldn't be without It now! Security is a big deal for me after having been broken into three times, generator stolen; the next time they tried to steal my tractor but their getaway vehicle wasn't big enough to take it away.

I had to get a manège as the land is very heavy clay and impossible to ride on really; I have to do a considerable bit of road work before I get to decent hacking.

Do not underestimate maintenance! There's weeds to cut/spray, poo to pick and get rid of (which can be expensive), fertiliser to be spread, fences to be mended, etc.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but there is a lot to think about.
 
Lots of points to think of!

I think its worth doing if you are an anti social type and your horse happily lives out. Bear in mind that you may need somewhere to treat him if something goes wrong - would there be access to a stable nearby if there was an emergency? If not it may be worth trying to get a portable field shelter that you could fit a door to and put mats in if you could.

Re the river, where is the boundary of the field - is the river in your field or next door's field? We have a shallow river in one of our fields and the horses drink from it (and stand in it in hot weather!). It comes right off the moors, so we know its fresh. You have to fence across it though at the land boundaries. If you can't use the river, or it is not yours, make sure it is well fenced off. I have known a few people with horses in fields with rivers that have wandered off down the river in search of more grass - going under bridges and ending up half a mile away in someone else's field!

Re the trailer, it depends on where the field is. My friend kept her trailer locked at the wheels on each side and also with a hitch lock, without problems. If the trailer could be parked in a hidden part of the field, in an area that is difficult to drive out of, or near houses perhaps, I would consider it. If the field was next to a main road with an easy escape route, perhaps not..

Lighting - if you can get a shelter, or if not a small shed, you can get a caravan awning light that runs off a car battery - we do this in our hayshed, and its great. You could also run drainpipes off the shed/shelter into dustbins for water.

Schooling wise - I don't have a school. We ride in one of the fields in summer, or borrow a friend's arena nearby. TBH I do most of my schooling on hacks really.

It will be a change, and take some getting used to, but I bet you will love it in the end!
 
I love love love it! I only have two acres and I have a friend next door which is awesome and some other horses the other side so he has gone from on his own at owners field to lots of friends :-) i don't like stabling but would be nice to have one and defo sorting a field shelter before winter. Storage is a pain but field shelter will be used to keep hay and wet rugs etc in on end.

Defo divide the field to start with! I have the TB on about 0.5 acres at the mo as I have ragworted it for one thing and he is a fatty so I can save it!

Defo sort out fencing even if it is just a row of electric tape.

Electric I don't find annoying and I could always deal with the water at my old field but I could drive right up to the gate with water containers and it really wasn't that annoying. I have an automatic trough now though which takes that workload away :-)

The only thing is I just broke my arm, it is ok as it is in walking distance and I have a helpful neighbour, however if on its own in driving distance I just don't know what I'd do especially in winter with rugs and hay etc!

I like the field maintenance really (ragwort is a pain though aaargh)

I don't understand why people would be bothered about no school either, with 5 acres you can set up a nice dedicated area with markers and everything assuming it is flat :-) not so good when wet though.

A field sharer would be good although I may be inclined to separate it and sub let part of it. I love having my own bit to do what I want with and not poo pick for a week or do it every day if I want to!
 
Hi again everyone,

Thanks for all your thoughts! Seems like people either love or hate the idea of having such a basic set up :)

Everyone seems to agree the priority would need to be to get the fencing sorted. If I divide the field up, I can hopefully manage with electric for the time being and perhaps put some posts up later if it all works out OK.

Couple more questions have come to me reading everyone's very helpful replies:

- Re. storage/shelter. I like the idea of a portable field shelter so that we'd have an emergency stable & some storage. I'm not planning on keeping tack there just feed, brushes & all the clobber I seem to have built up over time! Is this something that people have done on rented land? Anything I need to think about in terms of size, recommended companies/designs etc.?

- Quite a few people commented on managing the land etc. & perhaps spraying/fertilising etc. I hadn't really thought too much about it :o Without sounding like a total muppet, it's quite hard to tell what condition the grass is in as it's so high. I've not seen anything on it for a year or so. I can't spot anything poisonous. There's a bit of ragwort but not so much that I can't pull it out over a couple of back-breaking weekends :) Assuming I section bits of it off, am I right to think they'll just find what they want & leave the rest..? Or am I showing my complete ignorance here?!

Erm, think that's it. Thanks again for all your thoughts - good to hear ideas from all sides :)

D. x
 
There are one or two things I'm not sure about in your case. One is, how isolated - or not - is the field?

If it is right up against someone's house/farm that's fine, but personally speaking I wouldn't want to be going somewhere isolated late at night, with no lights. (It's not the nasty men jumping out of bushes, it's if you had a fall/got knocked down by one of the horses etc.

When I started riding again after a break of years, we were lucky enough to be able to buy the field around our house. In some respects it sounds a bit like yours.

River: in our case it's two streams, but in your caase I would fence the field securely, especially if the banks are steep. And if the river is shallow, your horse might decide to leave home!

Grass: You could, probably should, having pulled up all the ragwort, get a friendly farmer to top the grass for you. It'll do it some good, and you can then see what you've got. At this time of years I'd be tempted to then just leave things as they are, though definitely dividing the field into 2 or 3 sections. Next year, you could spray the field, against dock,etc with a backpack, or move the pony off for a few days and see if a farmer will spray it for you. If the land needs bucking up, you can use calcified seaweed, a wonderful booster which is natural, and which can be applied with your horse in situ. It smells wonderful (any neighbours will think they are at the seaside) and acts very very slowly, the exact opposite to 'dairy cow' fertlizing

Company: I'd definitely get company - for your horse's sake and your own. A burden shared is a burden halved - know it's a cliche but it's so true. What happens if you get ill / have to go away / need that extra pair of hands to help in an emergenc?. I have liveries, and wouldn't be without them for the world

Security: This could be your biggest problem, next to lights. Because our field starts 15 feet from the back door I at first kept everything in the garden shed, until I eventually built stables. But thieves are very bold, very opportunistic and somewhat desperate for goods at the moment. A tree surgeon friend had £20,000 worth of equipment stolen from a shipping container he kept in his yard AT HIS HOUSE. The police said the thieves had used 'Army standard' bolt cutters and gear to breach the container - but they did it!

Lights, lack of: This can be a bummer. For security reasons you can't keep a generator on the field, I guess, so you are reduced to car headlights, a head torch (brilliant but the horses take a time to get used to it). Ironically, the thing which worked best for us was a good old-fashioned hurricane lantern (paraffin wick). I still have them and use them on occasion. they throw a kindly light which doesn't faze the horses, don't rely on batteries, and if you hook them up on a branch or on the gate give a reasonable pool of light (may make your car smell though - but you could leave it buried in the hedge perhaps between visits).

Water: It would have to be containers. You really don't want to be trekking over to the river (and not safe either) for water. You don't say if your field is off a road with houses on it - in which case, it might be worth seeing if the local water supply runs along said road, and getting yourself connected. Costs money I know, but in the long term could be a godsend.

Final thought: Do you know what the road to your new field would be like in winter? You really don't want to find yourself stuck half a mile away with the water containers, hay bales, whatever. That's another thing, how / where would you store hay or haylage?

Please tell us what decision you come to in the end. Personally I love having my own land, and would NEVER want to be on a conventional yard, but there are things to think about before you take the polunge! Good luck.
 
I have a lovely 10 acre field just for my youngsters, I'm having round bales of hay delivered now and stored in a sheltered part of the field, fenced off, and come winter will roll some off each day to minimise wastage. I have an old tramploline cover for the open bale! At the moment they have the whole field but when I start feeding hay I will fence off about 2/3rds to rest.
Topping, rolling, harrowing can be expensive if you don't have a farmer friend with all the gear like I do!
 
I did this 30 years ago with a friend and we had a great time. But I wouldn't do it now.

I would fence the river for a lot of reasons and not with electric fence, not all horses respect it.

Does the river flood, ask around locally and make sure that if it does there is a higher section of the field which stays dry.

Is there anyone around, my field was adjoined by a farm and a bungalow and I was friends with the owners. They kept an eye on my horses and stuff. Because of this and the location I kept things in sheds and kept my trailer in the field.

Are you buying it, if so you can add facilities over time. We built a school and stables eventually.

Dont rely on the river for drinking water. Price up one of the small trailer water contains and make sure you will have solid access to tow it in with a 4 x 4. Also think how you will manage if we get a big freeze.

I wouldn't do it without some kind of field shelter which can be turned into a stable in emergencies.

I always had a generator in the car for emergency power and lights. I didn't bother using it most of the time, I rigged lighting from a car battery. You will need better lighting if you need a vet or to treat injuries though.

You can fence of a small section of field and store hay on pallets under a tarpauline. For everything else I would buy garden sheds or something similar. The planners dont usually bother about a small shed, they do about stables.

First thing to do is borrow some cows for a week. Get the grass down now and then you wont have to bother about having too much to start with.
 
The couple of back-breaking weekends of ragwork-pulling will be, you do realise, an annual event? Have you also checked for rubbish and other dangerous items which could be hidden by the grass? The quality of the grazing might be so awful you will have to supplement year round with haylage.

Land maintenance is essential to preserve what you have and even my well-managed fields at home have to be weeded and the hedges and fences kept in good repair. They need to stand up to a good scratch and the pushings of a hungry or bored equine.

Shelter is a must - if you need to confine one of them or in case of illness
 
I did this, but it was to my own field and not rented. In answer to your questions:

- Do you think the fencing situation is OK? Is it realistic just to patch up the dodgy bits with electric fencing or given the amount of grass in the field are the horses not that likely to go crashing through the hedging & fall into the water? (It's not that deep I don't think btw!) I am utterly anal about fencing and was one of the key reasons I wanted to move away from DIY so I could have decent fencing. I think it is hugely important and something I would negotiate over before moving.


- Should I section it off to save some parts of the field over the winter & stop my lad ballooning..? Yes

- How much of a pain is the lack of water/electricity? Is it likely to do my head in..?! Just can't imagine it after being on a yard all this time. I have water but no electricity. Lack of electricity mostly not a problem as have lighting from a combination of car battery and strategically hung torches. I have running water which is great, but I know you can buy a towable water carrier which can be left at the field and you just take it home every so often to top it up

- Do you find the lack of school etc. a realy problem or do you just get used to it? I'm very lazy at schooling but will have to rent one for lessons, bringing on the baby etc. Not a problem and I have youngsters I just ride in the field and school out hacking

- Trailer - can I just leave it parked in the field or is that asking for trouble? I have done this without problems and used it for storage, but I wouldn't want to do it again

- Company - those of you on your own, would you prefer to have a friend to talk to/help out or do you prefer the independence..? Needless to say, I'm partly moving because I'm an anti-social so-and-so! This is what the horse and hound forum is for! I am also hugely anti-social but I was surprised that I missed the horsey gossip. I have got to know neighbours who will help out and vice versa, but I am lucky there are lots of horses kept near by

- Storage - have any of you put in a container or something? Assume this doesn't need planning permission..? For me a shelter for the horses is essential and my number 1 reason for wanting to leave a DIY place that didn't have any in the fields. Storage is less of an issue if you can take your stuff to and from home. It is not really that secure in a field anyway - even a container isn't. My big problem is a lack of storage at home so it is always a huge struggle to fit everything in.

One other point You are considering getting one extra pony. I ended up with a total of 3. Number 3 was to keep number 2 company when I was out with number 1. You could consider having a livery as number 3, but I found it really hard to find the right livery and OH insisted I have a 3rd rather than go through the hassle of a livery.
 
I love the idea. It's like your own little space.

Get a decent, strong, (more expensive) mobile field shelter on metal skids. Ours is BRILLIANT and we have an electric fence gate to close it off when one is poorly/lame.

Water would be a bummer... but stream will be useful! My friends have included some of the stream within their fence so that they can walk over and put their heads down for a drink. it's quite hard to explain!

You also need to think about flooding. Sorry, but our fields flood horrendously. You need to make sure that you always have some section on the higher ground fenced off so that when the weather gets bad you can move them out of danger if the weather turns (I'm not talking about the water so much, more the debris, we have bikes, massive trees etc, on a tiny little stream!) and make sure the field shelter and any storage is on the higher ground.

Maybe get a small shed (weigh it down!) for feed and somewhere to sit? :)
 
I have my own rented field and a good doer. I love my set up and would not change it for the world, I can look after my horse how I want, put him in when I want, have him out when I want and give him as much or as little grazing as I want. No one nicks my things and my horse does not come in covered in bite and kick marks! Some points from my experience:
Dont leave your trailer in the field, it will be taken very quickly no matter where you live or how well hidden it is.
I have no elec but use a really good head torch to do everything and have managed fine with this for years.
I have no water but do have a mobile stable in the field, so have hooked up loads of water butts to the guttering and this keeps me fine for the whole year.
You will have to divide the grazing up a bit if you have loads of grass and a good doer.
Is your horse pretty healthy? Is there any chance you might need a stable?
I only store my hay in the field (in my 2nd mobile stable), I would not trust anything to not be nicked. Your tack etc will not be insured unless properly locked up so bear that in mind.
Do you intend to rug in the winter or is there adequate shelter.
I would get some hawthorn whips in the hedge gaps now, then they will start growing in the spring and start filling up some gaps, use elc fencing in the meantime.
 
There's no way of getting any electricity and water to the field? This is what Id struggle with TBH, not the lack of facilities but just the lack of these two basics.

Fencing - Better to put in proper fencing if you're going to be there a while, but electric would probably do if your horses are good with it.

Field-wise - Yes, section it up into parts (using electric fencing) if you think its too much for your horse grass wise.

Lack of school - Ive never had a school and I dont hack. I have always ridden in my grass paddocks (which aren't even particularly flat) and have got to a quite decent level SJ and eventing this way, and brought on youngsters. So you dont need a school, it makes things ten times easier of course, but you just amend your schooling to suit the ground conditions.

Trailer - You could probably leave in field but I wouldnt use it for storage, too easy for people to steal stuff out of it. Id also make sure the trailer was very obviously locked with the usual gadgets.

Company - Ive never kept my own horses on a yard so Ive always been on my own which I prefer. Ive ridden other peoples on yard and I find it really weird having to chat to people when I just want to do stuff with my horse! It depends what you're used to I guess. The only thing Id like is a neighbour that I could hack out with (I dont get on with my nearest horsey neighbour!).

Shelter-wise - I would get one of those movable field shelters, IMO you really need one for your horses especially during winter and also for things like the farrier etc. He wont be overly impressed doing your horses outside in the mud and rain in January!
 
Follow on from other posts. Mobile field shelters can be a godsend, but they've got to be good quality. My neighbours bought one a year or two back. Looked really great, but there was an autumn gale - and a pile of firewood in the field next morning.
 
I had this kind of set up when I first moved into my field, first I sorted my boundry fencing then sectioned the field off into smaller paddocks with proper wooden post and 3 strand electric fencing. Once I had chatted to the owner if I would be having it long term I had a stable and adjoining feed/hay shed built, then a fenced them off and hard cored the front. I have a water supply but no electricity, but I have rigged up lighting from lorry batteries in the stable and shed and 1 light at the front of this set up. it gives me enough light to mix feeds and check which rug I need.
Before this I had fields without water supplies and made sure I had enough water troughs to last a week then all I had to do is fill up loads of water containers just once a week where they would be cleaned and then refilled. No chance of stables in that area as the kids would have set fire to them in a week, I was glad to get out of there. One good thing about being alone is all your equiment will be where you left it, no liveries around to "borrow" barrows,forks, hoof picks etc. Downside it can get lonely, but I only get those moments rarely as I quite enjoy my own company and my horses are the only time I am alone. I am lucky I was able to change the layout of the field and build my stable and shed, you might find you need planning and it be refused this is where the mobile shelter may come in handy.
 
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