New grazing

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MFW36

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Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, I've been reading with interest for the last few weeks and decided to register.

I've recently aquired some land and have decided to rent part of it out for horse grazing. I have a piece of grassland just over 6 acres in size, with a water supply fed by a natural spring. The field is right next to a bridleway, and the local area is very popular with riders as there are many other bridleways in the area (High Peak, Derbyshire)

I'm hoping for a bit of advice on the things I need to consider before offering the field out to rent. The field is fully fenced with wire stock fencing, topped with plain wire in places, and barbed wire in other places. The spring-fed water supply ensures a year round fresh supply of water. There is road access to a neighbouring field, with an area for parking. The grazing field is then a 1 minute walk from the parking area.

The field has not been used for horse grazing before, sheep have been kept on it previously, but it has been rested for the last 2 or 3 years.

I understand that for grazing purposes it is generally reckoned that the first horse requires 1.5 acres, with an additional acre for each extra horse. So in theory, the field would support up to 5 horses?

Is there anything else I need to provide? Do I need to split the field into sections with electric fencing, and rotate the grazing areas so that the grass has time to recover?

Finally, what is a fair price to charge for grazing? There is no field shelter, but there are several large trees which form a natural canopy. In time I am hoping to build some stables and offer DIY livery.

Thanks in advance for any advice
 
Sounds fab. Personally I may want some electric fencing - but people renting it could supply that if they felt it necessary.

If it has been rested for a number of years it doesn't sound grazeable at present. So it may well need topping, harrowing and then rolling in preparation for later in the year. It must also be free of ragwort.

Grass livery around here is around £12 per week per horse.

P.S Welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for the reply. The field was mown late last year, so the grass is still relatively short, with new growth now starting to come through. It is free of ragwort, I looked out for it last year and didn't find any, and will be keeping an eye out in case it springs up anywhere.

Would you put the electric fencing around the perimeter, to keep the horses away from the stock fencing?
 
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Would you put the electric fencing around the perimeter, to keep the horses away from the stock fencing?

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Yes. Horses are very good at putting their feet through stock fencing.

I would still be inclined to have the field harrowed prior to putting horses on there.
 
Electric fencing is the cheapest way of sectioning up the field. As it would be permanent fencing I'd use wooden posts & insulaters to carry the electric rope or tape (I prefer rope it's much tidier) with a powerful energiser. If you do section off the field you will need to organise a water supply to each padock.

Oh & if possible lose the barbed wire...it's a nasty accident waiting to happen with horses..
 
You probably better off renting it as a whole to 1 person who has say 3 horses max or 4 ponies max. round here its about £7per horse. whole field you might get £25. Your stock fencing is good for sheep but not suitable for horses as they tend to rip there shoes off on stock fencing, and barb wire is not good either. Most people like post and rail. If you rent out as a whole the new tenant can sort out their own fencing but if you rent out individual then you will need insurance. Shelters need planning conset for horses. but mobile ones may not, need to check with your council. There is a lot to think about. My partner rented his land out a few times , some people don't pay you, some wreck the place. and they do argue between them selfs as well.
 
I'll probably use electric fencing, post and rail would be best but it would cost a fortune to do the whole field.

I was wondering about letting it out to multiple people, I do agree that there is less potential for hassle if only one person rents it. Alternatively, if I do rent to more than one person I think I might split it into seperate sections so they each have their own piece - that way there is less chance that they'll have any disagreements?

I'd thought about insurance but haven't had chance to look into it properly yet. Do you know of any good insurance companies for this kind of thing?

As for the shelter, I've spoken to the council, and they said that I would need planning permission for a permanent shelter, but would be Ok with a mobile one as long as I move it every 28 days. What sort of size sheletr would I need?
 
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Alternatively, if I do rent to more than one person I think I might split it into seperate sections so they each have their own piece - that way there is less chance that they'll have any disagreements?

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I wouldn't. It'll make a hell of a mess. Personally I would look at finding an individual who is looking to rent a field themselves - fix a price £25 per week sounds good - and go from there.

Any chance you are in the Cardiff area????????????????????
 
I'm in Hayfield, Derbyshire

I'll be putting an advert up along the bridleway this weekend, and will see what response I get.

If I do get interest from multiple people, it would be relatively easy to split into sections (3 lots of 2 acres) due to the layout of the field. This would probably give me more income, but also more complications!
 
So as to avoid problems you will need to apply for planning permission for change of use of the land from agricultural to equestrian.

A recent court case demonstrated that it was the horse owners responsibility if a horse scaped and caused an accident. You will need to ensure that each of the owners have insurance cover of no less than £10,000,000. Most policies do not do this level of cover but if they are Gold members of the British Horse Society they will have it included in their membership.

I would strongly reccomend that all the perimiter fencing is checked very carefully. My preferred fencing is Post and Rail with equi-fencing (a tighter form of sheep fencing) secured to it. The last thing you want is a horse escaping.

If you install water troughs use plastic ones as horses have been known to break their legs on the metal galvanised ones.

You will also need insurance cover in the event of anyone making a claim from you.

Hope this helps you.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I was reading another website regarding horses on agricultural land, and it would seem that grazing horses on agricultural land is acceptable. It's only when the land is used for other equestrian activity that a change of land use is necessary. I would assume this would be the case when stables are erected?

Is there an minimum recommnded height for perimeter fencing? Currently the stock fence is approximately 36 inches high at it's lowest point, with 2 strings of plain or barbed wire at 6 inch intervals above. In addition, I think for safety's sake I'm going to place an electric fence a few feet inside the whole of the perimeter.

For the water troughs I was planning on using a shallow plastic trough (similar shape and size as a bathtub) and sinking it half into the ground and surrounding it with wooden fence posts, cut flush with the top edge. Would this be appropriate? There is a natural water supply which will feed the trough.

Are there any insurance companies that specialise in this kind of thing?

Thanks again to everyone for the advice, it is most appreciated.
 
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