Own Yard:advice please!

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brokenleg

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I need some advice please everyone. Sorry quite long!!

I have been offered a small yard to rent/lease and to essentially run it as my own. There will initially be 6 boxes and another 2 built shortly after.
The place is an old dairy farm who at their height had 250-300 dairy herd, it's now down to about 20, gradually reducing numbers. The stables are really nice in a courtyard setting with a cobbled courtyard, with a "playpen" to be constructed. All the stables are brick, auto drinkers if i want them etc. Fabulous grazing, well drained and well cared for, we will probably have 18 acres in total but the farmer owns about 180-200 acres and he's going to leave a 2m strip round all of the fields for riding on. There isn't an arena at the mo but he plans to build one and has an area set aside for it, plans to build in spring 2011. Where i am currently is also a riding school, so that always takes precidence over the arenas and everything and everyone else, the grazing is not very good, VERY wet and nor maintained that well, have to buy all consumables from the yard (inflated prices) and the obvious large yard politics. I myself compete at dressage (affiliated elem/med)
Thoughts please!
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Will you run it as a livery business? it sounds lovely, I wish our farmers would leave the headlands for riding on, that would be great!

I think you would miss a school until there is one built because of your dressage, is there one nearby that you could use?

It does sound lovely - lucky you!
 
Sounds good. Spring is on the way so will he prehaps let you school in one of his fields this year once the ground dries out? And you could prehaps hire the nearby school in winter until his is built.
 
I think too you would miss a school, but since one is being built i would just lump it and go for it.

Do you have transport? As I would just travel and use others.

Also, does this yard have any other out riding, (i.e bridle ways other than the strip he will be leaving)?

Either way it sounds more peacefull and I am sure you will love it there. Goodluck.x
 
sounds lovely - go for it, although having your own place is a lot more maintenence that most people think e.g. field maintenance, muck heaps, security, no people to help out, having to be on hand for all deliveries etc but if you have what sounds like quite a horse friendly farmer on hand then that will help a lot.

Lack of arena may be a drawback but you can also hire out one / school in one of the fields during summer / school whilst out hacking etc - I know its not the norm but people definitely do it and do well competing!
 
I'd jump at the chance!! The horses I look after are kept at a private yard, rubber/sand school, 18 acres and 8 stables, they were on livery but we moved in Nov, horses are so much happier in themselves and we are all more relaxed and chilled
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Go for it!!
 
I would be snapping his hand off

You can make a temporary school for yourself in one of the fields for now, not much good in the winter but by the sounds of it where you currently are you don't always have access to the school anyway.
 
Hate to say it but if you are serious about dressage, the school really is an issue.
I moved to a fantastic yard once with great hacking, nice stables, turnout etc and a school to be built...
Only stayed about 3 months as I found it impossible to school on grass (horse was competing elem at the time), it's ok if you just want to exercise the horse but really no good for any serious lateral work, collection etc, unless it's very level and even then you're up against hard ground in summer, wet and slippey, frozen in winter...
So, unless you are prepared to hire a school and travel to it, I would wait until this place has built the school before moving...
 
Sounds great! If he has set asside an area for a school - use it til he builds it!... just a word of warning though, being an ex Dairy Farm the grass will be VERY RICH! So you won't need to graze as large an area as you imagine to begin with...
 
I have concerns as i have a full time job (lecturer)

So many of my concerns are time related, i plan to have the other boxes as DIY maybe assisted DIY.

There is a country park virtually opposite a country park so loads of hacking, with regards to a schooling field, we will have a field to school in which is flat (planned site for arena)

Can't move as yet as fields/fencing isn't ready and the stables need finishing off.
 
moving to my own place was the best move i ever did.
yes its a lot harder, take yesterday for example i spent it replacing the broken fence rail & resiting the water trought they had moved (not the easiest task on your own & overe 7 months pregnant).
but the boys are so happy its lovley to see, SWA is really coming along with his education now, i dont have a school or the space to ever put one in (not without loosing a lot of grazing) but i hire out a local one once a month to do intensive schooling in, the rest of the time is in paddock or out on walks.

id go for it
 
Why haven't you moved in already?!

For what you will eventually have I'm sure you could give up having a decent school for a year.

However you'll need to look at your sums and work out how much you'd need to charge to make ends meet.
 
I think it sounds fab! It does all hinge on the lack of school though but with your own transport and a flat area you can use until the arena is built it could be hard work but absolutely do-able.
 
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Done sums already and know roughly what i need to charge so i basically get my horses kept for free

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Job done! That then could free up money for any school hire plus the transport to/from
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