People who've bought equestrian properties..?

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Starbucks

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We are just in the process of selling up to buy a house where we can keep my horse(s!). I'm also 36 weeks pregnant so not sure if that's why but I'm finding it a bit daunting!!! A few questions:

Did you go all out on the mortgage? I.e borrow www much as you possibly can? How've you found repayments?

Was it important for you that the land / property could or have potential to pay its own way at all? Livery / holiday cottage etc?

What equestrian facilities did you require as a minimum? Acreage, ménage etc.?

How important was the house / location?

How've you found managing all the extra space / land / buildings?

Are you glad you made the move!?

Thanks very much to anyone who can be bothered to reply! x
 
Hi

Mortgage - no where close to all out - always have space to cover the unexpected and land mgmt. is much much more expensive than you imagine - so our monthly mortgage is a stretch but not mad. But interest rates are low so although our monthly payments are quite high only £300 of that is interest (the rest I consider to be savings for my retirement!) One horse on livery couldn't be funded by the actual interest cost of the mortgage!!

Paying it's own way - not at all, look up threads on here about livery and it'll put you off for life. Our place used to be a livery yard and we must have had genuinely 30/40 people come since we moved in a year ago asking for livery - I;ve politely said no - I won't do it uninsured/ without business rates so it'll cost me more than I'd earn (work full time so could only offer DIY) and don't want the place filled with strangers and a mess all the time.

Facilities - good land or lots of poor land (old place was 12 acres and just coped with 4 horses) - if you have spare land hay making is great cost saver. We now have good facilities buit old place had not a thing - ménage is great if it's there but used maybe 30 times a year (2 nights a week in winter) riding in fields is much better

House/ location - has to work for you/ family - commuting more than 40mins to work is a killer long term

Management - as above lots and lots of time and money (harrowing, spraying, rolling, fence repair, painting etc etc. there are often nights when I have an hour when I could ride but I have to do jobs instead - you have to be strict to fit riding in with your own place

It works perfectly for us we tried it 8 years ago and are now on our second house - wouldn't go back even with all the challenges.
 
We have just moved into our second equine property. Both times we have bought due to location (no killer commute to work, relatively close to shops Etc) and land. Neither had equine facilities as such but I see that almost as a positive, as unless the place is brilliant set up you then get to put in what you want/need. This time round I will get to put in a little yard from scratch. Buy as much land as is sensible - it all needs looking after and maintaining but keeping horses on less grass than you need is hard, especially given your initial circumstances - mine are out 24/7.

Mortgage wise we stretched ourselves last time but have good buffer this time round. It worked last time but we made sacrifices like no hols, no house improvements etc. we have enough spare this time to pay to post and rail the big paddock, erect stables, put a manège in, get a little tractor for the harrowing etc.

As above I have less time for riding since moving from livery but my girls are def happier and nothing beats looking out of your window and seeing them.

All the best with your move and your new arrival.
 
Not sure ours counts as an equestrian property (previous owners did keep horses but more for ploughing than riding and not since the 60's), but I'll give your questions a go:


Did you go all out on the mortgage? I.e borrow www much as you possibly can? How've you found repayments?
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We didn't need a mortgage, but did have to move to Ireland to achieve that. Prices are still really low here, and they had already picked up in Somerset so we got a great price on our 2 bed semi.

Was it important for you that the land / property could or have potential to pay its own way at all? Livery / holiday cottage etc?
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No. For me offering livery would pretty much defeat the point, I can't offer anything but DIY as I work and have a small child and I can't imagine anything worse than being a DIY YO at my home. We are hoping to get a holiday cottage nearby as additional income, but not "on site" so to speak.

What equestrian facilities did you require as a minimum? Acreage, ménage etc.?
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I required 3 acres but got 7.5, which is great as I can ride on my own land. Hacking was the main thing for me but I had to compromise. The hacking here is mostly on road, though very quiet roads with very well-behaved drivers, and I can have a decent canter in a couple of our fields. We have amazing hacking about 5 miles away across a very busy road so in the long run I hope to get transport and get out there. A menage would be great in the long term, but we have a flat well-drained field.

How important was the house / location?
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The location had to be within commuting distance of somewhere I could work, rural but not completely isolated and desolate. The house had to be old and stone (OH is stonemason and building conservation expert and has always wanted to do it for himself). The compromise was that the house is a complete mess and is having to be totally gutted and renovated.

How've you found managing all the extra space / land / buildings?
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So far we haven't managed them much as focussed on the house. We got a tractor with the house so that should make a lot of difference, though at the moment it's brakes aren't working.

We've had help from a neighbour who had been renting a lot of the land for years, he was obviously finding it painful seeing it go to ruin (had been neglected whilst house was on the market) and was keen to see it get tidied up.

The biggest problem so far has been fencing, the previous owner relied heavily on rusty barbed wire so that obviously had to be removed and I am now relying on electric fencing which isn't working too well - looking out the window I can see my daughter's pony is once again loose on the common! Luckily my neighbours are very relaxed about escapes, the last time my cob escaped into the field next door containing two mares, the owner said I was welcome to leave him in there if I wanted since the mares were borrowed from a friend to eat down the field and my cob is very good at eating!

Are you glad you made the move!?
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Most of the time yes. I don't think I can really say yes or no until the house and the horse yard is finished as at the moment we are living in a building site with no real kitchen or bathroom so obviously have moments of "why are we doing this!!". It is amazing to look out and see the horses and being able to just pop out and do something with them, I love having space around me and not having to worry about my daughter yelling her head off at 6am, and my daughter is loving all the outdoor space around the house. The savings on no mortgage and having the horses at home are pretty substantial so once the work on the house is finished we should have more disposable income too.
 
Thanks peeps!

One we are looking at only has 3.7 acres (but I do only have 1 horse!) and its very good land.. So I'm hoping that will be enough. It's got an up and running holiday cottage which should bring in about 8k a year so I'm thinking that can justify us being maxed out on the mortgage..?

We've just missed out on one with 13 acres which was amazing but it needed LOADS of work, so I'm wondering if it might have been a bit much anyway..
 
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We bought our place nearly 2 years ago, it used to be a dairy farm, so we managed to get plenty of land, and some run down buildings.

We couldn't have afforded to buy a ready done place. So we focused on looking in the right area, so good access to work etc, but also quiet lanes to hack.

The worst things have been:
1. Outdoors was a total mess, everything needed doing, every paddock had barbed wire/ sheep fencing. Cost an arm and leg to replace. But we have just done it. Last paddock getting done this week. All outdoor buildings needed either rebuilding or a complete overhaul. Just done it !
2. House is very old. We only got planning through last year to extend and renovate. It's taken much longer than we expected. So we've been living like the dingles.
3. It's a bit more remote than we had wanted initially. Now it's lovely as its so quiet, and we can get into town within 15mins, but there's no bus for kids. So I'm now a taxi driver.
4. It's too easy to just keep buying new neddies

Best bits :

Been able to plan how I want everything
Horses love it
Beautiful quiet area to live in.
Kids love it ( will be happier when they have there bedrooms upgraded)
Hubby loves it
Dog loves it
Cats love it

So We've now got about 14 acres, 6 stables, tack room wash room, and feed room, all in a big barn. Had my arena done end of last year. 40x30.

These always loads to do, fixing fencing, horses just don't appreciate how much it cost and continue to kick off rails. Painting, loads still to do. Groundwork, we use a contractor, he also takes our muck heap away. Finding time to ride is the biggest challenge.
Wouldn't change a thing. As fo financials, well it costs us less then it did before. Due to the fact we have combined business premises and the home.

We have just accepted it's a very long term project ! So I'd say, good luck and you will never look back ��
 
Starbucks said:
Thanks peeps!

One we are looking at only has 3.7 acres (but I do only have 1 horse!) and its very good land.. So I'm hoping that will be enough. It's got an up and running holiday cottage which should bring in about 8k a year so I'm thinking that can justify us being maxed out on the mortgage..?

We've just missed out on one with 13 acres which was amazing but it needed LOADS of work, so I'm wondering if it might have been a bit much anyway..
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3.7 acres of good land is more valuable than 13 of not so good - you'll need a companion (pick one with similar nutritional needs as your existing horse) loads of charities will be able to loan you one

Sounds plenty for 2 horses

On money stretch - only you can know that - 8k sounds lot of profit for a holiday cottage - are you sure that isn't the rental income (from which you'll need to pay rates, insurance, cleaner/ change over, advertising, utilities etc) they can be hard work and profit that you can use for the mortgage is a lot less than the revenue.

What's you're back up plan if the cottage isn't as popular as it was last year? - if you have a plan (more hours at work, family support etc) then go for it.
 
Polos Mum said:
3.7 acres of good land is more valuable than 13 of not so good - you'll need a companion (pick one with similar nutritional needs as your existing horse) loads of charities will be able to loan you one

Sounds plenty for 2 horses

On money stretch - only you can know that - 8k sounds lot of profit for a holiday cottage - are you sure that isn't the rental income (from which you'll need to pay rates, insurance, cleaner/ change over, advertising, utilities etc) they can be hard work and profit that you can use for the mortgage is a lot less than the revenue.

What's you're back up plan if the cottage isn't as popular as it was last year? - if you have a plan (more hours at work, family support etc) then go for it.
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We've got a viewing on one this afternoon that has 12 acres but it's really steep and think you would struggle to have more than a couple of horses on it. So I agree quality over quantity!! The 3.7 is split into 3 paddocks too and has well kept thick hedges in between and on boundaries. My mums old horse can come and keep mine company.

I'm perhaps being optimistic on holiday cottage so it may well be less than that, but it's a bit old school so I think you could improve from the current income eventually. We could afford the mortgage without at a push but i think I find it a bit easier to justify thinking I'll be getting some money back! :-/ We could always think about a long term rental maybe for less money but less hassle.
 
We pushed ourselves a bit on the mortgage but were lucky that interest rates came down a lot soon after we moved. Main criteria was amount of land and character of house. We have had to spent a lot though renovating house, adding stables and fencing etc. Dont plan to have any liveries etc as don't think it is worth the hassle for a small place (6 acres). Have been here over 8 years and it has been hard work but worth it overall. Horses are very chilled out.
 
Only thing is I would have quite liked to go back to work part time but don't think that is gonna happen!! Oh well, you can't have everything!
 
Had 2 in my 'past life'. First one was a modern property - semi rural - 4 acres. Had no equestrian facilities so we had to build a yard of 4 stables, barn, tack room and school. Planning was a total nightmare ! TBH it was a v unpleasant experience and we had to jump through so many hoops. However we got PP in the end. Hacking was terrible though, so after 3 years we moved to a really beautiful location. Property had an acre, and we bought another 7 directly attached to the house, from the farmer. Again built a yard of 6 stables, barn and tackroom, and same planning nightmare as last time. No school this time though, but better hacking. Relationship then ended and i left (ooops!)
I am not sure I would do it again though. I had 6 horses as you do indeed keep on acquiring more and more horses. I worked full-time too, so managing 6 horses, a house, and a full time job was donkey work. I barely rode as had no time. Also going on holiday was almost impossible, as there is no-one to do the horses. Youre totally tied to the house and horses.
I now have 1 horse on DIY livery and is FAR easier. Dont need to worry about maintence, maintenance costs etc, and its easy to get someone to pop a feed in once a day if we need to get away. Once I feed and put horse to bed, that it - I go home and put my feet up (or whatever else I have to do at home). When they are at home, I spent my life checking on them, skipping out etc etc, even just before bed. I dreamed my entire childhood of having my own yard, but then once I had it, it wasnt quite to appealing. I do still think I would like to have a loosebox at the bottom of the garden and a small paddock, but only so that I could bring the horse home at weekends sometimes.
 
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Just to bring up a couple of issues that no one has touched on. It's useful to have someone to call on if you are sick, going away overnight or want a holiday. You may have relatives near but it can be a real problem. I've been here for 16 years and am lucky enough to have a near neighbour who is very experienced and who works for me and is happy to cover completely if I'm away. Also, it can be a bit lonely unless you have riding friends in the area so it's useful to be in a popular area for horse ownership and not to be too remote. Also, if you compete, it's worth thinking about what venues are in easy travelling or you spend hours in the lorry.
 
Polos Mum said:
Hi

Mortgage - no where close to all out - always have space to cover the unexpected and land mgmt. is much much more expensive than you imagine - so our monthly mortgage is a stretch but not mad. But interest rates are low so although our monthly payments are quite high only £300 of that is interest (the rest I consider to be savings for my retirement!) One horse on livery couldn't be funded by the actual interest cost of the mortgage!!

Paying it's own way - not at all, look up threads on here about livery and it'll put you off for life. Our place used to be a livery yard and we must have had genuinely 30/40 people come since we moved in a year ago asking for livery - I;ve politely said no - I won't do it uninsured/ without business rates so it'll cost me more than I'd earn (work full time so could only offer DIY) and don't want the place filled with strangers and a mess all the time.

Facilities - good land or lots of poor land (old place was 12 acres and just coped with 4 horses) - if you have spare land hay making is great cost saver. We now have good facilities buit old place had not a thing - ménage is great if it's there but used maybe 30 times a year (2 nights a week in winter) riding in fields is much better

House/ location - has to work for you/ family - commuting more than 40mins to work is a killer long term

Management - as above lots and lots of time and money (harrowing, spraying, rolling, fence repair, painting etc etc. there are often nights when I have an hour when I could ride but I have to do jobs instead - you have to be strict to fit riding in with your own place

It works perfectly for us we tried it 8 years ago and are now on our second house - wouldn't go back even with all the challenges.
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All of this with bells on. I have just spent £600 on fertiliser, quote to spray 5 acres £350, if you can get a farmer to do a job you are very lucky. There's hedge trimming, fencing, rolling, harrowing, putting in more water.
If you are just starting a family I would think about schools and doctors, you can always farm a horse out, good child care is worse than finding good livery. If its a child's pony we had half acre with stable and used livery in the summer and did showing/PC from home, then had them home for the winter.
 
The holiday thing I find ok, when I moved in I went to the local big yard and asked if they had any staff who needed more hours - they introduced me to a lovely lady who will come short notice if we have an emergency, does my poo picking when I'm busy and stays in the house when we go on holiday.

The loneliness/ lack of motivation is trickier - in the old house I had a couple of rideable horses and really valued the company of sharers I had coming to ride them with me - in the current one I have horsey neighbours either side and it's great to have someone to hack with most of the time.

All worthwhile considerations when looking at a new place. If it's a really horsey areas you'll be fine - Isle of Sky could be tricky !
 
Mine is a labour of love, ground had not been touched for years, full of plastic, bean canes other rubbish and weeds. Fences , what fences.... Trees in a mess. Now we 4 paddocks , 10 acres in all but it joins with an existing 2acres we had , two stables on that site. Moved 2 stables from another field. Got an pop up garage ( expensive) for the hay and one for the horses. Further plans include hay barn, tack room ( currently under way) mini barn for 6 and a school. Fencing cost a fortune as has grass.

Worth every penny! Ponies at home and we love it! Bungalow had lots done too , it's lovely, still needs work and I could do with coat hooks etc... Garden bit of a jungle...
 
Sorry but not sure how to highlight my replies but they are below:

Starbucks said:
We are just in the process of selling up to buy a house where we can keep my horse(s!). I'm also 36 weeks pregnant so not sure if that's why but I'm finding it a bit daunting!!! A few questions:

Did you go all out on the mortgage? I.e borrow www much as you possibly can? How've you found repayments? It was over 25 years ago but yes, all out on the mortgage. It was subsidised up to a certain amount as I worked for a bank, however rates went so high it was more than they would subsidise. I don't regret it and we are still in the same house.

Was it important for you that the land / property could or have potential to pay its own way at all? Livery / holiday cottage etc? No - I don't want people around my home but would if it was necessary.

What equestrian facilities did you require as a minimum? Acreage, ménage etc.? We bought a house with 2 acres of land and put up 3 stables, tack room, haybarn and double garage soon after we arrived. It was a bit worrying that they wouldn't give us permission.

How important was the house / location? Very important - I had to be within driving distance of my Mum who helped with the horses, and I had to get to London for a 9am start.

How've you found managing all the extra space / land / buildings? No problem but my husband helps a lot.

Are you glad you made the move!? Yes, yes, yes. The only time I regretted it was the first day I walked into a small cottage and looked at the size of the removal truck. It didn't all go in and a lot of stuff was left in the garden overnight until we got the shed put up (previous owners had dismantled it and left it on the lawn). Luckily, although in March it didn't rain.

Thanks very much to anyone who can be bothered to reply! x
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We bought our first equestrian property 20yrs ago, and we're still there. Having two horses in full livery in the south east it made financial sense as the cost of livery bills almost equalled our mortgage.
We chose the property by area first as we wanted good hacking, then by the quality and amount of land, and lastly by the house. Our thinking was that you can change the house but not the land or its position. We ended up with a choice of two! One had two public footpaths running through it right next to the house, OH refused to have that one, so there was a choice of one.
The house was pretty dreadful. The kitchen was in the middle of the house with no windows and there were lots of stupid little rooms with no real function. We moved in at the end of January when it was minus five outside and the boiler wouldn't work....it was flippin freezing....and we didn't have a cooker as our previous house was all built in.
20yrs and a lot of work and anguish later, I'm very glad we put position first.
 
Starbucks said:
We are just in the process of selling up to buy a house where we can keep my horse(s!). I'm also 36 weeks pregnant so not sure if that's why but I'm finding it a bit daunting!!! A few questions:

Did you go all out on the mortgage? I.e borrow www much as you possibly can? How've you found repayments?

no, never would, always left room for surprise rate increase/redundancy/emergency and just as well, because within two months redundancy came out of nowhere.

Was it important for you that the land / property could t or have potential to pay its own way at all? Livery / holiday cottage etc




No.

What equestrian facilities did you require as a minimum? Acreage, ménage etc.

3 acres with enough flattish land for an arena and buildings for two immediate stables.

How important was the house / location?

essential. 2 jobs in different directions leaving little time. Must have list included 10min max to main line station, supermarket and Indian restaurant

How've you found managing all the extra space / land / buildings?

stressful. Unreliable neighbours and suppliers. Holiday cover a real problem :(

Are you glad you made the move!?

oh yes

Thanks very much to anyone who can be bothered to reply! x
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You're welcome!
 
I'd echo those that don't mortgage to the max because you never know what's round the corner (higher interest rates, job changes).

We did livery at first but I hated it. We much prefer having the place to ourselves! Same goes for a rental/holiday property, it depends if you don't mind people around and having to deal with them.

I adore having the horses at home. It is a bit harder work, as someone mentioned, your horses don't appreciate all that you've spent and regularly kick holes and break things! Find a good freelance groom. We pay someone a day or two a week, just so we become 'regulars' on their books. Taking holidays takes more organisation arranging cover. Same goes for a good local contractor who can do land maintenance and jobs.

We have 16 boggy acres. We ended giving in and making an all weather turnout for winter. In summer it is extra midgey because it is wet. I'd swop the 16 wet acres for 4 reasonable acres so that the horses could live out in summer perhaps.

Final point. Everything takes more money than you think and it never ends (especially with an old house too!)
 
The holiday cottage sounds like income, not profit - big difference! Also find out the planning conditions, some cottages must be holiday lets and planning rules mean that you cannot offer long term lets. It is also quite a lot of work - keeping the place immaculate, and having to be there to meet new customers. Of course it can be done, but you have to regard it as a job, not as an easy money.
 
I had a place maxed out financially with 30 acres, yard of 6 stables, small school,it was too much, it took an entire day just to strim the lane which grew like the clappers all summer long. I considered liveries but in all honesty having your own space means you get to do as you please so livery is just not an option for me. I'm about to move again but this time only 3 acres, hopefully enough without being too much. Looking forward to having them at home again though.
 
We bought the GS hacienda when we where in our late twenties it was a falling down barn with about fifteen acres .
It had only three acres of grass no fences .the rest was arable ( we bought eight acres of woodland adjoining a few years ago ) .
We converted the barn to a house and built stables .
We where seriously stretched at first money was very tight and we always had a huge to do list .
The location was very important close to the A1 and forty minutes tops from an airport .
It's hard work having you're own horsey place but I have never regretted it we have never traded up and will live here until we are too old to manage to look after it .
We have never done anything commercial here it's not why we bought it.
It's still one of the best days of my life when I let the two horses I had then into our own field and sat and listened to them grazing .
 
I have just bought an equestrian property. I have 6 stables all with rubber mats and auto waterers, feed room, tack room, farrier box, 20x40 floodlit ménage (properly built with good drainage and surface etc) and 5 acres. All paddocks are post and rail with mains electric fencing and auto waterers. Massive hay barn and the path to field is hard core (bliss). Also have a rug room and lots of other little storage rooms.

My main criteria was location; had to be within 10 mins of a tube/train station that got me into Liverpool street in 30 mins. Then the house; didn't have to be perfect but I needed a solid house with min of 4 bedrooms. The house in fact is big enough for us for now but we will be extending it next year.

The mortgage was a complete max out (equestrian properties this close to London are not cheap if you can even find one!) and I kept my flat in central London as well as I work incredibly long hours in the city so I need to be within a mile of the office otherwise some days I wouldn't even make it home.

I have 3 horses and will probably look for a fourth in a year (2 are retired). The first night I spent there and woke up and pottered down to see the horses made it all worthwhile.

I am not looking for liveries; as the others have said, the whole point of having them at home is do that you don't have to deal with liveries!

Make sure that whatever you buy qualifies for a residential mortgage as otherwise you will need a commercial one and it is a killer (plus interest rates will be higher). Make sure you get enough land for your horses and don't rely on renting additional land. Ultimately though find a house that works for your family; it's no good your horse being happy at the expense of your partner/children.
 
Starbucks said:
We are just in the process of selling up to buy a house where we can keep my horse(s!). I'm also 36 weeks pregnant so not sure if that's why but I'm finding it a bit daunting!!! A few questions:

Did you go all out on the mortgage? I.e borrow www much as you possibly can? How've you found repayments?

Was it important for you that the land / property could or have potential to pay its own way at all? Livery / holiday cottage etc?

What equestrian facilities did you require as a minimum? Acreage, ménage etc.?

How important was the house / location?

How've you found managing all the extra space / land / buildings?

Are you glad you made the move!?

Thanks very much to anyone who can be bothered to reply! x
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Firstly yes hubby got a mortgage for our property


We brought HGA'S home in 1996 before he was born and when his mum was a young mare

A livery was not that important and his wages repaid the mortgage the livery money never played a part in it as he is on a good wage. Hubby wanted place where I did not disappear all day at the stables.


facilities at first were not important as we were only intending to buy land - but when this place was found to be for sale we had a re think but hubby was in middle east and never saw it prior to making an offer.


it was said to be 10 acres but we think that incorporated the outbuildings - 22 stables - 8 acres -indoor and outdoor school - sheds

House not important as only two of us and it is a small bungalow and smaller than previous house - location was great for us but is on a horrid bend



hard work with the land but I love it !!!!


Yes glad we moved


we took a cut on our old house but then this on the guy dropped 20 thousand for a completion and total 70 thousand from his first sale price
 
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Did we go all out on the mortgage? No, we didn't, and were glad in the long run that we didn't, as you never know when financial circumstances will change.

Was it important for the land to pay it's own way? No, bar the fact that hubby, as a farrier, could have his workshop/shoe storage on the land. Never considered liveries as have seen what a nightmare it can be!

What facilities did you require at a minimum? We have just under 3 acres and now have three horses on it, which works OK as the land is fairly well-drained. There were two stables and a tack room when we moved in, which we extended to add a third stable and a barn. There was no arena when we bought but hacking good and arenas available within hacking distance to hire if necessary, although we have finally put in our own arena. Got planning permission easily for both stable extension and arena, but worth checking the planning application website of your local council to see how easily planning is granted for equestrian facilities.

How important was house/location? House was very basic but sound and habitable. Have since extended it. We are lucky to be in a great location - pretty and rural but easy access to good schools, thriving village centre, 10 minutes drive to main town and fairly easy access into London if necessary.

How have you found managing the land/buildings? Not too bad as we don't have an extensive acreage. We do nearly everything ourselves and hubby is pretty handy with things like fencing etc.

Are you glad you made the move? Absolutely, have never regretted it for a second. Love the area and love being able to manage the horses exactly as we want to.

Good luck - hope you find the perfect place!
 
We bought our place November last year. We weren't really looking but this was on the market at a steal and we got it below asking price as well.

We have 20 acres, 20 stables, floodlit school, grass canter track and (old) XC course. 5 bed house and a separate annexe.

To be honest getting a mortgage was a PIA. So stressful. Because our house was business rated and had a decent amount of land most banks or building societies didn't want to know. So whilst on our affordability calculator we could easily afford it, we ended up separating the title deeds so much of the land, stables and school we bought outright as part of the equity from our old house and got a mortgage on just the house and about 4 acres. Get a very good mortgage advisor. We used a guy called Ben who rural scene recommended us.

I love it here but had to quit my normal job in order to concentrate on this place as there is always work to do! Apart from mucking out mine and two full liveries, I turn out a diy livery as well. There's maintenance of the land- fixing fencing, making jumps, poo picking, ragworting, fixing fencing, poo picking, fixing fencing.... Fixing up the XC course, paperwork, sourcing suppliers, stressing about liveries. Tidying up after liveries, fixing fences. Anyway you get the picture. While I do love it and can't belive I'm here now, jut make sure you go in with your eyes open if you are planning on having a business/liveries. I have a newfound appreciation for yard owners now!
Also, watching horses churn up the grass is not the nicest feeling in the world...

If you would like any advice or info feel free to pm me.
 
We bought a bungalow and 3 acres on an agricultural tie about 4 years ago. We didn't overstretch ourselves on the mortgage as neither of us could cope with the financial strain and worry!!

We are on clay so have to be careful in the fields in winter but I only have one big horse and a mini companion so that's easy. We've just put in a concrete yard/pen for winter turn out which has direct access to stables so horse can wander about.

We spent the first 2 years doing lots of stuff to the house/yard but now its all done, we just enjoy it with very little stress.

OH is an agricultural contractor so does all the harrowing/rolling/muck heap removal etc himself.
 
I'm so envious of all of you, some land and building have come up for sale closer to home than the yard. We hack past it so know it's well looked after, has huge barns and a good chance of planning permission for house and stables a but more land than I wanted but know a few farmers looking for grazing for their sheep so that could sort that out....but no way we could afford the mortgage, dad retires in 13 years, his mortgage ends in seven and sister is a carer worker in a home so doesn't have the extra.

How did you all find your places?

Word of mouth?

Internet?
 
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