Renting land/a yard

S

Shilasdair

Patting her thylacine
Joined
26 March 2007
Messages
23,686
Location
Daemon from Hades
Visit site
I need some advice.
I'm a bit fed up with livery yards...for my horses....does anyone have any experience of renting land or land plus stables and how does it work out?
Any info appreciated.
S
smile.gif
 
well i rent a field with two stables and the owner built me a feed room/ barn. I would still consider mine to be like a livery yard however its just myself, i think it maybe to do with the fact that the owner lives on site so he can watch what i am up to but he doesn't interfer (sp) i guess i am glad he is there cause if something goes wrong, horse wise, he will let me know. i would like to hear others opinions where it is just a field (not like mine with someone on site)
grin.gif
 
I rent 2 and a half acres from a local farmer and have never wanted to change. I have no water or elec but can do what I please and look after my horse in the way that I know best for him...he has turnout all year round and my field is never a muddy mess because I look after it myself.
It costs £600 per year but he has let me put a mobile field stable on it which has been a god send. It is hard work looking after it and costs me more because I pay for farmers to harrow, do hedges and spray every year.
 
I have rented both in the past.
I rented a whole yard of 6 stables - but one was used as a store so only paid for 5. I got ripped off but I wasnt there long as the land was awful. I paid for each stable (£15p/w x5) and then paid the electric and water bills on top of this. Any repairs I did and I sorted the field out eg harrowing, seeding, fetilizing etc. YO was a pain and made a mess of the land so I left! It was hard work and glad im not there now. I think if there had been mor land and the YO didnt interfere it wouldve been great.

I now rent a 6acre field - but have access to as much as I want extra. I pay per horse (currently only have 2 in it but have had between 2 and 5 in it at any one time). The farmer does all the maintenance of the walls, grass etc. He comes in and harrows it, rolls it & tops it . He has full access at all times (if he can remember the combinations to the padlocks - he forgets regularly so he rings me up for them). It has an automatic water feeder but no electric. He has said that I can put up mobile field shelters/stables if I so wish, or he will pay for them putting up. He delivers me my haylage to the field. He also keeps an eye on my girls for me in the day time so if there is any problems, he rings me up to let me know. Its the best thing and the girls love living out. I would love to buy my own land and set my own yard up but at the moment no body wants to sell.
 
I recently moved from a big yard onto a small rented yard and love it
grin.gif


Obviously there is more work involved, managing the fields, fencing, muckheap, sourcing bedding and haylage but its well worth it!

I have a friend on mine with two youngsters and the mare, she has a friend come and help a couple of nights a week, and we have a lovely lady across the road who always hacks, and comes for a brew and a chat, so it had worked our really well. Much less stressful and no bitchiness.
 
I used to rent a paddock (just over 1 acre) and two stables for my Shetlands. On the plus side it was good being able to arrange my own grazing to suit and I didn't have to worry about other people's horses hurting them etc. On the minus side, there was no-one around if you had a problem and it cost me £90 every 4 weeks as opposed to £40 every 4 weeks for their grazing at my livery yard. Also, I found repairs were my responsibility tho' we never actually agreed anything. If I rented privately again I would put something written in place.
 
Burtie and I rent two fields, one from the local council and one from the water board. We're responsible for everything so we've got quite adept at fencing and I'm a demon at weedkilling!! But it is lovely being able to "do your own thing". the only drawback is one field is a 10-month lease but the other one is 364-day lease so they go into the other field for at least 2 months. The 10-month lease field is very wet anyway so is unusable between November and March (unless it's very dry winter). We have to be off it December and January.
 
There is no one living on site at mine, but there is someone there during the day, and the guy from the small yard across the road keeps an eye open for us, and the people across the other side, and houses behind also keep an eye open and pop for chat while they walk their doggies!

We are quite lucky to have a barn with 5 stables, loo, kitchen and tack room. We are still waiting electric but have a huge generator which powers anything! Still waiting for our shower room thou
frown.gif


Local farmers are really helpful too, I just go round and ask for fields to be rolled/sprayed/harrowed etc and they are always obliging! For cash of course
grin.gif
 
Really interesting - but two more questions (I'm greedy!)
1. How do you feel about security as my youngsters are quite 'stealable'?
2. How did you find a field/yard to rent?
Thanks for your help
S
smile.gif
 
1. The paddock was very close to my house though not in direct view but I could check them every time I came out the house. There were some houses that over looked it and the neighbours kept an eye out for me tho' they were not horsey. The gate was padlocked. However, the day that I was moving from there my energiser and battery for the electric fencing got stolen - the paddock was rented from a traveller - put two and two together
smirk.gif

2. A friend knew about this paddock for rent - it was too small for her.

Hope it helps!!
 
I've been renting for the past couple of years after years of being on livery yards, wouldn't ever go back to a yard with other 'people' - can't stand 'em!!

1. security is an issue and my bigest worry if I'm honest, but rented yards/fields vary so uch in terms of proximity to houses etc. it's pot luck.
2. Find out the name of the peson in your local council property dept. who manages council land. The council own lots of pony paddocks or similar, they are always really cheap and sometimes really nice. I you are registered with them they'll send a round robin out periodically detailing any land which is coming vacant,
2. Go and see all your local farmers & put up notices in local feed merchants etc. Lots of farmers are looking for extra ways of making ends meet and you might get lucky & find one who will rent you a barn & field or similar.
3. Local free ads papers etc are agood source, land s often advertised there.
You'd be suprised ar how much land there is about vacant. I know of 3 yards with up to 6 stables & 10 acres in a two mile radius of mine which are empty!! (not very nice mind you)
 
I suppose you could say everyones horse is stealable. Everyones horse is worth a lot in each owners eyes. There isnt anyone who lives on sight where I rent the land however at the top of the field id the farm and just blow the bottom of the field is 3 houses and the owners of these houses regularly drive passed and would ring me if there was anything suspicious going on.
Saying that I rent 2 stables on a livery yard and again no one lives on sight. The land is securely fenced and the main gates are padlocked however it didnt stop the gypsies breaking in and trying to steal one of the trailers.

I found out about hte field as I mentioned it to the farmer who I delivered my haylage, he said I could rent some of his land so thats what I did.
 
Thanks, Chumsmum, Siennamum and E_C_W - that's really useful.
I just want a peaceful life with safe relaxed horses!
I'm feeling a bit p***ed off with livery yard as have spent 10 weeks rehabing one of mine after major colic surgery...she's only just back out....and the YO saw fit to strim the field margins and throw the clippings in for mine to eat.
Aaaaaaargggh! She disagrees that lawn clippings and the like cause colic....but it isn't her that pays my vet bill!
So your advice is very useful...think I'll start looking.
About 'stealability' - if anyone nicked my old girl, they'd return her pretty quickly LOL!
S
smile.gif
 
cant believe she did that! You wouldve thought she wouldve had more sense than to do that after her having surgery. Some people think they know best!
I hope you find somewhere that is perfect for you. Something will turn up when you least expect it.
 
I have freezemarked my horse and padlock and chain both sides of my gate with very hefty bolts. If they are going to get in though they will and there is nothing you can do to stop them.
I knew the field was not really used so knocked on the farmers door and asked...he took some coaching round and wanted lot's more money but in the end we all have a price we will 'deal' at!
On the security front I also do not keep my tack in the spare stable.
 
i rent just under 10 acres of fields, an old barn with 5 stables inside it, loads of storage and tack room and feed room, water and a yard. i rent it along with 2 other horses and their owners. we make our own hay of one of the fields and we each pay just £40 a month and it is very handy as this is all literally on my doorstep! we all take it in turns to see to the horses morning and evening so that is handy. we do have to manage the fields and do all the fencing but as it is divided into 3 families labor and expenses isnt too much.

i would definately rent land and stables anyday over keeping a horse at livery as we make our own decisions and i prefer to do my horse myself.
 
1. Hefty chains and big padlocks; horses microchipped and freezemarked and signs on the gate saying so.

2. A friend of mine rented both fields previously and "tipped me the wink" when she was giving them up but it is worth contacting your local council(s) to ask to be informed when grazing land becomes available - you can always turn it down if it's not suitable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top