School or Lorry WWYD

I was in that situation and chose the lorry. It's expensive to hire, plus the lorry may not be free when you want it. So, purchased my own. Gave me freedom to get else,where as well as using a school.
Roll on some 15-20 years, and I have finally had a school put I at my place. Yes, it cost about 30k as I had it done properly and with loads of drainage as my fields is clay and floods in exactly the area where school is!
I have never regretted doing it that way round,and though the school has helped, it's still not the be all and end all. I would still choose lorry over it if had to do it all over again!
 
how much do you like that horse? :p


school I think!


btw did I show you the antijump harnesses or just michen? they are a bit odd but interesting.
 
ester said:
how much do you like that horse? :p


school I think!


btw did I show you the antijump harnesses or just michen? they are a bit odd but interesting.
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Ahh thats mean, I love my beautiful baby prince, which is lucky for him as the little git was trouble before he was even born!

I saw the anti jump thingy too, not sure if I like the idea of it but it appeared to work on that pony. Sure my little lads sneaky pony brain would work out away to get out of it :p
 
No that's his sister (from another mother) He had many threads of his own as a wee one, firstly didn't know he was there, then he was born pathetic and vets kept trying to put him down, then first time out in field his own mother kicked him over....... it goes on :D

Ps. He is exceptionally beautiful (ask Michen)as long as you only look at his head & neck , rest of him a mess appart from his hooves. He has lovely hooves :)
 
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ah I wondered if we maybe had a reason, ie you put wellies on him.

Anyway hooves, you should know of all people I would start from the hooves! :D
 
Does it have to be 3.5 tonne? If you do your hgv and get a sensible 7.5 tonne you'll have money to spare to start the arena saving.
 
I am inclined to agree if you have space to park it,
build school, while that is being sorted do your test, then buy lorry :p
 
School! I honestly don't see the point in having transport to go to a lesson/comp when you've been unable to keep the horse worked in between. I had a year without transport, honestly didn't miss it much. Had trainers come to me, and horse has advanced heaps. I'd get the school out in, and then start to sort a cheaper option of transport
 
ester said:
ah I wondered if we maybe had a reason, ie you put wellies on him.

Anyway hooves, you should know of all people I would start from the hooves! :D
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The wellies are left over from the amazing 'Horses in Hunters thread' of many moons ago :)

rara007 said:
Does it have to be 3.5 tonne? If you do your hgv and get a sensible 7.5 tonne you'll have money to spare to start the arena saving.
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Haven't got 7.5 test yet but plan to do it, as yet though I've not seen one in think the little dear would be safe to travel in but agree they are better value

Lyle said:
School! I honestly don't see the point in having transport to go to a lesson/comp when you've been unable to keep the horse worked in between. I had a year without transport, honestly didn't miss it much. Had trainers come to me, and horse has advanced heaps. I'd get the school out in, and then start to sort a cheaper option of transport
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Yes good point they'd all need to go for quite a few lessons a month to equal a few good schooling sessions at home.

Like your thinking Red-1 :D
 
I think I'd choose school. It's a difficult one but you'd use the school daily, and for all of your herd. You can really bring the youngsters on, and in time save up for a lorry, but in the meantime hire one if you really want to get out somewhere else.
 
Red-1 said:
School - property increases in value, vehicles decrease!
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I don't think you can say it increases the value of the property Not everyone wants a huge sandpit after all. I see properties with schools for sale all the time and they aren't worth any more than those without. Get the school if you want op but don't kid yourself it's going to give you a return other than for your own pleasure.
 
jumping.jack_flash said:
If the school is an indoor one, then go for school. If it's an out door one . .its could be useless in the winter, as the surface would freeze.
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Entirely dependent on location and choice of surface ;)

Ours gets full sun all day AND the flexiride just doesn't seem to freeze anyway. The top gets a bit frosty but still useable all day long... agree that mostly sand surfaces can freeze solid but in the south West we haven't had many frosty days this year that would render a school "useless", so again depends where you are based :)
 
ElleSkywalker said:
The wellies are left over from the amazing 'Horses in Hunters thread' of many moons ago :)
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I know :) I particlarly liked fany in wellies :)

And yes no reason for a freezing surface particularly, we have strip rubber over sand and I can remember only a couple of non useable days over 3 years
 
In my case I had my arena put in in 1998. I have perhaps spent £5,000 over maintenance of fences and surface, plus £1,000 for a grader, and it is good as new.

If I had bought a lorry in 1998 I would have spent a lot more on maintenance, tax, insurance. In fact, for the cost of a lorry for that time I would have paid enough for twice monthly box hire IMO.

The difference being, a lorry built in 1998, and not new at that, I guess I would now be needing a new lorry, and still not have a school. My school is still going strong, and I could now buy a lorry. Even if it had not put value on the property.

In my case though, I do think that the arena has put value on the property, as we only have 3 acres, and the arena is our winter turnout and means we are never stuck for exercise. The land would not be enough to support 4 stables otherwise.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I don't think you can say it increases the value of the property Not everyone wants a huge sandpit after all. I see properties with schools for sale all the time and they aren't worth any more than those without. Get the school if you want op but don't kid yourself it's going to give you a return other than for your own pleasure.
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Case in point, lovely yard at the end of our lane, 8 indoor stables with tackroom & storage etc & washbox, beautiful 5/6 yr old arena which never froze in winter (50 x 30).
Property sold nearly 9 years ago to non horse person.
All stables ripped out & he uses it for car storage, the arena was left to grow eventual weeds (no horse people allowed to hire any more) and eventually last summer he just dug it up and levelled the area with top soil.
To me thats a criminal waste! :eek3: to him, he wanted 12+ acres of 'private' grounds & car storage! (the grounds are for his son to ride his MX bikes round!)

ESW, do what you think best, but knowing your ground as you do, then prob the school should take precedence

I never went for a school as have plenty of off road hacking - and mostly sandy fields I can school in over the summer months if I want to. (and next to no mud in winter, sorry!) I find my box invaluable as I can choose to go out any time & not have to phone around.
 
Given that you don't have good winter hacking, I would definitely go for the school so you can keep them in work over winter. It's no good having transport if your horse isn't ready to go! If you had excellent hacking and would use the box every week, then I would consider the horsebox because at least they would be fit and you can do plenty of schooling on hacks if necessary.
 
Very interesting points all, thanks for the above Red-1 that's actually really helped.

Another point to consider is that at the min DSW works from home so hacking alone is fine as there is someone here to miss me if I don't come back. At some point he won't be meaning that I probably won't hack unless I have someone to go with whereas with a school I would happily ride as it will be over looked by pretty much the whole hamlet who would hopefully notice my little broken body :D

Plan for now is to go and see a couple of horsebox manufacturers to get a proper price for what I would want and to get an updated price for arena. I think we will then put in for planning and see what happens there.

Have been swings and roundabouts all though the thread but as am approaching another week where horses will be on limited turnout due to rain school is currently nosing ahead.......
 
ElleSkywalker said:
So it looks like the type of lorry I need will be roughly the same price as a school, am now torn as to which to go for.

Few points to consider for school;

At present I can't keep horses in work over winter consistently as the roads (single track country lanes, 3 foot lower than ground level so frost doesn't melt) are quite dangerous at best of times and worse in winter - a school would mean being able to keep horses in consistent work.

We are on heavy clay so a school would mean all horses could be exercised even when they couldn't be turned out also helping keep them in work.

I could have an instructor come and give lesson to me at home.

I can hire the type of box I need from literally just up the road for aound £100 a day

There are no schools within hacking distance that I am able to use.

Few points to consider re lorry;

When I had a lorry I used it at least once a week, competing, lessons, clinics and trips out to meet friends, boxing for hacking etc so that's an awful lot of money to spend on box hire at £100 a go! That once a week was with one horse and will have up to three at present

Is there much point in having beautifully schooled horses if I can never take them anywhere?!

Anyone have any points I might have missed or opinion on which they would choose?!

White choc millionaires shortbread for all :biggrin3:
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I would go for box

ATEOTD you can box up to close facilities to school, get to vet in emergency, shows etc hiring is like leasing a flat a bottomless bit £ 100 a day for one show, There are ways to get a temp school in a field and you can school out hacking to a degree or in any woods out hacking we used to do this at one yard, there was a marked area by frequent users in n area Def Box IMO
 
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I'd definitely get a school
Then if you decide you really want transport, you could always get a trailer (2nd hand you can get them for about £1000)
 
I'd go for the school on the basis that the upkeep costs once installed should be less than the running costs of a lorry (plus it's less likely to throw random bills at you several times a year) so making saving up again easier if you were to decide in the future that you wanted to look into boxes again. It is also a surprising amount of faff to hire somewhere, load box up, drive to school, unload, do whatever, drive back, clean box out etc...

I've had a little box for just over a year. We have no arena where I am. The number of times I've hired an arena in that time is a total of TWICE purely due to the faff (everywhere is a good 20 min drive away). When I got the box I was adamant I was going to hire somewhere every couple of weeks for a play... Now I've used the box for a lot of other things too (some of which I could actually have gotten lifts / shared transport to if we're being honest) but if where I am now had a school I'd be consistently using it 2 or 3 times a week and riding more in winter than I manage right now (and we have GOOD winter hacking) I'm at livery so don't have control re the arena situation but if I were on my own land then I'd likely opt for the arena before the box
 
I suppose that is the thing isn't it. My box is out 3/4 times a week and I don't find it a faff. Still think get the school and a trailer and leave the silly one at home. If you've several others it will still give you loads of options.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I suppose that is the thing isn't it. My box is out 3/4 times a week and I don't find it a faff. Still think get the school and a trailer and leave the silly one at home. If you've several others it will still give you loads of options.
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This, its a no brainer.
 
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