So annoyed

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
The owner of the field asked for a word, the field is going to be split in half as he isn't making enough money out of it. That will leave us with only 5 acres for 5 horses who live out 24/7! The grazing is at best poor, with lots of nettles and thistles and not much grass. It was just left to grow wild before we took it on.
Apparently he wants to make £100 per week for a place with poor grazing, no water, electric or shelter apart from the one we will still be using. Good luck with that one.
We are already looking for somewhere else. If he puts more horses on it, it will end up as an overgrazed mud bath. Parts of are very wet, one part by the shelter is a pond at the moment. I don't think he realises that people are not going to pay for poor grazing with no facilities. It has improved in the time we have been there, but really it needs ploughing up and starting again.
They only pay £100 a week for the yard we were on with good grazing a proper yard with a barn and stables, it also had water. If he was offering those facilities I wouldn't mind paying for it, but he isn't.
 
Last edited:

EllenJay

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 June 2011
Messages
2,576
Visit site
£100 per week is not a lot - can you not just increase the rent you pay him. Sounds like you are paying less than market value
 

Procrastination

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 September 2014
Messages
240
Visit site
£100 a week per person?! I think that's extortionate for barely any services and presumably no hay included in winter?
At our place there's three of us, 5.5acres and we pay £80 a month! Which includes stable with light, water on the yard, and bedding and haylage included in winter...I know we're getting an excellent deal but still!
 

AmyMay

Situation normal
Joined
1 July 2004
Messages
65,902
Location
South
Visit site
Well I suppose you can be grateful in the long term that you didn't really spend any money on the grazing maintenance.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

Getting old disgracefully
Joined
24 November 2010
Messages
28,451
Location
Pootling around......
Visit site
Round my way you would be looking at a minimum of £20a week per horse, thus £120 for 5 a week which is a pretty good deal to have your own place.
Dividing to gain more is pretty silly, showing that the LO hasn't a clue.
 

AppyLover

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 May 2015
Messages
312
Visit site
i pay 75 per horse a month for a 9 acre (I think) field, a sand school, running water, use of a stable if needed vet/boxrest etc but I pretty much picked my weekly rate as we were the 1st proper livery and it went down a bit when we added a second :)
 

Clodagh

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2005
Messages
24,937
Location
Devon
Visit site
Well I suppose you can be grateful in the long term that you didn't really spend any money on the grazing maintenance.

I agree with this, if you had maintained the field you would be losing out now. You were lucky your contract didn't stipulate it.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
We had arranged for someone to come and spray half of it for weeds,(the other half to be done later) but not now. We wouldn't mind paying more for good grazing/facilities but this place has neither. If you saw the state of the field you would understand why we are not willing to pay that much.
We have improved the land quite a lot, hand spraying the weeds and we harrow it when it is dry enough. I don't think he wants £100 for each horse. I suppose he will get some mug to pay it.
How do we know the new horses wont bring strangles or something similar with them?
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
I would pay that for secure storage and use of a school.
The only storage we have is part of the field shelter, were we keep the hay. The only school we have is marked out by cones in the field.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
5 acres for 5 horses is plenty of grazing! I always thought the rule was 1acre per horse? Also doesn't that price make it £10 per week per horse which is not much?

5 acres of decent grazing would be enough, but parts of this place are underwater after heavy rain, and there are more thistles and nettles than grass. I really don't think its not enough in this case.
 

Sandstone1

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 July 2010
Messages
7,707
Visit site
Round my way you would be looking at a minimum of £20a week per horse, thus £120 for 5 a week which is a pretty good deal to have your own place.
Dividing to gain more is pretty silly, showing that the LO hasn't a clue.

Is it my maths or is 5x 20 not 100? I think 10 horses on 10 acres is a lot, I thought the rule was 1.5 acres a horse. It will get muddy and over grazed.
Also, how will they be able to rest any of it or spray for weeds etc if the whole field is in constant use.
 

honetpot

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2010
Messages
9,058
Location
Cambridgeshire
Visit site
I agree with this. I have fourteen acres but because its clay it spends most of the winter water logged so my ten come in. To keep them out all the time they would have to be on good draining land or have twice the land.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
Well I suppose you can be grateful in the long term that you didn't really spend any money on the grazing maintenance.


We wanted to pay for the whole field to be sprayed last year, but he left it so long before he said we could do It that the man who was to spray it said it was too late. So we arranged for him to come this year instead.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
Is it my maths or is 5x 20 not 100? I think 10 horses on 10 acres is a lot, I thought the rule was 1.5 acres a horse. It will get muddy and over grazed.
Also, how will they be able to rest any of it or spray for weeds etc if the whole field is in constant use.[/QUO

If he puts another 5 horses on it, as you say it will soon be a muddy, overgrazed mess. He has no horse knowledge, and didn't bother with the field (except to drive his van through it) for years. That's why its in such a poor state. We were desperate for somewhere to keep the horses, as people kept letting them out of the previous field.
 

R_Owen

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 November 2011
Messages
60
Location
Wales
Visit site
I pay £30 per week for 3 acres, 3 horses, running water from a stream, 3 small stables and a small amount of storage for hay. The horses live out and I use the stables as a shelter.
 

Nudibranch

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 April 2007
Messages
7,064
Location
Shropshire
Visit site
1 acre per horse is not enough, especially with the mild wet climate we have these days. You are right to move...people seem to accept tiny parcels of grazing these days because there's no alternative and then moan on here about the mud and feed bills!
 

Sugar_and_Spice

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 June 2012
Messages
5,245
Location
the North
Visit site
How do we know the new horses wont bring strangles or something similar with them?

Unfortunately if you're on a livery yard you have this risk any time a new livery arrives or if someone goes out to a show, it's just life. I agree you should move. 5 horses on 5 acres 24/7 won't work, the 2acres per horse and 1 acre per additional horse rule is for good grazing on well draining land, your land is neither. I have found your situation to be quite common. Land owners seem to not put livery prices up much if at all and instead take on more and more horses, until eventually the fields are a sea of mud in winter and mostly weeds in summer. I wouldn't rent any field without running water, that must be a nightmare.
 

Cinnamontoast

Fais pas chier!
Joined
6 July 2010
Messages
35,355
Visit site
Acre per horse is nowhere near enough, the field will be a wreck with ten horses on it given the weather.

Grass livery is £35 a week, no facilities bar you can bring your horse up to the yard and there's running water. No field shelters, nothing. Extra for hay being put in the field.
 

Crugeran Celt

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 April 2012
Messages
3,205
Visit site
5 acres for 5 horses is plenty of grazing! I always thought the rule was 1acre per horse? Also doesn't that price make it £10 per week per horse which is not much?

5 acres for 5 horses that live out is definitely not enough, I have three horses and three minis on about 14 acres which in summer is split and rotated. I would not keep any more on my land and I certainly would not manage them with less land. I have no idea of the going rate for rental as I have had my own place for over 20 years but it seems a lot to me for poor land and no facilities. Only a horse owner would be interested perhaps op call his bluff and all threaten to leave if he brings more horses in and he will be back to square one.
 

rascal

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
People who know the field (experienced horse owners) agree with us that it would not cope with anymore horses. We thought it was 10acres but its only (according to the owner) 9 acres, so that's even worse. We are definitely looking for some new grazing.
I cant see anyone else renting it with no water, so I hope he enjoys his empty field.
 

zaminda

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 August 2008
Messages
2,333
Location
Somerset
Visit site
I used to rent a field from someone else. When he died, his relatives wanted to put the rent up by more than 50% They felt it was worth a lot more, I didn't agree, and left for somewhere much better. The place has been empty bar a few sheep every now and again.
 
Top