Stables at home - costs and thoughts!

[cobs4fun]

My mum and brother have had this idea for a while to put all their money in a pot and move down to devon and buy a big house with land, Honiton/Sidmouth area. My brother wants to settle down and start a family with better quality of life out of East Sussex and my mum has loads of friends down there and has wanted to move down for ages.

They have found a place with 5 stables and about 6 acres with enough room for us all with granny annex etc.

I would probably stay here for a while to finish my National certificate in photography and follow the family down in about a year or two and take the horses down. It's along way away but i wondered what its like cost wise for keeping a horse at home, including feed, hay and bedding?

At the moment i'm on grass livery and feed is included..

I'm also a little worried about making friends down there. I have a really brilliant social group of friends where i live at the moment we have Brighton near by so we go out every weekend and just generally know quite a lot of people so i'm worried how this would effect me. The idea of 'country living' i find amazing, but i'm worried i will find it really hard to make new friends in a quiet area even though it is near exeter. Uni in exeter might be an option since my a levels and now my national certificate will be over with but i do worry, being in my late teens my having a social life is quite important for me

I've made another account to ask this because we don't know for sure yet what we are doing as a family and i want to talk to my friends who have accounts on here properly about it so it doesn't come as a shock if they see this.

Any advice would be brilliant, or anyone around that area who can adopt me for a while when i'm a complete loner!

 

[Storminateacup]

The biggest problem I ve heard is loneliness/no one to ride with and no one to do the horses when you go away on holidays,
(assuming you can afford them!.) If you have transport and an EC in the area and your family with you; you should find it fabulous.
I can't wait until we can move to OHs 37 acre Croft and take the horse, we could easily afford two or more when not having to find livery costs at £50.00 per horse a month.
If you have enough acreage you can cut your own hay and a block of wooden stables is relatively inexpensive. If you are determined you can do the big expenses like fencing yourself and save a fortune. I ve done it before with 25 acres and it was quite easy when you got going on it .(post basher and tensioners)

 

[bordermare]

Costs, I reckon in the winter for my two in at night and out during the day realistically it costs me around 285 pounds a month. That includes shoeing, ad lib hay, all feed (inc supplements) and bedding. This obviously goes down substantially over the summer when they're out.
That also includes rent for my grazing so you would be less with your own grazing.

On the down side it can be lonely and I rarely ride with anyone who lives near me. However I box over to a friends stables and go out with her regularly.
Holidays are difficult but not impossible if you can get horsey friends to house sit for you.

On the up side I have total control of what happens to my horses.
I think I have a really strong bond with them because I do everything for them.
My horses are very good at hacking out alone.
My OH although totally non horsey helps me out a lot with mucking out, turnout, feeding etc.

I do sometimes fantasize about having them at livery (especially in the winter) but I think I'd miss having them around all the time.

 

[clairec1154]

I live in the Honiton area, and I have to say it is fantastic here!!! I have 5 stables at home and 12 acres of land with an menage. Everyone is very friendly and there are plenty of shows and events within easy reach. It isn't the cheapest of areas but then I guess if you are in East Sussex then you are used to that.