Taking the plunge - buying a house with land

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sugarpuff

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I have always had my horse on full livery as no land at home, but the chance of buying a fab little house with 5 acres has come up without us even really being on the look out and so we have decided to take the plunge and go for it. Should be moving early next year, but I'm a little apprehensive about the best way to do it and need to start planning now. He has always lived with other horses and I bought him off the breeder so only known 2 homes in 7 years.

He knows the area as we hack past the house so not far away but can be a stresshead at times when he feels insecure, but has never been clingy to Now I'm not sure of whether it would be best to move him in at the same time as a couple of companions, I could try and sort out either rehoming a horse / getting a friend or 2 to see if they need grass livery or even may try suggesting to hubby we get the kids a pony on loan. I think 3 horses would be a good number so none are left on their own whilst hacking/ competing, but am I being daft?!

Does anyone have any suggestions/ good ideas about how I can make the move less stressfull for all involved!! I work from home now so will be at home more often than not to supervise.

Also, any helpful tips and advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm looking forward to feeding him his breakfast in my pyjamas and wellies, but it will be first time I actually have a horse at home so am a bit daunted by it if I'm honest!
 
I would try to make him as independent as possible so that he gets used to being in a field by himself and hacked out by himself without getting wound up about being seperated from a field companion.

Most important thing is to ensure that all the fencing and water troughs are all in good order bedfore putting him in to his new field. (Plastic water troughs are a lot safer for horses than metal ones).
 
In my opinion, having your horse at home is the best thing you will ever do in your entire horsey-life. Do it, and deal with situations as they come. You will know soon enough if you're ready for more horses or not.
 
Nothing beats having your horse at home .
An older sensible pony is what my friend has he has a little pen in the field in summer so he does not get to fat she has had several over the years always oldies who were between a rock and a hard place when she came across them.
You are going to have great fun.
 
You'll be delighted when you get there, it's so much easier when they are on the doorstep. My boy is 5, and spent 4 years with other horses, due to horses that were on loan going back, and me selling my 3 yr olds, he was on his own for about 3 mths... I really thought he was going to be upset. Surprizingly, he was totally fine. I think he actually enjoyed having me all to himself. fingers crossed for you, and best of luck in your new venture!! xxx
 
We bought a house with land earlier this year and I now have 3 horses at home. I did have 2 on part livery and moved them in a month after we did. The fields were properly fenced with a field shelter so they transitioned easily from being in most of the time with a few hours turnout to being out 24/7.
I did struggle with the issue of taking one out and leaving the other alone so I now have a pony on loan to keep them company.
I am in the process of adding stables and an arena but for now they seem content living out and 3 def work better for me than 2.
Good luck, there's nothing better than looking out of the bedroom window first thing to see them out in their field :0)
 
We had the house, which came with the land, long before we had our daughter and the ponies. We just bought one and were more or less given the other thorough a friend - an oldie as a ridden schoolmaster/companion, Brought one home one day the other the next and chucked them in together (shoeless anyway) thankfully they got on Ok. We do get a bit of stressyness & calling when we take 1 or the other out, but we just tell them to man up and by and large they do get used to it as they are often apart over the summer.

I think I'd be more inclined to have a third if yours is very stressy. Could you keep him on livery and bring him over to yours for longer perods of time for inhand grazing and then a spot of just grazing for a couple of weeks to get him used to your place and the companions (in another field) before you give up your livery, I expect there will be a fair bit of grass and it'd get him used to the idea before just completely moving him.
 
After we bought a place with land we went from one horse to four so no one was left on our own. I would get at least one companion to help settle him in. The problem with just two though is they get very clingy. Main thing is to ensure your fencing is secure - everything else can be done in time. You will soon realise that livery was actually a good deal! It's good to fence off into a few paddocks so that some can be rested. There's nothing like looking out the window and seeing them and just popping out in your pj's to say hello though. Good luck - you will enjoy it but it will be a lot of work.
 
Merlin11 said:
After we bought a place with land we went from one horse to four so no one was left on our own. I would get at least one companion to help settle him in. The problem with just two though is they get very clingy. Main thing is to ensure your fencing is secure - everything else can be done in time. You will soon realise that livery was actually a good deal! It's good to fence off into a few paddocks so that some can be rested. There's nothing like looking out the window and seeing them and just popping out in your pj's to say hello though. Good luck - you will enjoy it but it will be a lot of work.
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I definitely agree that when you move to your own place you quickly realise how good a deal livery is! However, nothing beats having your own place. I think 3 is a good minimum so you have 2 left behind if one goes out. If you have 2 out at a time, you really need 4.
 
Merlin11 said:
After we bought a place with land we went from one horse to four so no one was left on our own. I would get at least one companion to help settle him in. The problem with just two though is they get very clingy. Main thing is to ensure your fencing is secure - everything else can be done in time. You will soon realise that livery was actually a good deal! It's good to fence off into a few paddocks so that some can be rested. There's nothing like looking out the window and seeing them and just popping out in your pj's to say hello though. Good luck - you will enjoy it but it will be a lot of work.
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Would agree with this, I have 2 mares who I can tell would get VERY clingy if kept on their own together - luckily I have a miniature gelding who is very useful for putting with the mare who is being left behind when I do anything. I have to watch his weight but other than that he is no trouble at all and costs peanuts to keep.
Good luck, once you get settled you will love it (although you may find it a bit lonely at first if you have always been on yards).
 
My horse isn't quite at home- he is now on a private yard 2 minutes walk from my house with our childrens pony.

He was always a stress head- couldn't be that last out, or out in fog or rain as he was turn him self inside out! I struggle to keep weight on him he was hard work in every aspect.

After about 3 months at 'our' yard he chilled and is now the easiest horse ever. I have to work him a lot to keep the weight off I not longer needs 2x turnouts as he would soak one with sweat at the livery when he got stressed.

My friends horse is exactly the same he was alway wired even though kept at the same livery from 3 to 13 but now he's home he is as chilled as they come.

I don't know if they prefer being away from the bustle or weather its because we aren't rushing so much and more chilled and they feed from that but we are now looking for a property with land to make the change permanent.

Good luck in you new home I would deal with things as you need too and relax and enjoy!
 
Get a nice little hairy weight carrier so a horsey friend can go hacking with you and the kids can ride it too ;). That's the only thing about being on your own IMO it can be a little lonely.

I would say 2 on 5 acres is plenty as well. They soon get used to being on their own and better that they can cope with it.
 
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We bought our own place 19 years ago, best move ever. I agree with someone who said to get just one more horse. I have two that I keep together and the one left behind is fine whichever one I take out. I don't like to see horses on their own permenantly though. They did fuss a bit the first couple of times but they soon realised that their friend was coming back. I also have two miniatures now as well, not out with the big horses though, so you could think of getting a couple of them. They are real charactors and very easy to keep! Good luck.:)
 
Sounds like my place :) i recently moved to a house with land and 4 stables. Now waiting on a school being put in. Its amazing but so much hard work! I havnt stopped all summer! I have two horses in work, a section A and a livery at the moment. Horses settled right away and had no issues
 
Thanks for all your comments everyone, loads of useful info! I'm lucky in that the land is already very well fenced into 3 smaller paddocks with water troughs and the stables have hard standing and fencing around. I like the idea of taking him down before I give up my livery so he gets used to it, I'm sure I could work something out with that.

Luckily I know the area well as it's only just down the road from us so already know a lot of the horsey people around.

My husband does seem to think my livery costs are high - I have warned him that it won't really be much cheaper at home!!

Can't wait!!
 
The cost at home comes from all the things you need to manage the land and the time it takes. If you do it yourself you end up buying a compact tractor, harrow, roller and an impressive array of power tools. If you go the other way you need very good relations with someone who has this stuff and the time to work on your land and quite a bit of cash to get the work done. Your husband will soon find it costs a lot to have your own land! Just let him find out slowly and he will be happier for it! He will love it though if he likes power tools. My OH helps out so much now I have my own land and to be honest I would struggle if he did not.
 
Having the horses at home is the best thing we ever did, although compromises have had to be made. You will probably find it a big change from full livery though, I'm not sure I'd have chosen to make that change at the beginning of winter! But you have to take the opportunities as they arise.
I agree that 3 is a good number, so long as you can take one out on its own/leave one at home alone. If your land is already divided into 3 I think you could put 3 horses onto your land at the same time, or 2 and then 1. That way, you won't have one at home by itself and you can introduce them over the fences, which IMO is the safest option for all concerned.
I'm sure you will really enjoy having your horse(s) at home - as you say popping out in your dressing-gown is one of the best bits.
 
Cocorules said:
The cost at home comes from all the things you need to manage the land and the time it takes. If you do it yourself you end up buying a compact tractor, harrow, roller and an impressive array of power tools. If you go the other way you need very good relations with someone who has this stuff and the time to work on your land and quite a bit of cash to get the work done. Your husband will soon find it costs a lot to have your own land! Just let him find out slowly and he will be happier for it! He will love it though if he likes power tools. My OH helps out so much now I have my own land and to be honest I would struggle if he did not.
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I agree don't underestimate the time and advance planning to manage the land. Think about winter and frozen water in the fields how will you transport water , can you use a yard for turnout in really frosty or muddy conditions e.g. I section my concrete yard off in deep snow to allow them to go in and out when it's 2ft deep in the paddocks. The more you think about this upfront from my experience the easier it is to make your property flexible and less bad experiences in the wind and snow trying to set up systems. I personally think 5 acres will be alot even for 3 if all are good doers so you might have to plan for smaller paddocks / electric fencing to control weight if you have to or to section off for spraying etc. I have a rescue that gains weight looking at the colour green so I need an almost constant fat paddock!
 
Firstly, many congratulations on getting your new house and land. I think you will love it! I certainly have had 20 very happy years with my similar set up, though a tad less land (about 4.75 acres).

My route has been to have liveries. I've been so lucky in the ones I've had over the years and it works at every level.

My horse has company

We share horses to a degree (allowing for similar riding abilities) so that if for example one of the liveries has an old horsy friend staying they are are welcome to borrow my cob so they can have a hack together

We share the work - poo-picking etc (ours are out 24/7 but with access to stables/barns at all times

There's always a friend in times of crisis

I have a minimum to 2, maximum of 4 horses. I find that 4 actually works the best, as the TB and the pony are extremely stressy and wil jump/attempt to jump out of the field if left alone. As 3 of them are very good doers we just adjust the grazing.

As others have said, the essentials are good fencing, good troughs/water supply, and preferably some natural shelter. You could always consider planting some thicker hedging or windbreak if this isn't already in situ. Electricity supply is very important, and some hard standing, so the horses can stand somewhere dry to eat and rest if your field gets muddy and waterlogged (also useful for when the vet comes).

Our only downside ever was a previous moronic neighbour, who inspite of requests to do otherwise, consistently threw the clipping from his privet hedge (poisonous) over the fence and barrier wire onto our land. In the end I just chucked it all back one day, and he got the message.

Have a wonderful time with your land, and I hope you and all the family will be very happy with your new purchase.
 
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