The best area to own a horse?

M

mhorses

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 December 2010
Messages
508
Location
UK
Visit site
Where in your opinion would be the best place to keep/own a horse. Things such as transport links, beautiful countryside/views, access to bridleways etc all should be considered!
 
We're in Glos and it's pretty perfect. Except that we have nowhere to gallop locally. But that's just cos we didn't think we'd need to when we moved!
 
Shropshire/welsh borders

- Fab hacking in stunning countryside
- Several good hunts
- Fun rides every weekend over the summer
- Good comp venues
- Several RC's and PC's
- Real rural feel and very friendly

Very different to where we lived in Surrey....!
 
Buckinghamshire. It's very close to major show centres MKEC, Addington, Bury Farm, Aston Le Walls, Moreton Morell, Keysoe etc. Good hacking, but could do with some more hills :) we do have woodland which is on sand... always handy in the winter :)
 
Aberdeenshire is good for most things, it's easy to get to different places and there's a lot of EC's in the area that hold events regularly.
But in saying that, I worked in the Highlands a couple of years ago and the hacking up there is phenomenal!
 
The New Forest. There's 219 square miles of stunning hacking, where you aren't restricted to bridleways or certain places, lot of places to keep horses with no or very little road work and ponies are part of the culture and history so there are loads of horsey activities to get involved in. It also has the bonus of being warmer and drier than higher or more northerly places.
 
Sidney - are there many wind turbines springing up in Shropshire? Devon has over 80 scheduled for North Devon alone, not to mention lots of solar panel farms. We are considering Shropshire but again we are wary of wind farms.
 
Hi Patchworkpony - there are no wind farms in my area atm, as we are near several sites of ANOB, but sadly there are plans for one on the welsh borders.

Let me know if you need anymore info on Shropshire as it is a really lovely place to live.
 
I'm originally from North Yorkshire but reside in Glos during term time with my boy... Hacking wise North Yorkshire has our bit of Glos beaten hands down with bridleways, price of livery North Yorkshire also wins... Glos wins on how close a lot of stuff is, but then considering we live in the Northern most bit of the biggest county in the UK up at home I think we do pretty well for travelling to events. Beaches!! Glos is bloody miles from the beach- we are 20 mins hack away at home! I WISH our bit of Glos had more hills than it does- can get a far better arse in North Yorks than I can down here!! (On the horse by the way!!). Facilities are way more available down here, but then up at home we probably have fewer livery yards per square- whatever because we aren't close to a huge equine/ agri college/ Uni. I'm a showing person so North Yorkshire has its good points for that... Producers tend to be down south (although still have walkers, Danielle Heath, Reynolds, McTiffs etc.) but miles off what they have down here where there is a big yard every junction of the M4!! Much better views and my type of hunting at home than down here- its good, but its not home! :D
 
Ideally for hacking and beautiful beaches and countryside North east Scotland Moray firth area
But for a bit of everything the Lincolnshire wolds takes a lot of beating and it is cheap to live here too
 
Don't seem able to quote on my phone but someone said Cotswolds??? I'm apparently "the heart of the Cotswolds" and hate it! Where about a are you if you don't mind me asking? ( where are the rides I'm missing?)
 
poiuytrewq said:
Don't seem able to quote on my phone but someone said Cotswolds??? I'm apparently "the heart of the Cotswolds" and hate it! Where about a are you if you don't mind me asking? ( where are the rides I'm missing?)
Click to expand...

I think your opinion of anywhere could be changed in direct proportion to how much land you own or have some sort of rights to - I used to drive for two hours from Rickmansworth, to Broadway and all the little chocy box villages around there - hire a fantastic, fully fit North Cotswold horse and have the run of 2,000 acres ( within reason) which included a point of about four miles if you wanted to let fly - all grass lanes and once the crops were out and if you aren't phazed by stone walls - half way to Cheltenham!

Some lovely country in Staffordshire too and then there's Exmoor, Dartmoor and must be some more bleak stuff further north. Scotland must be great but there again - being one of The Clan would help on access.
 
You need to hunt anout in the cotswolds, i recently discovered an overgrown 4 mile green lane path at the end of my road which is listed as a bridlepath!! I live next to an estate near lower slaughter and have miles of green lanes to ride on! With owners permission of course!!
 
My OH is itching to move Torquay. Looking at the maps there seem to be a few livery yards on the edge of Exmoor national park but how is the hacking in general?
 
Honey08 the Lincolnshire wolds are the gently hilly part of the county- most peeps think its all flat but it isn't. Kind of the eastern section- on a map it's the part without the straight blue lines of the mega drainage schemes of the man made drained fenland parts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top