Those of you who keep your horses at home...

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spotty_pony

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I have a few questions. :) We are looking at buying a house with land and stables and it is beginning to look as if my dream of having the horses at home might be going to come true - but now I am starting to see negatives to keeping them at home. I currently keep my horses on a yard with fab facilities and although I don't school my horses much, I am beginning to wonder whether I will cope and be able to ride them enough in the winter. Also, I have no transport so I won't be able to take them anywhere either without hiring a lorry which is very expensive.

Please tell me I am being silly and that everything will be fine.

So my main question is, how do you cope during the winter with exercising your horses? (Particularly if you have are ambitious and have no school/transport)

Also, can people please list all of the positives to having your horses at home as at the moment I keep thinking of the negatives!

Thanks :)
 
It's hard to keep horses at home and almost impossible, to compete at any level without some form of arena as apart from hacking out - then any form of competition schooling is out. I'm sure there are people who can but I couldn't. We have an arena (sand and rubber) so exercising in winter is OK (and I do hire a local indoor once a week during the winter for a break from the rain etc -(Hacking distance).

The major thing is never having a day off and what do you do with your horses if you want to go on hols. I share our yard with my Mum and a good friend so we sort that between us (one of us feeds in the morning another brings in at night and we cover each other's hols etc) but if you are on your own with no others then this has to be thought about. Also it's not cheap - fences need fixing, council tax is higher than the average, then there's topping fields etc etc It is lovely having them at home tho'... and cuts down ontravelling a lot.

Blitz
 
Positives: horses are kept how I want them and I can decided their turnout
routine and which fields which horse is to go in
able to pop out to feed them in my PJs
10pm check is a doddle
enjoyment of looking out my bedroom window and seeing my
horses in the field

Disadvantages: lack of company
finding cover/help if you are away/ill
field and yard maintenance is more time consuming than I
thought
sourcing hay/feed/bedding etc

I am lucky however in that I have a school and transport. I also have a full time groom and a couple of friends that keep their horese at my yard so I have company and encouragement to get out and compete.

We kept our ponies at home when I was a kid but I definitely prefer the setup I have now as I do not feel so isolated. If possible I would say "go for it" but if possible have a friend keep their horse with you. It is very helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off/help with the yard when you are away etc.
 
we have just moved into a house with land 2 months ago and it is so easy and nice having them just outside. positives as above really and negatives.
This winter we wont have a menage but there are 2 hacking distance - about 15-20mins. We have several fields we can school in that farmers and neighbours allow us to use when livestock are not in them/ aren't ploughed etc.
When the ground is too wet we just hack on the quiet lanes around. It is really annoying not being able to school properly, we are lucky in that we are going to have one built in the spring which means next winter we will be better. This winter we are just going to give our mare time off when weather is too bad.
Another good thing about own land is u can look at the weather and when it stops raining/ before it starts u can pop out tack up and be back and hopefully not get wet :)
LAnd management takes up a lot of time but a lot is saved with travelling and just being able to pop out and back in etc.
Also our horses should actually have grass this winter (compared to none at livery) :D
 
I do have a school, but if you don't then I think the answer is to make friends with other local horse owners!

Before mine retired I used to hack with local friends and bagged a space on their lorry when we went to parties. Yes you are a bit limited to going where they want but you can always hire a box or trailer if you really want to go somewhere. I'd check out local horse riders and see if you can hire their school (a couple of people borrow mine)

I'm lucky in that I have help with mucking out etc and she looks after everything if I'm away.

To me having them at home is pretty much perfect. Don't worry!
 
Positives, going out at 10 or 11pm to skip out hay etc, getting up in PJs to feed hay then go back to bed on a day off, seeing them outside the window. Tack up an go, takes no time, having friends round for supper and horse is turned out beside the house and included in the festivities, no yard bitchyness, do the horse the way you want to do it,. The positives are endless. Downside though, muck heap removal, finding hay, riding on your own most of the time, if things go tits up you are on your own, nobody to hold the twitch when you want to clip ears. The positives out weigh the negatives in my opinion.
 
Our house is on the market, once it sells we'll be buying a house with land (barring floods and disasters lol).

Can't wait to have the neds outside the backdoor :D

Have D1 and D2 to help and ride with, and D will be quite happily pottering about doing the maintenance. Definately need a trailer/lorry though (we have one), so's we can get out to parties :D

Riding is my chill out time, so I'm happy to ride alone :D
 
we bought our own place 3 yrs ago now and yes on occassions its been a bit frustrating. At first i was lonely adjusting to being on my own. We had a small school put in this yr which will help over the winter but i managed without. I schooled in the field had regular lessons (i have transport) and lots of fun hacking. I now would hate the thought of going back to a yard even if the facilities were amazing.
I can get up when i want, the horses have not recieved one kick while being out since we moved. I know my stuff will be where i leave it, I can be as messy as i want. you dont have to keep up with the jones's. i can do what i want when i want and there is no one to have there opinion . No bitchyness and i know my horses are safe at night.
Negatives really are only company but you could always get a livery!!
As for going on holiday i use a friend ..or there are people who offer a mobile holiday service in my area im sure there would be at yours!!
I found a good haylage supplier who also does my muck heap and pulls me out if i get stuck in my field !! lol.
You ll be fine and once you have made the change im sure you ll not look back!!
 
We have kept horses at home for about 16 years, sister and I pooled resources (each sold a house) and agreed to share the house (there were 3 of us moved in but then the ex became the ex!) We have no school and can't build one as there are all sorts of restrictions on the land. We do have access to good hacking, some of it is shortish circular routes which we can ride before work. Sister and I cannot both go away at the same time, but we are there to back each other up, ride out together, give each other lessons etc.
If you have an ill horse you can keep bobbing out to check (all night if necessary) and not disturb your YO.
You need to think about boundary fencing (sisters chap is a dry stone waller, very useful for us :D ) Any electric fencing will need repairing while it is chucking it down and blowing a gale.
You will have to do all the maintenance, and there is always more of it than you expect, again often in bad weather.
But we can check on them whenever we want, except that we both work full time, so rely on neighbours to let us know if there is a problem, we are fortunate that there are four near eighbours who are also horse owners. There is no time off, and illness can be a problem.
We are both active members of our local RC and have made many friends there, so are never short of other people to ride out with, something to consider perhaps.
There are downsides, but the bottom line is would we go back to livery? Never, not if they paid us :D
Good luck
 
I think it is definitely more of a lifestyle choice than money saving if you only have 2 possibly 3 horses as field maintenance, holiday cover, muck removal etc isn't cheap and it's your labour everyday unless you have help!

We've rented a place for a year before we bought to see if I really did want them at home. I actually find it quite lonely and miss having people around. If your other half rides and is horsey that's a plus.

Poo picking is also not a job I enjoy! To be honest I'm not 100% sold on the idea at the moment, but one thing for sure is that I definitely feel more of a bond with my horse now which is nice. The negatives/positives are quite even I think.

If you are on a well run, happy livery yard then there will be moments when you miss it believe me! Works for some, not for others.
 
I have had my horses at home now for 10 yrs, i love having them at home and as bad as it sounds i dont think i could ever go back to livery.
I do my horses how i want, when i want and there is no one bck stabbig me or talking about it etc...... I see posts on here from people, YO has said this, other livery said i have done this wrong etc etc... i dont get any of this.

I have not long since taken a frind on to the yard with her 2 horses and she is fantastic and as good a person as i could ever ask for BUT it is still hard to adjust to having soeone else around, my brushes move, my hosepipe doesnt always get wound up, silly little things that when you have been on your own for so long start to annoy you. As i have said she is great and it is down to me to adjust and i wouldnt change it but i do sometimes enjoy it when she goes away ;)

I event 3 horses and have a few youngsters as well as a full time job and motivation is hard but at the end of the day, if you want to progress...just get on with it.

the best thing and somehing i really dont think i could do without...is when my guys are ill or foaling. i have a stable cam out side so i can still sleep and check them at the same time, vets can come in for a coffee, get clean water or wash themselves, the list goes on. Unfortunatly horses will get ill as we all know and being able to stay with them 24/7 is something i will never give up.

you'll love it, good luck :)
 
I love having mine at home and wouldn't consider keeping them on a yard unless I had to. Yes, you do have to source hay, maintain land and buidlings etc. but that is outweighed by the conveniece of being able to pop out to see them anytime, put a rug on or take it off if the weather changes. If they're lame or ill you can check on them as often as you need to.
Glad to hear it's not just me who nips out in her PJs!
I like going out by myself and my OH often comes with me now too so don't miss company.
The freedom to organise your routine to suit yourself and horses is a big plus as well.
I'm lucky and have a very nice school which is totally wasted on me as I hardly ever use it apart from turning horses out in if the ground is very wet or if they're on restricted grazing.
You do have to find solutions to holidays, weekends away etc. but making friends with other horse owners and helping each other out is one way of doing that. We're lucky and have a super freelance groom who will look after ours at holiday times.
For me, nothing beats standing in the kitchen on a winter morning with a coffee whilst watching my girls tuck into their hay in the field outside.
 
fireflymac said:
I love having mine at home and wouldn't consider keeping them on a yard unless I had to. Yes, you do have to source hay, maintain land and buidlings etc. but that is outweighed by the conveniece of being able to pop out to see them anytime, put a rug on or take it off if the weather changes. If they're lame or ill you can check on them as often as you need to.
Glad to hear it's not just me who nips out in her PJs!
I like going out by myself and my OH often comes with me now too so don't miss company.
The freedom to organise your routine to suit yourself and horses is a big plus as well.
I'm lucky and have a very nice school which is totally wasted on me as I hardly ever use it apart from turning horses out in if the ground is very wet or if they're on restricted grazing.
You do have to find solutions to holidays, weekends away etc. but making friends with other horse owners and helping each other out is one way of doing that. We're lucky and have a super freelance groom who will look after ours at holiday times.
For me, nothing beats standing in the kitchen on a winter morning with a coffee whilst watching my girls tuck into their hay in the field outside.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what its all about!
 
i think it depends on facilitys and the amount of land im a little stuck as ive only got about 2 acres so only just enough for my 2 and no school which is a hassle and means haveing to go out for lessons the other problem is not having much land and no school means it wouldent be practical to have a livery to share work perhaps so im seriouly considdering selling one and having the other on full training livery with my instructor im sure I would do more with them esp ridden work i would say if you can afford a resonable size yard with plenty of land so you can have someone there to help then it would be great , the two acres and a few stable is fine if you want ponys for the kids or keep a older neddie for hacking out but not good for much else IMHO.. however it is nice to have them about at home but very tying for geting away and work in the winter..
 
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I keep my horses at home and I don't have a school. You can do a lot of schooling out hacking really. Also roadwork is great for fittening. I often school in fields so my horse is used to any going. Also I live the near the beach so there is always some perfect sand somewhere (as long as the tide is out) to school on. I hate it when my horse is at livery!
 
SJ_Superstars said:
I have a few questions. :) We are looking at buying a house with land and stables and it is beginning to look as if my dream of having the horses at home might be going to come true - but now I am starting to see negatives to keeping them at home. I currently keep my horses on a yard with fab facilities and although I don't school my horses much, I am beginning to wonder whether I will cope and be able to ride them enough in the winter. Also, I have no transport so I won't be able to take them anywhere either without hiring a lorry which is very expensive.

Please tell me I am being silly and that everything will be fine.

So my main question is, how do you cope during the winter with exercising your horses? (Particularly if you have are ambitious and have no school/transport)

Also, can people please list all of the positives to having your horses at home as at the moment I keep thinking of the negatives!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

You know on those really cold winter mornings, when you have to get dressed and go to the yard, rush round doing everything then get back have brekkie and change for work...well just think. You stay in your pyjamas, chuck trackie bottoms over the top, plus a coat, go out and feed, then back to bed for half an hour! Or have your breakfast while they are eating. :)

Get a bit of decking and assemble it so it overlooks the paddocks. Then in the summer you can sit outside with the pimms and enjoy watching your horses grazing. Very therapeutic!:)
 
Hope I'm not hijacking but how time consuming would you all say the land maintenance is? My OH does the maintenance for our YO, and I have my 'own' fields which we maintain (fencing, poo picking etc), and it doesn't take that much time - prob 10 hrs per month for him, 1/2 hr day for me....?
 
It isn't just land maintenance though, it is buildings and all other stuff, including any machinery you hve for the maintenance. It would also depend on the type of land, amount, number of horses. We have sheep as well to help improve the land, they take time and care as well. We have dry stone walls, if they were to pay for they cost at least £50 per meter (we get ours done for free). It all adds up I'm afraid.
 
I love having my 3 at home. I can do them at any time of day or night, in trackie bottoms & wellies over night shirt, I can get on with stuff while they're eating, be messy, empty the wheelbarrow when I'm good & ready...

Downside is it can be lonely...but I've got everyone on here so it's all good!
 
I've always kept my horse at home, and I think you should go for it. I understand your worries over the school - or lack of - which doesn't affect me as I never school except while hacking. But on the other worries:

Loneliness: Try to have enough land to have a livery or two yourself, even if it is only grass livery. It will halp pay for YOUR riding, be company for your horse, and fallback for illness, holidays etc. If you can't have liveries, try to pal up with other local riders. Personally I love riding alone, just me and the gee and the whole world to look at and neighbours to greet you, but I know that's not to everyone's taste.

Chores: Poo-picking is hell, but I guess that's the same if you're on a yard. Make sure, if you do have liveries, that they do their share

Land maintenance: Unless you can afford expensive machinery, cultivate your neighbouring friendly farmer! Ours is heaven. I pay him a 'mangement fee' of £100 p.a. and then he charges on top for any rolling, spraying, moving of muckheaps, hedge-cutting. He is a very kind friend, and infinitely more knwledgeable about pasture management than I am

Manure: Be diligent about how you keep your manure heaps, and then advertise 'FREE MANURE' in your local parish magazine or whatever. When word gets round that your manure is good (and not just a pile of poo and dormant nettles) you should be able to offload it all. Our 'customers' come from miles around, and OH was very cross last winter as I let it all go and he didn't have enough for our veggies. If you have enough room, have 3 heaps: one ready to go, one maturing, and one in use. I know some people who sell theirs, but they're always getting grumbles about this and that.

Hay and straw: You may have to pay your local supplier to deliver. The main downside is if you have nowhere to store it under cover, which I suspect would not be the case on a yard?

Make your own hay: Ask the friendly farmer again. And he may be happy to put some livestock on your land if there's grazing to spare to get it properly grazed (if he has sheep, you're really lucky).

Sorry for the ramble, but it really is good keeping your horse at home. I've been out to the stables at 2pm in long dress and heels just to check on them. Heaven...
 
We moved to a property with lots of land 2.5 years ago. All mine were on livery at different yards (I breed them:D)

It has been a steep learning curve but I wouldn't change it. I can look out of most of my windows and watch my horses, I can wander out at anytime day or night dressed as I please (my nearest neighbours are also horsey and we regularly chat at the fence dressed in PJ's..:p)

Yes it's hard work especiay in winter (but then I have 9 horses in on a night :D)

We have just about replaced all the fencing with 4 rail and post, built 8 new stables and a barn + field shelter and a beautiful manege.

I too was worried about sourcing hay/feed, finding a farrier/vet etc but local people are only too willing to help.

This year we have bought a tipping trailer to move our muck and a local farmer is happy for me to tip on his land :) One of the local farmers sons comes and poo picks for me which costs me £10 to £15 a week - fantastic value:D

We don't go away as we are both happy just to be at home but if we did want to we are lucky enough to have great neighbours who would look after ours as we would do with theirs if they wanted a break.

All in all I wouldn't change a thing
 
I have always kept mine at home and while I would love facilities like a surfaced arena I would never choose to keep mine in livery as I love everything else about keeping them at home! I only have padddocks to ride in and dont hack so it can be quite difficult to ride over the winter (and in fact all year round as the ground is rarely perfect!). With mine, I compete him BE & BSJA from about February - October, then I give him his holidays where he isn't ridden/worked Nov - Jan. So he gets 3 months off usually, although with the horrendous winter we just had he was off until March!! I have BSJA'd him all winter in the past, but Im lucky that he keeps himself fit and I dont need to ride him every day - I'd try and lunge after work (in the dark but with a floodlight) and ride weekends, he coped fine.

It really depends if you work? If you do then obviously the dark evenings will be a problem unless you can get lights put up. If you don't work and you hack most of the time then there's no real issue! I find keeping my horses out 24/7 works wonders at keeping them ticking over fitness-wise.
 
I bought a horse in March and kept him at the local stables on Livery until July when I brought him home to spend the summer in our field. It is much larger than the fields at the stables and also has lots of shady places. I have found working him in the field has not helped him too much as it appears he suffers from lameness. I started by riding him 4 times a week round the field and hack out once or twice. However this proved too much for his joints and on one hack out just fell to his knees where he was too stiff to lift his legs properly (May sound more dramatic than it was!!!). He will now be having two weeks rest and then just hacked out once a week till he goes back to the stables where I can work him properly again. I have loved having him here for the summer for bonding and its much better hacking here, but will def be taking him back to stables for winter where facilities are better. Half and half is best for me!!
 
We got round the not having an arena problem by taking the pony to a local show centre a couple of miles up the road and entering one jumping class on a Sunday. You then get to "warm up" in their outdoor arena jump a round and go home. Sometimes we even won a rosette.
I agree with the more than one muck heap system. We only stable the horses in winter and have rubber mats so we make do with two heaps. In spring we use the compost on the garden and treat the other heap with an accelerator, (Garrotta) and cover it with black plastic.
Bio security is very important. Make sure your horse can't get into next door's garden!
Bonding with your horse is much easier when you keep them at home. When our youngster was shy, I went out 8 times a day to feed her treats and rub her face with the head collar.
 
I am lucky enough to have my horse at home. However, nothing prepared me for the feeling of complete isolation and panic that kicked in shortly after I had her. If you are at a yard, you have the support of people behind you, and facilities.

Saying that, I have fields to go around, can make myself a grass arena if I want (and the sheep don't kick over the markers), and do have some smashing friends who are at the end of a phone.

But I do wonder what it would be like it I could afford to keep her at the local riding school..

Off to buy a lottery ticket!
 
I moved from a great big livery yard with great facilities but unfortunately closed down and so we managed to find somewhere with land and barns. Luckily OH is a builder so has built some internal stables and has his own horse although a complete novice and actually since we have moved hardly rides much now. He developed other interests like veggie garden - buying a compact trailer (great help for poo picking) and other 'farmer type' interests. I am lucky in that we have about 9 acres for 4 horses so we kept back six for a cut of haylage and then paid a local farmer (and also made a very good contact) to bale and wrap for us so we now have a supply for winter. We were always on DIY so poo picking and seeing to them everyday is still the same but like the others I go out in wellies and PJ and can lie in bed and see them from my window. I dont have an arena, I dont even have decent hacking but we have made jumps and cross jumps and a track around the property and have a play on that. I am lucky enough to have transport and so in winter will probably hire an indoor once a week. I also advertised free poo in preloved and a lot of it was snapped up. We have now made a muck pile and if it gets too out of hand I will pay to have it removed. I do have a sharer who comes twice a week and a grass livery so there is company but to be honest I am quite happy just being out with my dogs and horses. You wont know unless you try and I certainly have no regrets. :)
 
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if I'm honest I don't do much schooling at home - I've never been a big fan of it as I think it's too easy to get stuck in a rut - I'd much rather take my horse somewhere to school, plus then you don't have the costs of maintaining a school surface! also, taking them somewhere helps to get them used to working away from home.
In the winter I hunt twice a week, and then he's hacked out once or twice more and thats it. Sometimes I go and do some unaff SJ to keep him listening, but not that often. That all keeps him plenty fit enough.

I love waking up and he's there, not having to drive up to a yard in the wet/snowy weather. I would hate to think that someone could be interfering when I'm not there. there's loads of positives!
 
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