Those of you who own/rent your own yards

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spotty_pony

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I have some questions for you! (particularly aimed at those who run livery yards but would be grateful to hear from anybody who rents/owns their own private yard.

What facilities do you have?
Is it a yard just for you/livery yard?
If you rent how much do you pay per month? (approx)
What does this include?
How did you find out about the yard?
Pros and Cons of having your own yard?

Thanks :)
 
Mine is a house and yard.
For just me.
Pay £1600 a month.
I do all maintenance, although big jobs landlord does (eg fencing, stable roofs, elec etc).
We've got 3 bed large house, garden, 6 acres paddocks, floodlit ménage, 7 stables, open fronted hay barn, tack room, 2 double garages and an annexe.
Found it on rightmove and hho.
I love to be able to do what I want when I want. We're on the lookout to buy a place with land and renting has certainly made me realise what is important for when we do buy! Ie, good draining paddocks, good drainage in ménage and I would want more land in general! It's nice though if big jobs need doing, we don't pay!
 
:)
Will think of everything I possibly can as sometimes its the smallest things which cause the most problems!

Just for me and the horses. Although will be taking on holiday liveries from the new year.
Facilities - erm...
a bloody big tack room to accommodate my rug organising OCD :p.
a feed room
a 50 x 25 all-weather outdoor manege with sand, fibre and rubber surface. Contemplating whether to get it floodlit or not.
Full jump course of jump for joy jumps put out in the field in good weather or sometimes in the manege in winter.
plenty of acreage with good fencing/hedging for grazing and haylage making - saves loads of money!
getting solarium lighting put in when dad finally installs it!
a good water supply and hot water wash (aka kettle and a mobile washer so dual purpose for out hunting :) )
Electricity supply
Self filling water trough in one field - would ideally be in all.
large airy stables - 2 rubber matted with complete bedding systems meaning no requirement to put down a bed and very very comfy :) - would definitely do this in all if building from scratch as stables must have good drainage to use these.
I would like a walker but can't justify one here as wouldn't be worth putting in a small one and the bigger they are (preferably oval) the better they are for the horses.
A stable complete with sand play pen at the back for quarantined/ box rest/laminitic horses etc.
A weatherproof store for hay and straw.
A concrete based muck heap within easy reach of stables.
Very good hacking

How did you find out about the yard - Yard came with house :p

Pros - being able to look out the windows and see the horses in their fields/stables :)
no travelling to yard and don't have to worry about forgetting anything!
having complete control over how things are done - e.g. how fields are grazed etc.
not having to organise to share facilities such as schools etc
no issues with other liveries not cleaning up outside your stable/ things going missing etc
can do night checks/ go down at any hour.
Not having to worry about leaving everything clean and tidy if in a rush.
No busybodies!
Space for parking horsebox - hidden from view in particular is an added bonus :)
Can go down in pjs looking horrific to give brekkies :p noone to see you :)

Cons-
being responsible for everything - fence mending, pipes freezing/ bursting in winter, drains blocking etc. There is always a surprising amount of things needing installing/fixing.
No advice/ support if you like having it.
No cover for your horse if you are suddenly ill etc - hopefully solved by finding a good freelance groom who if you gave regular work to would be happy to cover in the case of any unavoidable problems/ family member.
Solitary hacking unless nearby livery yard/friends.
Am starting holiday liveries in new year, have looked into full time liveries before and would say one VERY big con is the cost of insurance which for me made a small livery yard all but unprofitable and I don't pay rent!


Its a lot of work but totally worth it (for private use anyway :p) IMO :D. In some ways whilst I love my old red brick stabling I think it would be easier to start entirely from scratch building everything and planning it all out rather than converting. Theres always seems to be something else you need to buy as well from necessities like tie rings, to things which make your life easier like a mounting block (3 years later and Im still using a wooden garden chair/steps!), pole tidy for show jumping poles etc.

ETA I agree with above poster if I had rented first whilst every yard is not the same and doubtless I would still make a few mistakes, there would definitely be some things I would have done differently and problems I could have avoided :) so would be a valuable experience.
 
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Snow Jumping Superstars said:
I have some questions for you! (particularly aimed at those who run livery yards but would be grateful to hear from anybody who rents/owns their own private yard.

What facilities do you have?
Is it a yard just for you/livery yard?
If you rent how much do you pay per month? (approx)
What does this include?
How did you find out about the yard?
Pros and Cons of having your own yard?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Five stables storage carriage house , 40 by 30 sand /rubber / fibre out door a grass working area 200 metres by 80 metres i3 acres grass 8 acres woodland and house
It's owned not rented
Bought land and buildings and made house in buildings built yard
I love not having to share grazing etc but it costs much more to run a yard than I had thought the cost of upkeep and the work are all things we underestimated its a never ending job keeping on top of it all. But I would not change it it's the best thing We ever did.
We did have more stables but now we just have five it keeps me under control !
 
I co rent a small yard with a friend ..... just under five acres

Includes
*electric and running water facilities ( we pay the running costs)
*6 stables ( although I dont think the land would support 6 horses ... landlord origionally wanted buy a further 2 acres but lost the bid)
within the barn is a feedroom / kitchen ( we added the kettle and microwave) and a tackroom.

£300 per month, we do day to day maintance like mending broken fences etc but landlord does bigger jobs / structural repairs or anything we cant manage.

My friend found out by word of mouth as she knew landlord.


Pros ........like minded horse owners choosing to livery together, we both left previous livery as we had been promised 24 /7/365 turnout and this agreement was renaged on. We both have a horse each that dislkes stabling and we both wanted to give them the facility to choose. We leave the stables open and there is hard standing between the two stable blocks so we could creat a yarded area for the winter if the field gets too waterlogged. We were able to create a paddock paradise type set up ( although not the stoned surfaces) which most livery yards unlikely to allow.

There is no "competition"/ bitchiness / one-up-manship that can exist on some yards

we both want the same things / have similar objectives with regard to how our neds behave / react.

I can do everything with the herd without having to put a halter on ( well only one sometimes when he is having his feet rasped) ....even feed them all in the open together.

Space to "be alone" with the horses :D :D :D as we are rarely up the yard together... and we can arrange that if we want.




Cons ...... well cant think of much and its not really a lot of a con. No YO on site to check at random intervals just cos (s)he is out and about. Our neighbour who has horses in a neighbouring field does keep an eye though ;)
Some people might consider it a con that there is no YO/M to organise hay buying etc as some do in bulk as well as the ground maintainance.

Con could be if you fell out with a co renter.... or if you do it alone you might not have a buddy already in the system to cover for illness/ holiday / work.

hmm think thats it ;)
 
I 'rent' my yard for free! It's approx 10 acres of post and rail paddocks, with 4 stables, and 2 more and a field shelter are currently being built. I don't have an arena, but I should have one at some point next year. It's basically a work in progress!

I found the place by replying to a 'rider wanted' ad some years back, for a horse I have on long term loan now :) The agreement is, as long as I look after the landowners horse and pony, then I can keep my horses there for free, so in total I have 5 of 'my own' there. I will be managing a few liveries next year hopefully. (do I get points for most creative way of finding a yard?) The land owner lives on site too, which is a great security thing. Ooh, I also get hay off one of our fields, for free :)

I do everything I can, all yard work, keeping it tidy, maintenance etc. The big jobs like new fencing, stables, & eventually the arena will be done by them :)

I like it because I really could not abide being on a livery yard, I like things done my way and enjoy my own company. My horses are allowed to be in a 'herd-environment' and can come in and out as they/I please. I am terrible with time keeping, so it helps when I can come and go as I please :D

Cons are, I have to do ALLLLL the work, which can be a pain in the ass if I have work all day, but I don't think I'd know what to do with myself If I didn't have it to do. Sometimes it can be a bit un-motivational being aloooonneeee, especially if the weather is bad, but I have a sharer for my one beastie, and my mother comes up a lot.
 
Mine seems very small scale compared to some.

Saw an advert in the vets for 3 acre field and 2 stables (including water) for £183.33 a month.

It's the best thing I've done. Landlord is fab and great company, horses are happy and get to do what I want, when I want.

No real cons - just the usual ones of not wanting to get out of bed on a cold, wet and dark winters morning, no holiday cover etc etc. but generally I love :)

I get to keep 3 horses on lots less than it was costing me to keep one :) :D
 
Snow Jumping Superstars said:
I have some questions for you! (particularly aimed at those who run livery yards but would be grateful to hear from anybody who rents/owns their own private yard.

What facilities do you have?
Is it a yard just for you/livery yard?
If you rent how much do you pay per month? (approx)
What does this include?
How did you find out about the yard?
Pros and Cons of having your own yard?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...
I own 3 1/2 acres.Purchased as just the land plus a water trough. Had to obtain planning permission for 4 stables,store,barn,2 shelters. Over the yrs have replaced all fence with horse netting,and hedges(the latter is still ongoing).
Just me and daughter here though have someone who shares one free in return for some help such as doing muck or checking horses when we can't.
Own it outright,but it is 3 miles from home. The riding isnt good,main road to just one bridleway but trade off is that it is always accesible in adverse weather.
We looked to purchase via land agents( this was in days before internet was around) for several yrs before this piece became available.
Biggest con is expense and time of maintaining it.A padlock broke this wk,for instance, and as I need ones that are almost impossible to bolt crop, it cost £65 for a replacement. I seem to spend a large portion of my time maintaining the place and not riding. I can't afford to pay someone to do much of it. Can also be a problem if the sharer isn't about,and we need help. There is always somethibg else you want,like a manage.
Pros are fact it is mine! Within reason,I can do what I want. Not too much bitching,but as there are other yards nearby,sometimes l their liveries stick their oar in when its not wanted. Most are fine,but the odd one or two are not! I can choose if to speak/ ignore or tell to clear off,as I don't have to share facilities with them! Can be lovely with no other people.
Would not want to be on a yard so all the hard work and expenses are well worth it.:D
 
We pay £15 a week for sole use of a private yard.There are 3 stables in the yard [which we don't actually use as knobberpony hates being in] a huge floodlit bark menage,starvation paddock,about 7 acres of other paddocks,hay store and shed.We don't do any maintenance and if I don't get there early enough,my lovely landlord will have done the poo picking as well as he says he knows how busy I am.Hay is £2.40 a bale and we don't need straw.

The only con is that it would be nice to have someone else to hack out with sometimes.

The pluses are the above and that it is a two minute walk from the house,landlord and his wife have over 100 years experience with horses between them and are always happy to advise-they've even taken us to pony club before now.

I found it because my next door neighbour owns it and I asked him if he'd rent it to us - he was keen for my girls to have a pony so was happy to oblige.
 
I rent a small yard,3 stables in an indoor barn, large floodlit sand and rubber arena, 5 acres grazing. Electicity, hot and cold water, hot water horse shower and solarium. Heated tack room, rug racks. Sole let and its 3 minutes drive from the house .:D
 
A friend and I rented six and a half acres. It had a small barn with six stables in it. There was also a container where we kept our tack. Water was stored from run-off from the roof of the barn - it didn't always last and we were sometimes begging and borrowing containers to take water up there twice a day (we bought two more of the big water containers that held water off the roof to add to the two that were there already). There wasn't enough grass so we had to move as the mares especially were dropping condition no matter what other feeds and forage they were getting. The land was, in places, under the water table, so when it rained hard we lost half of one field and part of the other. The hacking was good. We had a small paddock as a riding paddock, but needed it for the grass.
 
I visited someone a couple of weeks ago and they had paid £20,000 for an acre no stables, no electricity. There was a plot next door of less than an acre with some run down stables she said that had sold for £35,000.
 
Can I do my old yard I used to rent? The land owner went completely crazy and kicked us off :p

We paid £20 a week for around 2 acres, a barn, tackroom and 7 stables (although some had been section into two as we had a lot of shetlands).

I rented it with my mum's two friends. However, as there wasn't much land we had to rent a couple of other fields too.

It was lovely as we could do whatever we liked with the place, without any interference.

However, we had no toilet or electricity, and the stables were in a terrible state. Also, the land owner was completely unhorsey and insane!
 
honetpot said:
I visited someone a couple of weeks ago and they had paid £20,000 for an acre no stables, no electricity. There was a plot next door of less than an acre with some run down stables she said that had sold for £35,000.
Click to expand...

If there is any chance of building on the plot it ups the value by loads..

We probably spent over £15k building our stables - once you include hardcore for the foundations (lots as our land is wet), concrete for the yard and stables, the brickwork, the wooden stables, the matting, the fittings, the fence round it, the double gates, the water supply, the electric supply etc, so I can see why the plot with the buildings on is more. It also means its easier to get plannning on that plot.

I'm lucky to have my own yard. As mentioned above, it cost a lot to establish tht yard, even with us doing a lot ourselves. But I love having my own space and yard. We had two liveries at first, but it wasn't good at all, and if I ever mention doing it again, my husband says "please don't put me through that again!" I love that everything is done as I want it, when (within yard routine) I want it. Everything works around my horses and their needs. The downside is there is always always something that needs repairing/fencing/reproofing and its always down to you!

Festive Pie that was a really cheap deal! No wonder the owner went mad and threw you off - probably heard what the going rate was!! Lol!
 
God I envy you with your own places. I have been looking for a place to rent for ages but nothing available, except a whole yard of about 10 stables which I dont want, only 2 or 3.
I would dearly love to have somewhere of my own although with personal circs at the moment it would now mean I would have no back up or maintenance help.
 
What facilities do you have?
3 stables, tack room, hay barn, water and electricity included, 3 turnout paddocks- one split in half for a schooling area.
Is it a yard just for you/livery yard?
I share with my friend
If you rent how much do you pay per month? (approx)
225
What does this include?
The buildings, fields, electricity and water.
How did you find out about the yard? It was advertised
Pros and Cons of having your own yard?
Pros are that it's very quiet no bitching or "my horse is better than your horse" like at my previous livery yard. Horses get turned out when I want them to.
Cons no school.
 
We rent 8 acres, 2 stables and a hay shed for £200 a month. Also have a starvation paddock and excellent grazing (24 hour turnout!). At mo we have our two boys plus 3 ponies on there tho the ponies are going soon so Can rotate grazing. Yard owner lives in England and never see/hear from them! Pros - I LOVe having my own yard, everything about it from the DIY joys (this year I have built a hay shed and partially rebuilt the stables - all via free stuff on gumtree!) riding is amazing, boys very settled and happy, lots of friends around to ride with tho do like riding by myself, can do what I want when I want without the fear of other liveries bitching about how I look after my horses, the list goes on! Cons - I don't think there is any however the lack of security on site is prob the only thing.
Having gone from own yard to livery and back to own yard, there's nothing like it. Hoping to buy the yard in next few years also which would be the dream!
 
i've got 15 acres, a very elderly school, and 9 stables (only use 2). Water off meter, and electricity via a coin meter. £200 cpm
Just me - my own two horses and two retirement liveries.
Pro's - I make all the decisions about when and where I turn out. Horses are managed according to my wishes. They are a contented, established small herd.
Cons. No real backup, although one of my owners helps a lot. i have to do a lot of hanging around waiting for deliveries. No second pair of eyes on the ground. Can be a nightmare if they are all in senile delinquent mode and I want to get some in/out - luckily the two that come in are used to having their ropes dropped, and grazing while I fend off the other two (who live out by choice, but regularly try to sneak through the gate just out of bloody mindedness!)
 
Own

We have 7 acres on flood plain.... Use this summer only has a massive hill so we can shut them off water! 2 stables, 3 sheltes and water plus hay barn.

8 acre field near home, 6 stables ( mobile) plus fencing and 3 gates.... Water will be put on....

10 acres with my new house, fallen down shelter, no grass ( ploughed) no fences..
 
Not quite the same but about 4 years ago I answered an advert for DIY livery. The YO (who is now a very good friend) and I had the yard between us as we had 4 stables and 3 acres, she had one horse and I had two so we left the extra stable as a feed room. There was a sandschool, a 'trash' paddock and one big field, no electric and whilst there was water we had problems with the yard that supplied it so ended up getting a big container and catching the rainwater from the roof. We then put a generator in and a caravan with gas bottles for tea/coffee, and also hardcored the front of both the trash paddock and the field.
It was great up there, hacking was superb with a XC course less than 5 minutes hack away on a farm that did riding permits for about £60 a year, my friend and I got on really well and ended up sharing chores so each of us only had to go up once a day, ponies also got to live out. It was also lovely to be able to go up there and chill out, read a book, drink tea, play with the dogs. We were also very similar in the ways we kept our horses. We got a round bale of hay between us split 3 ways (I paid two thirds as I had two) and often picked up feed for each other.
We didn't have to do much maintenance, harrow the school and replaced a couple of fencing rails. Sadly I had to leave after a year as there wasn't enough grazing for my TB, shortly after my friend split with her ex and left the yard to him. I miss the place though, it was a very happy year and I've made a very good, long term friend out of it. I'd be very happy to go back to a similar set up and, as a livery, am more than happy to pitch in with maintenance.
 
i own my own having bought jut land some years ago and getting and building stable/field shelter/barn/tack room/feed room etc. no other facilities except of course water. i joined a loan to my mortgage.
i would never go back to a lvery yard if i can avoid it.
 
spotty_pony said:
I have some questions for you! (particularly aimed at those who run livery yards but would be grateful to hear from anybody who rents/owns their own private yard.

What facilities do you have?
Is it a yard just for you/livery yard?
If you rent how much do you pay per month? (approx)
What does this include?
How did you find out about the yard?
Pros and Cons of having your own yard?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...
I own the yard (well, bank does, lol)
we bought the place as an arable farm 5 years ago, converted grain store into American barn with 11 stables, wash bay, solarium and a feed room, we started the second barn now which has 3 foaling boxes and room for another 3, washbay and a feed room
I have 65 x 45 m sand arena with lights, horsewalker and 39 acres of grazing (but not all used for horses), massive tack room and a very basic static caravan for brew room/toilets etc.
I run a small livery yard and have my own horses alongside our sheep, goats and some cattle.
I don't pay rent, but my mortgage is an eye watering figure :o My water is on a meter and my electric bill makes me whimper every month
Pros of having your own are that, well, it is my home, I'm in charge of everything and what I say goes
Cons - there is nobody to moan at when fencing needs repairing, grassland needs maintaining, the school floods or any other general disaster.
 
I used to rent my place alone but maintanece got too much so now co rent which is brill!
I pay 400 a year to a localish farmer, my mum rents one of his houses thats how we got it.


Pros
no bitching
5 acres
2 pony stables
2 horse stables (not finished)
4 tack rooms
rug room
4 spare little out buildings
large solid field shelter

Cons
We have to do ALL maintanence
no lights
no running water
High maintance/expensive repairs
Very limited hacking via main road and grass paddock unusable in winter
farmer trashed fencing and summer field completely (whilst trying to stop rabbits eating his crops apparently!!!) but we cant complain because he owns it!

i wish we had better hacking!
 
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