those of you with fields....

[caroline23]

ive only ever been on livery yards before, some with, some without arenas....im considering moving to my own field so i can go down whenever i want, manage horses my way (particularly weight management) however dont know how much of a "big change" it will be.
i like to hack, school and jump, dont compete. how have you coped without arena e.g in winter/wet weather? is it simply a case of you just dont ride? also if field doesnt have field shelter/stables on where do you tie up/keep stuff etc

 

[Littlelegs]

On basic farm livery with no arena. Tbh, even when I have use of one I only use it if ground/ weather means I have to. I find schooling in the field & on hacks means you end up with a horse that responds to you, not the outside environment, really helps concentration at comps too. Bit of a pain on dark winter nights & in the last few weeks we've been able to jump twice due to the ground. But near me choice seems to be unrestricted turnout or a school, so quite happy where I am.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I've never had an arena, but managed to school whilst out hacking & for final polish before HOYS etc I'd hire local indoor for a couple of sessions.

We'd keep a part of a paddock for jumping schooling for the WHP's, tho didnt use it that often, mainly for combination jumping. Otherwise we'd use logs etc when out hacking. Its pretty thought provoking what you can use to make jumps & you learn to appreciate how ground recovers & when it can/cant be used

With ref to the tying up; I have stables, but the lady 3 fields away with 3 acres & not a lot else, got her husband to put in a hitching rail - 2 good posts sunk in over 1/3rd into the ground, a V shape cut in the top of each and a round rail put into the V on the top & nailed in. All you need to buy is 2 x 12ft round poles & cut one in half for the end supports.
She had a large chest freezer to store stuff in, secured with padlock & chain but has now upgraded to a garden shed

 

[pansy]

we have a paddock that we use for scholing & jumping in etc dont use it loads as can school when out hacking - it is hard in the winterr but you get by - there is a yard nearby where they have an all weather floodlit outdoor we can hire - the pros by far outway the cons - its hard work @ times but its your space with your rules

 

[planete]

In the Summer, I fence a small paddock as a schooling area. When it gets too wet I do not school. If you are lucky somebody might have a school you can hire nearby. Or you can box a few times a month to an arena.
I bought a largeish mobile field shelter and put my redundant rubber matting on the floor and a strip in front (get a shelter with an overhang as well, it will stay much drier). The back of the field shelter is about 4 ft from the fence. If you fence the area behind the field shelter you can use it to put a wheel barrow and other equipment out of reach of the horses. I have also fenced off a corner inside and hung a tarpaulin from the ceiling and I keep up to 10 bales of hay and some grooming stuff behind it. Everything else has to live at home or in my car (and I carry four bales of hay in my car every week-end in winter). If you feed haylage you can store the bales outside of course. The field shelter is a god send for grooming, farrier, tacking up and anything else you need to do in bad weather. If I ever wanted to up sticks it could be dismantled and re-erected somewhere else.
I am lucky my fields drain very well and I am not on clay. A local farmer rolls and harrows for me once a year and the poo picking is done every day.
If you are used to livery, it is going to be a change. The weather very much dictates what I am going to do, down to giving the horse a good groom which is not possible if he is wet. But I am the woman in charge and can regulate my horses' grazing as I like. My only obligation is to pay my field rent on time. I would not go back to a yard now.
If you are likely to have neighbours, try and find out about them beforehand as well. Field neighbours from hell can make your life impossible. Ask local people about crime in the area, replacing stolen equipment can get expensive. You can exchange phone numbers with any neighbours and keep an eye on each other's fields and horses and even step in if somebody is ill or their car won't start as you will not have the built-in safety net of a yard.
Expenses will depend on whether you rent or buy. Think fencing and field maintenance, muck disposal, cost of shelter, hay storage, water supply, lack of electricity.
It can be a good move but keep doing your research before deciding.