Tips needed - Renting paddock for sole use

viceversa

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There is a possibility I may be moving my horse from current livery yard to a paddock which I'll be renting by myself. It's 2.2 acres and I currently only have 1 horse but I'd be able to put another on there if wanted.
I'd like to hear from anyone who has this type of set up, do you have any tips to make it work best, anything I need to buy which I may not have thought of?
I've already got white posts and tape, would need water containers and hose pipes and I plan to get a field shelter or stables.
Any advice appreciated :)
 

Jnhuk

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Make sure you have the rental agreement in writing with a decent notice period in case the landowner suddenly changes their mind otherwise you may get put in the position that you have to find new homes for horses at short notice.

Things to think about are - shelter, water, secure fencing, having a hard standing area for farrier etc, how will you manage poo picking and muck removal etc... what happens to other horse when you take your own out esp if away all day at a show. I have had just two on their own and they became very pair bonded which was a pain.

Other things with limited acreage that you will need to think about hay storage in winter time, how you will manage field maintenance etc...
 

viceversa

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Thanks for the ideas :)
I'll poo pick each day as I do currently and landowner removes muck heap twice a year. Tbh where he is now, there is literally no grazing so I was actually more concerned if I'd have too much grass! However they give you the option to have a cut of hay each year if you wish. I see what you mean regards pair bonding. As I said I've only got one at the min, but there are other horses over the boundary fencing.
 

paddi22

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work out a worse case scenario so you have everything covered. What would happen if one horse needed to be on box rest, where can you bring it, what happens to the other one? or its a heatwave and you've to bring water into it, wheres your nearest water supply or do you have to lug containers?

2.2 isn't much and in winter it can get very churned up. I rent size acres and it got absolutely destroyed during the wet winter. I ended up having to hay till about march till the grass came through.

I wouldn't risk putting stables or a feild shelter into a field i didn't own. what happens if you lose your lease?

a hard standing area is essential for farrier and checking legs if you feed hay during wet weather etc, will your landlord let you put one in?
 

LD&S

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Check who is responsible for the boundary fencing.

I have two field shelters and two field stables on rented land though can understand it wouldn't work for everyone.

We are lucky enough to have an area of hard standing inside the gate which is very useful as we drive in and park there off the road. Though we don't always use it for the farrier and never for the vet as we have a small grass area that the horses aren't allowed to graze in the wetter weather so though it's wet it's not muddy but for the odd vet/farrier visits we tend to pop them in there for a while.
 

viceversa

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There is water to the field with 2 taps, also my house is very close so if the worst happened and both taps broke / froze, I could container water from home.
I did ask about the boundary fencing and that is the land owners responsibility, but we have to electrify our own tape inside that so our horses can't rub on their fence etc.
There is no hard standing but the land is very dry and I wouldn't let the horse near the gateway so I could use that for parking etc. If it did get too wet there is a tarmac pull in off the road where you get to the gate so he could be shod there.
Lots of food for thought so far thanks :)
 

ossy

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Is your intention to have your horse himself to start with it do you have a companion ready, there are issues to be thought about with one companion as said previously but I really wouldn't want my horse on its own all day and night especially if they are used to a livery set up now.
 

LD&S

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There is water to the field with 2 taps, also my house is very close so if the worst happened and both taps broke / froze, I could container water from home.
I did ask about the boundary fencing and that is the land owners responsibility, but we have to electrify our own tape inside that so our horses can't rub on their fence etc.
There is no hard standing but the land is very dry and I wouldn't let the horse near the gateway so I could use that for parking etc. If it did get too wet there is a tarmac pull in off the road where you get to the gate so he could be shod there.
Lots of food for thought so far thanks :)

Though the acreage is small by fencing off a small area during the worst of the winter I think you can make it work. There are some parts of the country you can't put down hard standing without planning permission or use concrete but if you plan to use haynets shortish telegraph poles postcreted into the ground with a ring attached can be really handy if you can. If you get a field shelter rings around the outside help. Feel free to pm if you want, me and a friend kept 6 horses on under 6 acres and both owners and horses survived lol.
 

catroo

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If the land is dry then you will probably be fine with two on two acres, I say two as I wouldn't ever keep a horse alone. They're herd animals and I believe they need to interact with their own kind, it would be quite a boring life meandering around 2 acres with no company.

I'd get grass mats down inside the gateway so you know you can park there all year round, also useful for farrier and or deliveries.
A field shelter would be really handy and I'd go to the expense of that on rented but probably not stables.
You need to think about forage storage (if you're not plannning on getting a bale at a time), I use wrapped hay as have minimal storage space.
Ideally use electric fence to create multiple gates around the paddocks so an area doesn't get too poached. With two acres I'd probably divide into two but maybe open the whole thing up in winter.
 

poiuytrewq

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I rented 3.5 acres. It had nothing except running water.
We fenced it into 3 and fenced off s "yard" where we put stables in skids. Theory being they could be dismantled and taken with us/sold if we left.
We were very lucky to be given 6 months rent free to do it up so fencing etc which worked out well.
I did have to get a pony as two horses didn't work at all.
Yes it got muddy but I used the trash paddock idea and just used the one feeding hay all winter. They came in at night.
It very quickly recovered come spring though and we always had way too much grass in summer.
I was like you in that I went from livery with heavy turn out restrictions so was used to having to keep them cooped up therefore it was like heaven and they pretty much went out every single day we were there.
The main thing I found was I did miss the company of a livery yard, having a coffee after a ride etc.
My horses were way happier though.
 

WelshD

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I have two small ponies on 2.8 acres along with a small flock of sheep and goats, there is a small stable block too

At this point in winter I have hardly any grass on half the land and a really good covering of untouched grass on the other half so we arent doing too badly

To be honest though I couldnt cope without the stables, even just having no shelter for the sheep is stressful enough when the land gets really wet

I have a third pony who is on youngstock livery and with no stable for him I am so glad he isn't home! but come spring the field has sufficient grass for everyone

Rubber mats are good by the f=gateway for the farrier etc but they MUST go down before the ground gets wet in autumn if they are to stay level and safe and the horses must be fenced back off them

I've found the best way to deal with the land is to divide it in to three, so you get two large areas either side of a narrow track up the middle so you can drive to the far end if needs be (have a turning circle at the end!) you can then get to most of the land from this central track. the two large parts either side can then be divided as necessary.

The central track area can be used as emergency grazing if necessary

I have my field set out so the track widens dramatically at the top, this area has a basic lunge ring in (only a grass one but it does the job) and room all the way round so I can drive the car all the way round to get to hedges, repair fences etc

You can see the idea here in the below video, the chicken runs are over in the other large part of the field then there is a permanent fence, the 'track' with the lunge ring and then the other large section (where the ponies are) split in to two for the summer. so all that middle track section is the emergency grass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW2uScl35ZI
 

popsdosh

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For what? And yes I did.

The obvious is change of use to equine! It will be required as obviously it is not just grazing.Stables will need PP you may get away with field shelters but they are getting wise to it and insisting on them being moved regularly .
 

Goldenstar

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Did OP say it was change of use ?
I thought she said the landowner collects the muck which made me think the land is already in equine use .
 

meleeka

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I agree with WelshD, I would find it very hard to manage without stables. A field shelter with gates and on skids works well, but I think you need something for emergencies and when the weather is truly dire. .i have three ponies on 2 acres (one is a mini). I was lucky enough to buy my field but I rented it for many years beforehand and i didn't have water or electric then.

My advice would be to see which part of the field is likely to be driest and use that In the winter whilst saving the rest. You will need somewhere to store hay. That could be. As simple as a garden shed or pallets with tarp over. If you use this method make sure you have plenty of air
flow around to stop it getting damp.
 
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ponypatters

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Oh I am so jealous, I would absolutely love to have my own place with sole use :) would be a dream. Good luck !! Just make sure any one you take in with you is sane, getting someone in can be easy, getting them out can be very hard !!
 

meleeka

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If you have evidence of it being used for so many years I think it's a given. My land wasn't classified as anything. As I could prove I'd kept horses on it for 20+ years there wasn't an issue. (I've no idea if it's been classified now).
 

sunnyone

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Consider who can or will cover for you when you are ill, or need to go away for a night,
Letting a second owner's horse into the field with a different owner around can have many advantages, even if they don't pay you.
 

viceversa

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Though the acreage is small by fencing off a small area during the worst of the winter I think you can make it work. There are some parts of the country you can't put down hard standing without planning permission or use concrete but if you plan to use haynets shortish telegraph poles postcreted into the ground with a ring attached can be really handy if you can. If you get a field shelter rings around the outside help. Feel free to pm if you want, me and a friend kept 6 horses on under 6 acres and both owners and horses survived lol.

Thanks very much, I'll bear this in mind, sure I'll have lots more questions if/when I get there!
 

viceversa

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If the land is dry then you will probably be fine with two on two acres, I say two as I wouldn't ever keep a horse alone. They're herd animals and I believe they need to interact with their own kind, it would be quite a boring life meandering around 2 acres with no company.

I'd get grass mats down inside the gateway so you know you can park there all year round, also useful for farrier and or deliveries.
A field shelter would be really handy and I'd go to the expense of that on rented but probably not stables.
You need to think about forage storage (if you're not plannning on getting a bale at a time), I use wrapped hay as have minimal storage space.
Ideally use electric fence to create multiple gates around the paddocks so an area doesn't get too poached. With two acres I'd probably divide into two but maybe open the whole thing up in winter.

All good points, thank you :)
With regards him being on his own, there are horses in the surrounding paddocks just the other side of a fence so it would be much the same as where he is now in that respect. Even if I was to get another horse I would probably keep them separated anyway as current horse is recovering from an injury and I can't have him being trotted round the field etc. But of course I will keep a close eye on him and if anything changed and I thought he was lonely or stressed, I'd sort it, even if that meant moving him again :)
 

paddi22

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just make sure you get a backup plan if you need stabling. We were building stables at home but didn't have access to one for a few months and we had a run of horrors where i really struggled without having one. For example, went down to do a late check in the rain and one horse looked like it was colicing. Had nowhere to bring it, couldn't see properly as it was getting dar. Just a nightmare. Had to beg a friend for a stable to put her in. Another one kept getting bad absesses and i had to hire a stable to dry his legs and poultice. Another one tore the back of his heel and again i had to scab a stable off a neighbour.

It was sucha relief to finally get the stables up, and i would never ever go again without some, it was so tricky
 

viceversa

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I rented 3.5 acres. It had nothing except running water.
We fenced it into 3 and fenced off s "yard" where we put stables in skids. Theory being they could be dismantled and taken with us/sold if we left.
We were very lucky to be given 6 months rent free to do it up so fencing etc which worked out well.
I did have to get a pony as two horses didn't work at all.
Yes it got muddy but I used the trash paddock idea and just used the one feeding hay all winter. They came in at night.
It very quickly recovered come spring though and we always had way too much grass in summer.
I was like you in that I went from livery with heavy turn out restrictions so was used to having to keep them cooped up therefore it was like heaven and they pretty much went out every single day we were there.
The main thing I found was I did miss the company of a livery yard, having a coffee after a ride etc.
My horses were way happier though.

This is all good to know thanks! Tbh the other few liveries tend to go up at different times of day to me, so I don't see much of them anyway. And we don't really have much in common so I normally just ride, do chores and leave. I think I will probably spent a lot more time faffing and just enjoying being there if I do rent this paddock, so I'm actually looking forward to that part of it :)
 

viceversa

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Oh I am so jealous, I would absolutely love to have my own place with sole use :) would be a dream. Good luck !! Just make sure any one you take in with you is sane, getting someone in can be easy, getting them out can be very hard !!

Yes, I'm hoping it will definitely make my life more enjoyable! Livery yards can be a real pain at times. Totally see what you're saying re. someone sharing the field. We are permitted to have one other person come on with their own horse to share, however I think it would be a last resort for me as I know from past experience on livery yards, what people can be like!!
 

viceversa

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just make sure you get a backup plan if you need stabling. We were building stables at home but didn't have access to one for a few months and we had a run of horrors where i really struggled without having one. For example, went down to do a late check in the rain and one horse looked like it was colicing. Had nowhere to bring it, couldn't see properly as it was getting dar. Just a nightmare. Had to beg a friend for a stable to put her in. Another one kept getting bad absesses and i had to hire a stable to dry his legs and poultice. Another one tore the back of his heel and again i had to scab a stable off a neighbour.

It was sucha relief to finally get the stables up, and i would never ever go again without some, it was so tricky

Will definitely bear this in mind. Potentially wouldn't be moving on to the paddock for a couple of months so in the meantime I'm trying to source a shelter / stable so it's ready for when I put the horse on, or at least soon after!
 

LD&S

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This is all good to know thanks! Tbh the other few liveries tend to go up at different times of day to me, so I don't see much of them anyway. And we don't really have much in common so I normally just ride, do chores and leave. I think I will probably spent a lot more time faffing and just enjoying being there if I do rent this paddock, so I'm actually looking forward to that part of it :)

Faffing is brilliant and summer faffing is even better, I really enjoy it, 2-3hrs goes really quickly but I always leave everything ready for the next day just in case I have to rush.
 
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