To all who rent their own field

[Clipperdown]

I have been offered a field to rent with my friend, the only problem is nobody lives on site, the owner of the field lives about 2 mins away up the lane. Their are a lot of dog walkes as it is near a river that people use to walk their dogs.

The horses would be checked on twice a day!

I was wondering what you all do to make your fields more secure?

Just wanting to know the pros and cons really?

 

[JadeyyAndLadyy]

I rent my field with some friends, horses are checked multiple times a day, The farmer lives on the field in a cottage and the field is opposite houses so the horses always have people keeping an eye on them. We have just got a new gate and will paddlock it as soon as a new style/kissing gate is fitted for the public as there are footpaths running through the field.
What kind of gate do you have in this field? If it has footpaths running through, you could fit a style or kissing gate for the public but have another gate padlocked so only key holders can use that gate.

 

[Paddy Irish]

Just a couple of useful tips

Chain and padlock the gate both ends - not just the hinge end which a determined thief could just lift off the hinges and also if your horses have access right up to the gate and are in danger of being fed , touched by passers-by , then i would put a piece of electric tape a couple of metres off the gate so that the horses can't get right up to it and also hang an electric tape warning sign off it , that would put most people off venturing into the field.

 

[mollichop]

Def lock both ends of the gate. Put security signs on the gate and or warnings that the horses bite and kick.

Vary the times you go there if poss, so not always 7am and 6pm.

Make friends with any locals as they will be your eyes and ears whilst you're away and can report any unrecognised vehicles.

I love having my own fields in the middle of nowhere

 

[touchstone]

That sounds almost identical to a field that I rent, just at the end of the village, beside a riverside walk and two minutes from my house!

I find that the majority of dog walkers are a blessing in that they can alert you if they find something amiss if you have a notice with contact number displayed - although be prepared for calls saying your horse is dead in the field when it is having a nap! The cons are people feeding when going past and for this reason I fence my horse away from the boundary fence with electric fencing and also put notices up asking people not to feed for health reasons.

Security wise I think the most you can do is ensure that gates are well padlocked and hinges turned upside down so the gate can't be lifted off its hinges and check the fencing is sound. Horses are freezemarked and rugs/buckets/anything worht taking are postcoded. My field can be seen from neighbours houses and they tend to keep an eye out for me too.