What is most important in a yard?

Magicmillbrook

Magicmillbrook

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We have finaly sold our house (after 2 years) woohoo. Originaly we had organised our finaces to give us about 35k to sort out new horse facilities. All we have at the new place is about 3 acres and a dilapidated pole barn. We accepted a very low offer and now have only 5-10k to play with.

So what what would you rate as most important and what would you make do without or leave to save up for. We can do lots of stuff ourselves (have very very handy OH).

I had intended

-an arena
-Fencing - mix of P&R for front fences, post and rope at the back.
-Hardcore or holey matting in the gateways
-Piped water to all fields
-4 stables, or 2 stables and 2 internal stables in the pole barn
-secure tack/feed storage (could use the garge or the utility room in the house.

Is there anything else that you would think important/useful
 
We accepted a very low offer and now have only 5-10k to play with.
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Sorry I'm confused did you buy or sell
 
Stables, fencing and water would be most important to me. The arena is very much a luxury as is a tack room if you can use the house. Start with the essentials and do the reat as you can.
 
Depending on how much riding you do, an arena would be high up on my list. That said if you have enough grazing to be able to school in the paddocks or can hire a nearby school and hacking is good, it could easily wait.
Most horses could cope with a temporary field shelter & being rugged up until you can afford proper stables.
If they do go out alot hardcore for the gate etc would be my next big thing, especially if you move over winter.
Fencing probably runs alongside this- the more time they're out, the better I like my fencing to be. But that said, a good set of posts, electric tape & a good battery would do just fine in the meantime.
Followed by water (carrying it is a pain but if it's not far and you can get a water carrier then it's not essential imho).
Storage can easily be given in the house for valuable items, and in the current barn for feed/hay etc for now. Tarpaulin over the roof if it needs it doesn't have to be expensive and would patch up any holes.
Only other thing I'd add would be electric?
 
I agree re the arena being top of the list - other things you can work around but having been at a yard with nowhere non-muddy to school (and no electric/water/stables for that matter!), I would say the lack of school bothered me the most.
 
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We accepted a very low offer and now have only 5-10k to play with.
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[/ QUOTE ]


Sorry I'm confused did you buy or sell

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Both - we have sold our current house, small, not much land but nice facilites and are buying a new house bigger, more land but no facilities (everything crossed - dont want to jinx it now!)
 
Electric and water supply first, then somewhere to put the horses in under cover (barn, pen or stables). After that I would make sure fencing and gateways is secure, hardcore gateways).
The arena would be next, but that is a very expensive luxury!!

Hope all goes well.
 
Well water and electricity will be fairly easy as the bore hole is on the edge of the field and the barn has a supply of electricity running up to it, OH is in the water business so gets pipe and can get wiring stuff and an outside consumer unit/rcd's etc at cost.

I think hardcore will rate highly as I am fed up with paddling through the mud here already. Its been so wet.

Another plus is that the people who are buying our house are not horsey, they are going to turn it into a plant nursery so we are taking the rubber matting, field drinkers and two sectional, sliding loddon style stable fronts which will come in useful.
 
I'd definately want an Arena, decent stables and secure safe fencing. If you can keep your tack indoors it's probably safer anyway, and as someone else said a water carrier would be ok in the short term, although we had no water for a while at our yard and after a while it became a pain not being able to wash the horses down etc so in the end YO had it installed. Good luck, how excting!
 
Good fencing and water supplies would be top on my list to start with. Then power and lights. An undercover area either penned or stabled would follow and then luxuries like an arena.
 
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