Yard dilemma- help please??

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reindeerlover

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I have been to see a yard today, it's not far from my current field and it is lovely. There are 3 brand new stables,hard standing, parking, 5 acres of lovely fenced paddocks and storage for feed/hay etc. There is a generator but no mains electric.

It is significantly more than I am paying for my 7 1/2 acre field with no facilities (not even hard standing), obviously. However, I would quite like to keep that field too just in case. Now I am looking at paying £450 per month for both and that obviously will not include hay/straw/feed. Am I mad?

I currently have 6 horses (one going on trail next Sunday so fingers crossed maybe only 5) and two of the remaining ones are for sale. I hated winter last year, it was mud mud mud and I had to feed tons of haylage to prevent weightloss, frozen hands and feet and fallign in the mud repeatedly. I WANT warmth and less mud this year.

I don't know what to do, it's not expensive for what it is but obviously more than I'm paying now. The other thing I'm wondering is if I could keep my field and offer full grass livery (all hay included, rug checking and feeding daily, weekly groom and 6 weekly feet trims) and make a little bit of money so that I could afford the yard easier?

What do you gurus think? How much could I charge for this service? Should I get the lovely yard and think about it laters? :o
 
Sounds like a plan! Rent the field to cover its cost plus some extra :) And you get to enjoy less mud and some better facilities :) Perfect x
 
I am possibly being thick here, BUT if you offer grass livery on the current field, aren't you still going to be in the cold and the mud. I may have misunderstood ( I often do!)
 
£450 sounds such a lot since I pay £100 for an internal stable at a yard with 2 schools, jumps, lorry park, a walker, 2 individual paddocks per horse per year (summer/winter), off road hacking etc and all hay/straw on site.

However renting the field does sound like a plan to make up for it. Hope all goes well xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Very good points all around! The field livery would involve haying and feeding so yes I suppose I would be in the horrid mud too (hadn't though about THAT angle too well- duh) but would not be riding from there so not as bad.

I want to keep the field as it is very handy in summer as close to my practice ground and I sometimes have random horses in to sell so would love as much grazing as poss.

Can't get field shelters in field, not allowed a permanent structure and would like hard standing over shelter any day. Nice idea though (Farrier is crap at DIY!).

£450 would include big field too (£100 pm) and isn't much for my own yard. I can afford it but would need to budget and I hate budgetting :(
 
Oooh defo go for new field - having stables and hard standing and proper parking etc in the winter will just be a god send.

What's the hacking like from the new place?

Either way it sounds like a very very good idea!
 
What about putting up a mobile shelter at the old place?

That way you could charge a wee bit more and it would be more appealing to people. They dont need planning and you could even get a joiner to make one!
 
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