Anybody on here let land out to horses

[Benn]

we currently let out 30 acres to horses
But charge only £10 a week
And they keep them
Out all winter as no real stables

Thinking of investing in some new stables just wondering what rent could charge?
Dont want to be looking after the horses or supplying any feed etc just letting the land and stables with one clause they have to get off all land in winter except exercises yard.

Any thing else should think about
Some sort of legal agreement ,grazing liencse?so we can kick them off with a month notice?

 

[jemski]

Definitely have a livery agreement! Within that they should have to keep the place tidy and poo pick. And yes, a months notice but both ways.

DIY Livery round here, but with an arena, is about £135-150 a month, but that includes winter turnout. You would need to provide sacrificial turnout paddocks for winter or build turnout pens which are expensive.

 

[jemski]

How many horses on that 30 acres?

 

[Benn]

only got
6 on it at minute.
But looking at just starting putting four stables on 4 seperate 1 acre fields?
Wondering how many acres per horse?
We right next to bridal path.
Hiw big a area for winter turnout pens
?

 

[Chasingmytail]

I wouldnt be renting out any land all year with horses out 24/7 on pasture its a rocky road to ruin. Not only that you attract the wrong types of people who love the £10 and not particularly that knowledgeable. Your land will be poached to hell, youll get weeds and land that will take years to put back. Horses need to be in in the evening and out all day and in winter all most of the day until they are ridden or in an exercise yard. How do you know the weedy hay they are dropping all over your pasture?

Honestly, I wouldnt even bother, the more you do the more it will cost you put up stables then it could take years to recoup the money. You need managed rotation which means investing in electric fencing, water and no barbed wire fence - you get a horse jumping on wire and the owners will be after you for compo. I hope you have informed the insurance of this as thats an extra overhead which for £10 isnt leaving you much profit.

£25 - £35pw is the going rate for DIY livery with rules.

I would sit down with some costs - not forgetting Planning!!!!! your expensive concrete slab, stables, water, electricity, lighting, insurance, rules and regs. Electric fence, re-fencing, black water supply around for each paddock, time for checking references (which is a waste of time), getting DD set up for payments and chasing those who cancel DDs.

At the end of the day this is a side line not diversification and it will take a lot of your time. Plenty of people on here will bang on about how great it is but they have family, have own horses and invested heavily for them its a full diversification and assuming you want to just earn some extra tucker I would avoid this like the plague. Better renting for sheep tack.

Dont forget youll need planning for the stables.

 

[Benn]

We been letting land horses for around 10years so far
We got barb wire fences and they buy are hay from us
But understand what you mean about going to next stage.
We will be only taking on people we know locally and friends and current horses we let out to.
Just wanted grasp how much to charge for fair price.
No one on farm interested in the land we have apart from me and i only keep sheep which aren't working out finacially so just seeing if any other options.
Can understand why dad and uncle got out farming now bloody hard making a profit on small land.

 

[GrannyAching]

There has to be another way - honestly. I'd be with @Chasingmytail and I've had horses all my life and love being around them.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

only got
6 on it at minute.
But looking at just starting putting four stables on 4 seperate 1 acre fields?
Wondering how many acres per horse?
We right next to bridal path.
Hiw big a area for winter turnout pens?

Much cheaper to put the four stables together in a block on a decent concrete pad?

Grazing per horse depends on the quality of the grass, and how much time you want to spend looking after the grass.

More than a sideline would need investment, e.g. an arena with floodlights for Winter exercise

Scale makes it easier, but 20 horses would be a full time job.

 

[Dry Rot]

I gave up letting (don't ask!) but do now breed Highland ponies on a small scale. My interest is in the breaking and training up to ridden away as I'm retired and it is just a hobby. How many on how many acres will depend very much on your drainage and soil type, though nobody thinks to mention that! I am on sand and the drainage is good so I manage 12 Highlands on 25 acres, out 24/7/365, with access to natural shelter and one field shelter. I could probably do more. Of this, I will cut 9 to 12 acres for hay. I should say that my ponies are kept in two groups, one comprised of growing stock and another with the mares and stallion, so the smallest paddock is probably a couple of acres. No poo picking, as I just harrow and rotate.

I have some barbed wire but mostly permanent mains electric with white tape cable tied to the top wire for visibility (that's cheaper than rope). The barbed wire is protected by a single electric wire on offsets each side.

 

[RedMerle]

My parents have one horse and honestly the whole pony paddocks thing looks great in summer but in winter you might as well have a one ton Bull out there for all the damage it does to the ground.

And I think the comments above are right. I have some good friends with horses and like I say I like a wee hack out myself but seriously some (not all) horsey people are skin flint snobs who want the earth but don't want to pay for it.

Plus the planning. Then the public liability insurance etc. Plus the massive piles of crap you've to shift. Which if you're a business probably has to go to a licensed waste service.

If you're ground is not dry all year round you'll not want anything heavier than sheep on over winter

 

[orbost]

Pony's are not agriculture so you might have to pay rates.

 

[spin cycle]

on the other hand 1 horse equals a suckler or 5 ewes....they pay 520/yr and you do very little.....do you get the same margin from that suckler or 5 ewes...i doubt it....plus on small acres you have to do what others don't want to IMO....being reasonably priced you can pick/choose who you have

 

[It was already broken.]

Horses are alright. Its the horse people that will drive you mad.

 

[orbost]

Horses are alright. Its the horse people that will drive you mad.

Have horse's here never been paid any rent and use my hay and keep taking more of my field . I have tried to complain but wife doesn't take any notice of me !!!!!

 

[Dry Rot]

Pony's are not agriculture so you might have to pay rates.

This is an interesting one because it does not always apply. Liveries are not agricultural but keeping your own can be.

Clydesdales, Shetlands, and Highlands have traditionally been considered as agricultural in Scotland because they have always been used as farm work horses. It depends.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Plus the planning. Then the public liability insurance etc. Plus the massive piles of crap you've to shift. Which if you're a business probably has to go to a licensed waste service.

!!!!!!!

 

[Dry Rot]

Pony's are not agriculture so you might have to pay rates.

...and lose agricultural relief on death duties?

 

[Benn]

again we have let to horses for 10 years or so infact longer since 2003
Since then been concetrating on making the buildings on farm to pay
Wasnt until 4 years ago i started try to make land pay along with horses we currently have we started making hay and start keeping sheep
But it isnt making a big enough profit
And at minute thats all were trying to do on farm make money to re invest.
So not worries about dealing with horse folk or the buggering the land as land already had horses on it for well over ten years and surprising how well land still grows clover and grass just need keep on top of weed control.
Just asking what rates could get and i cant see anything with better returns on land other then horses and making litlle bit hay?

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Try to find out what other people charge in your area for similar facilities.

I pay £18/week per horse for a stable and part of a 5 acre field. This is on a DIY basis with no hay or bedding included, but includes electricity and water.

The landowner owns the fences (plastic posts & tape) and he charges the battery.

The grass is never sprayed, rolled or harrowed but is topped by the landowner if it gets too long.

There are good exercise routes but no arena or school (which would be a huge bonus I would happily pay more for).

There is no secure storage for tack, feed or bedding.

 

[Sussex Martin]

Have horse's here never been paid any rent and use my hay and keep taking more of my field . I have tried to complain but wife doesn't take any notice of me !!!!!

Same here, even took up half of my new shed .

I did however earn lots of brownie points .