| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sab2 |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 6:22:37 PM
Dose anybody on here do grass liveries, we have a 9acre field we do not need to use and i was wondering what are the pro,s and con,s of renting it out, do you need a contract and how much do you charge, i was thinking about £10 per week grass only , is this the going rate , sorry not been on a livery yard for years so no idea how much you pay nowadays. Thanks for any help  |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| proctorclaire |
Posted - 25 Sep 2013 : 08:47:04 AM
Oh and meant to add....I do have contracts set in place. |
| proctorclaire |
Posted - 25 Sep 2013 : 08:44:55 AM
I used to offer grazing as like you I had 9 acres. My 3 are on about 3 1/2 acres but the rest wasn't getting used. the livery I have now is great but there was a lot before her that were a nightmare. Never pooh picked, horses wrecked the fencing, never tidied up after them or locked gates etc. I charge £50 per calander month for grazing but I have water, tack room, hay storage and sand arena. I know places that charge £25 per week just for a field and nothing else. It wasn't about the money for me though it was about having company and a person I liked and trusted to hack out with, share yard duties with etc if need to. I don't charge extra for putting hay out etc. I'm up there anyway and takes 2 seconds to do.
It is worth it if find the right people but if not it is a nightmare. |
| Ari |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 8:39:04 PM
See a few prospective people first, don't be put off by worse case scenarios that are just meant give you an insight into what could go wrong. Many years ago I managed to persuade a very reluctant field owner to give me a go despite him having a bad experience in the past. It worked great until both our circumstances changed. I was around to look after his dogs and keep an eye on the place when he was away.
Your friend does sound a good option and perhaps would be happy pay or help out. |
| leiat8 |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 8:35:39 PM
We rent 6 acres split into to fields(although i'd say its more 8acres) with running water. We rent the land not per horse and pay £200 pcm which is a fair bit for round here but we lost our grazing in may and didn't have many options. The land that we were on before was 4 acres with water, stables/shelter and storage for £120 pcm. We carry out maintinence of the land. |
| Callisto |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 7:44:09 PM
I'm sure you can find a good tenant - the point is that you don't have to rent it to anyone who you feel might be a pain in the proverbial. Careful vetting is essential
Do put a limit on the number of horses allowed - I know of at least one case where the sub-letting became a major problem.
The other option might be renting it for cattle or sheep for a few months - would give the grass a break from horses.
Edited for coherency!  |
| sab2 |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 5:44:25 PM
Thankyou all for your help, maybe its not such a good idea after all, starting to think it may end up being more hassle than i need, i do have a friend who needs some grass for some of her ponies so maybe it will be easier just to let her have it for nothing , then at least i can call the shots as to what goes on , having spoken to somebody today they seemed to be taking over already and only came to view , goodness knows what they would be like once on there, will have a good think tonight. |
| Reagarth |
Posted - 24 Sep 2013 : 4:03:21 PM
You also need to stipulate how many horses allowed even if you only rent to one person. I know someone who rented out grazing to one and ended up with 17 horses on there!!:)) £10 a week around here for grazing with no stable etc:)
Judith |
| heathermcbreen |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 1:12:03 PM
Dogs can be another issue... sometimes horses come with owners with several dogs .. who use the grazing as a dog toilet and exercise area as well... you may not mind this but if the dogs go dumping on your field as well it can spoil the grass for use as haylage/silage... apparently dog poo in hay/haylage/silage causes real problems. Just an observation.. also the dogs chasing your horses can be an issue so it is worth mentioning dog control measures. |
| Pop |
Posted - 23 Sep 2013 : 12:32:01 PM
I would expect to expect to pay £25 per month per acre with running water, provide your own shelter if none already on site. And do all fence repairs and land management myself for that.
I would include land management rules, otherwise you may be left with a field of weeds in a few years time. |
| SuziQ |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 9:18:59 PM
If I was you I would let your farrier, vet and feed merchant know, these people have a large access to good horsey people and would be providing you with a reference if you ask them only to pass your contact details onto good/reliable/honest horse owners!
You do need to consider how you would like the field used and left.
Are you happy for it to be subdivided into paddocks, are you providing running water, where would you like poo piled and who is going to pay for it to be removed.
Photograph the fences and make the maintenance of them someones responsibility, it may be yours if its just aging that means they need fixed but i someones horse scratches on it or jumps it regularly and breaks it maybe they should be charged for materials?
I would love to rent 9 acres from someone, I would probably have a settling period and then want to put a couple of field shelters on sleds on unless you have alot of natural shelter but a settling period before changes are made would be a good idea. |
| sab2 |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 9:01:17 PM
Thankyou for your help and advice, it would only be the field as there are no stables, the field above the 9 acres i use for mine and we have built them a large shed to use as and when they choose. i think if we are going to do it then it sounds better if i could find just one person to rent it , sounds easier that way, may be easier said than done finding them though  never done this before so your input is great. |
| Ari |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 7:52:12 PM
Agree all Callisto's very wise points. Just set the ground rules about damage to fencing and the "extras" like can you just check them, feed them, can I borrow a stable going to a show etc. I have my horse at a yard that occasionally does grass DIY only to help existing liveries buy a youngster or get another before selling but the horse has to be looked after, wormed etc in line with agreed standards of care. We have never so far had a grass DIY horse taken poorly but we would have options to stable if necessary and that could mean YO turning one of hers out if it was winter.
Don't let all above put you off just want to cover all bases, the right people would be great and appreciate having a lovely field.
|
| Vik1 |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 7:44:36 PM
My yard charges £90/month for grass livery. Includes use of school but there are restrictions in winter months ie they are not allowed to be brought in every day as they are transferred to the winter fields. If one comes in every day then it encourages the rest to stand at the gate. They are also screwed in winter if they need a stable if its lame or something as theres no stables available.
Think your responsibilities is just really same as a livery yard, ie make sure fencing/gate is in good repair, that fresh water is available. I personally would have a contract that way yours and theirs responsibilities are written down and clear. |
| pinkvboots |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 7:43:00 PM
You might be better off renting it to one person who has a few horses, we used to rent a field to a local livery yard and they used it for the liveries who wanted to put the horses out for a break for a few weeks, this worked quite well the yo also had brood mares that she used to put out there. |
| ABJ |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 7:18:19 PM
It's £15 a week at our yard that includes use of tack room and ménage. It's £30 a week if you want a stable. I pay extra to have a stable although I don't use it much!! |
| Callisto |
Posted - 22 Sep 2013 : 6:35:00 PM
It depends whether the people you rent it to will interfere with your life or not - will they need to park outside your house to interact with their horses? Will they have to come past your horses to get in and out etc. Do you expect it to be poo-picked or harrowed, would you mind if they made hay on half of it, would you want it to be rested in the winter? If so you need some agreed do's and don'ts, and it doesn't hurt to get it down in writing, so everyone knows where they stand. I would also get the rent at least a month in advance - I pay 3 months at a time in advance, my mother pays for her yard a month in advance and by standing order. Probably preferable to rent the whole field to one person rather than chase lots of individuals for money who might fall out with each other?? I pay £100 per month for 6 acres with 2 stables, but that is rather cheap for our area (I rent from a friend), I think £12.50 - £15.00 a week a head is the average around here for pure grass livery. |
