If You Were Going to Build Your Own Livery Yard..

[MirandaSophie]

Say you had...I dunno...20 acres (you've already got the hay barn and school) how many stables would you put in?

Would you push for more stables or would you want the minimum? or would you take up half for stables etc and have 10 horses? or what?

Does that make sense

[kirstie]

mirandasophie said:

Say you had...I dunno...20 acres (you've already got the hay barn and school) how many stables would you put in?

Would you push for more stables or would you want the minimum? or would you take up half for stables etc and have 10 horses? or what?

Does that make sense

we have about 50 odd acres once the sheep have gone that are close enough to the yard to use,we have 13 stables just now & another 20 will be built during summer.

i would want atleast 1.5 acres per horse so you have more than enough

ours live out all summer & in at night in the winter,front yard/middle/back yards have own grazing.

fields are about 8 acres atleast that have the 8 horses in & they have been in it for 2 months & are moving into a different field after xmas,we have enough that we can do this ;D

front yard have 4 ponies at the mo & have a 4 acre field,they to will move into a different field after xmas ;D

[sallyandruby]

wow kirsty how lucky are you!!!

[kirstie]

i know,fab is it not,we are building a small indoor school next year too ;D

all this with miles & miles & miles of off road hacking around the pentland hills for £80 per month ;D

[blueali]

I would only go for 10 stables to ensure there really was enough turnout for all all year round. Also you would then have space to put up a XC course, or have a SJ course in a paddock that was being rested.

[iammizz]

80 a month where in the name of beejesus are u hun
drool

[kirstie]

edinburgh ;D

[sulasmum]

agree with blueali on this I would only build 10 stables too

[ceiron]

id have 20 stables

10 normal, 5 large, one birthing box

and 4 large but to be used as a one solarium and 3 tacking up/bathing stalls

[janetgeorge]

There's a lot more to consider before worrying about the ratio of acres to stables (or vice versa.)

Firstly it's the TYPE of livery you want to provide and how much income you NEED. (Are you just subsidising the cost of your own horses or do you need to make a living too.)

After all, you won't be able to pay yourself an income out of 8-10 d.i.y.'s

If aiming for full or part livery, are you going to employ labour - or do it all yourself, perhaps with a part-time helper? In which case, 8-10 full liveries is all you could reasonably cope with.

What is your catchment area like? Will you GET 8 full liveries (or 20 d.i.y.)

Are you planning to limit winter turnout? If not, you'll need at least 2 acres per horse unless the soil is very free-draining.

Etc., etc., etc.

Of course there's the planning office to worry about as well - some will limit the number of horses on a site in relation to the land; others will limit it if road access is a problem etc.

But in general terms, I would say you need a minimum of one acre per horse, and if you DID go for 20 boxes, then you would need to limit winter (and early spring) turnout. So you'd need - ideally - a decent horsewalker and a couple (at least) of all-weather turnout pens.

[wills]

i dont think id ever want my own yard well not a livery one. Im happy with the one im on jsut now, has big barn and tack room, 10 (ive if counted right) stables, plenty of turnout and 3 big all weather turnout pens, that the horses are in over the winter. I've i was everr to have my own yard, id def want the turnout pens, as this allows the horses to be out 24/7, eventhoug mine is ina t night

eta theres also a school and round pen.