Practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?

Riley Roo

Riley Roo

New Member
Mar 14, 2008
1,353
0
0
North Wales
What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home?

What are the bad things about keeping your horse at home and what are the good things?

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home?

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?

Sorry for all the questions - just curious :)
 
well i find the pros are

1. You can look at/after them 24/7
2. You can ride at abnormal times if your work restricts it
3. Alot easier in winter :p
4. No-one takes your things and doesn't return them :mad:
5. You can go out in your pj's :D


and i find the cons to be:

1. No-one to help/ give advise ( so i find NR very helpful in that respect)
2. No-one to ride out with
3. If only one horse, no social interaction.


that's all i can think of right now will add more later when brain begins to function :p


I am lucky that I live on my dad's farm and diane lives with us who is horsey so when it comes to holidays we can leave our horses out as they are native good-doers :cool: and the work situation Diane does mornings when I'm at work and I do them at night. Works really well for us

I however have never been on a livery yard so therefore can't really answer your question on regretting keeping them at home but so far no! I live in a little village with alot of horsey folk but I don't get involved personal reasons.

But I love hacking just not on my own all the time and fed up with going hacks with Diane as she doesn't like hacking :mad: :p

The biggest difficulty is being so remote no-one when I try to be friendly is no-one takes you on and are relucant to help out (not everyone though)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i love keeping my horse at home -

my biggest prob would be when i need someone else to look after him if i go away ,as it happens I have a fabulous neighbour who has 2 horses and comes to my place to do Blue for me:)

i think you really have to have someone reliable in place or a freelance groom you can pay should the need arise..
 
I have always kept my horses at home and have never had livery and would have it no other way.

I can check them any time of day or night, I know nobody is interfering with them, their belongings or their feed, nobody tells me what im doig wrong or should do differently, unless they are friends who ive asked, I have to abide by only my rules (and mums :) I dont have to worry about new horses being introduced to my herd.

Me and mum work holidays between us so there is always someone home to see to the animals.
 
What about leaving them on their own during the day while you're at work with no-one to check on them - is this a problem or am i just paranoid? :D
 
What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home? Pro's - they are just a short stroll away, 99% I know someone will always be looking out to check them, Spare feed, tack etc. can be kept at home/in the garage, waking up and watching them, going out in PJ's, feel free to do your own thing, your 'your own boss'.... Cons - Nobody to ride with, nobody to talk to, nobody who can help you out.

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Mum doesn't work, so she's with them most of the time, usually the neighbours check they are there/no glaringly obvious problems too.

Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field? Holidays somebody comes up each day to do them for us.... Yep, we would just use a field or do it hacking

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home? Nobody to ride with :( (and im guessing mum found it difficult to find someone she could trust to look after them for holidays)

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home? I have no say, but I do feel like I wish I were on a livery so I could hack out with people.

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option? Go for the cheaper option, i guess.

Sorry if some of its confusing, for some reason I can't think straight at the moment, maybe i'll have a 5 min rest from the computer :eek:
 
What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?
pros - you can do what you like when you like wearing what you like! its easy to check on them for injury etc and there is no hassle about riding whenever you feel like it.
cons- umm not many tbh..i guess not having a 3rd opinion? (my mum is very experienced so get all the help i need) but there are two families of horsey people a two minute walk up the lane so not a big issue.
How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?
They are supervised at all times as my dad works from home and on weekends there is always someone about whether it be us or the horsey neighbours. Holidays usually involve the horses :p but mo we dont take family holidays so agian someone is always home. With the school we can hack 1/2 a mile up the road to use my friends if we are desperate, otherwise i have weekly private lessons and pony club on top.

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home?
probably fencing. we have hedges with electric fencing to back up the field boundaries but the youngster is forever pushing through into the hay fields. don't have an issue with having no-one to ride with, mum is always happy to hack with me or there are horsey friends no more than a mile away :)

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home? In our current situation i can't find any fault..if im sick mum works the competition horses and looks after them..if me and mum are out dad keps an eye on them..always someone to ride with...we make the decision as to where they graze and when they are stabled..i love it tbh!

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?

i would probably still keep the horses at home....unless it was a LOT cheaper in which case we're always lookin to save money! :p
 
What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?
Pro - your on your own - Con - Your on your own!!!
Pro - Cheaper - Con - expensive
Pro - Quicker to get too - Con - further away

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?
different then being at a yard.

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home? Nowere to school par their field.

What are the bad things about keeping your horse at home and what are the good things? Love being on my own BUT know one to hack with, No fights or bitchness between horses and owners!
Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home?

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?
depends
 
Riley Roo said:
What about leaving them on their own during the day while you're at work with no-one to check on them - is this a problem or am i just paranoid? :D
Click to expand...

Of course not!! As long as you check at least daily, there should be no problem.

The only real downside is the fact that all maintenance will be down to you, otherwise, as far as I am concerned, there are only plusses.
 
As you know I'm still new to having them at home but I'm loving it at the moment!

What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?
Click to expand...

Pros

The huge amount of exercise I get putting electric fencing up, moving the fencing, repositioning the fencing when Hew decides I'm a horse eating monster and canters straight through it etc, etc!

Being able to amble over and check them at any time (and therefore not having to over/underug (if necessary I can chuck on or haul off a rug every hour)).

Having complete control over how I manage my field and my horses - even when you've been on a brilliant livery yard, it's still not your way and it's wonderful to try out your own ideas.

Cons
The amount of time it takes just to maintain the fields - doing your own poo picking for example!

The money needed to set up the fencing (although obviously once the first blow is over it's not too bad).

The responsibility you take on for maintaining the paddock, removing all poisonous plants, harrowing, rolling, reseeding etc.

(I also miss having a tap near the horses! Having said that, my biceps are growing daily from hauling water and stuff around).

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day?
Click to expand...

As yet I've not had to leave them for a whole day but they've been on their own for hours at a time and they're fine. Having said that, the first couple of days I was outside checking on them every couple of hours until about 2am! Then I realised this upset them more than leaving them alone would. Leaving them for the first time was hard but I'm getting a bit more blase about it now - doesn't stop me checking them everytime I come home though!!

Holidays?
Click to expand...

This is our biggest problem as we don't know anyone up here yet. Having said that, I can't imagine being able to afford a holiday for a while and then we're likely to take the horses with us.

Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?
Click to expand...

I suspect I'll miss having a school when the winter comes but ask me in six months time for the definitive answer!

It's great at the moment but I'm not sure how I'll manage it once I'm back at work.

If you're thinking of going it alone and want to talk it through, PM me if you think I could help!
 
hi

What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?No travelling, can see them any time I want to, just more convenient for me all round

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field? I just go, they live out all the time and are unsupervised for longer during the night than they ever are during the day. Sadly holidays mean getting a farm sitter in, not many holidays for me

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home?Absolutely none at all that I can think of

What are the bad things about keeping your horse at home and what are the good things? Bad- I can hear every squeal, cough, fart, thunder of hooves at night and wonder what is going on or who has escaped.

Good: I can stand on the deck, let the dogs out and do an eye count with a torch when the above mentioned wakes me up. I can keep the horses I like.I can see one paddock or other from every single window in the house. I can do foal watch in comfort, I can go back to bed anytime I like, ride, not ride, or take as long as I like, to do, or not do, anything I like without yard 'curtain twitching'. No need to wait in the cold or wet for the Farrier or Vet

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home? Not for one moment

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?If I had to keep a horse at livery I wouldn't have a horse full stop.
 
Answering for when me and my two lived at the same farm :) everything depends on the individual situation though...

What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?
Pro - they're close to me, no travelling or extra stress after work, just time to enjoy them and they're right there if theres breaks in bad weather to ride and do things with them. Heaps of hacking and transport readily available, where I didn't have that when I was grazing them elsewhere.
Con - Farriers don't really prioritise single horse jobs(the ones I have had, anyway), you get fitted and squeezed whenever they can and can't stick to strict schedules for shoeing.

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day?
Fine, they're in the paddock... eating and sleeping, nothing really to worry about. If they were stabled or visible from the road, I'd be more concerned about having someone check them during the day. But most of the time I was there and working, my job started at 5am-8am, then had the middle of the day off until 3pm when it was back to work until 5.30pm, so not a typical eight to five job.

Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?
Hacking all year round here, quiet roads if you feel like riding on them, and I have a sand area(less arena, more "patch") where I can school if I feel like it.
Holidays aren't a problem, just turn them out, do what I can before I go(trough cleaning, sorting and portioning hay or feed) and get horsey friends to drop in, catch and brush them whenever they can if they're rugged.

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home?
Not getting interrupted during horse-time, when I am with the horses I don't want people bringing me phone calls from the house, and visitors messing up my plans when they're think they'll just drop in:mad: as if I don't have things to do! lol

What are the bad things about keeping your horse at home and what are the good things?
Good - close, fully under my control with grazing areas and turn out paddocks, feeding whatever I want, riding whenever I want... time spent laxing out in the horse paddock :) no interfering busybodies or bossy cows to tell me what they think I should be doing.
Bad - too much time spent laxing out in the horse paddock does not get the housework done and will make you late for work:eek:

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home?
I've never really known anything else until this year when I had them grazing and realised how lucky I was before! lol

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?
I haven't had to make that choice yet, though me and my partner are looking for rentals with land, lucky me! lol:D It's a bit of a dream, but if you don't ask, you don't get! The peace of mind I get from having my horses near mightmake it worth the expense, but I guess I can't really answer that one yet.
 
What are the practical pros and cons of keeping your horse at home?
They are on site so no hassle travelling. You can do them in your jammies:D. It can get a bit lonely sometimes. I rode more at livery when there was company.

How do you deal with going to work and leaving them unsupervised all day? Holidays? Schooling/riding in the winter with no school, just a field?
They are usually in the field so no different to having rented a field or stables off a farmer. My neighbours would phone me if they saw something untoward happening.

Holidays??? What are they?;)

I've got a school (although I hardly ever use it) so I cant complain

What is the biggest difficulty you came across when keeping your horse at home?
No big difficulty for me. Its a whole way of life. Your family need to be supportive of it or it cant work.

What are the bad things about keeping your horse at home and what are the good things?
The main bad thing is that you are constantly working at maintenance, fencing, repairs etc. You also need more than one horse. The good things are having them as part of your family. Mine are very much pets, far more than they would be in livery. My previously non horsey hubby spends so much more time with them (and has been taught how to muck out;)). If they were in livery, he would hardly ever see them. As it is my brother and sister in law come down specially to see the troops:D. They are a much bigger part of the family.

Have you ever regretted keeping your horse at home?
Nope, never:D

And finally - if keeping your horse at home was more expensive than livery and a house without land - would you still keep your horse at home or would you go for the cheaper option?
I find its a lot dearer. Every penny I earn goes on fencing or repairs. I would be a lot cheaper in livery:eek:
 
The pros are too numerous to list! It is just soooo lovely. I am sat here in my dressing gown after having been out and checked on them in the same attitre :) It is so much easier and you get to spend more time with them as there is no travelling time :). Another pro is being able to manage your fields and turnout yourself (I am having an area of about an acre that I am going to sacrifice this winter - it may get ruined but I will have turnout everyday :)

The cons are that there is noone else to ride with, but this isn't a con for me as I have a horsey friend about half a mile down the lane. Holidays are another problem - finding someone to do them. It's not something I have had to deal with yet as buying a house with land has worked out more expensive than lvery so I haven't been able to afford a holiday yet :( not that I care as I have a mini holiday everyday in the field :)
 
Thanks for all your advice :)

It seems that having your own place has far more positives than negatives as i suspected but i needed to ask so that i went in with eyes wide open.

OH and i have been looking around for places to rent with land and have seen a few - trouble is money would be very tight until next year when OH has finished his training and is fully qualified rather than on training wages so we are still torn whether to go for it now or wait a few months when the money situation will be easier - trying not to be impulsive but it is so hard!! :rolleyes: :D

Luckily for me OH wants his own horse so the lonely/no-one to hack with scenario is not going to be a problem and generally most of the places we have seen are owned by farmers so maintenance will be easier as we can arrange for the landlord to top them etc.

The biggest problem for us is horse sitters when we go on holiday - although there is someone in our area who advertises her services so if worst comes to worst i'm sure we can use her.

I definitely think it is the way to go. :D
 
Riley Roo said:
The biggest problem for us is horse sitters when we go on holiday - although there is someone in our area who advertises her services so if worst comes to worst i'm sure we can use her.
Click to expand...

I have never had issues with going away. I have good contacts and a very good local freelance groom. As long as you get a recommendation you will be fine.
 
Em 1 said:
As yet I've not had to leave them for a whole day but they've been on their own for hours at a time and they're fine. Having said that, the first couple of days I was outside checking on them every couple of hours until about 2am! Then I realised this upset them more than leaving them alone would. Leaving them for the first time was hard but I'm getting a bit more blase about it now - doesn't stop me checking them everytime I come home though!!

Chris was looking into a webcam that you can rig up to your computer and log in at any time to see how the horses are doing - Jenny with Gambles is doing that as job now but if you have any computer know how - or know the IT technician at school ;) - i'm sure they can rig it up cheaper - is arounf £100 ish for software etc



This is our biggest problem as we don't know anyone up here yet. Having said that, I can't imagine being able to afford a holiday for a while and then we're likely to take the horses with us.

If you need anyone to check up on Skye and Hew when you go on holiday i'm sure i can be persuaded :D


I suspect I'll miss having a school when the winter comes but ask me in six months time for the definitive answer!

I expect you to keep me updated!!


If you're thinking of going it alone and want to talk it through, PM me if you think I could help!

I'll be bugging you all the time now then :D
Click to expand...

Glad to hear they've settled in! :D
 
I work from home (but stuck in front of a desk) and have just spent my "lunch hour" pulling ragwort while my dog had a run around in the field. Is that a pro or a con? A pro today since it's sunny....
(Technically it's not keeping her at home, since I'm in a rented house and the pony is in a rented field across the road, but it's the nearest I'll get I think. And much easier than when she's in the other field which is several miles away)
 
I keep mine at home and i find


pros are:

I work from home so see her ALOT.
no trips to yard, no bitching,
no early starts
keep my eye on things alot more
no stable or field bills


cons are
probably spent too much time with her lol
nobody around to ask for help or advice
no muck heap ( so have to remove myself weekly)



the pros far outweigh the cons :)
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back