Looking at buying a house with a 1.25 acre paddock and small stable block (South Lakes).

Now i dont actually need a paddock, so i was wondering if you can rent them out easily? If i just leave it empty then it’ll get overgrown so i need some kind of living lawnmower in there. It borders a field with sheep in so i guess i could also see if the farmer wanted to use it.

Pump track!

put a loo and a shower in the stable block and turn your padock into a camp site 😀

actually – cheesy beans has a point – have a look at becomign a certificated site for the camping and caravan or caravan clubs. you may not even need a loo – just a standpipe. A paddock will be pretty flat.

if you want to attract mtbers then add a drying room and some bike wash facilities!

Most liveries can be total and utter tools, and are a nightmare to deal with (experience from my parents’ farm). Budget on replacing the fencing with electric tape or post and rail if it’s barbed wire or similar, and you’ll need insurance as well.

Do you have somewhere to store hay? Square bales take up room; round bales of haylage tend to distribute the contents across the whole field after a bit. Add a ring feeder to the previous list of expenses if you don’t have room inside.

Guess who has to go out when you see the horses trotting towards the main road after the owner hasn’t shut the gate properly and pissed off home?

Might not be worth it for only 2 horses.

if it were me, I’d go for a camp site too. Horses/sheep are all well and good, but they are effectively pets that take up a lot of space and make a lot of poo. At least with people camping and caravanning, you get income from it that can help pay for other things. Like, for example, a new bike. Or beer.

If you run electric cables under the paddock, make sure they are at the correct legal depth and suitably insulated.

If you run electric cables under the paddock, make sure they are at the correct legal depth and suitably insulated.

unless it happens to be the paddock for a major horse race venue, of course 🙁

Yes you could let it out pretty easily but your privacy will be affected as the owners of the horse will be at your house morning and night (and day!) 7 days a week all year round.

If you just want to keep the grass down, get some sheep on it. Most farmers will gladly take free grazing.