Would you take your horse on holiday (UK)?

[FetchezLaVache]

Hi all, I hope it's all right to post this - admin please delete if not!

I've just started helping to run a holiday property in North Yorks on the family farm and it occurs to me that it would be quite feasible to create a paddock so that guests could bring their horses. Would you lovely lot allow me to pick your brains? I'd like to know a) whether the idea would appeal, b) would you take your horse predominantly to hack out or with a view to local shows & events and c) would you consider taking your horse(s) somewhere with just a field shelter and no actual stabling?

Thanks ever so in advance!

Personally, I think you’d do better to create something from that space that would appeal to a wider audience.

Me, no, I’ve not taken my horse on holiday. It’s hard enough to deal with the dc and the dog. I also have 2 horses, so would be a massive pain to take them both. Dh and I would have to drive separately. Holidays are stressful enough. I’d be more comfortable just leaving them at home to be cared for. Also Yorkshire is quite far for a lot of people so that might limit your audience too.

Though it wouldn’t be for me, yes, I’d be very happy with a field and field shelter as mine have the same at home, but my experience is that a lot of people are quite precious about their horses coming in at night especially during the colder months. For competitions, people would definitely want them in due to wet and mud.

What else could you do with the field? What about a fairy garden or play area or kitchen garden/orchard that guests could use? I think that would probably appeal far more.

This was a thing a few years ago. Probably more for the horse person without children or with grown up children.
If they were going to local shows they’d want a stable to do the prep.

I've taken my horse to Field Farm which had a showjumping arena, XC course and was a 20 min hack to the beach. I wouldn't go to all the effort of taking my horse away just to hack on roads, unless I could go directly on to bridleways/ moorland etc for hours at a time or be close to a beach. My horses live out with shelter so wouldn't bother me if there was just a paddock and shelter, I'd prefer that to a stable. But you'd have to make sure it was poo picked between holiday goers so would have to enforce that. You might be better off putting glamping pods in the paddock? And getting some animals like chickens/ pygmy goats and guests can go collect eggs etc and have a little 'farm experience' 😊

Hi, thanks for all your thoughts! So it sounds like it would be more for people just happy to hack out. There is some excellent hacking locally, I used to ride as a teen and you hardly need to go on a road.

We wouldn't do anything else with the paddock really, the house has a huge garden with a play area/kitchen garden already - I'm trying to decide what planting to do in the spring! I'm thinking of doing some pumpkins for children to harvest next Hallowe'en. I definitely like the idea of the pygmy goats and chickens though! And the kids can come and help feed the calves etc.

I'm also quite up for glamping pods, but we'd put them elsewhere on the farm, because part of the sell of the holiday cottage (not really a cottage, it's pretty big!) is how quiet and out of the way of other human beings it is!

I’ve done ‘trekking’ holidays where you stay overnight then move on the next day.

I wouldn’t put my horse in a paddock with a lot of strange horses- recipe for disaster. I would consider eg trekking and using a stable.

Oh no, you'd have the whole paddock to yourself!

Lots of people don't like having their horses out overnight, especially if it's cold or the field is really muddy.

Is there any way of offering stables too?

I know a place that does this locally (Bucks). They have a cottage and a paddock. Can’t remember if they have stables.

But their big draw is they have mikes and miles of mainly off road hacking, an awful lot of it is private.

I think groups of friends go for a few days, specifically as a riding holiday- not a holiday with family/kids where you just happen to bring the horse.

I know a few different friends have gone to b and b’s with a paddock in the new forest. They were advertised aiming at groups of friends for hacking holidays.

I would want a stable as I have TBs and they can be absolutely pathetic about staying out and will just pace at the gate and trash the ground.

Id also want a Fort Knox tack store. I like my saddle more than I like my horse on occasion.

Hacking I would want immediate access to very quiet hacking.

I also think you need to make it feasable to have groups of people go, I probably wouldn’t go alone

I can give you two of the three!

It would be possible to put stables on the land, but tbh it doesn't sound like we'd ever make the money back...

Thanks so much for your comments - I will have a serious think about pygmy goats!

The house sleeps 10 (and has other things like a full-size snooker table and a hot tub that make it good for groups also...).

For me it would depend on whether there was a good network of local bridleways and hacking that doesn't involve going on the road. But if there is, then I would definitely take my horse on holiday op and have done in the past to what essentially was a farm with stables, adjoining holiday cottages and local hacking. It helped that the owner was really friendly and had a horse and was around most mornings to trot with you to the start of the trail or point you in the direction of a good pub.

In the new forest there is definitely a market for this and a lot of people do bring their horse with them

I've taken my horse on holiday twice. Once to Norfolk for beach rides and once to the Powys (Brandy House Farm). I would go for really good hacking.

I've taken my pony numerous times. We've been to Norfolk, Skegness and the Peak District. I go to hack out. She just needs a paddock, no stable. Unfortunately the one in the Peak has now become extremely expensive, 4 nights in a glaming pod £750 and that's not high season plus there is grazing on top of that.

There is a decent market for this sort of thing. Have a look on ‘Saddle Tramping’ and ‘Horse B&B and Long Distance Riding’ Facebook pages. There are plenty of riders looking for Bed and Breakfast for one night if they are riding from place to place on a long distance route, or if you have very good hacking and a nice property they could stay for several nights. Ride Yorkshire organise circular routes and accommodation for riders on the North Yorks Moors.

I would want a stable, but might consider if just a field shelter. It would be a change of routine for many though as a lot of livery yards only offer day turnout. We took ponies on a weekend break last March though, trail riding in the peak district, and are planning our next trip right now, so it's definitely a thing.

I have done this, including Field Farm and really enjoyed it. My horse lives out and doesn’t settle well in stables, I only used mine to tack up and would be happy without it but with a tacking up area. Would be happy to keep my tack in car. I have also done camps with my horse for training which I am a big fan of, 2 this year. I would want a good map and hay/ water supply. Good luck with your plans

I used to do it several times a year pre kids. I visited beaches and hacking destinations. Camped, stayed in a static caravan, cottages.

Never stabled mine.

I would be concerned about biosecurity. Can you be certain your establishment is free of strangles or other diseases? Would you insist on seeing vaccination records etc.? How about worm burden in your fields, poo picking, field rotation and management?
Nice idea in theory but it wouldn’t be for me.

What’s the difference between a holiday and competing? Wherever I have stayed the paddock has always been clear on arrival and I’ve cleared it before I left/during my stay.