farrierswife

We originally thought about Melbourne but now not so sure.

Theres me,hubby and 4 kids ages 9,7,3, and 1.
Nine year old is horse mad and competes in the Uk to a decent level and pony clubs etc.
We need acreage but not be isolated from a community, nothing to outback,somewhere with nice schools and lots going on but nothing to city like.

And ofcourse somewhere where they need a farrier!!

Any ideas??

Early days for us,agent instructed etc but need someidea incase we decide on a visit first......the mind boggles.

brisbec

A very good friend of mine has horses and ponys inn a place called Bacchus Marsh wich is in between Melbourne and Ballarat.

Lovely area and close enough for commuting (her fella does it every day)

Just a thought in case you really want Victoria.

Bed Of Roses

Got a nutty 39 year old here taken her 18 hand pony with her we are off to south Brisbane or it could be sunshine coast who really knows!

A decent farrier is always required in that area but lets be honest anywhere there are quality horses a quality farrier is a must.

G dup

peppi

there are alot of stud farms and racing yards (trotters) around Perth....

kirsty&al

The Mornington Peninsula might be a good place for you, lots of horses, esp. agistment, one decent sized race course (Mornington) with plenty of trainers around it. The pony club scene is quite active too. It's 1-1.5 hr drive from Melbourne depending which part you choose. Plenty of smaller acreage plots 2-10 acres, and larger ones too. Acreage tends to be in the middle of the Peninsula or over towards Westernport. Because of proximity to the sea/city it's not that cheap (but still good value compared to the UK). There is a reasonable choice of local schools, and several private too. Outside of school there is plenty going on, but you usually have to drive 15 mins or so. If you do a search for Mornington on this forum you will find more detailed information. Just looked in the phone book and there are 15 local listings for 'blacksmiths and/or farriers', mostly in Somerville/Tyabb/Mornington/Main Ridge, and also some over towards Pearcedale/Cranbourne. Tyabb (smallish village with about 20 shops) even boasts a hat shop for all the racegoers.

Good luck in your search, Kirsty

ebonystar

It is very horse orientated here in the Perth area.
There are a lot of trotters and racing establishments.
We have got 2 you can come and do?

peppi

Ebonystar...how do you find keeping a horse there as opposed to here by comparison...money wise/finding grazing...I got the impression the grass isnt really horse edible as much and they have to be fed this stuff that looked like sawdust all year round to compensate for that... What are if any the major differences in the day to day care as it were. I have just yesterday given up my horse for the big move to Perth in September. Very Sad.... I had considered giving them up altogether,this is the first time Ive been horseless in 9 years(what the hell am I going to do with all my time). BUt maybe if I thought it wouldnt be so different a set up ( I prefere the live out with a barn shelter easier option here) I might have to reconsider...Its the only thing Ive ever been any good at sport wize..

farrierswife

Dont give up your horses,its got to be another social connection and it will keep you busy on those iffy days,you'd be mad too!
Its one of our deciding factors as the land is so much cheaper compared to us.

peppi

you have a point on the social side of things...my best mate here is the person I share a field with....Until Ive properly checked it out,yes land is much cheaper there...but the grass...at least in perth is really thick course stuff that doesnt look that horse ediable...but I havent had enough time over there to check it out properly yet...

but I do get your point

Bix

Hard times indeed

Perhaps we can organise a Peppi 8 concert to help you a little

sel

Another "horse mad" woman going to Perth. I am also after a property with acreage and there are plenty around Perth that are not to far away from CBD but not too close either. I would feel very lost without a horse and like you said it is a great way to meet new likeminded friends.

So if you decide Perth, you can also add me to your hubby's client list

michellemac

Hi there,

I am from Perth and grew up in a "horsey" area. In Oz (Perth at least) smaller acerages are often zoned semi-rural and called hobby farms. You could try Oakford, Forrestdale, Byford, Baldivis, Bedfordale, Mundijong in south-east Perth (Oakford, Forrestdale and Baldivis have good Freeway links. I grew up in this area and it's only about 45 mins to CBD)) these are areas with lots of professional and hobby (as in as a hobby, not as in horse's head on a stick ) horse trainers for both gallops (only flat racing in Perth, no jumps) and harness racing as well as pony clubs etc.


Ascot and Belmont are suburban areas but next to the two main flat-racing racecourses so have a concentration of horse-trainers. Waneroo used to also have a lot but i think it's been more develped now.

There is also a big horsey area to the east of Perth which I don't know a lot about but there is a riding arena at Bridgadoon (Yes, really!) from memory so that would also be a good pace to look.

Northam, York, Pinjarra, Bunbury are all towns within 2 hours drive of Perth that have big horse racing communities. also Albany is a big "provincial" racing commmunity but about 4 hours drive from Perth on the south coast.

One good thing about being horsey in Perth is that it is not so snobby as it is in the UK - it costs a lot less to maintain a horse so you get lots of suburban kids who agist and ride on weekends (and need farriers!) as well as what I would consider to be a large racing community for the small size of Perth, so there should be lots of opportunites for work and even just to ride other people's horses! I used to ride trackwork for a racing stable on saturday mornings when i was in high school and as a student I got lots of chances to ride other people's horses if they needed exercising during the week.

I'm sure Melborne and Sydney and Brisbane would also offer similar opportunities with good strong horse areas.

Michelle

peppi

This is all good news and info...thanks very much...riding/exercising someone elses to start with(especially up the flats) sounds ideal...!

peppi

Ayyye less of your cheek matey...what you doing looking at a horsey thread anyways...

michellemac

Just to add about this - my parents had 5 acres and we kept between 2 and 4 horses at a time. with a good bore to keep the paddocks green we used to rotate the horses around the paddocks no problems during the day and put them in smaller yards with shelter by night. They've have their main morning and evening feeds there, depending on if any were racing would depend on what they were fed but usually a mix of chaff, oats and what we called Pony Cubes (haven't had anything to do with horses since being in UK so don't know if you get pony cubes in UK) with Hay too and this was fine.

Winter leads to lots of lush pastures so no worries at that time of the year.

don't let the different grass put you off - it's fine. You'l probably have more trouble adjusting to the different chocolates .

Michelle