crumpy10

Hi there

i am doing some enquiries as to running a livery yard for horses in NZ, i have experience in hunt/event/riding & livery yards, but have been out of it due to having kids.

we are planning a move (hopefully) in 2011 (by the latest) and am looking to start this sort of business. my plan is to buy somewhere with enough land, that the rates dont cripple us! but plenty to graze nags on. i know most kiwi horses spend all year turned out, but i am also wondering about stabling too. i am not sure about going as far as an indoor arena, but will have to see what sort of advice comes back.

we plan to also have a camping & caravan site too, similar to british quiet locations or CL sites over here.

dont know how the 2 would mix, and am really looking for some advice please, i would have no problem doing this in england, apart from the money!!!!!!!!! that is ... not having it, but we would be able to use the capital from our place here to fund a project like that.

what do you think????

thanks

Anna

Am Loolah

Hi Anna,

You could try sending a PM to Sarah B http://britishexpats.com/forum/member.php?u=39286 as she has a horse here and rides. She used to have a horse in the UK too.

Cambridge is a very horsey area, but mainly stud farms so probably not quite what you are after offering.

You should be able to secure plenty of land, have you a preference to North or South Island at this stage?

Couple of possibles come up in the Waikato doing a search on www.trademe.co.nz, such as this one or this one one more all depends where you want to be and what your budget is.

P2L

Canterbury is a huge 'horsey' area with lots of studs about.

Loads of indoor arenas too

This might be a good place to look for more info
http://www.equinesearch.co.nz/

The only bit of real info I can tell you is that you pay around $30 for a 30 minute lesson for kids in these parts
and as Am Loolah said, SarahB with be a fountain of information



Good luck

Am Loolah

I am pretty sure I recall Sarah saying that livery stabling isn't really done here in NZ. My daughter had a pony in livery in the UK and we wanted to do the same here, but at the local pony club it is more a keep your own horse on your own land and just turn up or rent a field. I could be wrong though ...

P2L

Sorry Fairy Lady can't help with that one. Most people I know with horses keep them in a 'paddock' within their property or at friends or family.

BEVS

That's true enough around us. Horses are kept on people's own land or they rent a paddock. Horses around us don't seem to be stabled . They stay out.

We currently have a lovely horse at the bottom of our garden in next door's paddock. Husband is very taken with him. I think it may be a bit of male bonding.

My friend rents out her land for grazing.

We did know a family that were well into dressage and I would have thought that these horses would require some livery stabling at times of competition, though I know bugger all about horses but I do know that this dressage thing means being super neat and exacting..


edit


... I just googled Livery Stable NZ and it did show one.. HERE perhaps contact them .

crumpy10

hiya

thanks ever so for the info, i will be looking today at these sites.

and will email sarah, and grill her for info!!!!!!!!!!!

i have googled a few, and there seems to be some really posh ones, but not many middle of the road....

thanks again.

Anna

TeamEmbo

We had a caravan in UK and spent most weekends away in it at local CL sites just to enjoy the countryside and get the kids out in the fresh air.

Caravans in NZ are very expensive and NZers seem to prefer the very old ones as they are wider and have more open space in the them (as opposed to the modern kitchen with separate end shower/changing room and toilet. We live in North Canterbury and don't see too many caravans out and about on the roads at weekends and holidays. Could be due to some very mountainous twisty, turny roads. We have seen quite a lot of caravans used as bachs (holiday homes) permanently parked up like at Lake Coleridge and some in Kaikoura. Camping (tents) and cabins are very popular as are homestays and farmstays. Sometimes you see very old caravans (Zephyrs and the like) for sale on the roadside for around $8,000 or 9,000k! That's not to say people don't have caravans - motorhomes seem more popular especially for tourists to hire. It's just you don't see them out and about like the bank holdiay bumper to bumper UK experience.

I've posted the following link to give you an idea of what sites are already around NZ:

http://www.tourism.net.nz/accommodat...rks/index.html

crumpy10

thanks very much for that

we are thinking along the lines of a camp site..... i suppose it would be mostly tents???? from what you have said.


Anna

SarahB

Hiya, I guess it depends where you are going to be based. We are outside of Auckland and the land is fast disappearing and new estates popping up everywhere. Land up here is very expensive. I have my horse in a DIY 24/7 grass livery and they are really hard to get into round here as hardly anybody does livery.... so if you could afford to be up near Auckland I guess you would have no shortage of people as I know our yard has a long waiting list.

Up here most horses live outside all year round..... they obviously are OK as there are some really old horses here, in their 40's so it must be healthier for them than being stuck in a stable for half their lives. Kiwis rely heavily on rugs (called Covers here)... it is also pretty normal here for horses to be rugged up all year round... to protect them from the harsh sun in the summer.

But down in SI maybe the horses have stables? I'm afraid I dont know the answer to that one...best to ask somebody down there?

We have met tons of people who have horses..... so IMO it would be a good plan to have a livery yard but do your homework first and make sure its in a horsey area and then I'm sure you'll find loads of customers.

Pricewise... up here.... well, I pay $130 a month for grass livery, winter hay included. We have no menage but do have a tack/feed room and yards (2 undercover) to tack up and feed horses. There is a riding club north of Auckland and they charge $100 a month and its gorgeous..... tons of fields which get rotated, a few outdoor menages, jumps etc and loads of land to ride on... very nice!

Hacking out is very limited, there doesnt seem to be ancient rights of way or even many bridleways here, we are actually very lucky just where we are and have a nice circular offroad track to ride on, a couple of other tracks and of course my favourite... riding down on the estuary...miles and miles of flat sand for me and Dazzle to have a raz on... I'm in heaven down there and he loves it as much as I do!! Another new track has just opened and I was hoping to explore it yesterday but it rained cats and dogs all day so I didnt manage it.

Auckland would also be good if you plan to compete, as quite a few events held in this area.

As for horses, have a look on Trademe.co.nz under equestrian and see the prices of the horses.... a few familiar breeds here of course but maybe some different ones too... and dont expect to find a "cob" as the closest to a cob here seems to be a Stationbred and its just not the same. You will find a few of the English native breeds here but not all.... lots of TB's and ex racing Standardbreds too.... very cheap to buy! (or even given away but beware of them!) Warmbloods very popular here, as are Quarter Horses, Appys and some of the Welshies. Arabian showing huge here too.... very competitive though. No shortage of horses to choose from... and all price ranges too.

Good luck with your venture.

SarahB

P2L

We are in Canterbury and most horses are rugged and kept outside all year round too. (well the ones I know of are )

If you have enough land to, you could maybe look at growing your own lucerne to sell too. Very expensive to buy in down here

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Sear...omSuggest=true

crumpy10

WOW a massive thank you sarahb, you beat me too it! i was going to find you and contact you this week!

and everyone else, ta very muchly

think i have plenty to be going on with, we are hoping to be in the middle somewhere! not sure yet.........

i spent time in canterbury, and went to a pony club event in Oxford, but that was 16 yrs ago, ooooo how time flies

i am looking at a place which we can build on, with about 10 acres plus, i have heard that rates are quite high????

do rates depend on what the land is used for?

any way gotta go, kids awake etc etc......................

thanks though for all help

Anna

TeamEmbo

These might help. Hope the links work.

http://www.realestate.co.nz/lifestyl...riri-surrounds

http://www.bayleys.co.nz/search/prop....x=27&go2.y=10