[JEP]

some asked me to rent 2 1/2 Acers of me for horses what price should I charge them per calendar month for the field and they are having 4ponies on it also we are in cheshire
many thanks john

[shygirl]

find out the average grass keep price in your area and times it by 4. i would charge £20-£25 per horse. bear in mind horses destroy the ground, the grass and the fencing. its not worth it to charge less as once they leave, you will have to fix it yourself.

[Fortuna]

I used to pay £10 per week, per horse.  That was 8 years ago so I imagine it's gone up a lot since then.


They will wreck your land for sure!


I have my own 2 horses at home on 5 acres and at this time a year they're only turned out in the field for 2 hours a day or they'll ruin in the wet.  The rest they're in a stoned yard that they can't damage or a stable at night.

[ellied]

I'd ask what kind of ponies they plan to put 4 of, 4 shetlands or small native types unshod is one thing, or perhaps something bigger with health problems eg laminitis or recovering from lameness that needs restricted grazing or space, but if they're talking any bigger than 12'2 hands I wouldn't allow it on 2.5 acres except as a seasonal grazing lease ie March-October only and they remove them for the winter.

Wish you lived nearer me, I'd use it for 2 max 14'2 Highlands on a long term basis, or 3 to 4 in summer to keep them trim and the grass tight, then run sheep after them and rest it til spring.  Wish I could do that with my own land and it wouldn't be over my wellies in muck around the gates, water trough, feeding areas and storm shelter spots!

[honeyend]

Be warn they are not like sheep. You want to charge enough so if they eat all the grass, trash your fencing by either leaning on it or chewing and then leave you huge piles of horse s**t on which nothing but docks and nettle will grow what ever you have charged will seem cheap.
 Also make sure its a license to graze. I had someone a couple of summers ago and they were a nightmare and I thought I was going to have to go to court to get rid of them. I have my own ponies but I am afraid I can be positive.

[shygirl]

You want to charge enough so if they eat all the grass, trash your fencing by either leaning on it or chewing and then leave you huge piles of horse s**t on which nothing but docks and nettle will grow

i would include a clause in the lease that they remove the droppings, as 4 ponies will create 4 wheelbarrows of muck a day, and it is backbreaking work to pick it up yourself. horsepoo doesnt just disappear like other droppings. and kills the grass underneath. most horse-people poo-pick their paddocks so its not unreasonable to ask.
4 ponies on 2.5 acres is actually alot unless its just a summer grazing lease, or they are stabled partly.