# Are there laws/regulations about keeping horses at home?



## horcrrux (4 July 2014)

Hey guys! I'm moving to the UK soon and just wondering if there are certain rules about keeping horses on your property? It wouldn't be something that would happen right away, we'd have to knock down the garage to build a couple of stables and make the place horse-friendly first, so probably next year. It's a semi-detached house with a very big garden and we'd love to have a horse and a little mini on our doorstep


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## blitznbobs (4 July 2014)

How big is the garden? 

I'm hoping this isn't a wind up but if it's a normal residential street with no grazing land I think it would be classed as antisocial behaviour... You can legally build one stable in the garden (curtailage) of the house but not two = this would need change of use and or planning permission.

HTH


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## webble (4 July 2014)

Depends on the deeds to your house but you would need around a two acre garden to make it feasible


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## Amymay (4 July 2014)

Planning could be a problem - as well as space.


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## Cahill (4 July 2014)

IMO
you need to look up `permitted development  rights` as to what size you can build in the curtilage of your property  (national parks may differ)  you are allowed to cover a percentage of your garden with a building which will depend on any other buildings/extentions your property may  have already.
the only problems you may encounter would be nuisance to neighbours from for example a muck-heap


http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/outbuildings/


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## little_mistress13 (5 July 2014)

Well... There is a riding school near me. Its  normal house and at the back is 20 stables with no land! They rent a near by field and rotate 2 horses at a time so really the horses live like dogs in kennels.... and I swear this is true. They have a website and everything.


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## stp (5 July 2014)

If you have stables and adequate land then yes it's fine, presuming it's a farm type set up &#128522;


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## Sugar_and_Spice (5 July 2014)

little_mistress13 said:



			Well... There is a riding school near me. Its  normal house and at the back is 20 stables with no land! They rent a near by field and rotate 2 horses at a time so really the horses live like dogs in kennels.... and I swear this is true. They have a website and everything.
		
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Legally none of that is a problem if they have planning consent for the stables and for keeping horses there, plus use of the premises as a business. They'd also need to meet the requirements for a riding school licence and pay their taxes etc. Maybe you disagree with the way they keep their horses? If so, that's only your opinion not a legal matter  There was a riding school with a similar set up, but including fields, in the street where I lived as a child.


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## Tnavas (5 July 2014)

This is the most stupid rule in existence. The town I live in in New Zealand.

I can keep a horse in town if the section has no building on it. It doesn't matter if there are houses all around it.

However if the section has a house on it, then I cannot have a horse on the land. 

The section belongs to me, the house belongs to me, so someone tell why I, the owner can't have a horse on my property.

I used to have a ewe mini called Lmo, short for lawn mower , someone complained and I had to get rid of him. He made less noise than a dog, didn't bite the postie and let the meter man in without chewing his ankles. I can keep 5 hens, no roosters though.

My neighbour can keep an extremely loud stereo! 

Crazy rules. Might try and wriggle around it again with another mini.


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## MagicMelon (5 July 2014)

Technically you're meant to apply for change of use on land if its not had horses on it before (or was agricultural) I think. I have never done this though and never had any issues - and Ive just built a stable block with full planning permission so Id assume if they were that worried they'd have moaned then.


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## honetpot (5 July 2014)

In England the horse is classed as a domestic animal so can in most circumstances can be kept within the curtilage of the house. My neighbours and I  have had stables in the back garden and we do not have oversized garden, one horse I kept in the garage in a suburb of Sheffield, which was a normal post war semi.
 The main thing is keeping everything well managed and not annoying the neighbours, unless there are local bylaws the main things people will complain about are noise and smell. We used to bag all the muck up and dispose of it at the dump once a week, some neighbours complained about a donkey braying. If there is no access to any turnout you have to really have a strict exercise regime. People are very quick to assume that because its in you garden it can not be well looked after when reality horses live in the centre on London for months on end and have all their needs met,and in Newmarket most of the yards front on to main roads and have no turnout.
 There are certain rules about how much of your garden you can cover with building and they have to be under a certain height, so I would start with a cheapish field shelter and see how it goes


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## sidesaddlegirl (5 July 2014)

honetpot said:



			In England the horse is classed as a domestic animal so can in most circumstances can be kept within the curtilage of the house.
		
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Interesting. In the deeds to my house, it says that livestock are prohibited. I always assumed that it included horses as well?


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## Cahill (5 July 2014)

MagicMelon said:



			Technically you're meant to apply for change of use on land if its not had horses on it before (or was agricultural) I think.
		
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but ancillary to dwelling house for the enjoyment of is different 

an interesting point also is-to change back to ag use needs no planning.


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## Orangehorse (5 July 2014)

honetpot said:



			In England the horse is classed as a domestic animal so can in most circumstances can be kept within the curtilage of the house. My neighbours and I  have had stables in the back garden and we do not have oversized garden, one horse I kept in the garage in a suburb of Sheffield, which was a normal post war semi.
 The main thing is keeping everything well managed and not annoying the neighbours, unless there are local bylaws the main things people will complain about are noise and smell. We used to bag all the muck up and dispose of it at the dump once a week, some neighbours complained about a donkey braying. If there is no access to any turnout you have to really have a strict exercise regime. People are very quick to assume that because its in you garden it can not be well looked after when reality horses live in the centre on London for months on end and have all their needs met,and in Newmarket most of the yards front on to main roads and have no turnout.
 There are certain rules about how much of your garden you can cover with building and they have to be under a certain height, so I would start with a cheapish field shelter and see how it goes
		
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This is the situation, but what you would really have to be careful of is the Environmental Department - the neighbours might rightly complain about he smell, flies, noise the horses make, etc. etc.  Depends on how accommodating your neighbours are.   Also, could you exercise the horse sufficiently from your home - what about riding in the winter when days are short?  It is possible, but difficult to manage to have a horse living there all the time.


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## horcrrux (9 July 2014)

Thanks guys I just wanted a general idea of if it's allowed and what to do. Where I live atm you do whatever you want with your land pretty much so it's never been a problem.
I'm not sure on the exact size of the garden but from what I remember it's definitely big enough for 2. Both front and back are connected and they're both a really good size. I wouldn't keep one horse alone. There's also quite a few empty fields around so I will look into the possibility of renting one. Failing everything, there's a yard down the road  I'd never keep a horse in an unsuitable place..


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## Tern (9 July 2014)

Well I have had one of my horses in my garden for a good 5 years and the other nearly a year so doomed if that's not allowed.  We live next to a school... It's a weird setup .. 

Here i have drawn you a pretty picture to help you imagine my setup..







On the other side of the house there is also a bit more grazing and we are building stables. This is making it sound like i have atleast 6-8acres of land infact i have probably make 4. 

EDIT: The blank space bottom left is the other neighbour's garden - missed that bit.


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