# Keeping horses in Garden?



## HOWEN (30 June 2011)

Anyone know the laws of keeping horses in a garden or does anyone actually have their horses at home in the garden?   I have a large garden with a swimming pool; the decision has been made to get rid of it.  As its time consuming to look after, expensive to heat and no one actually uses it, I have been in once this year for 20 mins.  So we are thinking of building 3 stables in replacement of it.  I spoke to the local planning and we are putting forward plans, but they have no idea of the laws of keeping horses in a residential garden. The house is in a village and our garden backs on to a livery yard of 30 horses.  We are able to rent a field along the road so the horses will just b stabled there.  The driveway we own and our neighbors have access to garage. But no one seems to know the crack? Anyone with any information would be greatly appreciated.


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## BBH (30 June 2011)

I knew of someone years ago who couldn't afford his livery so took his horse home to live in the garden. 

However this was a residential garden in London and he had to remove it cos the neighbors complained.

There was some photo's on here recently from someone who had built 3 stables in their garden but  had a field at the back for grazing.

If the council allow it, and in mine view it will be dependent on the BHS requirements for keeping horses, you could be ok. You will need to submit plans as to how you will remove the muck heap etc etc.


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## Kaylum (30 June 2011)

As BBH says your muck heap is a very major factor.  You cant keep horses and have a muck heap in your garden as this is certainly not acceptable so unless you prove you are going to get it taken away every month you will have a big problem there.


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## crazyhorse4727 (30 June 2011)

Hey along the line of the muck heap if its not possible to use the liverys muck heap, you can hire skips, they cost abit more than your regular skip. But they come empty it when you need it and replace it with another one. So not that difficult realy! 
Hope it all works out for you!


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## Lollii (30 June 2011)

I'm not sure on the laws so I will be no help at all  but ..
I often drive down a busy A road here and for the last few years there has been an old horse grazed (cuts the grass!) in a small front garden of a house that fronts the road, it's weird because the garden is above the road so the horse looks down on you as you drive pass!

I have heard that they have land on the back of the house so in the winter the horse must go there.


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## HOWEN (30 June 2011)

The muck heap wont be a problem as we have quad bikes and was going to get a small trailer to fill and empty each week at the livery yard next door. I have already asked the farmer and he has no problems with this.  I am opting for rubber matting and looking for minimal waste bedding, anyone got any ideas???  . Trying to find a stable manufacturer at the moment to come up with something I have in mind. I want the stables to blend in with garden rather than having stables with a garden as I will have to look at them everyday if that makes sense.


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## Dubsie (1 July 2011)

May be a litttle rusty on this (and law may have changed), so best check with your local authority, they may provide info on their webnsite as to what you can/can't do.  I think that provided the building isn't within 15ft of the house (so not within curtilage), there are what is known as I think Class E development rights, which permit you to put up a building not over a certain size - think approx 3m x 4m - and not more than (think 4m) high.

If you're in a conservation area or green belt you may have more restrictions


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## Tnavas (1 July 2011)

HOWEN said:



			The muck heap wont be a problem as we have quad bikes and was going to get a small trailer to fill and empty each week at the livery yard next door. I have already asked the farmer and he has no problems with this.  I am opting for rubber matting and looking for minimal waste bedding, anyone got any ideas???  . Trying to find a stable manufacturer at the moment to come up with something I have in mind. I want the stables to blend in with garden rather than having stables with a garden as I will have to look at them everyday if that makes sense.
		
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Don't know the UK laws anymore so can't help you with those but deep litter bedding is one thing to consider as you then only take out the droppings. The other type of bedding to consider is peat. It will be expensive to start with and is rather dark but the waste will be much sort after bby gardeners.


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## jackessex (1 July 2011)

we had ours in the garden,and so long as the muck is taken away it should be fine,we used to hire a small trailer from the local farmer and he would take it away when full,our stables were also in the garden and the planner said so long as they are 3 metres away from the road and within the boundry it should be fine,also the stables must not be more than 4 mtrs high.but be carefull as im sure the council will still look for ways to make money!!!lol


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## Paddy Irish (1 July 2011)

I had planning for stables in my garden , i only wanted two stables and as long as they didn't exceed 3m in height and were more than a certain distance from the house that was ok. Nobody mentioned a muck heap at the time but my lot live out so the muck heap is in the field anyway. The only other stipulation is that i could only use them for my own personal horses i.e I couldn't do livery as a business , although my friend does keep her horse with me but i don't charge her , she contributes in other ways like feed . hay etc.


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## Wispa1995 (1 July 2011)

Around 10 years ago, our family had our 2 horses in our garden for a good couple of years. I think if you do the relevent checks, there shouldnt be a problem


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## Archina (1 July 2011)

We looked into this when we built our stables. It might be different in the rest of the UK but in Scotland you dont need planning permission to erect stables in your garden. If you split it up into 2 stables long as it cant be any bigger than that, cant quite remember the reason why.


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## vickyb (2 July 2011)

It was a long time ago, but we had 3 stables and a small paddock at the top of our garden. I usually had two ponies and they were bedded on straw. We had a three bay muckheap (for fresh, partially rotted, well rotted) which I was fanatical about keeping tidy. Disposal was never a problem - my Dad used to put it on the garden and the neighbours used to help themselves as well, by the end of the summer (when pones were out anyway) all the bays were empty and we started again. We had brilliant roses as well!


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## McNally (2 July 2011)

Not sure law wise but my grandad had horses in the back garden! He had a few stables and turned them out in a field down the road (occasionally in the garden!)

I used to ride a Arab pony for someone and he lived in a garage in the back garden of a normal semi on a mid city housing estate. He seemed happy enough but i thought it cruel he never ever got turn out as their garden was patio and pots no grass at all. As a result he was lethal to ride off road!


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## Groom42 (2 July 2011)

My garden is small - long and thin - and at the bottom are three stables and a tiny crew yard!  Our neighbours are very tolerant, and have been known to pat horses over the fence in between weeding and mowing!  The farrier comes and shoes in an enclosed car port, which is also used for clipping, plaiting and bathing. We rent the field opposite the house and lead across for turnout.  The horses are generally out 24/7, but the stables are used in foul weather (occasionally!) and prior to competitions.  No muck heap, just a small 3ft trailer that is emptied every other day when the stables are in use by towing to the local farmer's muckheap.  We have no hay storage space, but collect a large 100kg bale of haylage on the way back from the muckheap, while the trailer is empty.  Bedding is usually shavings or wood pellets, or cardboard, however we have recently gained a supply of shredded paper from a local office/business for free.  We have four nags at the moment - one retired, one pony, one at 1* and one at 2*   The lack of "posh" facilities leads to the pretty regular purchase of Lottery tickets, but we cope pretty much with what we have


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## ofcourseyoucan (2 July 2011)

provided you have a reletaviley large garden, you can usually erect stables within the garden curtilage, on a permitted development rights of the property, without any planning consent required. has you property retained its PDR?


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## miller (2 July 2011)

Our stables are within our garden, 4 12x12 stalked in a row. No issues with planning, wanted to know about muck disposal (we have trailer next to garage collected when full) horses turned out in field outside of garden and arena in there. Stables approx 20ft from house, 8th from garage


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## miller (2 July 2011)

Our stables are within our garden, 4 12x12 stables in a row. No issues with planning, wanted to know about muck disposal (we have trailer next to garage collected when full) horses turned out in field outside of garden and arena in there. Stables approx 20ft from house, 8th from garage


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## noodle_ (2 July 2011)

isit legal in general (no stables) to keep a horse @ home??


im not asking if its morally ok but in general?


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## McNally (2 July 2011)

noodle_ said:



			isit legal in general (no stables) to keep a horse @ home??


im not asking if its morally ok but in general?


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I imagine is depends on area? We are not allowed hens here!


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## Armas (6 January 2013)

McNally said:



			I imagine is depends on area? We are not allowed hens here!
		
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Interesting thread would like to know the out come. As for not being able to keep hens what was the reason given ? 
LA so pi%% me off its your land its not as if you are running a farm or building the next world trade centre in your garden.
I live in rural France you would be amazed at what you see in peoples gardens no one says a thing, mind you not many people ask permission to do things as French bureaucracy sucks !


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## Como (6 January 2013)

Totally depends where you live, we wanted to buy a house down a private driveway with one third of an acre and no bordering neighbours, the planners would not even give permission for a garage. This was near Sevenoaks in Kent in an AONB. We live near the greenbelt where permission for anything is nigh on impossible. Also does your property have exclusions on its deeds? Like one of the posters, another house we wanted had a stipulation of no chickens, an old clause from the previous feudal landlord!! Try outline planning permission to get an idea. Getting anything our of the planners without submitting proper plans seems to be nigh on impossible! You may also get objections from neighbours, I know we are all used to it but horses do emit a unique odour.


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## Dry Rot (6 January 2013)

There could be a condition in the title deeds against keeping animals, but if they couldn't stop a woman keeping a horse in her house, I doubt they will get far trying to stop someone keeping one in their garden!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-keeping-pony-Grey-Lady-Too-living-room.html


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## Armas (6 January 2013)

Dry Rot said:



			There could be a condition in the title deeds against keeping animals, but if they couldn't stop a woman keeping a horse in her house, I doubt they will get far trying to stop someone keeping one in their garden!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-keeping-pony-Grey-Lady-Too-living-room.html

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Condition of deeds are one thing as you buy your property knowing that information. Where as some jumped up jobs worthy bureaucrat telling you that you cannot keep chickens makes boils my blood.


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## lamehorse (6 January 2013)

even before the permitted developement laws a few years back ,  there is a very old law that says it is every englishmans right to have a stable in his back garden .  the same as the old law of the horse having rights before the car on the road.  this law has also never been changed and in THEORY  you can demand the traffic to stop on the MI !!!  wouldnt think it would stand up in court now if it was challanged , but you never know !!!   with the permitted developement law you can have PET horses and stables for them in your garden as they are incidental to the enjoyment of your dwelling.     you can also have a muck heap ,  but it must be well away from boundries and smell must not be an issue .      so if you cant put stables in your field for planning reasons ,  there is nothing to stop you putting them up at home .     musnt cover more than 50% of your garden though .  ( garden as in curtilage , not agricultural land )


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## Suelin (6 January 2013)

Providing that your stables are over 12 metres from your house and anyone else's then you do not need planning to have stables in the garden. This comes from old planning laws made when people had working horses.  I built 2 in mine prior to building my yard.  I took muck away in a trailer once per week and never had any problems.  A friend of mine has done the same and so have 3 other households in our village.  Go for it.


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## rainer (6 January 2013)

We have our pony in the garden and we have free use of the field right next door too and have a stable in the big shed in the garden for wen he needs it  we do live in the country though and our garden is big


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## Milkmaid (6 January 2013)

Planning laws are so variable depending on so many factors!

But on the subject of minimal waste bedding then definately Wood Pellets! It was for this very reason that I converted to them & now I wouldn't change to anything else even if I could! 
I semi deep litter one and take out less than a barrow of wet a week! The other has wet out daily (hes foul!) and that is less than half a trug 
With pellets you don't waste any bed when you skip out either as it all falls through the fork leaving just the poo. And absolutely NO smell to annoy the neighbours, result! Message me if you want to pick my brains further on pellets.


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## Dry Rot (6 January 2013)

That's a good point about ancient laws. Especially as regards horses as transport!

I met a farrier who had bought a few acres of bare ground, then obtained PP to build a house. Knowing the area, this surprised me. I queried this and he told me there is ancient legislation (in Scotland) giving farriers and black smiths preferential treatment because the idea was that they should be encouraged to set up in business as it improved transport. I've never found anyone to confirm this but it does sound plausible. Does anyone know?

(Sorry to go OT!).


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## Mythical (6 January 2013)

I used to have a pony on part loan that lived in the back garden of its owners council house along with two brood mares followed shortly after by their foals, a stallion, and three other riding horses.  All had decent sized stables and their owners still had a lovely garden with a pond.  It was only temporary though, the horses had at least three other homes while I had that pony and I believe now they're on a "proper" liver yard.  

No help, sorry, just a nice memory.


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## Polos Mum (6 January 2013)

In Bucks (where I used to live) the planning laws were much more relaxed for putting up stables in your garden vs a field so lots of people in the village have stables in the garden and then a field opposite/ over road etc. to keep the horse in. 
I guess if they had enough space in the garden for grazing that would be fine to. 
I often bring mine into the garden to cut the grass for me in the summer.


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## Whoopit (13 January 2013)

I've thought about this for when we move house if we find something with a large enough garden. In winter mine are in 24hrs a day anyway as one gets riddled with mud rash and consequently the other stays in for ease of time.

Would want to find a field to rent for summer though - they'd go mad with no grass all year round! And i'd have to convince the other half to have them at the bottom of the garden. Not sure he'd buy into it!!


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