There are number of different types of equestrian property from residential properties for just you and your horse to riding schools that you are able to run as a business, here we will look at the different equestrian property types and see what to look for in the property.
Residential Property
For many of us horse owners we dream of purchasing a property that we can share with our horse(s), for a domestic property you will not need any special mortgage and can be bought with a normal residential mortgage. When looking at buying a property for you and your horse it is important to consider a number of factors, these factors include the cost of managing and maintaining the property and the land in the future. Also consider the equestrian facilities the property may have, such as riding arena, stables and storage for your horses feed, tack and other equestrian equipment. Another key factor is the extra cost in council rates these additional facilities may incur, as well as ensuring that all the correct planning permissions are in place.
Riding Schools
When looking at buying a property for a riding school you have a number of considerations, first of which is the facilities available, how many stables do you have, schools for teaching (an indoor school would obviously very beneficial as would allow you to offer lessons all year round even when the weather is bad.) As a riding school is a business you will need either a commercial mortgage or semi commercial mortgage, so you will need to have the projected ins and outs of the business, make sure you consider all expenses from staff costs, through to the appropriate insurance needed for teaching. Also ensure you research the area of the riding school in depth making sure there will be plenty of prospective students local to you.
Competition Yard
If you are looking for a base for you and your yard of competition yards then there are some key equestrian facilities that you may need, these include riding arena, stables, horse solarium, horse walker, hacking and turnout paddocks. Another important consideration is travel routes, a close by show center may also be very helpful allowing you to keep travel distance to a minimum.
