Bring your horse on Holiday

There are two purpose built stables available, plus a tack & feed room for your use. The floor area of box one is approximately 10ft x 10ft, whilst box two measures approximately 10ft x 14ft. There is a partition between the stable boxes so one large box can be made. The two stable doors are 7ft 6in high x 3ft 6in wide, with the heavy half doors provide ventilation as well as the traditional view for the horse. The stables feature a high beamed ceiling fitted with strip lighting. The light switches are located in the tack & feed room, where mains power sockets can also be found.

Each stable has automatic water drinkers and there is an outside tap to fill water buckets if your horse prefers. A useful hose connection is provided for washing down your horse also. Both areas have a haynet ring and the larger box also has a fixed hay rack. The flooring is made of concrete, slightly sloped to allow draining to an outside drain collection point under the concrete path outside. This floor is suitable for all types of bedding. A mucking out barrow, forks and broom etc are available. You can either provide your own bedding or tell me in advance what your requirements are and I will supply it at cost. Similarly, if you also require hay and/or feed, then this can also be arranged.

Leading out from the stables there is a sand paddock area of approximately 25ft x 21ft, which is fenced with wooden post and rail. I have previously used this area mainly for my Welsh Cob who was always over weight! It is an area where your horse can wander about without eating, whilst having access to the stables to shelter from sun or rain. The sand paddock area has two entrances and these are large enough for a horse drawn vehicle to enter by. The primary entrance is a wooden gate leading in from the cottage car park, whilst the other is made up of two bars leading out into the first of the three main paddocks.

The first paddock is suitable as a small grazing, lunging, or warm up paddock. It is fenced on one side with post and rail, whilst the other sides have line wire, trees and hedging. There is an open ditch running partly along one edge. This paddock can be observed from the windows at the front and side of the cottage, as well as from the garden.

From the first paddock you can cross our footpath into the second larger turnout paddock. This is lined with trees, hedging and a small amount of well kept barbed wire. This is the paddock most easily observed from the upstairs windows to the front of the cottage. There is a mains water tap along the footpath with a hose connection for filling the large water bins provided in each paddock.

The third paddock is the largest area and is fenced all round with Kiwi Horse fencing. Three of the sides are 5ft high, whilst the cottage side with the main entrance is 4ft 3in high. This fencing is newly installed and the area is truly fantastic. Big mature trees surround the field on the outside of the fencing, creating shade and wind breaks. The main gate-way has double galvanised gates and large vehicle's can drive into the field to discharge the horses in a safe enclosed area. There are no public roads around us at all and this is a safe environment for grazing.

From the entrance track leading up to Field Cottage, you can ride straight out into the forest. Here you will find miles of trails with many varied surroundings to explore in blissful peace and quiet. If you want to go even further afield, our country lanes are very quiet and can take you to different villages and/or bridleways. A local Ordinance Survey map is provided in the cottage to help you plan your routes.

A riding or trekking holiday in the Winter, Spring & Autumn is wonderful here, as the going in the forest and country tracks is sand based with little or no mud. The weather can be very good, with the lowest rainfall in the country and the countryside is not busy. Even on the rare occasions when the temperature gets chilly, the days are mostly bright and cheerful. There are also no or few horsefly's during these seasons and we don't see the biting forest flies which we do have during the summer weeks.

However, the Summer is great riding too, so long as you are prepared to deal with the fly issue successfully. The only deterrent I have used with real success is the Boett Sweet Itch, all over blanket. So I would recommend the Winter, Spring or Autumn season for the most fun, peace and independence with your horse. But of course it is up to you as the designer of your holiday, so enjoy!