To buy a copy of our advisory 2012 Horse Pasture calendar please visit the Horse Pasture Management Calendar page.

• Introduction
• Considerations
• Grazing available in Surrey
• Surrey County Council owned land

Introduction

This page is designed to assist landowners and horse owners in Surrey by providing an area where available grazing land can be advertised. There is sometimes a fine line between DIY grazing/livery and renting pasture, so adverts for both these will be placed. However, the Horse Pasture Management Project is unable to advertise other livery services. There are many websites which provide the opportunity for stables to advertise livery vacancies and most horse feed/tack suppliers have notice-boards where such adverts can be placed. Many equestrian magazines also provide advertising opportunities.

It is important to check thoroughly the suitability of a site before horses are moved to new pastures or stabling. This website will provide landlords and tenants with comprehensive advice on a variety of topics associated with horse pastures and land management. The Grazing Agreement pageexplains the significance of having a legally binding written agreement that defines the conditions surrounding the letting of land. An agreement is essential for the protection of both parties and will help preserve land quality and maintain good standards of equine welfare.

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Considerations

Below are some suggestions of factors to consider when assessing the suitability of land for horse-keeping:

• Site access for vehicles including cars, horse transport, grassland management machinery and possibly lorries for manure removal;
• Proximity to rights of way for exercising horses if they are ridden or driven;
• Utilities such as water supply, electricity, lighting etc;
• Facilities such as storage areas for feed, bedding, tack etc if applicable;
• Acreage offered in comparison to your horse's/horses' needs and in relation to stabling provisions, if applicable. Take into consideration the need to rest, rotate and carry out management procedures on land;
• Previous use of land;
• Potential hazards such as rabbit holes, poisonous plants etc;
• Suitability of soil type and sward composition. Different soil types will present varying nutrient contents, pH and drainage properties. The suitability of grass species growing will vary depending on the particulars of the horse(s) and/or pony(ponies) to be grazed;
• Drainage is essential to maintain pasture health, especially if the land is to be grazed year-round. Natural drainage properties will depend on the type of soil and landscape characteristics. Improvements may include ditches, underground pipes etc;
• Shade/shelter available for year-round protection from the elements;
• Safe, strong and well maintained fencing;
• Levels of safety and security offered, both in terms of the well-being of grazing animals and the security of the premises against theft/damage etc;
• Land designations and management agreements may affect what can be done on land and may affect any planning applications. It is advisable to contact the Local Planning Authority (the Borough or District Council) for advice.

Your tenancy agreement should outline who is responsible for managing the land and carrying out maintenance work.

Please read the Project Disclaimer.

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Grazing available in Surrey

If you would like to place an advert here, please contact the Horse Pasture Management Project. State that you would like to place an advert and include the text you would like to go in the advert along with the accompanying contact details. Please don't forget to contact the Project again to request the removal of your advert when you have let your land.Adverts will be automatically removed after one year unless a request is received to leave the advert in place.

If you own or manage a horse-keeping site in Surrey remember to contact the Horse Pasture Management Projectwith your address, to register on the Project's database of Surrey horse-keepers. This database is used to enable horse pasture management guidance produced by the Project to be distributed directly to the target audience. Please note, only people owning or managing pasture (and not horse owners keeping horses at livery) can register on the database.

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Surrey County Council owned land

Information about how Surrey County Council’s grazing land is managed and let can be found on the Farm Management web page.
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