Home, sweet home for the horses at our new yard
Up until recently, I have been based at my family home and yard in Somerset. My parents built up their property - house, stables, arena and cross country course - from nothing and I have always felt very lucky to have such great facilities, just outside my door.
But now, at the age of 21, I am now embarking on starting up my own yard, as my ambitions and goals have increased, not to mention the number of horses I am riding!
Now that I am able to commit to eventing and training full time, I wanted my horses to have the best facilities I could afford and, after a few months of searching, I found the perfect yard. I am now based at a beautiful modern yard in Gloucester, set in 108 acres, with an indoor and outdoor arena, horsewalker and most of all some lovely landlords!
Whatever the British weather may throw at us - indoor and outdoor all weather arenas!
This move has given me the opportunity to step away from my family home which, as I am sure everyone knows, is a massive step for anyone. I owe so much to my Mum as she would always oversee everything and now I am independently managing the yard and 12 horses on my own. It was rather daunting, going it alone and taking on such a big yard, as well as the financial commitment, but the time was right for me and my team.
Now I am in a more central location in the country, my goal for 2021 is to try and bring on board some more owners, with the hope of producing more horses and achieving more results.
As with any self-employed or start up business, I have also had to quickly learn a lot about tax and VAT which was something my Dad would mainly deal with. I have only just started out, but this already feels as though it is adulting to the max!
I have some great prospects for the future with my current horses and I am so excited to see what my future will bring! I have only just started out, so any tips from those that have been there and done it would be much appreciated …
