Last week I covered some of the environmental stuff thatyou need to take into account when designing your property. This week Iwill cover the economic factors in more detail.

It is always difficult to know where to start when you buy a property.You need to separate what you want from what you/your horses and yourproperty needs. For example many people start straight way by doing thefences (external and internal) and maybe putting in an arena andstables.

With fencing the most important fences are the external ones. Thesefences keep your horses on the property and can also keep intruders out(depending on the construction). I usually recommend that the fences aredone in two stages. The external fences should be done ASAP if they arenot already safe when you buy the property. The internal fences can comelater, even a year or two later as you can use temporary electricfencing to start with.

Leaving the permanent internal fences until later has many benefits. Itenables you to carry out pasture improvement without solid fencesgetting in the way. It allows you more time to plan where the internalfences need to go (there are many factors to take into consideration)and it saves money that can be spent on pasture improvements (which willsave you money on feed) and you will have more money available for anarena/buildings and more fencing further down the track.

So pasture improvement should be high up the list and carried out assoon as you can. As mentioned above these improvements will actuallysave you money in the long run which will enable you to get the thingsthat you want sooner. Planting trees on the boundaries for bio security,wildlife habitat and the many, many benefits that they provide shouldalso be done as soon as you can. This way you, your animals, wildlifeand the environment will start to reap the benefits sooner.

If the property is commercial then the arena is usually necessary fromthe beginning so that you can get on with business. An arena is a largeexpense if done properly and it is important that you get it right thefirst time (both in terms of where you put it and correct construction)so do not rush into putting one in. If you cannot afford one straightaway you can usually join a club and use theirs until you have one ofyour own.

Somewhere to confine your horses is usually necessary, especially on asmall horse property. As the land is improved your horses will be ableto have more grazing time but there will always be times of the yearwhen horses have to be confined either because the land needs a break orthe horse’s intake needs to be controlled.

Initially temporary yards can be constructed using electric tape. Makethem large enough so that horses are not coming into contact with themevery time they turn around. Approximately 100 square meters per horseshould be fine. Solid fenced yards (such as steel or post and rail canbe smaller. Around 50 squares to 100 squares is fine but keep in mindthat they will probably need a surface so the larger they are the morethe surface costs. These yards will need some form of shelter/shade.This can range from trees, to shade sails to moveable or permanentshelters/stables. Again shelters/stables are a large outlay so take timeto plan them. In QLD stables are not usually necessary, covered yardshave more benefits.

Disclaimer: While the author and publisher have taken all appropriatecare to ensure the accuracy of this articles content, no liability isaccepted for any loss or damage from or incurred as a result of anyreliance on the information provided in this article.

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