Valley Farm is a wonderful place to keep your horse. A beautiful setting with high standards of animal welfare, excellent facilities, friendly personalised service and decades of experience ensuring both horses and owners enjoy their time with us.

Please speak to us to discuss your individual requirements.

We offer:

• Full livery
• Working livery
• Schooling livery
• Short stay or holiday livery
• A range of lovely horses and ponies for loan

Yard Facilities

Highly commended by the British Horse Society, ABRS+ and Livery List approved, you can be reassured that you have made the best decision to chose a home for your horse.  

We have around 80 acres of traditional meadows, fully fenced with electric fencing and automatic water drinkers.

Year round turnout is available. Horses are usually stabled during the day and turned out in carefully selected herds overnight. The pastures are grazed on rotation. We are fortunate to have summer grazing on the marsh which remains green even during hot dry summers, and higher ground which is ideal during wetter winter months.

All stables, yards and walkways are concrete and floodlit, keeping winter mud and darkness to a minimum. 

For security the yard is gated and covered by CCTV. The tack room is alarmed. The owner lives on the property. There is only one entrance.

Spacious, airy stables, all fitted with electric lighting, automatic water drinkers and kick bolts on the doors and within view of other horses.

There is a separate feed room and storage area for tools, grooming kit and rug boxes etc.

The following are available for use by livery owners/loaners*:

• Restaurant and Vending machines. 
• Toilets and Showers. 
• Two Indoor Schools.
• Three surfaced all-weather outdoor arenas
• Jumping paddocks with show jumps and working hunter jumps.
• Horse agility and woking equitation obsatcles
• Driving cones and obstacles
• Hacking over three miles of secure off-road farm tracks including gallops and woodland.
• Extra large mounting blocks.
• Horse weighbridge
• Free carparking with lighting.
• Space for trailer or horsebox storage on site.
• Regular visits from farrier, vets and other equine professionals.
• Livery owners/loaners enjoy discounted rates for group lessons, private lessons and stable management lessons.
• Lessons with professional accredited coaches are available in jumping, flatwork, lunging, western, side saddle, vaulting, working equitation, stable management, carriage driving, horseball, polocrosse, and more!
• Dressage and racing simulators available for biomechanics lessons or hire for fitness training.
• Livery owners/loaners can enter our on site competitions, clinics and training days at a reduced rate.
• We are OFSTED registered and have first-aiders on site allowing you peace of mind when leaving your children with us for the whole day.  
• Our Club atmosphere encourages those who wish to become involved in choosing activities to take part in, and helping to make it a livery yard that is suited to the existing livery owners.
• We have a Young Equestrians club on site for teenagers
• We are a registered Pony Club centre allowing owners and loaners to get involved with Pony Club activities, competitions, tests and certificates if they wish.
• Adults can become members of the Riding Club based at Valley Farm, for a selection of social and educational events along with opportunities to volunteer for RDA
• We also offer BHS challenge awards for adults.

* Additional fees apply for some services/facilities.

You can find out more about our facilities on  our FACILITIES PAGE

Wellbeing

We believe in treating others as we would like to be treated and so, in addition to providing excellent facilities and service, horse wellbeing is of upmost importance to us.  We care for livery horses as if they are our own. It is so important to us that we have dedicated a whole page of our website rather than just a few lines here. You can find out more about our ethos on  our HORSE WELLBEING PAGE

We think that our livery yard is a place where both horses and people enjoy spending their time and we do our best to make sure that it stays that way. Livery owners and loaners are supported, guided and encouraged by us to be responsible horse owners, to improve their riding and horsemanship skills and join in with group activities where appropriate.

More information

Below is a summary of the types of livery and loaning available but please do speak to us to discuss your individual requirements. We will do our best to adjust contracts to ensure that individual needs of horses and owners can be met where possible.

Full Livery

We take full responsibility for the care, feeding and bedding for your horse, leaving you time to enjoy riding and spending quality time with your equine friend.

Working Livery  

Ideal for owners who do not have time to exercise their horse every day. We take responsibility for the full care, feeding, bedding etc of your horse so no need to worry if you can't get here every day.  

Schooling Livery 

As with working livery we take responsibility for the full care, feeding, bedding etc of your horse, but in addition we will discuss a suitable schooling programme with you to best meet the needs of you and your horse. 

Short term Livery

If you are staying on holiday, or for a show,  either at Valley Farm, or in the local area, then we may be able to accommodate your horse(s) during your stay. Please contact us with you dates, number of horses and requirements for a quote.  Short term liveries are not usually mixed with the herd, but have a separate field or stable to themselves. 

Loaning a Pony from us

Having your own horse is exciting and fulfilling, but it is also a big responsibility. If you are not quite ready to be solely responsible for the care and training of a new horse, but you feel you would benefit from spending more time riding, caring for and having fun with a horse, you may be able to loan one from Valley Farm.  We have a range of horses and ponies suitable for different sizes and abilities of riders, if you would like a pony to call your own, and live within easy reach of Valley Farm. Loaned horses are kept in working livery at Valley Farm.  All Loaners need to be Pony Club members or have BHS Gold membership. Loaners must be able to groom and tack up by themselves and be able to mount/dismount and adjust their own stirrups and girth safely without assistance. If you are unsure of your ability you may prefer to book some lessons before committing to loaning. 

Advantages of loaning 

• Not as overwhelming as the responsibility which comes with buying your first horse.
• Spend as much time as you like with your chosen horse and improve your friendship bond.
• Helpful for children or adults to learn about the responsibilities of horse ownership while receiving guidance from us when required.
• Gain confidence in carrying out every day tasks required for horse ownership. 
• Loaners and horses benefit from being able to spend time together outside of lessons.
• Loaners can practice what they have learned during their riding, groundwork and stable management lessons. 
• Loaners are encouraged to assist with all areas of caring for and looking after their horses wellbeing.
• Improve your confidence with groundwork, grooming, training.
• Access to our club Facebook pages where we share horse care and training tips. 
• Set livery price during the contract. (Small additional care costs for wormers and shoeing from time to time)
• Replacement riding horse supplied if horse is unable to work longterm. 
• Valley Farm will pay unexpected vet bills unless caused by the loaner.
• Loaned horses are exercised by us to be sure that they continue to receive appropriate work and training.
• Company to ride with.
• Free use of excellent facilities: Indoor School, all weather arenas, jumps, off-road hacking, obstacle course etc
• Own horse rate for competitions, clinics, lessons etc. 
• Staff and first aiders on call whilst riding. 
• We care for the horse when loaner is not around.
• No problems of having to sell horse when its outgrown or the rider progresses in ability. 
• A good way to find out if you have the time for a horse, if you are interested in buying your own, but don't want to make a large financial commitment straight away.
• A great way to fully try out one of our ponies if you are interested in buying it. 
• Peace of mind - all our horses are health checked, fully insured, trained and assessed for their suitability.

Disadvantages of loaning

• Horse cannot be removed to a different livery yard.
• Loaned horses and ponies cannot be shared with your friends.

Advantages to the loaned horse/pony. 

• Livery goes some way towards horses keep.
• Horse/pony gets extra T.L.C. 
• Loaned ponies continue to live with their friends and don't have to undergo the social upheaval of moving home. 

Premium Loaning

Premium loaning is available for adults and children. As a premium loaner you can ride for as long or as little as you want, and as often as you like whenever the yard is open. (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays during school term time) Loaners on the premium scheme can join in with some stable management lessons free of charge. They have the opportunity to take part in clinics, competitions and training days at reduced prices and can take their horses out to shows as long they have adequate insurance. 

Budget Loaning.

Budget loaning is perfect for adults who would like a horse to ride and pamper. Available 3 days a week ( Wednesday, Thursday & Friday). Visiting times to be booked in advance with the office. There are no additional costs (unless the horse is injured or property broken due to your neglect) A minimum contract of 3 months is required, the loan fee is payable monthly in advance. Budget loaning is only available to riders aged 18 and over. The horse may not be taken off the premises or ridden by family or friends.  BHS Gold membership required by loaner.

Lead Rein Loaning

Lead rein loaning is available for a few selected ponies, and is suitable for horsey adults who have a toddler wanting to do more than our regular tots club. Ideal for parents who do not wish to buy multiple small ponies as their child grows. Lead rein loaners need to book a time slot for visits.  The responsible adult is required to be a BHS gold member. There are no additional costs (unless the horse is injured or property broken due to your neglect) a minimum contract of 3 months is required, the loan fee is payable monthly in advance.  The horse may not be taken off the premises or ridden by family or friends.

Horses/ponies available for loan:

Please ask if you are interested in loaning one of our ponies/horses and we will see if we can pair you with a suitable equine partner. It is important to us that the personality of horse and rider are compatible, so we will take care when selecting the right partnerships.

Loaning a Horse or Pony to Valley Farm 

Occasionally when space permits, we are able to accept horses on a long term loan or donation.  There is often high demand so we are not able to accommodate every horse that is applied for, but if possible, we will try to help. Horses on loan to, or donated to Valley Farm must be healthy, vaccinated and suitable to be ridden by staff and selected clients in the riding school. 

Contact us

Please contact us for details of prices and availability of space if you would like to bring a horse in livery or are interested in loaning a pony from us. 

If you would like to loan or donate a horse/pony to us please get in touch and we let you know if we can help you.

email sarah@valleyfarm.co.uk or call 01728 746916