horsekeeping, April 24, 2003
Reviewer: A reader

Give wise details with small acreage, land usage, water supply, turnout space and essentials for the horse to survive but be comfortable at the same time. Goes down to as small as 3 acres and as large as 100. Legal aspects to consider. Composts to deal with and so on, worth buying for sure.

a must for the horse owner, July 30, 2001

great book..talks about everything you need to know if having horses on your property..from fencing, and barn ideas...to flooring and windows.......heat...fire...food....how to place it...where to put it...every horse owner should read this book!!!

A must-own book!, March 19, 2001
Reviewer: A reader

My husband picked this one up for me at the library one day and I read it and know that I must own one to refer to when we are ready to start our horse farm!! I am ordering a copy today! It contains very useful information for the novices, like we are.

Excellent down-to-earth advise, August 27, 2000
Reviewer: A reader

Books on the specific subject of land management are few and far between especially in a format one can understand and implement. This is a great book and a must-have for anyone who wants to know how to manage their land. I highly recommend this book.

Very Informative, August 10, 2000

This book helped immensely when I went from never having owned to owning 3 horses in western Washington State. On our 4 acres, we managed, with the help of this book, to not only find ways to work with space conflicts, but with a small budget. She offers many good suggestions to use everyday things, or common things in place of over-priced "horse" items, buckets, feed tubs, fencing, etc. Someone else commented on the "vagueness" of the book, but I never found that to be true, except that it didn't have phone numbers for your solutions. The point of the book in my opinion, is to show that with a little creativity, one can find perfectly good ways to do things in a small space and with a small budget. The book's suggestions also have held good through my moving horses down to CA and dealing with climate and weather changes. Very useful for the small budget/space horse person.

Loaded With Information, August 2, 2000

I have read this book from cover to cover. It will help make up your mind "to own a horse or not to own a horse". Cherry will make you stop and think about how much time you will need to spend with your horse, and if you really have the time to make the horse happy. How much work it will take to furnish your horse with the facilities it needs. I found it very informative.

Excellent "first timers" book, November 5, 1999

This was a wonderful book. It was my first book from Amazon.com as well as a book for my very first horse purchase. I was curious about small acreage layouts and how to get the best use of your limited space. This book provided everything I could have asked for besides the actual blueprints of the barn. This is a must-see book!

Great Book for first time and ongoing horse owners, January 14, 1999
Reviewer: A reader

I am in the process of purchasing an acreage and this book has become my bible. It has the best and most thorough information I have seen in regards to what is needed for an acreage. Definitely a book for new owners, or those who are in the process of fixing up their land for horses.

Valuable, Practical, and Very Informative, August 23, 1998
Reviewer: A reader

This is a great book for anyone planning to keep horses at their own facility. A must-have. It's full of useful information on everything you need to know. It's also easy to read, and very interesting.

from Lori Albrough
Bluebird Lane Fjords

Here's another book, written by a consummate horse-woman, which I have made great use of in designing and building my facility. I just wish I had discovered it earlier! Although it certainly includes barn plans, that is not the primary focus of this book, but rather Hill focuses more on design of your entire facility, including a detailed discussion of laying out your paddocks and buildings to make the best use of your land, taking into account all factors such as neighbors, footing, land formations and existing buildings, roads, and natural features.

This lady knows her stuff, having taught university-level courses in horse-management and training, and written numerous well-regarded books. She is also a breeder and trainer of horses, and a judge for several national breed organizations. She starts at the beginning in this book, discussing the benefits and responsibilities of horse ownership, horse behavior as it relates to management, the needs of the horse, and the different levels of management. She takes you through choosing an acreage, designing the layout, barn construction, other buildings, choosing machinery and equipment, fencing for training and turn-out, pasture and hay-field management, water, sanitation, an excellent fire prevention section (do I seem obsessed with fire prevention? I think fire is every barn owner's greatest fear), and on through daily routines, and record keeping.

Anyone who is contemplating moving their horses to their own place should get this book. Experienced horse managers will also enjoy the text, and will undoubtedly pick up some helpful tips from this first-rate author and horse-person.

A Must Have!
January 24, 2000 Reviewer: A reader from North Carolina

I bought this book when we first talked about having horses. We knew that we would have limited acreage and wanted to make the most of it for our new horses. Cherry Hill givens direct to point, no fluff information to use every single day. From fencing to feeding, you get sensible strategies. In fact, I mistakenly forgot this book while on vacation. Disheartened to lose the book, I immediately ordered another copy. This book is a reference for every small farm or horse hobbyist.

Probably the best book on planning your property for horses
April 25, 2000 Reviewer: DJB from New York

This common-sense guide, by a horse care expert, has information on planning your property, building design, fences, paddocks, fire safety, pasture and hay-lot management and much more. The book is packed with photos and with illustrations, plans and useful details of stable designs.

Incredibly comprehensive and useful
February 6, 2000 Reviewer: A reader from Palo Alto, CA

As someone new to owning horses, I found this book amazingly thorough, very intelligent, and clear. Well worth the price. Ms. Hill clearly knows what she's talking about, and covers in detail all issues involved in keeping horses: costs and time commitment, keeping your horse in a stall vs. on a pasture, what to look for when buying a property, a complete treatise on fencing, how to design a barn and other outbuildings, all aspects of feed, pasture layout/grass selection/rotation, proper sanitation, fire prevention and response, how to plan with flexibility for future growth in case you decide to add more horses, and more. Includes sample "blueprints" of various acreage layouts including buildings, landscaping, type of fencing, etc. and explains why each choice was made for the example property. The author has thought of virtually everything, offering all kinds of tips as she lays out the pros and cons of your various options so you can decide what's best for your particular situation, instead of just foisting her opinions on you. Especially if you're a first-time owner, you'll be able to proceed with complete confidence after reading this book because you know you're not missing a single piece of information. I have decided to order several others by this author because it's easy to see that everything she writes is going to be information-packed, very helpful, and well-written.

Best book on horsekeeping I've read. Simple, never boring.
December 8, 1998 Reviewer: A reader from Denver, CO, USA

Cherry Hill is the best author on horses I've read to date. Concise, understandable, no gibberish. Maintains my interest and doesn't waste my time.

Loved it - very practical, usable information
November 26, 1997 Reviewer: A reader from Bellbrook, Ohio

This book is a must for anyone with horses at home, thinking about having horses at home, boarding their horse, anyone involved with facilities management or just daydreaming about building the ideal horse farm. It is chock full of practical, digestible information on a plethora of relevant subjects(such as fencing, feeding, construction and safety issues) . As owner/operator of a horse boarding facility, I find myself consulting this book over and over. It is a must have in my personal library!