New online service to revolutionise way horse and livery owners connect
Argyll has a large community of passionate equestrians whose horses are their pride and joy.
Many without their own pastures will know the struggle of choosing a suitable home for their horses and ponies.
Established during lockdown, Amazingrazing, a UK-wide online service connecting horse owners searching for grazing areas with land owners looking to rent land for livery, could be the answer to this problem.
In a similar format to an online-dating site, the service is being set up to make it easy for reliable and trustworthy horse and livery owners to connect.
The interface and lightning-fast search and filter system will allow users to create profiles and get matched instantly to nearby owners. The site will be review-based to ensure all members meet the high standards required. Founder Felix Newall Smith, pictured, who is based in Dorset, said: ‘Amazingrazing modernises the way horse and livery owners connect, giving everyone a long-awaited place necessary to build great relationships before even meeting. No more stressed-out horse or livery owners will mean happier healthier horses – and humans.’
The concept for Amazingrazing came to Mr Newall-Smith, aged 34, six years ago when he owned a horse in The New Forest and struggled to find somewhere suitable when the livery yard closed down.
He saw the need for a professionally managed service when he realised the only way to find places currently was through social media groups, local connections or ‘outdated websites’.
‘I thought it was mad that in this day and age, the main way people find livery is word-of-mouth and Facebook groups,’ Mr Newall-Smith said. ‘I thought there must be a better way.’
After being made redundant from his job shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Mr Newall-Smith, a design engineer who studied at Bournemouth University, decided to develop Amazingrazing during his free time in lockdown which provided the perfect opportunity to get the business off the ground.
Livery owner and equestrian business consultant John McDonald said: ‘I work with liveries and meet horse owners every day and know that finding the right horse owners for your yard is critical. Liveries are a community and getting the right balance of personalities is important to help develop harmony on the yard. Amazingrazing allows livery and horse owners to get to know each other before making a commitment. This, I am certain, will help greatly to take the stress out of running a livery and owning a horse.’
Find out more about Amazingrazing, which officially launches in June 2021, at Amazingrazing.co.uk.