Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 86

life

EQUESTRIAN

From pigs in
muck to
making a
stable living
Roz Whistance hears how the
brothers of Gatehouse Farm
made hay even when the sun
stopped shining

They say success breeds success.
But what is remarkable about the
story of Alan and Ken Beak of
Gatehouse Livery Yard is how they
bounced back from an economic
body blow to their family dairy
farm. They adapted, changed,
and emerged with a new and successful
business in livery and haylage.
They probably inherited an ability
to adapt from their parents. Tim and
Frances Beak had lived in Brazil, where
Tim managed a cattle ranch. They picked
a particularly harsh winter, 1962-3, to
return to the less balmy climes of the Isle
of Wight, where they took on Gatehouse
Farm. The boys and their sister Sally were
brought up to do their bit to help on the
farm.
“Heaving old tyres, usually filled with
water, onto the silage heap was possi bly
our least favourite job ever,” smiles Alan,
adding: “Cleaning out pigs came a close
second!”
The old tyres were for compressing grass
to make silage, and tell their own story
about how much farming methods have
changed over 40-odd years. Today, the
brothers have developed their haylage
business by delivering in user-friendly
small quantities, but back in the 60s
when small bales of hay was the standard
feed for dairy cows, there were no fast
machines to help make the thousands
required.
Gatehouse Farm said goodbye to its
pigs in the 1980s, a consequence of the
EC regulations which led to the closure
of local slaughterhouses. The dairy was
expanded, and grew again once Alan and
Ken, and their respective wives, Alyson
and Jo, took over the farm. While Alyson
and Jo took on the office work, the
brothers rebuilt the slurry compound,
necessary after “an over-enthusiastic mole
lost its way and caused a leak, and not a
few grey hairs!” At the same time, they
began their contract spraying business for
small paddocks which continues today.
Alan recalls the “challenges” involved

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in managing
cattle:
“Cows would
invariably
calve in the
field furthest
away from the
dairy if they could possibly help it – then
they’d hide the calf ! September was always
a month of searching hedges and ditches
for the missing calves then persuading
both to walk back to the dairy, preferably
together,” he adds wryly. “Occasionally a
clever cow would manage to unlatch a gate
and take a handful of others swimming
in the slurry pit. They are quite able
swimmers but are difficult to shower off
afterwards.”
The affection he and Ken held for their
cattle is tangible, and it was with great
sadness that, due to the poor returns to be
gained from dairy farming, they took the
decision in 2002 to sell the herd.
What they were left with was the cattle
accommodation, their tried and trusted
haymaking skills, and a rural location
riddled with bridleways near prosperous
Ryde. “We thought the old buildings were
well suited to conversion to DIY livery
units, and we could adapt our haymaking
talents to make top quality haylage and
hay,” says Ken. A trusty old Nissan truck
was used to build up a reliable delivery
service – “We are very familiar with every
pothole on most of the tiny back lanes of
the Island,” he quips.
Meanwhile the brothers turned their
attention to the livery side of the
business, designing and building from
scratch the 20 stables which now fit
neatly into the old cattle buildings. The
redundant silage store had three existing
walls and a concrete base, so a fence
and a suitable riding surface was added,
using recycled materials, to construct a
manege.
When you visit Gatehouse Farm today
you can’t help but be impressed by what
they have constructed out of the ashes
of their former business. Indeed, these

rather self-effacing brothers are quietly
proud of the fact that their DIY livery
yard has rather more facilities than you
might expect. “We aim to provide some of
the best DIY stabling on the Island,” says
Alan. “But we also give excellent value for
families and individuals.”
Thanks to the American barn style
stables, everything for horse and rider
is under cover. Adjoining each stable
is a lockable tack room and space for
grooming. Paddocks are provided, giving
summer and winter turnout, and horses
can be exercised all year round in the
newly refurbished outdoor sand school.
On top of the facilities provided – which
include a shower room and kitchen for
the owners – there are great opportunities
to ride in this pretty part of the world.
Livery customers are able to use the farm
ride, and beyond that there is a network
of adjoining bridleways, enabling rides
for many miles. Proximity to Brickfields,
with its equestrian events and facilities, is
another plus.
“Good hay, haylage and straw is
available for purchase, delivered to your
tack room at a reasonable price,” explains
Alan.
Alan and Ken welcome calls about
viewing the stables, or forage deliveries.
You can’t help suspecting that with their
have-a-go attitude, the second generation
of Beaks at Gatehouse Farm will grow on
earlier success.
Gatehouse Farm, Ashey. Tel: IW 611509
Mob: [phone]

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