Lovely Leicestershire

Prime hunting country and proper countryside make Leicestershire and Rutland an attractive proposition for equestrian house-buyers, at competitive prices, says Lucy Elder

- Lucy Elder

IF Leicestershire is the heart of rural England, then the horse is surely the heart of Leicestershire. Few counties can boast quite so many links with the equestrian world, and those roots run deep.

If the inviting hedges and rolling countryside don’t set every rider imagining the feeling of galloping across the open fields, the fox emblem synonymous with the county serves as a reminder that this is considered by many to be the birthplace of hunting. Chasing foxes is consigned to the past, but hunting within the law is very much part of the area’s present and future.

Alongside this heritage, a broader and thriving equestrian industry is blooming – sport horses, leisure horses, riding schools, military horses, racehorses, heavy horses which makes Leicestershire and neighbouring jewel Rutland a special place to live and ride.

ACCESS and space are two of the key selling points – add to that the extensive network of specialist independent and chain equestrian businesses and a (marginally) more wallet-friendly cost of living to the south of the country, and it’s easy to see why the area is so popular.

“It is a very horsey area – when people say Leicestershire you immediately think of hunting,” says Louise Harrison, a director at Savills’ farm, estates and equine sector.

“A fair few of the county’s equestrian properties are typically rural manor houses or farmhouses with hunting boxes and turnout.”

Louise adds the strong network in the area means private sales are common, but properties do come to the open market.