ON a sunny Thursday afternoon in July , I met up with Andrew Walker and Kyle O ’ Connell who , 12 months ago , formed what is already proving a very successful business partnership producing small bale haylage . The new business is Buyhorsestuff Ltd its major brand being Premier Haylage . It is a perfect synergy between agriculture and equestrian feed , and likewise a fusion of Andrew and Kyle ’ s strong but differing skill sets . They are based at Andrew ’ s family farm Magson House Farm , Luddendenfoot , amidst the steep sides of the picturesque Calder Valley . Magson House Farm is run by Andrew and Father Alan . They have 125 acres and with rented land and a further 50 acres Andrew and Kyle jointly purchased for Premier brings the total acreage to 300 which is all under grass .

The land is used for grazing Magson House ’ s 30 head Limousin herd along with horses from Andrew ’ s livery stable , the remainder for grass that supplies feed for the cattle and more so grass for Premier Haylage .

Magson House has always been a mixture of livestock and arable . Andrew ’ s father , Alan , has always been a progressive farmer looking for innovation , diversification , and new opportunities , which is clearly where Andrew gets his spirit from . Until recently , the beef herd were used to supply the family butchers in King Cross road in Halifax which has just recently been sold .

It is not difficult to understand why this new partnership has done so well so quickly when you look at the individual experience and skill sets of both Andrew and Kyle .

Magson House Farm is home to Andrew ’ s very busy livery stable business that he has had for 17 years . It can take up to 20 horses on full livery . He set up Andrew Walker Equestrian Services when he retired from a very successful show jumping career , riding for the Great Britain team , The Horse of the Year Show , competing right across Europe . Andrew is also a British Show Jumping UKCC level 2 coach . His passion for both horses and farming is self-evident . His knowledge of horses and in particular the impact of quality feed on both the health , strength and development , led to the idea for the new venture .

Kyle ’ s family farm ‘ Deerstone Farm ’ is situated in Cragg Vale produce a large amount of hay and straw , they have supplied Andrew and Alan for many

years . Being so close , the two farms have a great synergy sharing both connections and machinery which is how Andrew and Kyle knew each other

Kyle has worked on the family farm since school days , he has a natural working knowledge of the land and a passion for it . In his quest to be the very best at grass management , he studied at Harper Adams University achieving a degree in agriculture with animal science . His dissertation was on developing a sustainable equine forage business in the Calder Valley and won a first !

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