The affable Alex McClean from Hudson Moody is on the phone. “It’s not often,” he says, “that you get a nice property with equestrian features. I’ve got two at the moment. And they’re both very nice properties.”

Very nice indeed, I agree, after taking a look at the details… Nice homes in their own right but positively heavenly for members of the pony club.

The first is Pasture Farm, a smartly appointed farmhouse around 12 miles east of York and with great views over open countryside.

“A rare opportunity,” is how Alex describes it and it’s certainly got plenty to interest horse-lovers.

The house has plenty of land (it runs to around four acres) and includes a block of four timber stables, a workshop, tack room and a series of handsome brick outbuildings and a floodlit ménage and there are three further separate paddock areas.

(For lovers of the good life there is also accommodation for poultry and rabbits).

And what of the house itself? Well, again, there is plenty on offer. The ground floor offers a spacious sitting room with beamed ceiling and windows to the front giving great views of the paddocks and surrounding countryside. There is a dining room, again with a beamed ceiling and with a feature fireplace recess with brick tiled hearth.

The kitchen is stylish and spacious with a good range of cream coloured wall and base units and maple-coloured worktops; integrated appliances aplenty, too, with dishwasher and fridge freezer and four ring gas hob and double oven under. As an added bonus there is a study/music room, cloakroom and utility room. On the first floor there are four bedrooms and family bathroom – with a super master bedroom suite to the second floor which includes a character-filled bedroom, dressing with fitted wardrobes and an en-suite shower room.

Lots of house, lots of land – and an ideal playground for equestrian lovers. It is offered by Hudson Moody at £649,000.

Next, we are trotting out to Newton on Derwent where, sitting pretty in the village Main Street, we find Meadow Bank, another home for equine enthusiasts.

The property here is an attractive three-bedroomed bungalow with good-sized, light and airy rooms settling over two floors (can you have two floors and still be a bungalow I wonder?) Anyway, semantics aside, we did like the look of this home. On the ground floor there is a large entrance hallway which sets the tone for the rest of the property as it is nice and light. There is a door from the hallway into the living room (a spacious 25ft by near 14ft) which has two big windows to the front and a feature fireplace with brick surround housing a cast iron multi-fuel burning stove. There is also a big family room with sliding French doors opening onto a patio area and with views over the rear garden and paddocks (yes, I know, you want to know about the paddocks but just hold your horses for a second). The ground-floor accommodation is completed by a bright and breezy kitchen, a study area and cloakroom.

On the first floor there are three good-sized bedrooms offering lovely views across the paddocks and local countryside.

All right, all right, now we’ll step outside and have a look around… The property is approached along a gravelled driveway with wrought-iron gates to either side and rolling up to a gated entrance beyond which lies the paddock land. All in, there is about 4.4 acres of paddock land enclosed within post and rail fencing (and if you fancy a bit more land we are told that it may be possible to rent an additional four acres by separate negotiation).

To service the paddocks there are nine stables and an attached covered feed store.

And when you are not saddling up you can enjoy the property’s nice gardens – lawned area to the front and further lawned land with a patio area to the back.

Much to admire, then. If you are interested the asking price is £450,000.

In both cases you should contact Alex McClean of Hudson Moody on 01904 489906.