Number of horses per acre

[potto]

Hello folks, i have been looking up the correct number of horses per acre.. and it seems that one is the correct number depending on grass quality, etc...

So an acre per horse, but are their any laws that govern or police this that anyone is aware of?

Please could you let me know any information regarding numbers of horses per acre etc... and how it has worked for you if you have a big number especially.

Also numbers of horses in confined spaces like barns ? size of barn needed per number of horses.


Regards and thanks.

[arabmania]

i'm sure there are others that can give you all the info that you are asking, but i do know that there are no actual laws that state how many horses, per acre, you can graze at any one time, only recommendations.

[misty]

I keep 2 x 15hh in my back garden if thats any help.

[ladynowak]

I was always told 2 acres for the first horse and 1 acre per extra horse. But going by that I would only need 4 acres to keep my three horses on, which just would not work without having them stabled through the winter. I used to rent 6 acres of quite well drained land with three stables, we had hay cut from it and it actually did very well- but it would have needed resting for 12 months after a couple of years and ideally re-seeding.

[gypsyroselee]

I always thought (as a starting point) it was 1 acre per horse, plus one. So 2 horses = 3 acres (1 acre each, plus one) however, I'm not sure how many that one extra acre can go up to....? And as others have said it depends on everything else too!

[jill]

Depends on the horse, the lie of the land, the quality of the grazing, the drainage, whether you include hay, whether you are prepared to supplement and by how much - basically how long is a piece of string.
As a rule of thumb I suppose allow one and a bit acres, but it really does depend.

[highlanderpony2002]

mine need a lot of acreage in winter and hardly any acreage in summer ideally 6-7 in winter for the three to live out 24/7 and they would do well on an acre in the late spring rising to two in summer

[KoLaTo]

All i know is that 4 acres isn't way enough for 3 starving native ponies 24/7 in winter - LOL

Well thats what they tell me anyway, the field is now a mud playground, worst winter for grass i've had in yrs and they will have to come in at some stage as the ground simply can't support them at the moment.... dosen't help having a big baby in there as he just charges around all day long tearing the place up *sigh*

[jill]

I know exactly where you are coming from PP - the frost has killed the grass way earlier than usual, and now the wet is making it worse. Mine is exactly the same, plus because I am feeding them twice a day now (usually only do that in Jan onwards) they are charging over for their hay twice a day.
That's why it is really difficult to know exactly how many per acre, it varies so much with the conditions.

[KoLaTo]

Jill - nightmare isn't it, my 4 acres has supported 2-3 of them over winter for yrs now, never ever seen it so bad as it is now, literally trashed but most of that trashing is the baby, he can't help himself but charge around constantly and he isn't used to being restricted to little or no grass. I wasn't intending to hay them out there until Jan either but have been doing so for the last couple of wks otherwise they just stand around with empty bellies all day.

I have put them in the 10 acre behind me for a couple of wks before now in early winter but simply can't risk it this yr as they are all so fat still and there is an evil mare out there that attempts to kill them if they so much as look at her........

[jen1]

lol my lot have 10 each, we have so much brown grass they go out on the farm most days and on the bf tracks 3 times a week at,.with bf tracks i would say you could sustain 3 horses on 2 acres with lots of hay stops,

[lilaclomax]

As others have already said it depends on the horse(s) and the quality of the grazing. I was always told start with 1 acre and no horse, then add an acre for each 14.2hh-15hh horse

[potto]

hmmm interesting.... so if you had say 20 horses 21 acres? approx 50 .. 51 acres... and so on..... and what about poo picking .... would that make a difference if the fields were not poo picked regularly etc... What about management for large numbers of horses?

[highlanderpony2002]

It would be impossible to poo-pick 50 acres for 50 horses it would take a small army. Ideally you need another 50 acres to rest and harrow and allow to grow while using the other field

[lilaclomax]

highlandpony.. it is not too bad doing mass poo-picking if you have the right equipment and resource, I would be more concerned about heavy traffic areas!