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Post by Pauline on Dec 21, 2008 11:35:51 GMT 1
I have about 4.5 acres
Four acres of grazing and half an acre for the stables (3 stables, a feed room and a small barn) and car/lorry Park
My fields are divided into Four. One large field for the summer and two smaller ones for the winter. I have what I call a walkway which houses a field shelter and is accessible from any of the fields. The water trough is also in the walkway.
The fields are harrowed/rolled/sprayed/ topped and dressed each year.
I have 4 horses Arabs and one New Forest Mare . Hopefully one of my Arabs will be back in foal so I will have 6 in all.
I take in a few horses (One at a time) for treatment.
I always have plenty of grass all year round.
Three of mine come in after Christmas ready for full training (Endurance horses) I have one Arab that does not like living in so he and my New forest Mare stay out.
They are fed ad lib hay throughout the winter and the competition horses are fed hard feed.
If looked after well, you can keep horses on a small acreage.
My friend has 2.5 acres and keeps 5 Arabs on this, although she does feed haylage and hard feed all year round.
My next door neighbour has a small field of three quarters of an acre That I can use if need be.
I hope to buy another stallion next year too and there is another small field above me that I am going to use.
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shandypants
Olympic Poster
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 504
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Post by shandypants on Dec 21, 2008 11:43:39 GMT 1
Blimey - where do you all live to be able to get that sort of acreage with out it being built on? I have just 2 acres for my 3 ponies - All I could get - I manage mine (had it for 4yrs) out all summer then through the winter in over night. They get ad lib hay through the winter in the field. So far so good. I would Love more but it is REALLY hard in this part of the country to get large fields rent.
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Post by Pauline on Dec 21, 2008 12:42:33 GMT 1
I own it.
My house is opposite my yard gate and it is down a lane with woods above.
The man who use to own it tried a number of times to build but was turned down every time. The entrance from the main road is too narrow for more cars so that is one reason, the other is a SSI (Site of Special Interest) on the land, so we would not be able to build other than have horses there.
I am lucky I also have about 4,000 acres to ride in too.
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Post by mollymoo on Dec 21, 2008 18:38:28 GMT 1
I have 3 BIG horses, one big pony and one small pony on 12 acres of very good grazing for the winter and it is only just enough, and that is with every one coming in at night. Im the spring/summer i need less that half of that!!
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Post by ruthp on Dec 22, 2008 13:21:52 GMT 1
I have 2 horses on 2 acres - and they sort of live out all year. We built a small school and the stables (which are very large) open onto it. So in winter the horses come onto the school at night, and we put loads of hay in the stables. If the ground is so wet that they are going to destroy the fields they stay on the school during the day too. And we poo pick everyday, and have the field sprayed for weeks and fertilised every year. And judging by the size of Bali no one is suffering!
So as many others have said horse : acreage ratio really depends on how you manage it, how much time you have them turned out, and how you look after the land. We would certainly struggle with only 2 acres if we didn't have the winter turnout option.
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Post by horsefeed on Dec 22, 2008 13:47:06 GMT 1
I have 2 horses and a donkeys out on 7 acres, its split into 2, 1 acre strips, a tiny paddock and a large field. They get the large part of the field all winter turned them out end of september and they will be out there till march when grass really starts to grow. They then come into the tiny paddock and get hay for a month to 6 weeks while the grass is at it most lush and to give summer paddock chance to get reasonable growth. I then strip graze one up the 2 strips one at a time, I alternate the strip I start with each year to give them extra time to recover. Come September they go back in the largest paddock. I poo pick during the summer in the smaller paddocks and Harrow the larger field each spring. It works really well and could comfortable manage upto 5 horses like this.
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chloe
Grand Prix Poster
Kai's Mum
Posts: 2,609
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Post by chloe on Dec 22, 2008 14:37:23 GMT 1
I have a 13.2hh mare and two 12hh-ish colts out on a 3 acre hillside paddock at the moment. They've been out there about 2 months now and there is still plenty of grass and the only mud is around the gateway and even that doesn't come above their hooves. They all come in overnight.
In the summer I use much smaller paddocks (this year Dolly's paddock was about 1/2 acre) to restrict grazing and supplement with hay where necessary.
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