1 horse and 1 maybe 2 ponies on just under 5 acres

[HappyHacker22!]

Hi all have recently bought a house with stables and just under 5 acres of paddocks, good draining ground etc. Currently have my 1 horse and 1 pony on 10 acres of rented fields which is more than enough.
I was wondering if people thought this was enough land for a horse and a pony they come in most nights, with the potential to have one more pony added in? And how would you manage the land?
Thanks so much

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

It sounds like more than enough, even if it's moorland.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Easily especially if you're not on clay.
It took me a while to learn how best to manage our land. I made a right mess of it the first (very wet) winter but you'll learn where drains best, where grows best etc.
Congratulations on your new place x

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Congrats, sounds like more than enough unless of course it’s clay. First winter will be a fact finding mission and that will give you the rest of the year to prepare for the next one.

 

[spotty_pony2]

Plenty - especially if it’s well draining! You could section it off into 2 and three acres or whatever and have a summer and winter paddock or have the ponies in smaller pony paddocks in the summer and then in a bigger field in the winter.
Loads of options and depending on how much grass they need etc. Congratulations!

 

[pistolpete]

It’s amazing how little land you need as long as you don’t mind using hay/straw and other forage replacers. This year even with loads of acreage in the south of England so much of the grass has burned off supplementing with hay is becoming the norm anyway!

 

[Spot the Merry Risk]

I had between two and six on five acres of moorland grazing, always living out, for over ten years. Split into three, we didn’t poo pick but harrowed. It stood up very well, Ponies’s ranged between 10hh and 15hh, mostly barefoot.

 

[Landcruiser]

I have 3 acres on clay with 2 horses and one pony. It's plenty, as I have a large surfaced turnout, a stable yard, an arena and a part surfaced track all within the 3 acres. We even managed a cut of hay off one of our acre paddocks this year - but I do feed hay all year round.

 

[kerrieberry2]

I have mine 2 big horses and 1 mini shetland on 3 acres, and its more that enough, usually! this year is a bit scary with the lack of grass thats growing, so I'm still feeding winter levels of hay, but the land copes well! they have a field shelter with a concrete base, so they get fed hay in there twice a day all year round, which helps

 

[honetpot]

I had four on three acres, one was a TB. I made a loafing area for winter where I fed hay and straw, that meant how ever wet it was they were not cutting up the rest of the field but could have a wander.
Like others have said you have to find where the water lies, and depending on the soil type how it cuts up. The only thing good about clay is it cuts up in lumps so the grass roots tend to survive.

 

[Ahrena]

I had 3 on 5 acres. In overnight in winter, our 24/7 in summer. It was fine and the land was even starting to recover from being horrendously overgrazed and very weedy when we arrived.

I now also have use of my neighbours 2 acres which I’ve added into rotation but seeing how much faster those 2 acres recover as they haven’t been overgrazed, it’s made me realised how key land management is to get the most out of your land.

I wouldn’t worry at all.