6 ponies on 4 acres devided?

[Lukey]

Just a post about acreage, would the following horses be okay 24/7 turnout on 4 acres devided into 4 equal paddocks, which are well drained, all the ponies would be rescued. There will be a field shelter in two fields, the othe two fields have trees as natraul shelter. The horses would fet moved from field to field every week. So they are,
a minature shetland(25 inches)
a standard shetland(34 inches I think)
A shetland cross a sec A(27 inches, youngster)
A Shetland cross cob I believe(30 inches, another youngster)
Section A pony(34 inches, mother to shetlandxSec A)
12hh gypsy cob(raising 3 years by the looks of it)
Would be addtional fed if needed, supplemented with hay/haylage.

what do you guys think?

 

[AngieandBen]

I'm not sure why people divide their paddocks up equally or into lots of little ones?!

I have 5 acre for three who live out all year, I don't have to feed hay at all.

This is what I do lol; I have a half acre paddock which I have a track system going round the outside; it is strip grazed from April until it gets wet, usually October.

The rest of the land is used for winter, left to grow up to my knees I start them off on a small section, then, as it gets colder/wetter I make the paddock much bigger ( say half an acre a month ) until they are on the whole lot! This way it doesn't get muddy, just the gateways.

They do come down into the yard for breakfast, its a nice routine and gives me chance to check them and ride if want to lol. They all look great with the only addition of some Lucie Nuts/linseed and a carrot

 

[catroo]

I also don't like small paddocks, total acreage sounds ok considering size of ponies but for Winter I would want them in a bigger area to spread the damage.

I have five standard shetlands on 5 acres all year round, with all the rain it's a bit muddy just off the hard standing but most of the field is fine. if they'd been on one acre this past month it would be mostly a mud pit requiring reseeding in the Spring.

For what it's worth a standard Shetland is 35"-42", mini 34" and under and a sec A at 34 inches sounds very wrong!

 

[Pingypo]

I also agree, no small paddocks. 6 ponies on an acre is quite a tight squeeze if you ask me. I much prefer to see horses with as much space as posible. It is better for them and also for the land. With small paddocks you will find that the grass will become trampled and grazed down far quicker. In a bigger area the damage will have spread out and the grass will have space to grow around them. Glad to hear they are rescued and going to be kept out!!

 

[NeverSayNever]

I have about 4 acres at the moment and have 5 standard shetlands and a small Highland Pony.

In the summer the land is divided up. I rest more than half of it, about 2 1/2acres and save it for winter - by December they all get put on it and its basically standing ‘foggage’, only if the ground freezes hard or we have snow do I stick out a round bale. In summer they are in 3 smaller paddocks made up from the rest and I also have a hardstand area so that certain people in the group can come off grass altogether if needs be. If they were on bigger paddocks in the summer there would be far too much grass, it also allows me to rotate and rest areas.

 

[marmalade76]

Divided is fine for summer, but winter, no. The more you divide it, the more it will get cut up, give them the whole lot altogether for the winter.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think its no life for horses caged in small rectangles.