acres per horse

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assuan

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Just thought I'd share this little 'tit bit' of information...

I just received a 'Right Weight Record Card' from Dodson & Horrell. There are some really helpful 'Top Tips' on the card, interestingly on in the management sections says to ignore the traditional advice of 1 horse/acre but instead to overgraze the paddock within the minimum of 3-4 horses per acre.
 
Whats the thinking behind that then ?

Seems silly to overgraze and have 3/4 horses per acre ( unless i've read that wrong which is highly likely lol )
 
One acre per horse is seldom enough, but it depends on the land doesn't it. I'd like that much land I must admit. I've got 2 acres per horse and just about manage on well-drained land.
 
I think (I could be wrong) that it's aimed on horses that struggle to keep weight off....

Last line of that bit says that you'll be surprised just how little grass cover is needed to maintain weight on your horse.

Also says about mowing your paddock!

It all seems to make perfect sense when you read it all lol
 
I think it depends whether you are the Owner or the User of the land. My liveries would love to graze my pasture down to bare earth. I point out, gently I hope, that they in time will move on - I will be stuck till I die with my land, which I cherish, and overgrazing does it no favours at all - as well as looking ghastly for the other members of my non-horsey family.

I still go along with the old rule of minimum of 2.5 acres for the first horse and an acre per horse thereafter. It gives you the chance to rest bits, get other stock on to multi graze, etc.

But I do understand that from the Porky Horse Club (of which my mare is an ardent member), horses per se can do with far less grazing than we often provide them with, providing it is of good quality, i.e. small amount of classy grazing per horse or much larger acreage of poor (e.g. moorland) grazing.
 
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