Advice on amount of land required please

C

Chills

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I would be grateful if those who are "in the know" can advise me on the amount of land that you consider is reasonable to allow per horse. I am hoping that we may be able to buy a house with some land to keep my horses at home, rather than at livery. I have gone on the basis that they would need 1 acre per horse (they are full size horses!). I am thinking that they would need 1 acre for summer and then 1 acre for the winter, each. Does this sound about right or am I being over generous?? With the price of properties round here it looks like it will be limited land that we can afford!
 
It depends how much you want them turned out. eg if they're going to be out 24/7 they're going to need more than if they're going to be out for an hour a day. so, how much are they going to be out?
 
Thanks for the reply. Sorry, forgot the explain how much they go out!!! They are out all day and in at night during the winter, then out at night and in in the day during the summer.
 
Where in the country are you looking? Depends on how well drained the soil is. I only have just over an acre field for Daisy but it is more than enough because it is on a sunny well drained slope.
 
We are in Warwickshire, unfortunately clay soil so not the best!!! If we could afford to we would love to cross over into north gloucestershire or oxfordshire as the soil is much better there.
 
we were taught in pony club years ago that you need 1 acre per horse plus 1 acre. i.e. 2 acres for 1 horse or 5 acres for 4 horses etc.
 
I have 5 acres & at one time had 5 horses on it being kept as you keep yours. I would say that it wasn't enough. It's fine for the 3 I have now though. I've divided it into 2 x 2 acre & 1 x 1 acre paddocks. Incidentally, it's also clay soil.

The good doers were ok, but the TBs began to look ribby when there were 5 on it.

I thought it was an acre & a half for the first horse & an acre each after that.
 
In the USA lots of horses are keep in dirt coralls or yards and are fed hay and hardly if ever go out in a field. And very well they looked too. It was a surprise to me, I thought they would all be roaming free on the range.

I think you are right that for planning is it 1.5 acres for the first horse and an acre each after that.
 
Thanks guys. Do you mean 1 acre for both summer and winter then, so my calculation of allowing 2 acres to allow for the rotation is generous?
 
i think an acre and half for one horse plus one acre for each horse after that
i keep my 3 on about 2acres(in at night in winter, out all the time in summer) and it gets totally trashed.they get fed hay all year round as there is never enough grass to keep them going, and 2 go for a holiday for 9-12 weeks each summer/autumn!
 
Yes, not 1 acre for summer and 1 acre for winter. Just 1 acre for the whole year.

You are probably best though going with the other recommendations on here - 2.5-3 acres for 2 horses to share assuming part stabled.
 
I have 6 acres; One I keep for April through to October ( depending on how wet it is) and the other 5 for winter; ( although a lot of time my neighbour uses some for her horses)
Three native ponies who live out 24/7. Clay
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so it still gets trashed!!

I think for full sized horses (
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) you will need three acres, one for spring/summer and two for winter.
 
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