Field layout - help!

[chaps89]

I have 1.4 acres for my two ponies who live out.
It’s newly laid grass (in grass terms - it was laid in 2022 or 2023, before this is was used for cows and heavily fertilised. In 2022/23 it was ploughed and re-seeded with horse friendly grasses, so no rye, clover etc. The ponies have done very well on it and have not needed to be muzzled on it so far which is great) and so the yard owner has asked me not to graze it too bare.

I’ve hit a snag because I use track systems (which she knew and approved of) and traditionally graze it bare, then come winter when grass sugars are less problematic, graze the inner bit, which allows the track to rest and then they have the whole lot which avoids any poaching. YO has seen this in practice at my previous yard (used her as a freelancer there) and so I thought I was good to do the same here as she said I could put my track up.
I now have a grazed down track (not bare!) and have calf length rested grass on the inside of the track, it’s not feeling like an ideal time to move them onto it but it is what it is.
I only go up once a day (it’s too far away) YO will check them daily but I can’t ask her to do things like move fencing/put muzzles on or off or move them from one bit to another.

So I need a new plan how to manage the field.
My least favourite yard job ever is electric fencing, I HATE it. So nothing that involves moving/changing fencing on an ongoing basis please.

Rudimentary drawing if it helps. Bottom half of the field (as per the drawing) which is level stays quite dry, top half can get wet.

 

[Polos Mum]

Can you leave them on the track and put soaked hay / straw out once a day when you visit.

So they don't scalp it but also don't have to go onto spring grass middle bits?

Or you open one middle bit but leave them both muzzled the whole time you aren't there?

 

[Burnttoast]

I'm not sure you can have 2 ponies on 1.4 acres full time in any configuration and not end up with the land grazed heavily unless you have a yard you can close them in. Even if you give hay, horses usually prefer to graze if there's decent growing grass and they can easily eat right to ground level. I have a system like yours and made the decision that the track is essentially a sacrifice paddock and the land will suffer a bit, while the rest of the field can be managed much more sympathetically as a result. Obviously there's no reason why your LO would share this view but I think you might need to try to convince them as I can't see an obvious way to manage them differently without your being there at least twice daily.

 

[meleeka]

I have a track during the summer. I appreciate you don't want to move fencing, but mine has a D shape so I only need to move two posts per day, one in and one out. The D moves round the inner track fence and I can normally get two goes round the field before winter. I move the two posts in the morning and give hay in the evening.

 

[chaps89]

Can you leave them on the track and put soaked hay / straw out once a day when you visit.

So they don't scalp it but also don't have to go onto spring grass middle bits?

Or you open one middle bit but leave them both muzzled the whole time you aren't there?

They get a haynet each daily when I go up, straw they only eat when they really have to - there is currently enough grass that they eat half a hay net initially, wander away and go back to the hay later. So straw would go untouched.
Could pop them on the middle with their muzzles on but I’m only usually there for an hour so wouldn’t be enough to make much of a difference but thankyou, all suggestions welcome!

 

[chaps89]

I'm not sure you can have 2 ponies on 1.4 acres full time in any configuration and not end up with the land grazed heavily unless you have a yard you can close them in. Even if you give hay, horses usually prefer to graze if there's decent growing grass and they can easily eat right to ground level. I have a system like yours and made the decision that the track is essentially a sacrifice paddock and the land will suffer a bit, while the rest of the field can be managed much more sympathetically as a result. Obviously there's no reason why your LO would share this view but I think you might need to try to convince them as I can't see an obvious way to manage them differently without your being there at least twice daily.

I’ve done it on two other yards before no problem, they’re good doer types and I hay all year round. Obviously wouldn’t be feasible if it was on clay though.
I have the same view as you - track is sacrifice land, but unfortunately now been told can’t do this so need other options
There is very little in the way of yards around me and most restrict winter turnout (which doesn’t work for me) so no option to move really.

 

[chaps89]

I have a track during the summer. I appreciate you don't want to move fencing, but mine has a D shape so I only need to move two posts per day, one in and one out. The D moves round the inner track fence and I can normally get two goes round the field before winter. I move the two posts in the morning and give hay in the evening.

I’m really struggling to visualise this do you mean you just move two fence posts of the track bit daily, then the next day put them back and move the next ones, so strip grazing into the middle bit almost? That would be manageable I just don’t want to have to be putting fencing up/down endlessly or moving a whole strip every few days.

 

[meleeka]

I’m really struggling to visualise this do you mean you just move two fence posts of the track bit daily, then the next day put them back and move the next ones, so strip grazing into the middle bit almost? That would be manageable I just don’t want to have to be putting fencing up/down endlessly or moving a whole strip every few days.

Yes basically it's like this, so as I move one post out to the middle, I move one in, so the D just moves along around the fence. It two posts long and wide in size

 

[dorsetladette]

Yes basically it's like this, so as I move one post out to the middle, I move one in, so the D just moves along around the fence. It two posts long and wide in size

I like that idea - I have a new bit of land with lots and lots and lots of grass which is brilliant for Reggie, but not so good for the other 2. This might be the solution.

I was planing on doing a U shape with nice grass at one point and water at the other - not sure how that would work.

 

[PurBee]

I’ve done it on two other yards before no problem, they’re good doer types and I hay all year round. Obviously wouldn’t be feasible if it was on clay though.
I have the same view as you - track is sacrifice land, but unfortunately now been told can’t do this so need other options
There is very little in the way of yards around me and most restrict winter turnout (which doesn’t work for me) so no option to move really.

If your 2 are on the 1.4 acres 24/7/365, i can’t see, even with the very best soil type, how it won’t be eaten down low eventually, especially sparse during winter, which if they stay on it after winter, it’ll be hard to bounce back from.

Your sacrificial track layout is the best of both worlds…giving central areas to be rested.

The only other thing i can think of is to ask YO if the track by the shelter/water could be sacrificial loafing area, and have them on that 12hrs with hay, then turned-out 12hrs rest of time onto track or middle bits. Afterall having a 50ftx50ft 12hr turnout area is better than a 12ftx12ft stable for 12hrs.
I’ll add to your drawing and show what i mean.

 

[PurBee]

 

[Burnttoast]

Strip grazing ime just encourages them to eat as closely as possible.

I'm not sure it's possible to manage this situation without grazing at least part of the field hard, unless you yard/stable them almost all the time. Particularly if it's very droughty, because you'll have hungry ponies and no grass growth.

Another point is that it sounds like the sward is still establishing, so hard grazing any part of it at the moment will be worse than for a strong established sward. It would be better for it long term to be lightly grazed periodically all year for another year or two and not allowed to go to seed. So from that point of view (if it was my place) I would want them on a yard with hay most of the day and out for a few hours daily, monitoring to reduce grazing time if the sward gets too short (less than 5cm)and topping any areas they're less interested in.

 

[ihatework]

Alternate days of track or muzzled on inner?

 

[Sanversera]

Give them hay on the track. Use the central part in the winter.

 

[Polos Mum]

Balancing the need to 1) restrict food intake, 2) encourage movement / avoid stabling and 3) avoid over grazing land is a problem I don't think there is a solution to. 24/7 muzzles is probably the closest but they can still scalp a field eventually even with muzzle.

If you want them turned out a lot - but don't want them to get fat - you can only turn out on really short grass

If you want them to not get fat, but don't want to overgraze, they have to be stabled / small loafing area

If you own the land you can sacrifice a field or two for welfare reasons - if you don't own (or have sympathetic owners) then it's really tricky.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

Depends if you want to restrict the grazing or just encourage movement but 35 years ago , before anyone had even heard of track systems , our kids ponies used to live in a couple of paddocks we created called ' The Slalom ' and ' The Spiral ' . The Slalom was.approx 3/4 of an acre , long and narrow , and we used to put the water at one end and the hay at the other and the ponies used to weave their way up and down the field . We used electric tape for the internal fence lines so I suppose we could've sectioned a bit off at any point but we never did as , for us , it was all about making the ponies move more . It created an extremely evenly grazed paddock too but it was never bare .

The Slalom





The Spiral was a half acre square field and leant itself nicely to this configuration , again water by the gate and hay in the middle so they had to walk back and forth . Again , completely evenly grazed but never totally bare .

The Spiral




It certainly kept the ponies on the move and , just for added entertainment , the kids used to wait until the ponies were at the far end of the Slalem or in the middle of the Spiral , and then call them to the gate for a bit of carrot . The ponies would come belting down the field , back and forth , back and forth , or whizz around the spiral , and the kids would be doubled up with laughter - even now , if I remind them about it they crack up just at the thought of it . To be fair - it was highly amusing !