Grazing Advice

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Lissie2

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Okay. So potential new yard with own grazing to do as you like. Its always been managed by yard owner at previous liveries so I may be on a learning curve! Here I'd have just over 1.5 acres for one 15.3 horse. Free access to walk in stable and would like to keep horse out 24/7 if possible (as they have the option to come in themselves.) How would you subdivide the field? How many paddocks to rotate? I'm thinking into thirds - gradually open up 1 and 2 for summer months and keep third for winter. Will this provide enough grass in your experience? And should it be equal thirds? I poo pick daily. Tell me what you'd do with 1.5 acres and one horse? Thanks in advance x
 
I rent approx 1.5 acres with stables set up for two ponies / smaller horses and a little yard area which is a privately gated area on a small family owned farm. Have use of another field just 20ft away for grazing which is another 1.5 acres we can use as and when needed. The lady that rented before us kept two cobs together and never used the second field once in about 7 or 8 years.

Currently have a 15.3hh gelding but he's living out in the opposite field with the farmer's horse and pony for time being until we have fixed up the stables and arranged second companion to move in with him. I'm not certain but reckon there could be more space in our paddock to be honest.

Behind the main gate is a small yard area with the paddock behind a second gate I can leave open to allow them free access to and from the stable and water. If I need to I can close the second gate and keep them just in the paddock or yard area whichever.

Stable has one opening with a divider and two internal doors we plan to remove to make one large stable (putting a mobile stable / shelter on side) but last week I had to put horse inside just temporarily during a biblical downpour and was amazed at the room he actually had in there. Didn't think there'd have been enough space to just stand comfortably but he could turn right round from hay rack to stable door without scraping or squeezing no problem.

So basically my plan is to move both in and then see how we go but reckon we have more room to play with than first thought.

If you're free to please yourself with the grazing I'd do the same at yours and just see how it goes.
 
What is the footing like around the stable? The walk in/out has the potential to get muddy and it's worth trying to sure that up as much as possible before winter. I like to use a seperate access point to the winter field than to the spring field so that you can keep a bit mud free.
The winter bit will get muddy so with your acrearge I wouldn't give too much and plan to rely on feeding plenty of hay in the stable
 
I have two acres and 3 ponies (one mini, a 12hh and a 14hh cob. I have stables that they have free access to. As above, I'd recommend you make your entrances as mud free as you can. My yard area has paving slabs laid rough side up and there's road planings in the gateways.

Mine are good doers and have a track through the summer months, in a figure 8 with the stables in the middle. In the autumn I start strip grazing the middle until they it all over the winter. This works best for us as I find more space means less mud. If it's really awful they can stay in the yard.
 
I have 1.35 acres for one 15.3hh thoroughbred and a miniature shetland. I have it split into two with the winter side being slightly smaller, plus a small square in the middle that is for the shetland when he's a fatty. They generally have the summer side from April through to October with the mini being in his starvation square during the day and out with my mare at night with his muzzle on as there is far too much grass for him. The winter field grows furiously over this period, I've topped it twice so far this year. By October there is a lot of grass and it keeps them going through to January at least. My previous mare was out 24/7 even in winter and from January onwards I did feed a lot of hay in the field. But my current mare (and shettie) come in at nights in winter and last year I didn't really need to give any hay in the field. Once they go into the winter grass in October I tend to leave both sides available to them until January/February when I shut the summer side off to let it start growing and recovering. My grazing is exceptionally good though.

I poo pick once or twice a week depending on how much time I have, apply a weedkiller in the spring for buttercups as I have a lot of those and don't need to apply any fertiliser. This year we harrowed and rolled in the spring too.

Edited to say I'm, also very lucky with the field that it drains very well so I haven't as yet had any real problems with it getting boggy, but I know that can be a real problem on a small acreage. Agree with more space equals less mud, hence I leave the whole area open to them in the winter. However if it was particularly wet and the summer side was getting chewed up I'd probably just keep them in the winter side only. Agree that trying to make gateways as mud free as possible is a good idea.
 
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Area around stable it's slabbed. What I'm really getting at is whether a third is enough for winter (I will be feeding daily hay obviously.) Also if you open the whole lot in winter then I'm assuing you'll have mashed up your summer grazing too. And you wont have a fresh field to turn them into come spring so I'd like to just use the winter third if possible( so Summer field can rest. ) is this reasonable or am I missing something. I guess I could open all the area in winter providing the spring grass grows faster than the rate it's being eaten. What would you do?
 
Your biggest unknown is if the horse copes on individual turnout or not. If he paces about and won't settle he'll trash part of the field, however big it is. Conversely if he stands in one spot most of the time, he won't trash the ground, but will be equally as miserable as a horse that paces, just displaying it in a different way.

If the horse copes ok with individual turnout, then the biggest factor is the soil type. Does it drain well or is it clay that will turn into a bog when it rains?

I have found that having my lot on the largest, best draining area for winter works best as it spreads out the wear, so you don't get a bog. In the spring the ground and grass recovers pretty quickly (I do harrow) although I do have a paddock that is too wet to use in the winter available.

If your land is sandy and drains well, you may find that a smaller section stays good, even in the winter. You will need to use the paddock for a year to get a good idea of how your specific land is during the different seasons. Ask the other liveries what they do as that should give you some idea. Electric fencing is good as you can make the grazing area bigger or smaller as required even on a daily basis, if you want. I do strip graze my arabs in the spring as they are super good doers and I give them a new small strip daily, but I have to be surprisingly miserly about it as the grey especially is like having a small native pony.
 
Grass grows very quickly. If you took them off at February time you'd have a field full of grass in a month. I do like mine to have a rest, hence the track.

you'll probably need to hay all year I think with what you've got.
 
He's fine with individually grazing (apparently) and the next horse is literally in field next door fenced off with tape so can still groom each other etc. Hmm...sounds like I will have to play it by ear. I'm just worried that without a plan I will run out of grass x
 
I'd actually give him an acre for winter and section off the remaining half acre. More space = less mud and half an acre will probably just get completely trashed which is no good at all. An acre stands more of a chance. When the grass starts growing, he can move onto the half acre for a few weeks while the acre rests and you can then decide what to do for the rest of the summer.
 
I'm a big track devotee - if you can run a track around the outside you will have the middle to strip graze into for winter. Do it with electric fencing for flexibility, then you can move the fence in or out, or remove altogether by the end of winter.
I have a 16.1hh and a 15hh QH on 1.3 acres with a track and they are if anything a little too well. That won't leave me a great deal of those paddocks for winter but with just one horse it would, there would be best part of an acre to strip graze in to. You are welcome to come and take a look if you are anywhere near NE SHropshire
 
I think I'm going to split into 3/5 kept aside for winter and 2/5 for Summer. I will split the 2/5s with tape and alternate in summer. Then close that for winter to recover and open winter field fully or maybe half and half alternating. Then as grass grows pop him back in Summer section as before and close winter to recover. X Bit of guess work but think that will keep grass good x
 
Lissie2 said:
I think I'm going to split into 3/5 kept aside for winter and 2/5 for Summer. I will split the 2/5s with tape and alternate in summer. Then close that for winter to recover and open winter field fully or maybe half and half alternating. Then as grass grows pop him back in Summer section as before and close winter to recover. X Bit of guess work but think that will keep grass good x
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Don't forget that the grass won't grow much in winter, if at all, so it will take longer than you think for the summer paddocks to recover. Mine didn't get a decent cover of grass until 2 months ago, and they haven't been grazed since last October. In hindsight I should have rested them earlier last year, so that the grass grew a fair bit before the temperatures dropped.
 
That's the thing with small fields, you could rest them for months and the grass will all be gone in a couple of weeks anyway if there's no growth. That's why I think it's better to play it by ear, rather than a set time. Through the summer months you could rotate quite frenquently and then have a bit that's not used all winter (this could be a different bit every year).
 
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