How many horses would you keep on 2.5 acres?

[LucyJ91]

How many horses could you keep on just under 2 and a half acres? We currently have a 13.1 welshie who's a very good doer and yearling new forest pony who should make around 14 hands. I was wondering if it's best to leave it here, or if it's viable to have one more so no one needs to be left without company while I'm out riding as the yearling does worry a bit while we're out.

The field is split in two so we have a winter and a summer side and we have stables we can use if the ground starts to struggle. We'd be happy to feed hay as needed.

 

[Ali27]

I kept a 14.2 and 12.1 on 2.5 acres of clay and also managed to get 90 small bales of hay off it. How about making a hard standing turn out area too for when it’s wet? If ponies are unshod too, that makes a huge difference! Mine are both good doers and I happily feed soaked hay throughout year. I think you could add one more if you manage land carefully

 

[milliepops]

Depends on your land I think. I have 2 on 2 acres and wouldn't want any more there, by the end of winter it was pretty grim looking and I'm still haying them now as the dry spring has meant it has taken ages to get growing again.

By contrast I have 3 on 5 acres up the road and that ground copes fabulously, i've got 2 acres resting at the moment and the rest is keeping them just about right.

 

[gunnergundog]

Too many variables for anyone to give a definitive answer over the internet - it's an art, not a science!

Depends on: the quality of your grazing, the grasses that comprise your grazing - how much rye?, the mineral analysis of your soil and forage, the metabolism of your horse, the type of soil you're on for reasonable access...ie clay v sand, the type of work your neds are in etc etc, plus what else you feed them.

 

[JackFrost]

IMO no more than 2 on 2.5 acres. It isn't just the amount of grazing, the ground will get a trashing to the point it's hard for it to recover properly. You will be surprised how much difference an extra one will make.

 

[I'm Dun]

I have 3 on about that much, but I have a track set up so a bit different and I hay all year round

 

[Leam_Carrie]

On just under 3 I have my 16hh horse and mini Shetland. Land is clay, but have plenty of hard standing which they are shut on at night with hay (included two shelters and a shelter with a round bale in).
Mini Shetlands don’t need much if you want a third... but will need to think about management (muzzles, limited grazing etc.)

 

[SantaVera]

2

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I used to keep my loan pony (he was 14.1hh) on 2.8 acres with another horse who was approx 15.2hh. Every summer we rented extra grazing for a few weeks/a month to rest the land. They were always stabled at night in the winter. It was just about doable. If the land had been more clay it wouldn't have worked.

 

[rara007]

On our land- 1 with a pony companion knowing they’d be very limited in winter.

 

[Cortez]

Well, they're ponies, not horses. The old rule of thumb used to be 3 acres for the first horse, and 1 acre for each additional horse. Ans as mentioned above, it totally depends on soil type and quality of grazing. If you have a decent sward and the soil is good, then possibly, with careful management, you might be able to keep two ponies on that amount of acreage year round with supplemental feeding (this does not mean feeding supplements, BTW).

 

[Orangehorse]

It would be possible to keep 3 ponies I think. We had 2.5 acres and had 2 x 14.2 for years and then 2 large horses and there was no problem. It was light soil and there were lots of high hedges and trees for shelter and there was stabling, but even in the middle of winter the field never got poached apart from round the gate.

 

[spotty_pony]

If you manage it well enough then think you could cope with three. Two is ideal but I get the whole thing with three being easier so one doesn't get left on their own much.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

How many horses could you keep on just under 2 and a half acres? We currently have a 13.1 welshie who's a very good doer and yearling new forest pony who should make around 14 hands. I was wondering if it's best to leave it here, or if it's viable to have one more so no one needs to be left without company while I'm out riding as the yearling does worry a bit while we're out.

The field is split in two so we have a winter and a summer side and we have stables we can use if the ground starts to struggle. We'd be happy to feed hay as needed.

Depends on your land, if sloped, clays, drainage etc


I have always be taught 1 1/2 acre first horse and one for every added one.

We have 8 acres, we have one 1/2 acre at the front and 8 at the back split into 4 paddocks. We have 10 horses on two paddocks in the back, but our land copes really well, very little damage after winter, also none live out 24.7, also poo picked and weeds removed. We have even had hay off two of them in the past b 4 farmer retired.


Currently just moved over after 6 months on one pair, as we normally do 3 months on 3 months off., but it coped really well so left it longer now moved over, well some have not the lami ones yet.

Ours drains well and recovers quickly the 6 month used field is green all over with still plenty for them to graze on but chose enough now it needs a rest.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Depends the layout. I could have four/five on it as I am a fan of track livery so it would be track round the outside for all year use and the grazing in the middle for summer use so I’d get more horses on the land that way. However if using the grazing year round then probably only two maybe three tops

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Two maximum - we need to alter the way we treat our land.

 

[PurBee]

Soil type, climate and topography of the land are the factors determining how many ponies.

Roughly with uk climate except wales and scotland, 2 small ponies on 2.5 acres, with added winter hay is ok, if youre able to pull them off if we have weeks of rain in winter. 3 is pushing it unless its a shetland. I understand you wanting to have 3 due to 1 remaining alone and getting stressed. I’d try a mini shetland in your scenario. If you had a large shelter to house them all and dry standing outside the shelter, all fenced in from the grass....to pull them off on days when the land is super drenched....would help the land hugely.
You’d have to trial it while keeping an eye out for bigger acreage as 3 x 4 hooves trampling round that space is pushing it...unless youre on sandy loam that drains super fast and is firm enough never to get poached.

 

[J&S]

I am keeping 2 on same acreage, includes a small hard standing yard and 2 large stables. 1 x 13 hh pony and one 14.3 veteran. Its hard work. They sleep in during the winter and I run a track from spring and then graze off the centre during winter, the grass lasts till February. I feed hay twice a day and am still giving them a small pile each even now. Luckily the ground does drain well and I have two gateways off the yard into the field, these get a bit sticky but not muddy. I exercise them frequently and they are quite quiet in the field except on very wet and windy days! I could not consider keeping 3 on the same ground all year round.

 

[cauda equina]

A mini wouldn't make much difference to the amount of either grass eaten (especially if it needed muzzling) or poaching
I wouldn't want to leave a yearling on their own

 

[L&M]

So much depends on the type of land, the size and nature of the horses, the weather conditions, whether they are out 24/7 or can come in at night/have access to hardstanding etc etc.

But based on our land, which is just over 2 acres I would say definitely not more than 2 horses, or possibly 3 small ponies, but expect them to be stabled some of the time and to be able to feed additional forage at the height of summer and winter when grass is lacking.

We split our land up and rotate it regularily, weed pull and poo pick on a daily basis to prevent any damage to the ground and encourage grass growth. Our land is wet in some areas and drier in others, so we move them on to the drier patches according to the time of year or if we know there is going to a wet spell.

We have 2 small horses on this, a 15hh and a 15.2hh. They are both chilled types and in regular work so don't tend to prat about in the field. Even then the field takes careful management as would quickly get trashed by letting them roam willy nilly and out 24/7 365.

They are stabled at night from oct 1st to march 1st and come in during the day july and aug, or thereabouts, ie once the grass growth slows down and the flies get too much.

Hope that helps!

 

[J&S]

P.S in addition to my post: I appreciate the problem you have of leaving the yearling, a mini could be an answer but would also produce a lot extra work, less riding time? Could you consider putting yearling in a local herd and bringing in an older, chilled out companion for a year or so? Do you not find the yearling wants to play a lot, cutting up the limited land you have?

 

[maya2008]

Mini Shetland would probably be ok. Size of equine makes a huge difference to the damage to the land. When we swapped a 13.2hh for a 14.2hh years ago, suddenly the land didn’t cope so well in winter.

 

[Jenko109]

2.

Although 3 is doable, I wouldn't want to do it, nor subject the land to it.

 

[Hallo2012]

heavy clay and i *just*manage 2 x 13hh ponies which are stabled at night all year round.

winter out 7.30am-2pm and summer 7.30am-5pm

i absolutely dont have enough for 24/7 turnout, another one, or anything bigger.

we fertilise twice a year and seed twice too.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes, soil type makes a massive difference.

 

[huskydamage]

I have just over 2 and keep a 14hh pony with fronts on and a 15.2 with a full set of shoes. It's heavy clay and is completely annilated in the winter. It comes back with a bit of rest (I split it summer/winter) but parts of it are poor and needs to be supplemented sometimes all year round. If I can use additional grazing somewhere to rest all of it then I do. I will not get a third horse so they have to get over it when I'm riding one or the other!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I’ve got two large horses on just over 2 acres split into 4 paddocks. It’s just enough. Due to the last few very dry summers and the really wet winter two years ago they’ve suffered. This year we are using an overflow paddock so our fields can rest for longer. Mud wise it’s ok but I’ve had to feed more hay and for longer than I used to.

 

[GinaGeo]

You can keep more horses on less land and it still be horse friendly. You just have to be creative, use surfaced areas to your advantage, and feed more hay/Haylage. We are on heavy clay land on a bit of a slope and would struggle with even two ponies kept traditionally. The grass grows great in summer, but it quickly turns into a muddy slope in winter.

We have two former metabolic ponies here and two horses on about 2.5acres. The metabolic ponies are best kept grass free anyway so this set up suits them much better than a traditional stables and paddock turn out set up.

I have an all weather track/area that they all live on in winter. They have ad-lib hay here, different surfaces and shelters to choose from and do quite a lot of moving about.

The metabolic two live on the surface all year round and have a much better quality of life because of it. And the horses come back onto it at night in summer. Which means they are nicely deflated when I ride them in the morning.

I would love more land, but we manage well with what we have.

 

[meleeka]

Depends the layout. I could have four/five on it as I am a fan of track livery so it would be track round the outside for all year use and the grazing in the middle for summer use so I’d get more horses on the land that way. However if using the grazing year round then probably only two maybe three tops

I’m pleased someone said this! I currently have 1 horse, 1 14hh, 2 12hh and a mini on mine. I have a track all round in the summer and they have a large hardstanding in the winter. They are stabled some night depending on the weather.

OP i think it depends on so many things, including whether you expect to have grass most of the year. Mine are strip grazed during the growing season, but so i do need to feed hay all year. i have much less mud than my friend with two on the same area, so it does depend on how it’s managed too.