How many on 5 ACRES?

flump

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How many horses/ponies/minis would you graze on 5 acres?

Do you think 6 minatures, 2 sec A size ponies

4 tbs and 1 id xtb is too much??

3 tbs would live in, so just out during day.
 

Meowy Catkin

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I would ideally like 1.5 - 2 acres per horse, the minis would need less.

I can remember having a tough time keeping one pony (14hh) and a horse (15.2hh) on 2.8 acres with them in at night all year.
 

tazzle

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prob depends on a few things ....... like is everything bar tbs out all year and what other facitilies you have.

we have about that acreage but with about 1/2 acre of that is yarded area with stables and barn. We have 4 cobs between us and they live in main field for 8 months on a sorta paddock paradise system . That is rested from december on and they are in smaller paddock till its either / and / or got no grass and getting trashed with mud all around the gate. They then come onto yard with periodic access to the field...... but basically live on hay for three months.

I think unless you subside quite heavily with hay in winter you would struggle with that amount .
 

Bikerchickone

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I would have a minimum of 5 acres to keep my two on (15.1h Heavyweight cob and 16h IDxWB) if they were living out, this in the hope that I'd have plenty of grass and be able to rest/rotate paddocks as I would section it off into smaller areas and rotate.

I personally wouldn't want to poo pick 5 acres after 13 of them had been on it!
 

Jaycee

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I've have roughly 5 acres (with stables) for 16hh and 15hh TB horses, horses being stabled at night during the winter and out 24/7 during the summer, sometimes I wish it was more!
 

be positive

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You will struggle to keep 13 on 5 acres, even if 8 are small and hardly need any grass the other 5 will really need more if you want to have some grass for them to eat. It would depend to some extent on how dry the land is but two big horses really need 3 acres at least if out 24/7.
 

Skippys Mum

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I have 2 out during the day on a 5 acre field - they are out on this field 24/7 during the summer and they have another 2 in with them.

I just does us.
 

hcm88

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I think you'd be pushing it on 5 acres. You'd be unable to rotate the grazing and in the winter it could get v muddy if your ground is anything like mine. The grass may not recover properly if you're grazing the same bit with that many horses throughout the year, even if it did work out to begin with you may have quite a few long term issues.

I'd preferably want no more than 3 or 4 large horses on 5 acres, I tend to think no less than 1.5 acres per large horse.
 

pinkypug1

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I'd say No way!! I have 5 acres in the summer i grazed 2 x 16hh, 13.2hh & a foal & it coped well however this winter i have grazed one 16hh & foal on 4 acres (kept 1 back to start off the spring) & they have needed loads of extra haylage since Nov as grass is non existant & lots of mud!

I would not put any more that 2 on my 5 acres over winter & max of 4 in summer.
 

KSR

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I have had 4 on that for 3 years.. I still have no mud and far too much grass.. Everyone else on the farm have mud pits.. Not sure what I've done right.. Not had to feed hay either yet.. I'm very lucky..
 

jeeve

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I have 12 acres with 7-8 at the moment, 1 a foal and 1 a mini.

I am looking at have 6 only. The mini probably has a new home, and the old retired fellow may go out on intermittent loan.

I find that I have relatively good grazing, probably not as good as you guys in the UK have, but not sand paddocks. They are grass on a shale soil base.

This is my limit. But I also do not feed more than 1 biscuit of hay a day each, and often do not feed, so it depends on how much hard feed/hay you provide and how much turn out they get.

The littlies do not need much room, and you could have some in and some out on an alternate basis. You could use day yards. But in the end it is a stretch. Not impossible but a stretch.
 

Marydoll

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I have 3 horses on mine, only muddy at the gate, the rest has stood up well, they are on it 5-6 hours a day over winter and in at night, and around 10-12 hrs in the summer and in at night when i split and rest each side not used.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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depends how you maintain it and fence it and time out



we have 7 acres at the back divided into 4 we use 2 at a time and rest 2 we usually have 8 on it they are out 7- 4pm fields cope amazingly well we have too much grass

our land is weed killed- harrowed- fertilized de pooed everyday.

We dont have grass livery , we also had 350 hay off the other 2 paddocks .

So its not just about how much land its how you take care of it.

If you expect the land to sustain your animals you have to sustain the land,

The only mud area is round the gate , generally our horses get to fat as we get ample grass
 

AngieandBen

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I have 5 acres and I only have three ponies living out 24/7. Most of the grazing is kept for winter so I never have to feed hay; They have almost eaten down the 4.5 acres they have! ; From April to October they on a paddock paradise system of about half an acre.

No way you would be able to have that many on 5 acres unless you want a mud bath and pay a fortune in feeding hay.
 

paulineh

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I would say that there would be too many with the ones you want to put on there.

I have just under 5 acres plus 3/4 (A friends next door to use in the winter or an emergency for a sick one) The amount of grazing of the 5 acres is about 4.5 with the other half for stables, car, trailer,storage shed and caravan.

I have 1 x Anglo Arab (16.2hh) 4 x Arabs (14hh to 15.2hh) and a 12.3hh New Forest.

The grazing is split into one large field for the summer, one smaller for the winter and a smaller one which we use when we need it normally during the summer so that I can harrow the bigger field.

They all live out 24/7 all year are feed 2 feeds a day and plenty of Hay.

During the Spring /Summer/Autumn the fields are harrowed, rolled and fertilized.

We have grass all year round.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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No way you would be able to have that many on 5 acres unless you want a mud bath and pay a fortune in feeding hay.


Op said 3 would live in

is there no way the others could?? that way land would not get so poached.

I wont do grass livery for this reason.

This is our 2 paddocks there are in current use this is 3.5 acres the other 2 are resting , this has 8 on it look how green and un muddy they are
DSCF3989.jpg


each set of field get a good break after use . The guy we use comes up sees what they need in fertiliser. We spen over £700 on the land .
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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I have 4.5 acres & 2 currently on it - cob & pony.
This is fine for them for around 8 months of the year & for around 4 months they have tape to keep them off too much grass - but it all soon goes in the autumn.

I 'have' had up to 9 or 10 in the past, but hayed ALL year round apart from possibly June/July, then in winter at least 6 if not 7 were stabled for over 50% of the day.

Now, I would have no more then 4 tops, 3 would be the best number & would still expect to hay through at least 3 or 4 months of the winter.
 

forestfantasy

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I'd say no too i'm afraid.

We had 3 on 5 acres (2 large horses, 1 Sec A) last summer (April - October) and by the end of august i was buying hay so they could stay out 24/7.

The field was well drained and good thick grass but it had just all gone!
 

zaminda

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I have 6 on 15 acres, 2 under 14.2 2 around 15.2 and 2 around 16.2, and still feed in the winter. I used to have them on around 4 acres, and never again
 

BBH

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I have 2 and a smallie on 4 acres and they are hungry. I am haying twice a day and they are waiting for it.

Plenty of grass but no nutrients I think.

As for your scenario there are no right and wrong answers, you may only expect the acres to be exercise and hay all winter like my neighbours who have rented what looks to be no more than an acre yet have 5 big horses on it. Each horse has a mountain of hay everyday and they look fine.
 

flump

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Hi guys thanks for ur replys! Am just catching up on my phone! Basically its 5 acres of grazing not incl hardstanding/stables. 3 would live in and the ponies and other 2 horses would be put away (fieldshelters with gates at night) I know its not ideal. Think the plan is now to keep the 2 retired + ponies there and keep 3 horses on local livery yard but they will have to all move onto 5 acres for time being :s
 
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