how may acres?

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ew1801

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how many acres would you need per horse so that there was always ample grazing if your horses live out 24/7?

i know some say 1.5 for first horse than a acre every other horse but is this statment true for horses living out 24/7?

thank you
 
Depends on the lay of the land, type of soil, type of grass and drainage. I would suggest no less than 2 acres as in Winter it will get poached. To keep grass and land in good condition it is essential to pick up poos every day as otherwise the grass below them dies and becomes sour.
 
We had 6 on 15 acres, this was about right. They are now on 18 acres over the winter, and will be rotated onto a 16 acre field for the summer. I like to have a min of 2 acres per horse.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I have 2 & a quarter ;) on 4.5 acres - this is fine for their needs.
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Hehe I would love to see your quarter :D

I have a 14.1 cob and a 11hh dartmoor hill pony, on about 3 acres. They are out 24/7 with a shelter.
In the summer I had in in half (at least) and over winter they have it all.

Seems to be working ok, although this is my first winter there so ask me again in march time :)
 
I think it really depends on the land, we have 12 acres which was a barley crop 5 years ago when we bought it so NOT old pasture and very heavy clay. I can't even leave my 2 out fully 24/ 7 or I'd trash whole fields which would take several years to recover with a huge investment of reseeding, rolling, fertiliser etc.
On draining old pasture with stip grazed good doers I know people who keep 2 on 2 acres !!!
 
Polos Mum said:
On draining old pasture with stip grazed good doers I know people who keep 2 on 2 acres !!!
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I do!! I had 2 this summer but will have 3 next summer out 24/7 on just under 2 and a half acres. In summer the grass grows back so fast its no bother on the summer grazing.
Winter theyre on just under an acre for 4/5 hours a day with hay chucked down.
We manage perfect :)
It really just depends on size of horses, the type of soil etc and how you manage!
 
i have 2 at approx 15hh, they come in for 4hrs per day and have a bit of hay, this is their routine all yr round, i have to supplement grazing with hay for a couple of months of the yr and they are on 3.7acres of established grazing
 
I keep our 3 happily on 4 acres of well drained hill grazing. However prior to this we had a 5 acre field of clay, that struggled with just 2 horses.

So yes, it depends very much on your soil type, how fertile it is, how well it drains, how quiet your horses are in the field, and how quickly it recovers after a wet winter.
 
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Have 12 acres for 2 horses and wish I had more ! The thing is they are TERRIBLE grazers and actually eat the nice grass down to the mud so have to rotate every 3 weeks, with the AWFUL drought we had this summer the whole 12 acres was totally scorched and grass less I had to give them hay !!!
 
The old, old advice is still true: 2.5 acres for the first horse, and an acre per horse thereafter - e.g. 2 horses = 3.5 acres, 4 horses = 5.5, 6 horses = 7.5. And that's a minimum in my view, to be able to rest the ground, maintain it etc.
 
I asked this question a while ago and the answers made me think I might bankrupt myself on hay! It is my first winter but 2 acres seems ample for my good doer, I have bought like ten bales of hay just in case and will see how we go. We have good grazing I guess as I would probably manage two on it although would need more hay depending what it was. It was over grown when I moved onto it in the summer and had a short break between horses too, so still have loads left. New horse has eaten about 1/8 acre in nettles so that's made space!
 
I have 4 on about 5.5 acres out 24/7. I normally need to give them hay for 5-6 months of the year. It does depend a lot on the soil and weather.
 
I have three on six acres, the fourth is away competing and I wouldn't want him home to share the grazing.

Mine are on a lot of haylage but big horses. In the winter they are on the one acre field next to stables and I sacrifice it. They then go on the five acre field in the summer but it's pretty poor by about September. This is good established grazing that drains well. The one acre is only 2 years old since sown.

All grass recovers well as long as you don't make it sick, rest it, fertilise when needed and most importantly, poo pick it. Also ensure docks, ragwort etc don't take hold!

It's all about having a good grass management plan that works for your fields.
 
totally depends on the land.
How wet and dry it gets.
How well the grass grows.
The horses and how they treat it and how it is managed.

They uses to say 3 acres for the first horse then another acres for every additional horse.

But really the more the better so you can divide it and rotate.
 
15.1hh very good doer and 13.2hh native on old well drained pasture of 4 acres - they are on about 1/4 of that during summer on track system round outside of field and in during the day as they get too fat even on that. Come Autumn they are out 24/7 and I gradually widen the track so that they are on all of it come February. I think this year i could probably get away with not feeding much hay, just some in field shelter when frosty/snowy or very wet. Have to top the middle of field twice a year to keep in good condition so you could say we could probably survive on less (but no less 2!) but would need to supplement with hay.

I have friend who has a poor doer and a laminitic pony on 1 acre and she has to feed hay all year round. She seperates the acre into four small paddocks and just uses 2 in winter - these just become mud pits with no grass and tbh she and the horses hate it. Luckily she does have 2 stables so brings them in over night but she would be stuffed if she didn't have them as the fields are knee high in mud eventually. They do still recover and grow grass come spring though. The other 2 paddocks she keeps for good grass.
 
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