How much acreage for two big horses out 24/7?

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Jesstickle

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I have a TB and a TBxWB that I'd like to put out all the time. How much space do you think I'd realistically need if they weren't going to completely obliterate the fields. Obviously would be happy to hay them as required, it's more about the complete demolition of the fields that I'm checking up on?
 
Well you would need a bare minimum of 2 acres but unless you have perfectly drained soil that would get chewed up pretty quick. Somewhere between 2 and 3 would be fine, probably more towards the 3 acre mark for comfort.
 
Apercrumbie said:
Well you would need a bare minimum of 2 acres but unless you have perfectly drained soil that would get chewed up pretty quick. Somewhere between 2 and 3 would be fine, probably more towards the 3 acre mark for comfort.
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^ This.

As said though, dependant on soil. We are lucky to have incredibly good drainage and siting for ours.

Pan
 
Our 2 boys have 24/7 access to around 5 acres and i have to say that only about a 30 x 30 area has actually been trashed this winter , there's plenty of space to encourage' foraging movement'and no one piece gets over used - long term it means that the general ' thatch of our grass is maintained which is critical for long term use imo. I set aside a further 2 acres to rest and grow so that i can take them off the 5 acres for a month or so in the spring so that i can weed spray if needed , and harrow and roll the poached bit - plus it does give it a breather and if it's growing well i may opt to cut hay but that's only if the other 2 acres will sustain them.
 
It really depends very much on the temperament of the horses. I had my 16.3hh ISH and a 14.2hh cob and a 10hh falabella x on 1.25 acres for a couple of years and we made a sacrifice patch in the winter and saved a paddock for summer grazing. I won't say it was easy, but they were calm easy horses.

My 17hh WB on the other hand is now out 24/7 on 2 acres (since October 2011) and he has trashed it. It's only him on it but take a look at this - it looks ploughed!!

IMAG0477.jpg


Having to overseed and rest these paddocks for the summer from April :(
 
I think it does depend on the soil type/ time of year. We're on clay and it is so near to the surface that the land drains really badly, so in the winter, the more space they have the better. There is a herd of ponies living out on the hillside behind us over winter - there are 4 of them and they have about 10 acres, which is obviously plenty, but even then the ground isn't in great nick because it doesn't drain well. I think they'd be perfectly comfortable with half the space though, maybe less. In the summer, they could live on about 2 acres because they're all fatties!
I think 2-3 acres if you've got reasonable ground is probably about right. I'd want more if the drainage was bad though, mainly for winter.
 
I'd say at least 2 but preferably 3 or 4. Lot depends on the soil type & hills etc. One near us has 3 out on 2 acres of hills & field looks fine, another has 8 on at least 10 acres plus on flat badly draining ground & its trashed.
 
YasandCrystal said:
It really depends very much on the temperament of the horses. I had my 16.3hh ISH and a 14.2hh cob and a 10hh falabella x on 1.25 acres for a couple of years and we made a sacrifice patch in the winter and saved a paddock for summer grazing. I won't say it was easy, but they were calm easy horses.

My 17hh WB on the other hand is now out 24/7 on 2 acres (since October 2011) and he has trashed it. It's only him on it but take a look at this - it looks ploughed!!

IMAG0477.jpg


Having to overseed and rest these paddocks for the summer from April :(
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Glad I am not alone having to look at a feild like this every day!
My 2 are on nearly 3 acres. They are unshod,but they are young and athletic!
Its also been a very wet winter:(
 
abitodd said:
Glad I am not alone having to look at a feild like this every day!
My 2 are on nearly 3 acres. They are unshod,but they are young and athletic!
Its also been a very wet winter:(
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True. I must not moan - my WB is on rehab and bless him he has exercised himself just fabulously over the winter and I expect his 2nd thigh is now like Popeye's muscles!! A gentle hill and thick mud, what better therapy?! Also he has ploughed it so evenly too :D
 
Agree with it depends what your horses are like for running around! Ours hooney around like lunatics and have made SUCH a mess of the end they like to slid to a stop at! Apart from that patch, they're only really ruined a riding arean sized patch of the hay area.

I'd want 4acres min for too big horses and it'd need to be well drained.
 
My two are unshod which probably helps. At the moment they have just under 2 acres but come in at night in the winter which probably helps to save it quite a lot as they are only out 12 hours a day, plus it drains incredibly well.

My outlaws have offered to put my two up if we move back home. But I'm not sure as I'd feel awful if they trashed the place ( pretty sure inlaws wouldn't give a fig but I would!). They'd have just under 2.5 acres but it's split into two paddocks. They'd be ok on an acre over summer (they always are here) but I think they might annihilate the other 1.5 acres over winter. Would making sure it had plenty of grass cover when they went in there and haying well help or would it be a lost cause? Nitty will belt about, BH mostly keeps his head down and eats!

Yasand Crystal, yikes, that is one heck of a mess!
 
if you're going for 24/7 turnout 365 days a year then 4 acres so that you can set aside a winter trash paddock, if you're going to stable over winter then you could get away with 3 acres. the fields we rent are wet, you could windsurf in one paddock if we get a wet winter:eek: but i am lucky in that i have 4 acres for summer use and another 4 which i'm allowed to trash in winter. no matter how much acreage you have though you always get 'ploughed' areas, you just have to learn to ignore them;) although i have to say i'm half tempted to plant some veggies in the ploughed bit lol, well fertilsed soil thats been well turned over by the horses:D
 
1.5 acres would be fine as a winter trash paddock I'd think. We have 5 (3 shod) on 6 acres over the winter, hilly but clay. The gate area turns into a large brown horrid patch, but they still have plenty of green away from this. Prob about a acre of mud bath in total?
 
In an ideal world - I'd go for 6/7!

We have a 7 acre for two 15.2hh horses, but it is v v steep, with the flat bottom being 50% bog and the higher grass is quite poor but drains well.

Its too much grass in the summer, but we close the gates to the dodgy bits and then they have 3/4 acres to run on and that's about right :)

Just good to have the options!
 
I would say 4 acres with two biggies. That way you can split in two and rest and rotate if required. I don't know about yours but my big lad needs a decent volume of grass going through him to keep him full up.

2.5 acres is probably doable... in the winter I'd be inclined to let them have the whole lot, just putting hay in for them in one place when needed... come mid feb/ begining of march you can close one half off to rest it for a month or so before letting them on it and doing the same with the other half...

You might find you have to hay all year though...
 
YasandCrystal said:
It really depends very much on the temperament of the horses. I had my 16.3hh ISH and a 14.2hh cob and a 10hh falabella x on 1.25 acres for a couple of years and we made a sacrifice patch in the winter and saved a paddock for summer grazing. I won't say it was easy, but they were calm easy horses.

My 17hh WB on the other hand is now out 24/7 on 2 acres (since October 2011) and he has trashed it. It's only him on it but take a look at this - it looks ploughed!!

IMAG0477.jpg


Having to overseed and rest these paddocks for the summer from April :(
Click to expand...

This looks very much like one of my fields! We have terrible drainage and clay soil so they only have to walk on it for the ploughed effect! I have a 17hh idx and a 16.2 tb and we have about 5 acres and I only just cope! They have 2 acres to trash in winter and come in every night and then the other 3 acres is for the summer, out 24/7. Once the 2 acres recovers I do swap them about a bit and then it gets another months rest before winter comes! They are hooligans though and play fight a lot!
I do hay all winter too and towards the end of the summer.
 
Wow, I am beginning to feel incredibly luck with my current grazing. Under two acres, out all the time in summer, out 12 hours a day in winter and hardly a scrap of mud! It must be magic grass I think :eek:
 
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