How much grazing for 2 ponies

K

KDaly

Member
Joined
23 October 2014
Messages
16
Visit site
I have a 12.1hh Welsh B mare that I have just brought home from a livery yard and I am about to purchase a 42 inch Shetland gelding.

How much field space do I need to allocate for both of them to live out April to Oct?

Thanks!
 
KDaly said:
I have a 12.1hh Welsh B mare that I have just brought home from a livery yard and I am about to purchase a 42 inch Shetland gelding.

How much field space do I need to allocate for both of them to live out April to Oct?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would say 2 acres max really split into 4 with tape use two and rest two, We have a 12hh 12hh2 10hh on under an acre does them all year round as split into 3 donkey muzzled and goes in garden over the summer the other two strip grazed, the 3 sections are individually used and these are strip grazed withing the sections.
 
My 2 (14.3 MW & a 33" mini) managed too well on about an acre last summer for 6 months or so.
I had to close off the top 2 acres, the winter paddocks were resting so they were restricted to this - and both had to work to try to keep figures in trim :)
 
If the grazing is good, I would want no more than an acre - you could split it into 2 with electric fencing and rotate.
 
KDaly said:
I have a 12.1hh Welsh B mare that I have just brought home from a livery yard and I am about to purchase a 42 inch Shetland gelding.

How much field space do I need to allocate for both of them to live out April to Oct?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Thank you for taking time to reply :)

I have one 2 acre field and 2 * 1 acre fields. The 2 acre field needs to be ploughed and seeded which we plan to do in the autumn. The 2 smaller fields are already grass and are slightly closer to the house and stable. I had been thinking of using tape to mark a 20 x 40m area for schooling (will have to be on grass as can't afford manege) in one of the small fields and using the rest of it for grazing, then supplementing grazing with the other small field if required, for this year.

Next year, once the 2 acre field is established I'm not sure how to divide Summer/Winter grazing between the 3 fields.

I have just had a £15k estimate to have them all drained!

Any advice on pasture management gratefully received by this beginner ...

Ponies currently in back garden whilst I wait to get paddock fencing erected :/
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
My 2 (14.3 MW & a 33" mini) managed too well on about an acre last summer for 6 months or so.
I had to close off the top 2 acres, the winter paddocks were resting so they were restricted to this - and both had to work to try to keep figures in trim :)
Click to expand...


Ha Ha - Don't we all :)
 
If you have 1-2 acres you could have them out all year round, since they really aren't big at all. You'll probably need very little space in summer and just a little bit more in winter. My friend has two miniature shetlands who live out all year round and, although she has a lot of land, I think in the winter she will start them in one paddock of one acre or less and then move them to another of a similar size before the winter is over. In the summer she has a lot of trouble keeping the grass down as they just don't need anywhere near as much as she has. My sister and I have two, both 14hh-15hh and they have had six acres over winter and hardly needed any hay. In summer they will need a fraction of that!
 
An acre per horse maybe too generous for that height - I kept two mini's on 3/4 acre, turned out all year round, and they were still little fatties on that!!

Whereas if I had a 16hh poor doer, I would want a min of 1 acre, but ideally 1.5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top