How much land do I need

[Horsebacks]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a yard to run as a livery yard alongside my equine sports massage business.
The plan is to have 10 horses on full livery then perhaps another 10 on DIY. Can anyone suggest how much land I would need ideally as the opinions seem to vary a lot.

Thanks

 

[happihorse]

I always thought the rule was one acre plus one acre per horse. However, it really depends what the grazing is like, how much time they will be spending out and how much you are willing to provide hay or haylage in the field I suppose. If you had exceptionally well draining land, you might be able to get away with less. However, I would suggest that you would need a minimum of 25 acres for twenty horses.

 

[AngieandBen]

As above, depends on in they are going to live out and what the land is like. I would have said at leas 20 acres if not 25

 

[KVH]

Yeah it's 1 acre per horse, so I would have as a minimun 25 acres to allow for rotating fields, and any other situations which may arise ie a tiny bit fenced off for a horse coming off box rest, starvation paddock etc.

 

[Enfys]

So, 20 horses, the one acre per horse or whatever it is currently, ONLY applies IF you plan for them to subsist on the grazing, if not then you will get away with far less acreage.

I have 3 Boarders to a paddock, Boarders paddocks are approx 2 acres (hay ad-lib all year round) the grass is there for them to pick at, not live on. If I was boarding now I would always, always, plump for somewhere with for small groups or preferably my own exclusive paddock rather than risk my horses with larger groups. I have some Boarders who opt to have their own one acre paddocks with one or two horses.

Land management is everything, manage it properly and it will work for you. The area you need depends on the type of ground you have, the terrain, whether you will permit 24/7 turnout, or just use the land for turnout, whether you plan to have lots of smaller paddocks or a few large ones. Having 2 or 3 small, separate paddocks is essential for isolation, restricted turnout, lay-ups, bullies, fatties etc, half acre is plenty big enough.