indvidual grazing v comunal grazing

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andytiger

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hi
[i would just like some peoples opinions on what grazing they prefer im thinking of changing livery yards were it is small communal grazing about 4 others geldings my horse is a gelding aswell so that would make 5
i have always had individual grazing and im a bit worried how he would settle hes quite laidback and loves company of other horses and i think he wud prefer having some company
just wanted some peoples opinions
 
I run a small livery and have just enough land to accomodate both individual and communal grazing.

For the individual paddocks I allow an acre per horse, which are rotated to allow all yr round grazing. I try to make sure there are always horses adjacent to each other, so they have company and can interact over the fencing if so wish.

The communal field is a lot larger so allows for each horse to have its own personal space and prevents bickering.

In terms of your own horse, if the yard can accomodate I would start by grazing him in a paddock next to/nr the other 4 so that they can meet on safer terms. If there are no fights or issues, you could then try him in with the others and ask the yard to keep a close eye to start with.

Horses are herd creatures and most prefer company - they usually sort out a pecking order so be prepared for a few 'arguements' when first put together, but will hopefully settle quite quickly.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
I really dislike individual turnout and it would have to be very unusual circumstances before I would consider it. Yes, you are taking the risk of injuries but if the horses are introduced carefully and monitored then you can minimise them.
 
Thankyou for your comments guys it's definatley food for thought think I'm gonna stay were I am better the devil you know and all that x
 
We here havent got enough acreage for individual so really only yards with enough land or big ones can do this.


We separate new horse for a week before letting them in with the gang.

Then on the day which is one week after horse arrived, we turn new horse into the normal field, then let horses in one at a time for 5 mins apart, reduces injury Ours are all happy .;)

We dont separate mares from geldings as most of them have partners and like to be together.

We rest 2 fields and use 2. its weed-killed fertilized and harrowed every year.
 
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I think my pony would be unhappy on his own not being able to interact with other ponies he is lucky in that he lives out and there is plenty of space so that ponies can run away from each other if one if one is feeling grumpy but TBH they always seems to be together anyway rather than spread out.

However I think a lot of group turnouts are not big enough for everyone to have their own space or enough to eat all year round and this contributes to injuries more I think than communal grazing. I have also noticed that some horses that do not live out get very excited when they get turned out in the morning and then get restless when it is bringing in time in the winter and collect round the gate and this is when I think injuries are more likely to happen rather than from fighting with other horses.
 
I am very much of the view that my lot can all kill each other if they feel they must, and the buck stops with me. However I am not happy for my horses to share fields with horses owned by others. I do like to have some control over it all. When I was on yards, I always wanted "individual" turnout - my horses not sharing with anyone else's. I definitely was not prepared to let them run as part of a herd. I'm not prepared to put up with replacing rugs or paying vets bills for damage/injury caused by a horse belonging to somebody else. Let alone the hassle when you try to get your own horse out of the field and there's another dozen of them trying to stop you.

Currently my adult ones are split according to sex, but will run together happily apart from at mealtimes, hence why they're split. The (weaned) foals are all together at the moment, the boys and girls will be split in the New Year or earlier if it seems necessary.
 
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Communal grazing all the way.

Horses are like humans and need physical interaction, play, group together for warmth and safety. As a human, i would hate to only 'look' at other humans and not have any conversation or cuddles. I believe a horse feels the same way.

In our group of 4 geldings, 8.30 seems to be play time, 10am is nap time, and so on.

Introduce carefully over a week or two and you'll have a happy horse!

However, unless you have a very well established and long standing herd with plenty of acreage i think mixing mares and geldings does cause a few problems, especially taking one of a pair bond out of the field and especially if it happens to be my stressy tb.
 
I'd be very unhappy with individual turnout, to the extent that I even bought a second horse to avoid the problem. I don't like mixed herds though & wouldn't keep one of mine that way.
 
Mine are in individual paddocks when they are working/have back shoes on.

They can still talk/groom/play over the fence and take great joy in playing and interacting but they are kept safe from the worst kicks/bites.

When they are turned away on winter break with shoes off and no riding, they go out in pairs/small groups- less risk imo with no shoes and it doesn't matter if they get a bite mark on the saddle area etc as not in work.

Mine seem equally happy when they are in the individual paddocks or when they are chucked out to go feral in the winter.
 
I share a small DIY yard with 1 other person. She has 4 mares and 1 gelding, I have 1 gelding, her mares and my boy have a 10 acre field split between them, he has the bottom 3 acres so that he can shadow them but not run with them. Truth be told he is scared of them, on one occasion when the girls broke into his field, he broke out!! Her baby gelding has his own patch too cos he upsets everybody else and then they all pick on him, so for safety he also has a strip which runs alongside. They can all interact if they wish, nothing is ever left alone and it makes feeding, bringing in and out etc much safer for all.
 
I prefer communal grazing, and so do the horses. My 2 geldings go out with another 2 geldings and a mare and are happy with this, and my foal goes out in a larger herd for a couple of hours, and stays out overnight with another youngster (they come in through the day and go out at night, and the rest do the opposite so sometimes there is 10 out, sometimes there is 2)
 
My mare is currently on individual turnout but I'm trying to get someone else to go out with her so she has a 'buddy'.
She can see another horse in the next paddock but can't groom etc which I feel is cruel.
 
I've only been on one yard that had individual grazing and i didn't like it. Luckily, because I have two, I was allocated two paddocks, but put both girls in one and then rotated!

Where I am now, they go out in small herds. Dulcie is in the biggest herd, which has anything between 3-6 horses depending on the day she goes out. Doll goes out with between 2-4 horses and Luna goes out with just one other. It works well for me and my girls!

I can understand why some horses are better on individual turnout though..myfriends eventer is a real stroppy bugger and doesn't like sharing at all...she he is much better in his own paddock with no one to bug him.
 
Mmmm difficult one this. As a YO I think you have to say to yourself that either you want to be in a place with an individual grazing set-up, OR you're quite happy for yours to share with others ........ and resulting from that be prepared for difficulties such as bullying, face-pulling, separation issues etc etc. Not that it always happens, but it frequently does coz if horses are put together then basically anything can happen and frequently does!!

If your horse is quite happy on his own with his own "paddock"; then TBH if its not broke don't fix it - unless there are other reasons why you're unhappy with your current yard. It would be awful if you moved your horse and immediately encountered problems with other horses bullying etc etc; and you might rue the day you moved and wish you were back where you were!

I think you have to weigh up the worse-case scenario really and see if you'd be happy with that.
 
Don't like it, at one time my horse was on his own as he was coming back from injury and he used to run up and down the fence line with the horse in the field opposite, back and forth, spinning at the end but never able to reach each other.

However not too keen on the throw them all out together approach either.

The yard I'm currently at has 4 small groups of 4 or 5 so you can separate 2 horses if there are real problems and try and put like minded horses together.
 
well there are pros and cons to either situation. small groups that get on well are ideal, individual turnout with neighbours works well. as long as shared turnout is monitored and no heirarchy is established then i feel this is the nicest arrangfement for the horse. i prefer single sex groups so no gelding gets possessive of his mare/mares. and obviously there has to be enough space and keep on the field to keep the horses satisfied. winter cqn be a problem as the grazing dies back, ad lib hay in field well spaced out and allowing for 2 piles of hay per head should reduce any shinanigans.
 
I don't think it is natural for a horse to be isolated?

My mare is turned out with another mare, and previously was out with 4 others.

Much prefer it that way and so does she. She's miserable and panics on her own.
 
I think individual turnout can work well if you plan it properly. At present my three are in individual paddocks, but they are all adjoining and they can groom and talk to each other over the dividing fences. They all go in and out at the same time and the paddocks are arranged so they can always see the others so none of them panic or get distressed. This works beautifully for the horses I have at the moment and actually means they get more time in the field and less in the stable, as they can be fed individually in their own paddocks.

I have previously had other horses out in small stable herds and that has worked well for those animals at that time. Like most things with horses, different approaches suit different individuals.
 
mine is on individual turnout and shes happy :)

she was in a big herd but got too stressed about it all - she can interact now over the fence/ have a run around etc and shes safe/no kicks etc :)

most horses do prefer company.... however for some it just works being alone :)
 
My horse used to be in a big herd of 10-15 other geldings- Always top of the herd, and HATED horses in his space. When we moved he was turned out individually, and was much happier. He could still see/hear and touch other horses if he wanted to, but he could still have his personal space.
 
I would never go back to communal grazing. Got totally peed off with the other owners never poo picking or ragworting, also I can strip graze my fatty if I need to. And no argy bargying at the gate, He can see and touch other horses over the fence though
 
My horse was in a herd of about 10, loved it as he likes his pals, but this one horse turned up and hurt a few horses and mine had to have stitches, I ended up moving yards because of this and now he is happy with his one pal with no shoes which is nice in the same field with others in separate fields close by. I don't think I would go back to herd turnout unless I really had to but if I were I would ask to pop him in the field but in a pen for a few weeks to ensure the integration goes well and I would then ask to introduce one by one so there were no heated problems :D
 
my Livery has communal and individual grazing. Most horses are in the communal fields, which are separated into mares, ponies and geldings. Mine definately prefers being out in a group, others are in individual fields.
We're very lucky to have plenty of good, all year round grazing, and can accommodate everyone.
 
We have the option of individual, pairs or small group/communal grazing where I am.

I keep my two together as they know each other and get along well. One of mine is a laminitic so he has to have limited grazing (difficult when in a group) and he also has an old injury after a horse fell on him, I have been told by the vets if he had another direct trauma to that area, that could be the end of the road so I would still have him alone if I didn't have my other horse.
 
When I first moved my mare to the yard she was in a paddock on her own next to my friend's 2. She was fine, at first, but then got so attached it got to the point where if my friend and her mum took their 2 out she would scream and box walk in her stable or charge up and down the field non-stop.

So when I found another mare to turn her out with, jumped at the chance, and since then she's settled so much more and is now quite happy and no where near as stressy.
 
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