Is 2 Acres Enough for 2 Horses?

[Lotsoflemons]

Hi we Have 2 horses one is 14hh and the other is 15hh we are looking at Moving to a new Field it is 2 paddocks about a acre ish each we have stables so they will come in at night or for a few days in winter and will have hay in the field is this Doable for 2 Horses? Attached is Photo of Paddocks. Thanks.

 

[Fjord]

What's the ground like? If it's clay then it will hold up much differently to well draining sandy soil.

 

[meleeka]

Yes it's enough if they aren't on it 24/7 and you are happy for it to be for turnout, rather than grazing. I only have two acres. I currently have two ponies and 2 shetlands on it but I have had bigger horses is the past. A hardstanding is essential though.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

What's the ground like? If it's clay then it will hold up much differently to well draining sandy soil.

The First field is quite soft and slanted a little Stream runs down the side so I think that will be Summer Field as its a little wet, Top field is quite dry and flat both grow quite well

 

[Clodagh]

It’ll be fine, you’ll just have to manage it as you learn how it copes.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

Yes it's enough if they aren't on it 24/7 and you are happy for it to be for turnout, rather than grazing. I only have two acres. I currently have two ponies and 2 shetlands on it but I have had bigger horses is the past. A hardstanding is essential though.

First Field has Access to the Yard so if they go in there it will be left open

 

[Fjord]

First Field has Access to the Yard so if they go in there it will be left open

If they can safely mooch around the yard then that's brilliant, you've got an escape from the mud.

 

[Clodagh]

If you poo pick then you may need to fertilise a tiny bit. I hate artificial fertiliser but I was lucky and could harrow and rest one paddock rather then clearing it.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

If you poo pick then you may need to fertilise a tiny bit. I hate artificial fertiliser but I was lucky and could harrow and rest one paddock rather then clearing it.

Yes! So we will definitely be poo picking the top field and will probably split it in to 2, the first field is quite overgrown and a normal sized tractor can't get down there at the moment! So we will probably leave it overgrown for winter so they have the yard space aswell and then try and rest it in the Spring or vice versa

 

[Burnttoast]

Not for me but I want both 24/7 turnout and no mud. I have 2 medium-sized ponies on 4 well-drained acres with a hardstanding yard and wouldn't mind another couple of acres, to be honest!

 

[rabatsa]

Certainly doable, you will however have to supplement the grass with purchased forage over winter.

 

[Lotsoflemons]

Not for me but I want both 24/7 turnout and no mud. I have 2 medium-sized ponies on 4 well-drained acres with a hardstanding yard and wouldn't mind another couple of acres, to be honest!

Yeah everyone is different we are currently on about the same size land but in one paddock and a Diffrent lay out, The only reason for moving is its closer to home and its a better area for riding out! They are used to being in and chose to be in then out as both hate bad weather and flies!

 

[Lotsoflemons]

Certainly doable, you will however have to supplement the grass with purchased forage over winter.

Yes definately! they will have lots of hay.

 

[JackFrost]

2 acres of narrow strip land won't grow the same amount of grass as a squarer plot because it doesn't get so much light if there is hedging around.
There are a lot of trees in the photo. Have you checked what they are? You don't want any sycamore and oak is difficult in years when there are a lot of acorns if you don't have space to fence off a large area. And I would check who will be responsible for all the boundary hedging and fencing and tree work, as there is a very long perimeter for not much land.

 

[Gloi]

If you have some hard standing to feed them on in wet weather that makes it much easier

 

[Lotsoflemons]

2 acres of narrow strip land won't grow the same amount of grass as a squarer plot because it doesn't get so much light if there is hedging around.
There are a lot of trees in the photo. Have you checked what they are? You don't want any sycamore and oak is difficult in years when there are a lot of acorns if you don't have space to fence off a large area. And I would check who will be responsible for all the boundary hedging and fencing and tree work, as there is a very long perimeter for not much land.

I'm not to sure what types of tree they are but the national trust own the other side of the top field and rent out for sheep land so all the repairs fencing etc they do Owners are happy for us to split field etc too so we will split by electric fencing the second Paddock

 

[Lotsoflemons]

If you have some hard standing to feed them on in wet weather that makes it much easier

Yes we do! The field has a concrete path up to the stables

 

[Fransurrey]

The way I would manage that would be to use the first field (with the stream*) in summer, then open the gate to the bottom field in the winter/walk a fence back across the bottom field and leave yard open for feeding/haying. If you can have more than one gateway to reduce poaching, even better, otherwise prep the gateway first. That's how I manage my 2 acres, although the dividing fence is temporary. They come up for feeds, eat all the hay, then meander off to the bottom in winter.

*I would consider fencing the stream off, if there's a possibility one will get stuck/the bank may collapse under a horse's weight, at least until you get an idea of how much it swells in rainy season.

 

[Hallo2012]

i have 2.5 ish acres of wet clay

in overnight all year, supplement with hay in fields over summer, save the bulk of the grass for Oct-Dec and have 2 all weather pens for Jan-March when its too muddy to use fields.

it would never work for 24/7 or without the pens but we make it work ok.

 

[Landcruiser]

My land is very similar OP, we are on a long narrow strip divides into 3 fields of about an acre each - 2 on one side of the house, one on the other. (500m x max 28m ). The yard is next to the house, so for the most part my horses live on the yard and I use the 2 acres adjoining. We added a 20x40 arena in the first (middle) paddock. I've generally had 3 horses. We are on heavy clay. It's an awkward shape to be honest. Access to the second (dryer) field is, like yours OP, through the wetter field. We ended up having to put a track through this along the hedge line because it got so wet in winter it was really impassable to get to the dryer field. We have big oaks on one side too, and do have to fence off areas in big acorn years. We have a few sycamores, but these are on the downwind side and back from the boundary and thankfully never had an issue.
After many years of adaptations and tweaks I run a sort of track/equicentral/dry lot combination, using the yard and the (absolutely essential) 20x20 all weather turnout off the yard. THe arena can be opened up too, so I have a LOT of all weather space. The long fields mean they get a lot of movement and even in winter they are out 24/7. I never stable, but I do top up with hay all year as necessary.

 

[HollyWoozle]

We keep 5 out 24/7 on less than 3 acres all year (two horses of 16 - 16.2hh, one around 13.1hh and two littlies) without issues but we do feed hay twice a day all year (and often a lot of it in the winter). There is still something for them to nibble at most of the year too though. I think the ground makes a big difference as others have said.

 

[Red-1]

I have 2 acres for 2 horses, clay soil.

Out 12 hours during the day in summer. Winter is all weather turnout.

It is just fine, but I accept that I have to supplement hay.