Keeping your horse at home with just over an acre grazing....

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Imogenpj

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Hi,
I'm new here (please go easy on me). I'm after advice and experience from those that keep their horses on a small plot.

This is my situation....
The paddock is at home (lucky me)
We have a stable, barn and teeny paddock (maybe 20'x40') which we rent from a neighbour for extra storage.
Our grazing is just over an acre, we have a small area fenced as a sacrifice paddock for wet weather. The grazing is clay and gets muddy quickly, it's also been over grazed in the past and needs TLC - it's had 6 months rest and we're working on the docks.

Already planned....
We will be getting a 12x24 building which will be half stable/shelter and half storage in the field.
Next to the timber building we be building a small area with scalpings and rubber chips (this area is about 18' square).

Does this sound viable? I've kept horses at home before but had surplus grazing so I know this is a squeeze.

P.s don't worry - I won't be keeping my new horse alone, neighbours both sides have horses so lots of company :)

All advice (particularly re: facilities which will make this as easy as possible) and experiences gladly received.

Thank you!
 
Is horse going to be on the acre alone? I would probably strip graze it - but have electric fence on each side, and as you add a metre on one side, take it off the other side, so those bits get properly rested. If that's too high maintenance I would probably divide it into 3.
 
Yes you could do it but it's more work that's the only thing. I have 3 on a small turnout area over winter and in summer could easily support them on an acre as all good doers. Depends on how much effort and money (for instance you'll need more hay) you want to throw at it really. I do have more ground than that (and indeed more horses oops!)
 
I only ave limited grazing. My arena has a shelter and doubles as winter turnout. It does need harrowing a couple of times a week, and of course I put hay in the shelter.

My horse is in at night summer and winter. In winter it is to preserve my arena, and in summer so he can have hay all night.

The summer turnout is always looking good as we don't over use it.

Obviously we poo pick every evening summer and winter.
 
I'm sorry, but I don't count neighbours having horses on both sides on as company. A friend has the same set up you are describing, but her horse is on very restricted grazing time for his weight. She has to put a feed trug on her shoulders to satisfy his need for mutual grooming. He tries to 'play' with her when she goes into his paddock and is downright dangerous. She spends several hours a day with him to keep him company. He's a lonely boy :(
 
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Ahhh to have an arena! You lucky thing. Do you find you feed hay all year round? I suspected that might be the case but I think I'd probably buried my head in the sand about it a bit. Interesting that you keep them in overnight in summer and winter, do you find this essential to keeping the grazing good?
 
I have 3 ponies on almost 2 acres. They are all good doers so I have a track in the summer months and they have the lot in winter. The only bits that never get a rest is the edges.

I wouldn't keep one alone either. You will probably find that your horse hangs around in the same place all the time. Next door to me had one on her own and she stood next to my fence in all weathers rather than eat or seek shelter. I guess her need for company was greater than her need for comfort.

If you are doing it I'd say a hard standing area is a must. I have thick paving slabs on a bed of sand, laid upside down so not slippery, bought on Gumtree cheaply.
 
That's really sad, certainly not something that I would want to cause stress to a horse. Next door have mares, they are happy for us to share all the grazing but really I prefer geldings. I could get a mini for company (or a goat, everyone keeps telling me they bond really well with horses and eat the weeds - double bonus), but I didn't want to overload the grazing.....
 
Sounds good to me! I'm moving my boy home next month and getting his wee companion shetland too!
We have an acre of ground but only 1/3 is the paddock. Next door is an unused field we can use when we want but we are also creating a hard standing area the same as you for when the fields too boggy!
Its all about how manage it :)

Enjoy x
 
Thank you lintel, do you think a companion is more important that trying to preserve grazing then? My daughter is 10 months old, I'd love an excuse to buy her a tiny friend!
 
I'd certainly not attempt it without a companion - and I wouldn't have anything other than another pony as a companion either. Is your horse a good doer? Would it be compatible with a Shetland?
 
What's the ground like? We're on horrid clay and had 3 ponies and one horse on 3 acres and it ultimately didn't work and the horse ended up having to go if we wanted any grass at all left and didn't want to be in 24/7.
 
rara007 said:
What's the ground like? We're on horrid clay and had 3 ponies and one horse on 3 acres and it ultimately didn't work and the horse ended up having to go if we wanted any grass at all left and didn't want to be in 24/7.
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We're also on the horrid clay, so very muddy. This is why we have fenced the upper part for wet turnout and will be making the all weather dinky bit by the stable - hoping to keep off the grass whenever it is damp!
 
Not all horses are fussed about friends. I have two, although one cannot be turned out by himself I have never seen them grooming each other and they are usually the opposite ends of the grazing, they don't hang out together at all. In fact the horse seems to dislike the pony and she keeps out of his way. No different from friends on the other side of the fence.
 
Imogenpj said:
I've seen paddock paradise! Looks great but thought it also looked pricey.....
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I think you need to really look into the economy of keeping horses in a small paddock in conventional way vs pp.... consider everything that could happen. How will you keep the horse off the wt if they get mudfever? Will you build a school?

Be creative - it's not that expensive if you really think about it. PP is cost effective, not cheap but you will save your paddock and give your horse plenty of natural movement and exercise.

Don't close your mind to the possibilities.
 
I personally wouldn't , it's not enough for me and I have a good doer . I think if you ge a dry summer , yes you could do it but I don't fancy sectioning off in the winter as would be worried about the state of it afterwards. Maybe I'm just to used to having clay fields on the Scottish west coast !
 
Orangehorse said:
Not all horses are fussed about friends. I have two, although one cannot be turned out by himself I have never seen them grooming each other and they are usually the opposite ends of the grazing, they don't hang out together at all. In fact the horse seems to dislike the pony and she keeps out of his way. No different from friends on the other side of the fence.
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I agree, mine isn't bothered by physical contact, I've never seen her groom another horse or seen signs of her having done so, all she needs is to be able to see horses in surrounding fields.
 
When I was young I kept my two ponies on our paddock of about an acre. They were both good doers so we often had to section it off in the summer, there was plenty of room/grass. When one died, my life was moving on, so I didn't want to buy another at that time, we had our neighbours horses next door and my mare was perfectly happy with their company over the fence, they could groom each other very easily.
 
Lack of grass as such isn't a problem, buying in hay is easy. But I would worry about it getting seriously trashed in the winter. Not cheap but what about laying ground protection mats on a decent area and using that for winter turnout?
 
Imogenpj said:
That's really sad, certainly not something that I would want to cause stress to a horse. Next door have mares, they are happy for us to share all the grazing but really I prefer geldings.
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I don't understand this bit. What do you mean?

But in terms of grazing, yes it's possible. In France and Spain they are all out together in tiny paddocks!
 
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