noobs31
Well-Known Member
What would you do with 3 acres and 2 horses? I have been advised to rotate, tho what I would prefer to do is leave open all year for both and poo pick. Thoughts?? Thanks !! xx
Land management gurus?
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AngieandBen
Well-Known Member
I think it depends on if its good grazing, good drainage and whether they are good doers etc.
Example; I have over 5 acres for just two ponies who live out all year; From April to whenever it gets too wet ( usually end of Oct ) they go on a track system around two, quarter acre paddocks. Both are strip grazed. This lasts me all through this period and I never have to feed hay.
The rest of the land is cut for hay
I usually sell most of it! As soon as we've had a couple of frosts and or it gets too wet, they go onto the rest of the land which I split into two. Again before it gets too wet and muddy, i open up all of it so they get to run free on about 5 acres.
So you could have 1 acre for spring/ summer and save the other 2 for winter. Its suprising how much hay you can get off 2 acres if you can find someone to cut it for you.
Example; I have over 5 acres for just two ponies who live out all year; From April to whenever it gets too wet ( usually end of Oct ) they go on a track system around two, quarter acre paddocks. Both are strip grazed. This lasts me all through this period and I never have to feed hay.
The rest of the land is cut for hay
I usually sell most of it! As soon as we've had a couple of frosts and or it gets too wet, they go onto the rest of the land which I split into two. Again before it gets too wet and muddy, i open up all of it so they get to run free on about 5 acres. So you could have 1 acre for spring/ summer and save the other 2 for winter. Its suprising how much hay you can get off 2 acres if you can find someone to cut it for you.
Luci07
Well-Known Member
You also don't say what you have with relation to your horses either, i.e small pony needing restricted or poor grazing or large horse needing all it can get!. Resting is always a good idea to let your land recover a bit as horses are not the most efficient grass eaters and are notorious for being somewhat wasteful.
noobs31
Well-Known Member
Thank you angiandben, that sounds a really effective system! Luci good point, both need quite a bit, a TB and an older cob. The tb has actually always been the better doer but he's the one in work the other is my retired horse. So their requirements work out quite evenly but definitely no restricting.
Dry Rot
Well-Known Member
As has been said, a lot depends on your horses and the area/type of land you own.
But I'd go for what is loosely termed "buffer grazing".
Fence off what the horses need with tape and increase or reduce that according to need by monitoring the condition of the horses. Hopefully, you will have a surplus at the end of June which you can cut for hay. I'd leave the aftermath and continue to buffer graze, feeding more (as foggage over winter, i.e. rough grazing without a lot of nutrients in it) or less as required.
If you keep grazing the same area with horses, they will eventually graze out the taller/more nutritious grasses and you will be left with a very short mat that will never grow much at all.
But I'd go for what is loosely termed "buffer grazing".
Fence off what the horses need with tape and increase or reduce that according to need by monitoring the condition of the horses. Hopefully, you will have a surplus at the end of June which you can cut for hay. I'd leave the aftermath and continue to buffer graze, feeding more (as foggage over winter, i.e. rough grazing without a lot of nutrients in it) or less as required.
If you keep grazing the same area with horses, they will eventually graze out the taller/more nutritious grasses and you will be left with a very short mat that will never grow much at all.