Managing horses on less than an acre? Or am I crazy?

[welshcobmad]

Hi!

I've found a house for sale with 2/3rds of an acre paddock on the back, good gentle slope for drainage & good quality grass. It backs onto a livery yard, literally, so regardless of the outcome we'll still go to view it & I could put my horse there & keep the paddock as oversized garden.

Am I being totally nuts in thinking if I could get some stables put in & wood chip an area to keep for winter turnout purposes, that I could manage x2 Sec D's which need restricted grazing anyway & a mini shetty on that small amount of land over spring/summer? Or is it too small. I wouldn't mind supplementing with hay if needs be & of course would be on the ball with the land management.

Thanks!

 

[be positive]

That really is a tiny area, by the time you lose half to access, stables, storage and dry standing you will be left with 1/3 of an acre if you are lucky which may support the mini but will barely give the others room to stretch their legs, if you can get livery and use the paddock for the mini and have the option to bring the others home to keep the grass down that would make more sense.
I am moving 2 horses and a small pony onto a 2 acre paddock which I think will just about work with a large barn, already there, hardstanding in front of it fenced off so they can be kept off the ground for the worst of the winter, I plan on dividing it into 2 with a track around part for the pony and access to the barn all year round and I expect to feed hay most of the year.

 

[buzyizzy]

I presume any stables etc will be on a separate parcel of land, and yes you can keep 2 on 2/3 acre with a track system. There's loads of literature on here and is easily done.

 

[welshcobmad]

That really is a tiny area, by the time you lose half to access, stables, storage and dry standing you will be left with 1/3 of an acre if you are lucky which may support the mini but will barely give the others room to stretch their legs, if you can get livery and use the paddock for the mini and have the option to bring the others home to keep the grass down that would make more sense.
I am moving 2 horses and a small pony onto a 2 acre paddock which I think will just about work with a large barn, already there, hardstanding in front of it fenced off so they can be kept off the ground for the worst of the winter, I plan on dividing it into 2 with a track around part for the pony and access to the barn all year round and I expect to feed hay most of the year.

Thank you! Totally makes sense, its almost like I needed to hear it from a sensible other horsey persons perspective. If it does turn out to be a good place it'll be lovely having them so close to home anyway on livery & as you said, I can always bring them home for a munch when I fancied then too. I only have x1 Sec D at the moment but he has a pollen allergy so unrideable spring/summer so I'm on the look out for another rideable one, but my boy at the moment has extreme separation anxiety on his own - hence the thought of a mini 3rd wheel to keep the peace when one is out being ridden. At least if their on livery I would get away not having a Shetty! lol!

 

[Polos Mum]

I was recently on holidays and rode with a lady who keeps 6 on 1 acre, very sandy soil (next to the beach) and very dry climate) so 4 stables with turnout runs attached to them, 2 larger turnout pens and 1 'field' of grass and her garden to graze in.
The grass was for fun - all of their forage was from hay/ haylage
They probably had more turn out than UK show jumpers who are kept in stables all the time.

In Yorkshire 2 years ago I had 4 (17.1, 16.2, 14.2 and 7hh) on 0,6 acre of grass without me adding anything for about 5 months - we did have a good growing season that year.

Turnout space isn't the problem, nor is getting food into them as you can buy that in (the consistency of which would suit weight prone ones anyway) the issue in the UK is mud !

 

[JillA]

You could just regard it as an exercise area and accept that it won't provide grazing for them. Will need a lot of maintenance and poo picking to keep it in good nick, not to mention the cost of feeding all year round

 

[Bec26]

I keep a Shetland and 2 horses on just under an acre. It is doable if you are prepared to hay all year and keep on top of maintenance, I have split it into 3 paddocks so I can rest each one. The Shetland has to be restricted and the other two are good doers which helps and it also is good ground which drains off. If the land is prone to getting very muddy in the winter it wont be suitable.

 

[dollyanna]

I would track it to optimise the movement for them - consider this before building stables etc as you can put the track on the outside. There's a great fb group for tracks, quite a few have very small tracks.

 

[welshcobmad]

I'm off to view it on Wednesday so will ask a lot of questions about the type of soil & way the land drains etc - also what they do with it at the moment. I can make i decision then as to whether its worth a try or a total no go if we were to buy. Thank you for all you inputs! Off to look at track systems ...........

 

[Ruby's Mum]

Personally I would get your stables et up on your acreage and then see if you can go onto a grass livery price at the livery yard and create an all weather turnout area on your land too, then if there is no turnout at the livery yard in winter, you can still turnout, I know someone who had this set up and it worked perfectly as she got to use the facilities at the yard too with being a grass livery, so no need to build an arena!

 

[Mule]

I don't see why not. 2/3 of an acre is much larger than a stable (which we have no problem keeping them in). I suppose the problem is that once there's grass they will eat it. In a small area this can lead to worms.

 

[Red-1]

I have a relatively small acreage and had no issues providing I use the arena for poor weather turnout and feed hay all year round. I would agree that the correct siting for all the things is all important. I would not use wood chip for the arena though, they turn to mulch quite quickly. I would use a sand only if just for turnout, and sand rubber if you also wish to use it for riding.

I have used mine for turnout and riding for almost 20 years, and needed 3 top ups, but than a bit does get removed each year with poo picking.

In winter no one steps on grass, it is all off the driveway and yard. I have a trailer for muck removal and have deliveries in small quantities at one a month so storage is in a stable.

With limited land I do think that working the horses is more important.

 

[tda]

I think you could do it, if it was a proper all weather track, I.e. hard-core etc.

Here we have only just got into the grass to maintain, you've got to work with the wettest scenario !

 

[buzyizzy]

I would track it to optimise the movement for them - consider this before building stables etc as you can put the track on the outside. There's a great fb group for tracks, quite a few have very small tracks.

I had two fields of 1/2 acre each which I used as tracks and I didn't have to hay. It was perfect, although the neighbours thought I was really odd, (it was in Ireland)