Paddocks....3 smaller or 1 large, what is better?

Enfys

Enfys

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I keep on changing my mind, the field inside the exercise track is about 5 acres and I can't decide whether it is better to split it into three or leave it as one large paddock. Hubby wants it left as one, I'm veering towards the three split for easier management and always better if I have boarders who want individual paddocks. Also there is a 60' round (ish) pond at one end, do I fence that off too? I am inclined to as it gets very boggy there. If I'm being picky and counting pennies the one field would mean less fencing, one run in shed and one gate, as opposed to three run ins and three gates
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.Given the scenario what would you do?
 
go for the 3 fields but thats only because its easier to maintain and paddocks are able to rest therefore saying feed bills a little bit
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well that would be my excuse anyway for the extra pennies spent
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and id fence off the pond but thats just personal opinion

shawny
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Depends if you like to turn horses out in small gps/on their own. For example if you had 6 or 7 horses you wanted as a herd I would leave as 1 field. My preference wound be to split it so you can rest some of it some of the time. And yes I would fence the boggy bit off as could get very churned. 3 fields in my op, but depends on your scenario....
 
My mare has a 2 acre field to herself. In the winter she has the whole field due to lack of grass and in the summer I section it off with electric fencing and posts, the best of both worlds. But your field is a lot bigger than mine so that might be impracticle. Not sure about the pond though
 
I think I would split it then use the one with the boggy pond for summer and the better drianed one for winter *and closest to facilties* You could get a field shelter in the middle so all three could use it? Or one field shelter shared between summer fields and one for the winter one *lessen bog* Rotation is important, you need them out for weeding, fertilitsing, etc etc. who says they need to be split even maybe two smaller ones and a larger one for summer?
 
I would fence the whole field and fence off the pond and then subdivide with electric tape. Perhaps just have two shelters so which could be tape into which ever paddock you were using at the time. Would also only need one gate if put in a corner as could run an electric tape gangway to each paddock as required. THis give you the option of opening the whole field during winter to stop it getting too poached and to allow easy harrowing and rolling, but can still save/rest areas through the summer.
 
The pond will need to be fenced off. You certainly don't want the horses anywhere near the pond in the summer ...... WNV and all that.

If you were to fence it into 2 paddocks instead of 3 then you could do what we have done and have your field shelter straddle the boundary fence.

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Also if you put the dividing fence between the shelter then when you run your water and electric lines then they only have to go to one place....makes it sooo much easier and cheaper.

Another thing that I do is make sure my gates line up - then if you want to run all the horses together in a big field then all you need to do is latch the two gates together and the horses can run into whichever field they wish. All of my fields are interconnecting and it is excellent. Corrals are another thing I couldn't live without. It makes moving herds of horses so much easier - although that won't really be an issue for you in such a small area, but it could be helpful for tacking up etc.

Don't forget whatever you do, you won't be able to use electric fencing during the winter unless you put posts in the ground beforehand.
 
Don't forget whatever you do, you won't be able to use electric fencing during the winter unless you put posts in the ground beforehand.

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tell me about it! I had to take the horses out of what I wanted to use as a winter paddock because we'd put posts in, Robin rubbed her bum on them and broke them down to really horse unfriendly spikes and they were frozen in place! Three months before I could get them out
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Lesson learned!


Thankyou everyone, so two maybe three paddocks then, excluding the pond and the woods at the end.

Tia, yes, the pond is being fenced off, besides the WNV, Evie doesn't want the horses disturbing her precious Canada geese. I'd be happy if they trod on the frogs though, what a racket they make, even 500m from the house it's loud!

It probably will end up being split again as the sand ring/school/corral will be going in that section too. You've all given me lots to think about Thankyou.
 
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Ha! tape, with my lot, you jest
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I've just sectioned off about half an acre for Lola to graze for an hour or two,i thought I'd be nice to the pregnant fatso, however the little cowbag had other ideas, galloped around a few times, tested the voltage with a whisker, belted back to the end, lined herself up then galloped right through it, on purpose!
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Right in front of me, I could hear the horsey version of "neh,neh,neh,neh,neh!" as she zoomed round my lawn chucking up turf. Bunged her back in her bare paddock with boring hay, then spent 20 minutes treading divots back in
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I can't move posts in the winter as they freeze into the ground....took me three months to get the last lot out
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Next winter I will have other paddocks fenced and they will be spending the winter in paddocks surrounded by fir trees and out of the wind.
 
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