Those of you on livery with an acre per horse...

[L&M]

How do you maintain your acre to ensure productivity all year round, assuming stabled overnight in winter?

Thank you in advance

 

[L&M]

bump!!

 

[Dubsie]

I've two on just over an acre, no stabling. They get hay day and night which is netted in the field shelter (far end of field) and the field is split in 2 lengthwise with the nearer half the 'trash' half, they have to walk away and back on themselves to get to the good stuff. In summer I rotate them between the 2 areas, alloowing it a week or two to grow on the half they can't get on. Have to say it's looking poor after all the rain.

 

[L&M]

Thanks Dubsie - as a matter of interest how big are the horses?

Also do you have to give hay all year round?

 

[Bertolie]

I have two horses and two paddocks - one of just under an acre and the other approx three quarters of an acre which has lots of natural shelter but sparse grass growth.

I use the larger paddock throughout the spring, summer and autumn, split in two and rotated weekly. The smaller paddock is used during the winter as it is closer to the stables. Horses are in at night during winter and out during day with hay. It gets very muddy but recovers well in spring when I swap back to larger paddock.

 

[Bertolie]

Horses are 14.3hh and 14.2hh Welsh x's

 

[Dubsie]

Thanks Dubsie - as a matter of interest how big are the horses?

Also do you have to give hay all year round?

We've a poor do-er 13.2 arab x and a very hungry eat everything good do-er New Forest who is 14.1h. (He has no qualms in jumping out if he feels the grass is greener, or breaking into the haybarn if he feels rations are short, so it's a fine balancing act between fat pony and underfed pony). Both are barefoot and the top of the paddock is very well drained which also helps keep the ground from churning up. We have to give hay all year, but I cut it down according to grass growth, so in the height of the summer they don't get any in the morning, just a couple of slices overnight, at the moment they're getting around half a small bale a day between them. I forgot to mention they also get access to a small wooded area when it's dry in the summer, there's not much grass there but adds bit of variety to their diet + extra shade, and if it's really firm and dry they are allowed in the back garden (300ftx 25ft) to mow the lawn and prune the cherry tree. We're luckily able to cut our own hay, we have a water meadow too wet for horses for most of the year, and our neighbours front lawn which we can cut (they have goats so have some of the hay, so it works well), and we made enough last year to not have to buy any in so long as we get some spring grass.

 

[Alyth]

I would get some standards, tape and a battery unit and set up a track around the outside of the area.....then split the middle into 2 or 3 and strip graze each section in turn. Have the hay 1/3 of the way around the track from the water trough and the salt block the other 1/3...keep them moving....

 

[kellybee]

I have 2.4 acres between a 14.2, a 15.2 and a shetland. It's divided into three paddocks and they're rotated every 3ish weeks so each gets 6 weeks rest. I've had them all in one trash paddock for the last month with haylage nets out morning and night. It's a mess, but the other two have drained nicely after the wet.

We should have moved them into the spare 2 acres (hay fields) next door this week to let their feet dry out but one of mine had a bad accident and has cuts/scrapes to his legs so we've left them on one of the dry paddocks instead. I don't think we'll need hay in summer unless there's a drought, but we dont have a water meter so no problems putting the sprinkler on it and moving it about every night.

All three are out 24/7 and I've no problem in putting the harrow/roller on the back of my car come spring time, and re-seeding the poached spots.

If it helps, I think the one acre rule applies to horses out 24/7 all year round and most people are lucky to have an acre per horse these days especially on livery.