Those with small paddocks....

E

Evie91

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 May 2012
Messages
2,172
Location
Warwickshire
Visit site
How do you manage in winter?
I have approx one and a half acres with one horse and one pony. Currently out at night and in during the day. Pony bit fat but horse just right. Paddocks both now eaten right down.
Saw the thread about winter grazing and it's been a bit of a wake up call! Horses will be in at night and out during the day in winter.
How do others manage on such small pieces of land?
Any advice appreciated.
Thank you
 
I'm on heavy clay too - have had drainage pipes put in paddocks prior to horses being on them. I have an area of hard standing of things get too bad that I could confine them to.
No chance of any other grazing - have asked around locally and nothing available.
Horse and pony have been on the paddock since may.
 
I think you will struggle with a horse and a pony on a small field all year round if it is heavy clay. I would leave them on the field until it starts to churn, then bring them onto the hardstanding with haynets for the winter, just letting them out for a couple of hours once a week in the field, preferably if the ground is dry and hard.

If you leave them on an eaten down field all winter it will just become a churned mess and if its never going to get rested it will just get worse and worse.
 
I have to agree with H08, with no alternative grazing, you can't afford to let yours get totally poached so it needs to be harrowed, rolled, reseeded and rested...etc... If it's a cold winter and the ground is frozen (and it's not poached) they could also go out then. I think that your hard standing will have to be their main winter turnout if you want any grazing next year.
 
I have a track running around my acre paddock that I sacrifice over winter and use as restricted grazing over summer.
 
I would provide hay/haylage all year round if they will eat it, and / or a high fibre feed like fast fibre or NON molassed sugar beet with their mins vits and salt. I agree with others that you will end up with problems if they are hard grazing all the time.
I would not be happy to turn horses out on a frozen field if they have been restricted in case they have a hoolie, frozen grass is not good for them anyway.
You can use fertilisers to increase the grass yield, but would use this just before it rains and keep them off for a week or so, perhaps ask a local farmer for advice, as it is difficult to give general advice on a specific problem. I use a fertiliser with magnesium which is designed for golf courses, it is designed for good healthy grass rather than lush growth in flushes.
 
Last edited:
Thanks all for taking the time to reply.
My dad has visited this afternoon - he seems to think I have around two and a half acres (maybe a bit more)not one and a half.
I don't know for sure how much I have- I've had people say two to three acres so like to err on the side of caution.
I have asked a local farmer, just waiting for him to find the time to come and have a look for me. I've asked him to quote for muck heap removal, harrow, rolling and re-seeding, fertilising in spring etc.
I know he is currently v busy so was just looking for some advice in the mean time.
Thank you to all who have taken the time to reply, some really good advice and much appreciated :)
 
I have 3 acres myself and have use of another two acres which has been a godsend over the winter months. I section off the smaller level paddock which I use as sacrificial turnout during the winter and if very wet then horses are brought in overnight to save the ground. If weather allows they get some turnout in the bigger field but it all depends on the weather. The bigger field has been rested since June for winter.

I will go through 1.5 big bales per week in the winter between three horses. I expect to harrow, roll and oversow as needed each year
 
It's very easy to fertilise yourself , you can buy fertiliser for horse paddocks at most equine merchants and throw it on by hand just wear gloves and keep,your back to the wind .
If you can rest part of the field now and you apply a light dressing of fertiliser it will come away unless the autumn is very very dry .
 
It does not matter too much when you put fertiliser on as you don t want what farmers want .... ie max grass, you want grass growth thru summer months, so no problem puting a bit on now.
You don t want a High Nitrogen fertiliser, you want something more akin to potato fertiliser, which is to stimulate roots rather than shoots. You can try a track system round the perimiter then open it up for winter.
 
If you've got two and a half to three acres that's a lot better. I would fence off an acre nearest to the hardstanding area now and leave it to grow for a couple of months now, let that become your winter field, see how you go on. In summer keep them off the small acre field and let it rest all summer. You will have to play it by ear, depending on how the fields and the horses go on, you may need to feed hay in summer too.
 
Brilliant thank you all. I'm going to section the paddock up tomorrow. Giving them use of the smaller space as it currently has the most grass (it's just they prefer the other). They will have access to the hard standing and to the other paddock (which will be closed off in autumn due to sycamore trees). Will rest the rest of the paddock and see how I get on.
Will buy some fertiliser this week too.
Thank you all some really good advice and ideas. Never have to manage my own grazing before so I'm on a steep learning curve!
 
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to those who responded :) Been out this afternoon sectioning off paddock. Now have a bit saved for winter grazing. Turned horse and pony out - horse currently looking longingly at grass on the other side of the fence, typical!
Hoping fencing keeps pony out. I've electrified it today ( using a car battery). Older horse always respects fencing. The other stuff I've put up without electric, pony just nips through. Hoping the battery is enough to put her off!
So pleased I use this forum :) It was only because I saw another poster asking about winter grazing that prompted me to post. I knew I'd have to consider it, but was going to do that about October time - as was relying on a flush of autumn grass. Managing my own paddocks has certainly been a steep learning curve but this forum has proved invaluable.
Thanks again :)
 
To be honest I would put a permanent fence up to half your land so that you always have a means to rest clean weed kill and fertilise the bit the horses are not on. It needs a rest once any of the jobs are done for a minimum of two weeks. I have four ponies on four acres in the summer I have far too much grass, in winter we just about get to christmas without having to buy hay then hay them until the new grass in May we are on a hill side and very sandy soil so the grass doesn't as a rule grow much or get muddy ideal for highland ponies whe never have to be restricted and keep pretty well all year round I believe with clay it can be very muddy in winter and very hard in summer but grass growth is rich and prolific
 
Last edited:
My horse has an allocated field on livery. It's probably about an acre and its grazed all year round.
I'm very lucky that the land drains well.
TBH my horses is such a fatty I do not want good grazing, she is currently on pretty bare half, the other half acre has loads of grass, she won't get access to that until November time when she switches to 6h day time turnout.
 
Yes I am considering getting a permenant fence. I do have two seperate paddocks. Unfortunately the one I had envisaged as my trash/autumn/winter paddock has two huge sycamores in it, which basically dominant the paddocks. I had thought they would provide good shelter and land is well draining there so seemed ideal for winter. After recently learning they are dangerous to horses this paddock has been closed off (today). So I'm having to rethink my original plan, hence dividing my larger paddock.
 
Horse was in livery previously; on rich dairy pasture and required a muzzle. Since moving home no muzzle and her weight is just about right. She was in a field with a few others that was grazed year after year, no rest or maintenance but kept providing lush grass. It hadn't occurred to me that I might have to work to achieve good grazing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top