three horses 2.5 acres

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naturegirl

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Hi
I am just looking for some constructive advice, thoughts and experiences of others regarding managing three horses on a small acreage.
We are just buying a property and have three horses (16hh, 15hh and 14.3hh) all good doers apart from the big one. The property has 2.5 acres of grazing plus hardstanding and stables and a 25x25 menage that can be opened up onto a very large hardstanding field shelter/barn.
The grazing at the moment is divided up onto 4 paddocks of various sizes. I plan on opening up all of the paddocks over the summer months and feed hay if needed. They could come into the menage/shelter area at night if needed or when it is very wet.
In the winter I plan to shut off three of the paddocks and use one as a 'trash' paddock during the day and the menage/shelter at night (one won't be stabled but I could stable the other two)
The trash paddock can open up onto the yard so I can put hay on the hard standing to encourage less poaching of the paddock.
I would obviously need to feed hay ad-lib and they will get forage based feeds once/twice a day as needed. Two are ridden and one gets in hand exercise and there is loads of good hacking on my doorstep.....

Does this all sound ok/doable?
Any advice?
At the moment I am a bit worried but pretty sure it can be done :)
TIA
 
I have 3 ponies on 2 acres who live out for most of the year with access to stables. They come into the yard if it's rained particularly hard just to minimise mud. MIne have the whole field in the winter and a track in the summer.
 
Very doable as long as the ground is not a bog or clay. I am fast coming to the conclusion that very few leisure horses need acres of grass to stay healthy.

With your hard standing, shelter and a surface it should be easy to manage them.
 
Two and a half acres is quite a nice size - you are sure this is the grazing and not the whole? Big enough for a canter round, but not enormous. Also big enough to section off or do a track system. Plus the hardstanding and arena, sounds pretty good.

Good idea to rest a section so they have fresh grazing.
 
2.5 is definitely doable - you just have to rethink the whole "paddock" idea - I think trashing a field can be done but brings it's own problems for the horse e.g. mud-fever, swollen joints and bad backs from pulling hooves up, seedy toe etc....

Best bet is to have a track system - expensive to start with but worth it in the end.

Google "Paddock Paradise" to give you a few ideas and see if any might be suitable for you to set-up.
 
I am always amazed that people can keep horses on just 2.5 acres. I have about 15 acres with three horses, all under 15.2hh and three miniatures and moan in the winter that I wish I had more. The summer is great but would love another five acres.
 
Yes it is certainly doable if your ground is fairly well-drained. I actually have four on 2.5 acres at the moment (1 x 17.1hh, 2 x 16hh, 1 x 14hh) which is OK, but not brilliant in the winter, and I would prefer to be back to three ideally! They are in at nights in the really wet part of the winter, out most of the time in spring and autumn, and in during the day in high summer. I do feed hay/haylage all the year round though, whereas I wouldn't need to if I had more grazing.
 
I would say it's doable as long as you are happy to restrict turnout overwinter. I used to have 5 on 4.5 acres out 24/7 with too much grass in the summer, but this was because I restricted turnout to half a day in the winter as we were on heavy clay. If you are prepared to manage it, and put work into the grazing (harrow, aerate, soil test, top and dress and rest as necessary)then you can get the grazing to work for you. I used to put time and money into mine and restricting for 4 months of the year gave me 24/7 for the rest of the year
 
Crugeran Celt said:
I am always amazed that people can keep horses on just 2.5 acres. I have about 15 acres with three horses, all under 15.2hh and three miniatures and moan in the winter that I wish I had more. The summer is great but would love another five acres.
Click to expand...

I think the difference is whether the horses live off the land or just inhabit it. Lots of space is needed if the horses are expected to live off the ground with no other source of nutrition 24/7 and 365 days. But for a working horse doing lots of different activities it is perfectly possible to keep him on a small amount of ground. He nutritional needs are being met by the owner and the ground is simply his play ground for down time. There is the big difference. Now my youngsters are mature I am finding they need less and less grass keep as they are getting ever fatter despite being quite busy.

In an ideal world 15 acres of nothingness would be ideal, they could run, play and enjoy the space without eating themselves to oblivion.
 
Thank you all....I agree ideally I'd love to have a good 10/15 acres for them to live off but just not possible! It's good to know that others have managed with careful planning, restricted turn out and supplemented forage...
I have looked into 'Paddock Paradise' and think it is very interesting but can't fully envisage how it would work...I think I will have to wait till we are there to assess how to make it work for the land we have.
I know the winter will be tough and I am already not looking forward it! But ho hum I am looking forward to them being in my back yard :)
 
There are horses kept on a track system near to me. It isn't something that I would do personally purely due to the amount of mud they all live in during winter and now in a hot and dry summer they are on dusty dry earth. I can see the point of getting them moving from one feed station to another but they were up to their bellies in mud last winter.
 
naturegirl said:
Hi
I am just looking for some constructive advice, thoughts and experiences of others regarding managing three horses on a small acreage.
We are just buying a property and have three horses (16hh, 15hh and 14.3hh) all good doers apart from the big one. The property has 2.5 acres of grazing plus hardstanding and stables and a 25x25 menage that can be opened up onto a very large hardstanding field shelter/barn.
The grazing at the moment is divided up onto 4 paddocks of various sizes. I plan on opening up all of the paddocks over the summer months and feed hay if needed. They could come into the menage/shelter area at night if needed or when it is very wet.
In the winter I plan to shut off three of the paddocks and use one as a 'trash' paddock during the day and the menage/shelter at night (one won't be stabled but I could stable the other two)
The trash paddock can open up onto the yard so I can put hay on the hard standing to encourage less poaching of the paddock.
I would obviously need to feed hay ad-lib and they will get forage based feeds once/twice a day as needed. Two are ridden and one gets in hand exercise and there is loads of good hacking on my doorstep.....

Does this all sound ok/doable?
Any advice?
At the moment I am a bit worried but pretty sure it can be done :)
TIA
Click to expand...

Managed correctly it is very doable.

pick up put
remove weeds
fertilize
and part resting
don't do 24 hr turnout (I would not)

We have 8 horses on 4 acres while the other side (4 acres)is rested, it copes very well to the point they are all to fat and still grass to eat, but then we don't have 24 hr turnout and the field is well managed and rarely there is a problem

I personally would not open it up I would do a rotation system otherwise you will have horsesick fields going into the winter.
 
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we're on low lying (somerset levels) clay so it wouldn't be enough and a track definitely wouldn't be feasible. After a friend had taken up some of her limited grazing with an arena she had a proper hardcore figure of 8 track in which has been really good - on the proper somerset levels (under glastonbury) so swamped with water regularly otherwise. I imagine with yours the small arena will mostly serve as all weather turnout as required too.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I think the difference is whether the horses live off the land or just inhabit it. Lots of space is needed if the horses are expected to live off the ground with no other source of nutrition 24/7 and 365 days. But for a working horse doing lots of different activities it is perfectly possible to keep him on a small amount of ground. He nutritional needs are being met by the owner and the ground is simply his play ground for down time. There is the big difference. Now my youngsters are mature I am finding they need less and less grass keep as they are getting ever fatter despite being quite busy.

In an ideal world 15 acres of nothingness would be ideal, they could run, play and enjoy the space without eating themselves to oblivion.
Click to expand...

Yes I see what you mean. Mine are so used to having the room and freedom now it would be very difficult for them to adjust to somewhere smaller.
 
For fatties who won't require lots of lush fresh grazing, that is perfectly doable. Just need to be careful; regular poo picking, strimming down weed patches, seeding barer areas.

If you can rotate at all, or form some sort of strip grazing system to rest areas that will really help.
 
If it drains well or u dont mind restricted turnout yes.
If I had 2.5acres for my four in winter they'd be drowning as on clay.
They have a track around 2 acres in summer and the 9 acres in winter but I get the cows to graze it all off first...
 
I think it would hinge on the drainage a LOT tbh, but assuming it's decent I'd be happy with that set up.

The only other consideration I would have would be long term plans - you say 2 are good doers, are you likely to get to the point where they're older and may not do so well whilst still having 3?
 
I have two horses on just under 3 acres ... this thread is dangerous .... So your saying I could have three? So basically, what you are telling me to do is go and get a 3rd horse? Thats what your saying isnt it .. is it? yes, a third horse .. thanks guys, your so right ;)
 
Antw23uk said:
I have two horses on just under 3 acres ... this thread is dangerous .... So your saying I could have three? So basically, what you are telling me to do is go and get a 3rd horse? Thats what your saying isnt it .. is it? yes, a third horse .. thanks guys, your so right ;)
Click to expand...

ha! yeah thats exactly how you should read it..
they had an episode of hoarders on tv, and a woman had a messy house and everyone was horrified she had 8 horses on 14 acres...i thought she was quite restrained..
 
paddi22 said:
ha! yeah thats exactly how you should read it..
they had an episode of hoarders on tv, and a woman had a messy house and everyone was horrified she had 8 horses on 14 acres...i thought she was quite restrained..
Click to expand...

14 acres .. I would be lethal, lol!
My neighbour has about 5? and she just collects them like they are going out of fashion!
 
I have 2 horses (15.3hh and 16hh) and 1 Dartmoor on 1.5 acres. I think it hugely depends on the type of soil you have and how well it drains. Im lucky that mine is pretty free draining. I had a stable block built (with open doors so they come and go as they like - they do spend a lot of time in the stables all year round) with a decent hardcore yard outside it which is where I have a big bale round feeder which has hay in it all year round, even in summer although at the moment Im considering stopping it as they're ALL looking on the chubby side. In the winter though, the stables and hardcore is brilliant for encouraging them to get out of the mud and off the field - they spend hours round the feeder and obviously the hay backs up the lack of grazing. In the spring/summer I split the field into 4 so the dartmoor is in 1/4 as she lives on fresh air and Im constantly battling her weight, 1 paddock leads into the stables which is the "trash" one so I can keep them in there when its really wet, then the other two paddocks open into the trash one (so I just need to open or close the entrance to each with tape) which I rotate so they spend 2 weeks on each, giving the other a break. As I said, all mine do very well - none of them are skinny even in winter but be prepared to give hay on tap. You obviously need to maintain it like any field, I had mine weedkilled and limed a few months ago.

Id love more land, absolutely. But Ive been surprised at how well it works, as I moved them from our last house which had 5 acres. I did have a habit of collecting horses then though... so I know if I had more acres I'd fill them!
 
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