What is best for the grazing....individual or herd?

[horsefeed]

I have 9 on 5 acres. Not ideal but not much I can do, I am very careful to rotate, chain harrow, roll, bring in when even slightly wet so doesn't get ruined. About 1/3 acre is used as a sacrifice paddock (which I keep for winter and to ride on in summer), I have another, 1/3 acre for stables, gravel carpark/lunge area and 1/3 acre for my donkeys summer paddock which is attached to their stable. This leave me with 7 horses on approx. 4 acres which is split into 5 paddocks. In previous summers I have kept all 7 together and rotated round each paddock 1 week in each feeding adlib hay, grass always recovered quickly and always had enough , however last year after having to split a mare out for medical reasons I noticed the grass did far better with just her in small paddock and I didn't have to feed any hay, which got me thinking maybe the 2 small ponies in 1 paddock together, elderly gelding (who prefers his own company) on his own, then 2 pairs, this would then also give me a paddock resting, if I get the rotating wrong it will mess grazing up for the summer, what do you all think? Would you try the individual/pairs instead? All paddocks are adjoining so can groom etc over fences easily.

 

[Ibblebibble]

think the only way you will know is by giving it a try, i tried all sorts of set ups when i had a 5 acre field to house 5 horses/ponies, small paddocks with 2 or 3 , large paddocks with them all in, in all honesty a lot depended on the weather as to how well the paddocks coped, dry year and the ground was bare within weeks and i fed hay all year round, good year for grass and i managed to not use one paddock at all until winter.! it really is just trial and error, i still haven't got it totally right where i am now which is 2 horses, 1 pony and 2 minis on 5 acres!

 

[saddlesore]

Maybe not the best for land, but herd turnout is always best for horses. Unless they are recovering from injury I believe individual t/o is cruel

 

[Pamfyson]

Maybe not the best for land, but herd turnout is always best for horses. Unless they are recovering from injury I believe individual t/o is cruel

Sweeping statement. You're entitled to your opinion of course, however my horses have individual turnout and are far happier that way. We tried herd turnout but they kicked the devil out of each other. Cue, large vets and rug repair bill. On their own with the other horse next door they are completely content. Most stallions would need individual turnout as well.

 

[Annagain]

Depends on the horses. My two are in a settled herd of 7 on about 6 acres for the winter and join another herd of 6 on 40 acres of hayfields for about 4 months once the hay is cut.

One of mine would love to be on his own with horses over fences next door - he's a real loner. When he was building up from box rest to turnout we had a little corner of the field fenced of as a pen for him and gradually made it bigger. When he was ready to go back into the field he spent the first 4 days trying to get back into the pen!

The other would be lost on his own, even if he could see the others and he probably wouldn't even settle in a pair as he has too many friends and wouldn't be able to choose!

As for the land I have no idea sorry!

 

[JoannaC]

Depends how much land you have. If they have enough to eat and space to roam herds are great but if you don't have much land to play with then might be safer to separate.

 

[Maesfen]

I think whatever ratio you decide on, the main thing would be to not graze any paddock down to the bones as it would take so long to recover/re-grow for the next time; always move them before it gets anywhere near bare.

 

[L&M]

I find individual turnout is best for the grazing as a horse on its own is less likley to prat about and mess up the ground, therefore leaving more grass to be grazed.

However it is not for all horses.....we have 2 that go out together and are very settled, but if we introduce the third all hell breaks loose with them all playing and charging about to the expense of the land.

After a lot of experimenting, I have found it is best to have the third horse on its own, but next to the other two. This keeps them all settled and keeps the grazing nice.

Good luck as can appreciate what a juggling act you must have!

 

[Worldiscomplete]

When horses are separated in the wild from the herd, its because they have been singled out by prey. Its stressful for them to be on their own and where possible should be with companions. I thought mine was 'fine' when I first bought him and he was without another; he used to 'groom' me and follow me around but as soon as his field mate arrived four weeks later, he was much happier. He even laid down and had a sleep - something he didn't feel safe doing on his own.

Land can recover easily, especially in the spring/summer.

 

[NativePonyLover]

From a horse owner POV, it depends entirely on the horse.

My old boy was far happier on his own, with other horses in view. I tried him on numerous yards with numerous horses & although I never liked the idea much , he preferred individual turn out. With others, he weaved & fence walked so much he would colic. On his own, absolutely content.

My current horse, is absolutely a herd horse & is happiest by far out in a big group.

So, even in my limited experience, it is horses for courses.

As a land owner, I have no idea, sorry !

 

[catroo]

Most stallions would need individual turnout as well.

Another sweeping statement

 

[windand rain]

I prefer mine to be together as a small herd they dont fight in the fences and make muddy tracks along the fence when they can groom each other and eat together. The grass seems to do better too as it has longer without horses on it . But I would guess that depends on te horses and how well they get on together

 

[Enfys]

OP, I think that you just have to juggle until you find the happiest medium.

Maybe not the best for land, but herd turnout is always best for horses. Unless they are recovering from injury I believe individual t/o is cruel

Sorry, but not always so.

I have 16 horses here, how I would LOVE to turn them out together, but that isn't going to happen, I can have 8 mares on 10 acres and merry hell STILL breaks out so space is not an issue.

I also have to take into consideration that livery owners PAY for safe accommodation for their horses, having the stuffing kicked out of their speshul little darlings does not come under that aegis.

Too many Chiefs!

Randy, possessive geldings.
Bossy mares that cause havoc.
Small ponies that everybody wants to kill.
I do not believe in leaving horses to fight it out, that just leads to injury and possible tragedy.
It also irritates the hell out of me. So small, happy groups it is then.

There would be (has been) bloodshed and Vet's bills, not to mention the trashed fences.

 

[claribella]

Last winter we had five on three acres (am on a livery). Everywhere turned to mud fairly quickly and the horses were very unhappy. My girl didn't maintain weight, atleast one would come in lame everyday, they looked miserable and even when one of the horses was sold on and two were moved off for a month, by then the horses that were left were still unhappy. This year weve done pairs and its worked so much better despite the really bad rain. We still have grass so unlike last year we aren't feeding tonnes of hay in the field and the horses are much happier and have maintained weight so much better. So in my opinion, you don't necessarily need to do individual turnout but pairs work well too.

 

[saddlesore]

Okay perhaps my statement regarding herds was too 'one size fits all' but I stand by the fact that individual t/o is cruel. Small groups may well be best, where horses can relax, groom and interact with each other. I suspect those that can't cope with other horses have had a very clinical upbringing and I find that a shame. I've had horses for 22 years (the horror!) and apart from the initial period where they get chased and ostracised they have all settled in herds, mixed or mares/geldings split.

 

[rowan666]

Whats best for the land will be whichever option means they arnt trashing the ground hooning around, not neccasarily best for the horses if they are the playful sort but constant charging around dosnt bode well for growing grass.

So if they charge round in a herd, individual would be better for land

if they are likey to pace/fence walk and panic on individual turnout then herd would be better for land

 

[paulineh]

I have 4.5 acres which is divided into 1/4 acre for the stables, car parking, space to park our caravan .The muck heap is in this area as is my old trailer and my new trailer plus a shed. In front of the stables is an area to be able to lunge.

The other 4.25 acres is divided into a large field(2 acres) a smaller one (1.5 acres) a even smaller on (1 acre) and a rough piece which interlocks the others 3 . This has the big field shelter and the water trough in it. We also have about 3/4 acre which belongs to my friend and neighbour . This is next to my back field that is behind my stables. We use this in the winter and if we need to separate a horse for any reason.

The fields are regularly harrowed and rolled. Topped and fertilised as need be. This year my winter field has been trashed so we will over seed it.

I have at the moment 5 horses on this and before now have had 7 on there (throughout the winter) They all run as a herd and yes the boys (3 geldings) and the girls (2 mares) will play and sometimes the boys play rough but I feel that horses are herd animals and need that interaction.

They are fed 2 good feeds a day and about a bale of hay per day (between them all) they live out 24/7 365 days a year. They are all pure bred Arabs and my 3 competition horses are fully clipped , rugged well.

Good and careful management of the land and there is no reason why this number of horses can live on a small acreage.

I have a friend who has 5 Arabs on 2.5 acres , again these fields are divided into 3 fields and a small area of hard standing. Each field has a field shelter and a small hard standing coral. They all live together ( 4 mares, 1 gelding and a stallion).

You do not need a large acreage as long as you look after it well.

 

[Maesfen]

You do not need a large acreage as long as you look after it well.

I'd also add to this depending on what soil you have.

Someone lucky enough to be on a sandy or chalky soil base will be much better off than someone who is on a clay or peat based soil as once that is poached, either by wet weather or a combination of the horses playing, then there is not a lot you can do until the land is dry enough to enable rolling. We sadly are on clay, I've had 7 here all winter, all out as a herd (more trouble if I try to segregate than not!) during the day, in at night and our fields are a disgrace but nothing I can do about it until it dries up and we can roll; we usually have a 3 day window, too early and we make a mess when the tractor gets stuck, too late and it's like rolling concrete which is no use at all. It'll come right, it always does, I turn out and cry when they make a line of hoof marks again on the newly rolled bits - but they would be umpteen times unhappier and cause more damage to the land if they were split into groups and God forbid if I tried an individual turnout, there'd be a riot of epic proportions from both the one turned out and those left back in their boxes. For me, a herd environment is so much safer and they are happier, that's all that counts.

 

[Alyth]

The best thing we did with our land was put a track around the edge of each field and through the gateways and then rotate grazing the middles......which I even subdivided.....