Would this be enough grazing!! (sorry another one)

P

parsley

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 August 2005
Messages
2,524
Visit site
I went to look at a place I am thinking of renting today: is is nearly 4 acres and the man says I can sublet to another horse if I want to. The soil is a medium loam and the owner will be providing pasture maintenance - topping and fertiliser. Would this support 2 horses and a little pony? There are stables but I want mine to live out as much as possible all year round.

Sorry to ask again but yesterday I though there was three and half acres and no chance of subletting
 
What do you mean by look after it? He says I can divide the field up into sections and he will be providing the pasture maintenance. Is there anything else that I should do?
 
I was thinking about regular poo picking. You would be responsible for the poo picking I would guess, but it's great the at the farmer is going to do the topping and fertilising for you.
 
4 acres should be plenty for them with a little bit of careful planning and management.

Dividing the grazing up is a good idea, that way you can rotate the grazing so that you always have 1 or 2 fields resting (if possible) Presumably the landowner will take care of harrowing, rolling etc..so all you need to do is keep it free from weeds, poo pick regularly and recognise when the grazing needs a bit of a rest!
cool.gif


Very difficult in the winter if your horses are out alot but try not to let them turn all of the fields into a bog otherwise they won't recover enough in time for spring, if at all practical make a couple of fields a no-go area from Jan, that way you will ensure there is enough grazing.
 
I have 4 1/2 acres for my two horses (16.3 ISH and 16.3 T/B) & my little 13hh welshie. I have masses of grass enough to get a cut of hay each year. I do poo pick twice a day in the summer, and every weekend in the winter. The field is divided into 3 and i rotate them so that 2 are always resting. Very lucky i know, but i don't have an arena so have to school on grass as well so always keep a nice flat bit free for this purpose. All in all i would say that you will have plenty if land just manage it sensibly!
p.s. my horses are out 24/7 spring, summer & autumn and 12hrs a day in the winter.
 
Yes - I will have to do the poo picking - he will provide a trailer and take it away for me. At the momment I poo pick every 2 days and at the weekends in winter as I can't see them in the dark!
 
Do you do anything special with your schooling area? - there isn't a school there but I will be allowed to put out markers for dressage and the owner will keep the area mown.
 
4 acres for 2 horses and a little pony - as others have said, you will have to manage this amount of grazing otherwise you could possibly have waaaay too much! It might be an idea to split the area into paddocks, then you will be able to slightly restrict their grazing in the summer and still have winter grazing.

The thing is, there are 4 acre fields and then there are 4 acre fields - some are very high yielding whilst others don't produce well, so certainly the size is not an issue at all, just the grazing (either lack of it, or too much of it) could be.
 
Looking at the field today I would say there is far too much for my two - my horse especially needs restricted grazing other wise he goes along lik a grass hoover, although I did think that then there would be plenty of grass for winter. The sward is lovely at the momment as there has been so much rain. The man says he sowed a specific horse mix in the field and has sprayed for broad leaved weeds this year. He is a retired farmer I think as he says he still has a couple of fields I could ride around and if there wasn't enough grazing the has a couple of more paddocks - presumably for a bit extra money. TBH I would prefer not to have anyone else in but OH is worrying that this is a bit extra each month amounting to about £1000 a year, although with good winter grazing I would save on forage and bedding.......
 
Not really, i have my dressage markers out and move them around a couple of flat spots in the field. The paddocks do get harrowed, rolled etc, but in the winter depending on what sort of winter we have i do have to be a bit careful & restict my schooling to twice a week, but this isn't too bad as they are hacked out at weekends and i have a very useful, very experienced friend who due to the fact that she has 2 young children can't currently have her own horse, who helps me by hacking out one on a thursday or friday. In the winter i find that exercise 4 x a week is sufficient. - Good luck!
 
That should be more than enough! Definitely poo pick as often as possible, and divvy the field up into paddocks - easier to keep clean for a start and you can regulate how much grass is available. In my experience, if you let them have the run of lots of acres, there isn't any grass to be had anywhere, whereas controlled grazing means grass all year round. It is worth doing a little work for the payback. You might also find, that in the winter months, not all the land is suitable for use, so protect the future grass by not using it - helps prevent mud-fever and slip injuries too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top