How many sqft per horse???

[rabbitman]

I built my horse pens about 10-11 years ago, each pen is 80'x160' both of the pens are combined for my 2 horses and that gives them a 160'x320' pen. But I need to take a little part of the pen in time. I need about a 20'x30' pen cleared for my peacocks. Anyway how much sqft does each horse need?

 

[chubbydog811]

I don't know square footage (it's too late for math!) but typically the rule is an acre per horse. That does not mean you need an acre per horse, it just means your pastures will turn to dirt a little faster than if it was a bigger area. As long as they have enough room to run around if they want, I would say taking that little bit wont hurt.

 

[patandchickens]

There is no magic number, even less so than with chickens.

For one thing it depends on how much exercise the horse is getting each day. If he's out for an hour or two ride almost every day, or something like that, a smaller pen makes a lot less difference.

Plenty of horses in California spend their whole lives -- without, necessarily, much if any exercise, in many cases -- in 20x40 pens. They survive. Not necessarily happily or as sound as they could be, but, <shrug>

The less space you give them, the better they'd better get along with each other; and the safer and stronger and more horseproof your fences had better be; and the more all-weather your footing had better be.

But, honestly removing a 20x30 area from your current 160x320 area is pretty trivial and not likely to meaningfully change their quality of life So if that's all you're doing, I wouldn't worry about it.

The 1 acre per horse thing that lotsa books cite, btw, is purely pulled out of thin air as far as I'm concerned. It has nothing whatsoever to do with most peoples' circumstances, it *pretends* to tell you a stocking rate for not excessively exterminating pasture grass when horses are turned out in daytime and stalled at night but because peoples' turnout times and soil types vary SO VERY widely it is not actually particularly accurate IME for very many peoples' circumstances at all So I would not worry about *that*.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[chubbydog811]

...The 1 acre per horse thing that lotsa books cite, btw, is purely pulled out of thin air as far as I'm concerned. It has nothing whatsoever to do with most peoples' circumstances, it *pretends* to tell you a stocking rate for not excessively exterminating pasture grass when horses are turned out in daytime and stalled at night but because peoples' turnout times and soil types vary SO VERY widely it is not actually particularly accurate IME for very many peoples' circumstances at all So I would not worry about *that*

That's pretty much what I was getting at (It's been a long week, not very good at clarifying!) The acre per horse is a book reference. Like I said, If your pasture is too small for your soil/horse, it is going to turn crap either way, so it doesn't really matter. Plenty of horses get by with smaller pastures. I have about a 1/2 acre per 2 horses. They are fine with that - not lame, not crazy, and get plenty of exercise still. Surprisingly, there is *some* grass left in it too.