All the replies and conversation recently about me moving Apache to our back paddock, and some folks’ concerns about my mare not getting enough exercise inside her new living arrangements, got me thinking (I know…dangerous, eh? lol!….uh…Shut up, Meanies!)
So, I decided to measure Apache’s back paddock, take some photos and do some research.
(Looking back through our “front paddock”, towards Apache’s “back paddock”. My neighbor friend, Val’s barn and arena are on the left, and mine is on the right. We share the same fence line, and Apache has Val’s 4 horses to hang out with across the fence and beside Val’s barn. You can just about see her filly, Yalla! to the right of the barn.)
Typical indoor/outdoor arena measurements can range anywhere from: 100’x75’, 120’x60’, 120’x80’, 132’x66’ and anywhere in between and sometimes much larger for professional set-ups.
This particular arena is approx. 130’x66’.
Horses are often exercised in arenas and kept in small paddocks or corrals. The rule of thumb for pasture/paddock size seems to be 1 acre per horse, but there are many things to consider when deciding the size of a paddock or pasture for a horse, or more than one horse. Of course the most important consideration is the land or property you have available to use, as well as if you plan to do rotational grazing or have a separate pasture you plan to give time off for rest and grass growth, so it doesn’t become over-grazed.
Before I even bought Baby Doll, my first horse and brought her home, I created four separate enclosures in our pasture, one for our German Shepherd, Zuni, one for the llamas, goats and sheep, and the third, which is now called “the back paddock’. I planned to use the fourth, much bigger front paddock as an area to ride in, as well as to use for grazing.
(The “front paddock”, photographed from my backyard. The “back paddock” is….well…in the back. If you look closely, you can see Apache in the center of the photo, among the trees.)
The “front paddock” was never meant to become a full-time, year-round horse pasture, because it would quickly become an over-grazed, weedy, dust bowl. It is also our main road up to the barn to bring in feed and hay, which can be difficult to do with a loose horse and a gate that leads straight out to a busy road.
With Apache, I chose to ignore those original plans and just let her go wherever she wanted to including the back paddock, front paddock and barn.
(Apache’s paddock, photographed from inside the “front paddock”. Do you see Apache in front of the trees, to the right of the tall Pinon tree?)
The recent accidental kick was an important reminder for me to stay true to the original design of our paddocks. And that is the main reason Apache is now spending her days in her back paddock….not as some sort of punishment.
(Looking up from the SE corner of Apache’s back paddock, towards my barn. Behind the barn is our German Shepherd dog, Zuni’s, daytime exercise yard. You can see her just to the right of Apache)
Ok, so now that that’s out of the way, here are the measurements I took today of Apache’s back paddock:
159’ long x 61’ wide
That doesn’t seem too small, does it?
(Photo taken from the front of my barn, looking SW)
(This photo was taken from the SW corner of Apache’s back paddock, looking towards my barn. Do you see Apache up there, too?)
(This photo was taken from the NW corner of Apache’s back paddock, from behind her Juniper and Pinon tree grove/wind block. She enjoys playing within those trees, squeezing under and walking between them, and using the branches to get a good scratch, too)
Apache certainly doesn’t look cramped in her “back paddock” space, does she?
(This photo was taken from the NE corner of Apache’s back paddock, looking down towards my neighbor friend Val’s barn and 4 horses)
So how big is too small for a horse paddock/pasture?
And how big is yours?
20 comments :
Looks plenty big to me. Our horses are out in summer pastures that are 1+acre per horse, and in winter they are turned out in dry lots with round bales - each dry lot (3-6 horses) is about 1 acre. They manage to run and play just fine in that space.
Looks fine to me. Dan
I have no idea, but I did want to say I loved your title for this post. ;)
Yours is far bigger than most of the boarding stables around my place. The fancier the place the smaller the turnouts. Many people that show and ride dressage don't want their show horses turned out in an area that they can run and buck without properly warming up their muscles up. Seems silly to some but that's what they do.
I wouldn't worry about the kick. AJ kicked me so many darn times in the thigh when he was young, I quickly learned that when he was turned out, I needed to keep a cautious eye out in case he got a wil hair and went bucking and kicking all around the place.
At my barn when we turn horses out the absolute rule is when turning out you face the horse towards you before releasing them. "Don't trust any of them!" Is what the BO tells all her help and she's been involved with horses for fifty years.
A few years back a young Paint that I owned decided to kick me right in the thigh and I ran the heck out of him, chasing him with the lead rope, until he dropped his nose to the ground and pathetically walked up to me with a whole different attitude! Horses can be stinkers, that's all I'm getting at:)
We board so it's not "our" pastures but there are 6 pastures that are 5 acres each. All are long rectangles about 1/3 mile long. They are big enough that the horses can get up a really good fast run!
But we've also boarded in places that used small dry lots of about 60'x60' for 3-4 horses. I honestly thought that was way too small and we didn't stay there long. Another barn had pastures that were about 2-3 acres each BUT she also kept the horses stalled much of the time. A threat of rain would keep them inside.
I think your back pasture looks fine for one horse!
Lisa,
I have two separate approximately 4-5 acre pastures And I rotate all 5 critters between the two pastures. But I've got 5 equine. You only have the one. I'm sure Apache has enough room to move around and get appropriate exercise.
Looks plenty big to me. If they can do a flat out gallop to stretch their legs, it's big enough. If it's only pacing size, it's too small. I recently posted a video if Beamer in his turn out pen, galloping his fool head off; so I know it's big enough!
OK...I crunched the numbers. (I'm an accountant and can't help myself.) Apache's paddock is 9,699 square feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft. So this makes her paddock just about .22 acres, or not quite 1/4 of an acre.
Considering that I've seen horses kept in runs with only once a day turnouts, I'd say Apache has plenty of room.
I think there is some confussion between "paddock" and "pasture"!
If I understand your disription correct...it is a small PASTURE that you would move Apache to. "paddocks" in my neck of the woods are usually oversize outdoor stalls...not meant for a horse to run around alot...just get outside. Also used for recovery if injured...
Lisa - You know how small my paddock is and I've got three horses in there. They don't kick me because they are in a cramped space. If I don't work with them for months on end, they get rambunctious and forget their manners, but they still don't kick me. I get underneath their bellies twice a day to attach and detach blanket straps and they still don't kick me. I walk up behind them and pat them affectionately on their rumps and they still don't kick me. I bathe them against their wills and they still don't kick me. I pick up their hind feet and they sometimes kick out, but they don't kick at me. The only time I've been kicked is when Bombay kicked a fly off his pee-pee and my thigh happened to be in his hoof's flight path. Horses have excellent aim, and with the exception of the situation I just described, if a horse kicks you while running past, it is usually very intentional. Set your space and behavioral boundaries with that ornery mare, teach your kids to do the same, and you'll be safer.
Thats not too small you should see how small some of the paddocks are at some of the barns I work at. I would say something like 30X30. She has plenty of room.
Our barnyard is about an acre and it has partial cement where they eat and the pasture is about 5 acres but it's very rocky. To grow good grass without risking overgrazing 2 acres per horse is what I was taught in university. 1 is a bare minimum for grass but not plain turnout.
Looks plenty! big to me!
Nice piece of property you have.
The whole concept of paddocks and pastures is different here I think , our pastures range from the size of your back paddock to 20 acres, depends on how many horses ,the grass the age of the horse etcwhereas Paddocks are considerabley smaller(20X40 ish) .Seems adequate to me . But the size of turnout is not the issue about Apache to me .I think she needs a "re-cert" on her boundaries and manners ,and we need to see you back higher in the pecking order than her again. I believe your injuries and hers have somehow changed the dynamic in your little "herd " and with your friends help and coaching I am hoping you will set things back to rights,Miss Maggie thought she would try something the other day in the stall and caught me in the thigh, she is growing up and I was in a hurry ,not paying attention so she tried to "assert herself " NO GO for me , while it is not so unexpected for a youngsster to try it , they need to learn that it is NOT ACCEPTABLE at any age!
Looks like plenty of room for one horse to me, but depending on the horse, it could still be boring. Some horses love to get out and do something. My Tonka is easily bored & will start messing with things if I confine him in anything smaller than a pasture for weeks on end. The others tolerate it better.
The size of my horse areas change all the time. I guess the smallest permanent area is about 100x80ish and the big pastures are anywhere from a couple acres to 10 acres, depending on how I set up my temporary fence. ...Now I take that back about the smallest, it's my mustang gentling pen, 28x28 feet, but they only live in there while being gentled, which doesn't take long. That's one situation where you DON'T want a lot of space for them to run. :)
That looks plenty big to me. Our pastures are really big here because it takes so much land to grow grass on (kinda like yours, lol) and I dont want to feed if I dont have too, so the summer pasture is about 100 acres and I think the winter pasture is 220, but they could sure be in a smaller space if need be.
We are very lucky, we have acres. I have a bermuda pasture that was fenced for my brood mares when I had minis. Since I have large horses now, they roam about fifteen acres with water and grass. Our dry spell had hurt us on grass so I let them out in the land surrounding the house. They enjoy their outings and visit the garden...they are pulling up the turnips but they are also grazing the green that is left here and there and I won't have to weedeat.
No one with a bucket is safe, they hover around you to see what is in the bucket. My sisters have been spoiling them with chestnuts, fruit peelings and of course they love cat food.
It is an adventure when they get to roam the valley free, goodies around every corner.
We are fencing more and I am hopeing to talk hubby into sharing some of his cattle grazing with my babies...so far, no luck.
Yours looks great. Considering lots of horses live in a stall and get spun around at the end of a longe line once or twice a week...you have a healthy set up. Maybe a playmate to encourage ... uh, play? Can you borrow a neighbor's horse?
Boarding barns in Germany are awesome in Summer and horrid in Winter.
In Summer they have expansive pastures to graze and gallop in.
In Winter they have a stall at night and a "Winter Paddock" during the day, which is rarely large enough for even the smallest horse to trot around in. Usually it's just large enough for horses to move around a feeder. And often they are concrete, more often than not. You know how I feel about that!
Across the street all the geldings moved to their Winter Paddock and it's a knee-deep mud patch, about 20 meters wide and 40 meters long, with 5 horses in it. Lucky for the mares - there are only two of them and they are on pasture even now, that we can see from our window. I love my horsie view.
Baasha's paddock is quite small - our hang, only about 30 meters wide and 60 meters long. The rotating grazing strips I made are each 5-10 meters wide and 100 meters long, but of course he prefers the pasture. And since it's only him, or maybe one other, he gets it all winter.
I'm envious of your nice flat land. It looks like Baasha would prefer living there where getting around is easy.
Looks like Apache has plenty of room to run stretch her legs and play. We have 5 acres the boys are on but really not much grass. I feed hay year round. since we live in a hollow the boys have hills and gullies to play in, good for Gilly, he does lots of running up and down hills. Paddocks, corrals, fields/ horse playpens! :-)
jane
Apache's paddock is a lot bigger than Libby's when I decide she has had to much pasture to eat. I think it is very nice.
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