Preparing Apache's Back Paddock

While Apache enjoys the main paddock, her favorite paddock is at the far west end of the property. There are several tall pinon trees inside that paddock for shade as well as my neighbor's barn alongside the shared fenceline. Apache likes hanging out there with her 3 horses and 1 alpaca.

But there was a lot of dead and overgrown juniper and pinon trees that needed removing before I felt comfortable letting Apache into that back paddock after having her right eye removed.

So, I spent a couple days clearing and cleaning up the back paddock using my Corona saddle saw, Fiskars folding saw and a pair of trimmers.

The following photos show the before and after efforts of all my hard work.    

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Everything that came off the trees that I trimmed! I made quite a big pile, which required several trips to the transfer station where they sent it through their chipper to make mulch.

Paddocks? Pastures?

 

I found it interesting in my last post, that there were opinions on whether the space I keep Apache is called a paddock or a pasture.

And since someone said that maybe I was confused about the terms, I figured I’d better do some research and make sure.

The reason I call my areas, paddocks are because they have no grass for grazing. For me, I think of a pasture as a place used for grazing, while a paddock is more of a dry lot which has nothing at all to do with size. And a pen, sometimes attached to a stall, is a smaller space to keep livestock or domestic animals.

The definitions I found in Merriam Webster seem to pretty much agree with that assessment, too.

***Definition of PADDOCK:
1: a usually enclosed area used especially for pasturing or exercising animals.

***Definition of PASTURE

1: plants (as grass) grown for the feeding especially of grazing animals
2: land or a plot of land used for grazing

***Definition of Pen

a small yard or enclosure for domestic animals

the animals so confined

any small enclosure

I guess it’s kind of like the way different people pronounce tomato.

 

So, there ya go. At least I know I’m not confused and I can feel confident calling the areas that I keep my animals in, paddocks. Maybe one day if I can get grass to grow, I’ll be able to call them true pastures. hah! 

How Big is Yours?

 

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?