# Question on acreage



## Freemare (Jun 2, 2012)

First off, depend on what your state laws are will depend on how many horses you can have. Here in AZ, one area we can have as many as we like. While other times we can only have 2 horses for acre. You never know.

Irrigated land takes a lot of water. A lot. If you plan on growing for pasture it costs a lot to maintain and do. I found that with the cost of seed, water...etc plus all the work I have to do to keep it going. When I can get a bail of hay from the local farmer down the road. Also you need good well or watering system to deal with that along with your house and other thing you may have on that same water line.

When buying land, you need to look at the layout. Were will the horses go, can you see them from the house. How does water flow when it rains. Is the yard fenced. What type of ground is it. What type of weeds and trees are around...etc. There is a great book out on how to build your dream farm/ farm. I would see what you can find on a website.


----------



## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

.

Area of the country makes a huge difference, in our area of North Georgia for lower maintenance I like 2 acres for 1st Horse and 1 acre for each Horse after that.

We had separate pastures to rotate Horses to one while the other pasture recuperated, therefore our maintenance of re-seeding, fertilizing, etc. was minimized and much easier.

.


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage: Designing and Managing Your Equine Facilities: Cherry Hill: 9781580175357: Amazon.com: Books

This book should be your "bible".


----------



## mollymay (Feb 20, 2013)

Freemare said:


> First off, depend on what your state laws are will depend on how many horses you can have. Here in AZ, one area we can have as many as we like. While other times we can only have 2 horses for acre. You never know.
> 
> Irrigated land takes a lot of water. A lot. If you plan on
> growing for pasture it costs a lot to maintain and do. I found that with the cost of seed, water...etc plus all the work I have to do to keep it going. When I can get a bail of hay from the local farmer down the road. Also you need good well or watering system to deal with that along with
> ...



Your thing on irrigation was helpful. We are looking in an area of Oregon where it is 50/50 to "dry lot" your horses or irrigate. Our agent was pushing us to look at irrigated lots saying horses rip apart the dry lots, whatever that means. Also he said that some land flat out cannot be irrigated, and I guess I don't understand why. If your willing to pay to have the water lines, why couldn't I irrigate?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## xlntperuvian (Jul 1, 2012)

mollymay said:


> Our agent was pushing us to look at irrigated lots saying horses rip apart the dry lots, whatever that means. Also he said that some land flat out cannot be irrigated, and I guess I don't understand why. If your willing to pay to have the water lines, why couldn't I irrigate?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I would imagine that "rip apart" is a reference to what happens to the soil due to the hooves. Unfortunately, horses will rip apart *any* area, dry or irrigated, if they are on it 24/7, especially if it's a small space. Grass simply cannot stand up to constant close grazing and the action of horses hooves. It's even worse if the area is wet or damp. 

Horses + ground moisture = MUD. 

If you are going to irrigate an area and want to keep it grassy you are going to have to limit the time the horse(s) spend on it. Use that area for turnout only. That means you will have to have another "sacrifice" area; a place where your horse(s) can spend most of their time. If you do a Bing search on "sacrifice areas for horses" you can find some good articles on where sacrifice areas should be located, how much space you'll need per horse, etc. Here's a link to one such article: 
Tip: Creating a Sacrifice Area


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

depends on the soil and rainfall, drive around what do you see, grass or dirt ? Im thinking oregon has everything from rainforest to high desert all in one state. Lots of laws over water as well. Water, soil , weather will all determine how many horses per acre. I have 2 horses on 8 acres, rotate em back and forth between the two 4 acre fields. Most year I buy no hay. Throw out 100lbs of winter rye grass front and back and generally grow all winter. Only use hay on nasty days. But I am in south east va. Ideal is a big enough area that you dotn have a dry lot sacrifice area. just a couple fields to rotate.


----------



## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

i have irrigated pastures. It is semi desert here. I have three pastures that connect to one sacrifice area, where we toss hay and have the water trough. the pastures are divided into
approx 3 acres each. the 'pen is about a 40' x 40' area , has 3 gates leading into it, so whenever i need to rotate, we just open the gate to the new pasture, the horses do go check it out, then shut the gate to grazed down pasture. The amount of horses depends a lot on the type of grass you seed. I have the giant bermuda for grazing, as it grows best in my area. This is the grass they use for grass hay. My horses stay fat and healthy. I do toss about 2 flakes of hay out , morn and eve for 5 horses, break the flakes into halves, so that as winter approaches and the grass dies I just add more hay gradually and dont have colic issues. My water Cost are approx a grand a year.


----------



## mammakatja (Nov 3, 2009)

When we were looking for property, my biggest thing was fences. I already had horses which I was boarding then, we ended up moving cross country, and I didn't want to board again. So. I needed land that was ready to hold horses. Even if the fence wasn't horse ideal, it had to be complete and upright with maybe just a little patching. We could always improve and replace down the road. We were blessed enough to find a place that didn't just have fencing but cross fencing so I can now rotate my crew back and forth between 2 fields. We quickly fenced off what I call my dry lot, which is just a 150'x150' foot area that both my fields dump into and has their shelter, water and feed buckets and that's where I close them into every night. That way I have them close at night and control of when they graze because their dry lot is just that, bare and dry. If I want to control when they get out to their rye field in the winter or a sudden green spring field in the spring, I can't beat having this "dead" space to keep them in. I do wish I had the option to irrigate since we dedicated an unfenced portion of our property to hay, but it would take a lot of money to get that started. Digging a well isn't cheap. So prayer is my form of irrigation.  We've gotten as much as 600+ bales off 10 acres in a season (3 cuts) and as little as 250 in a season (2 cuts) so we've never been without but rain makes a huge difference. Yes, soil is a biggie. I wish we had better soil here (ours is black clay which is concrete when dry and snot when wet) but what we found was in our price range and beggars can't always be choosers. We make do. Anything beyond soil and landscape can be self improved with time like a barn, corrals, whatever. So, in my case it was fencing, no majorly thick brush to clear, and access to a water hose. The rest we did after we moved here.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

In central IL, it's 1 acre/horse on pasture in a good year. I have 3 horses on 4 acres turnout/pasture. Dry years like 2012 and the last month have forced me to feed some hay in the last month, but it isn't bc my horses have lost any weight. They are a solid 5.5 on the Apgar scale despite the droughts. When I took my Avatar 3 years ago it was August...and wet. We live in a reclaimed swamp, so we can expect that.
Check with other stables closeby and with your university's extension office. They can also alert you as to toxic weeds to eradicate from your pastures. West of the Mississippi and the south of the Mason/Dixon line this is a bigger problem that where I live, sorry to say.


----------



## HorsesAreForever (Nov 9, 2007)

I just moved my horses about a week ago. We have 61,000 sq feet for 3 horses. so close to two acres. Our town rules are 41,000 sq feet for the 1st horse additional 10,000 sq ft for every other. I live in southern maine. 

When I first started the idea of bringing the horses home.. I had to do A LOT of research on weeds/plants/trees that were bad for horses in my area. lets just say I had to do a lot of pulling... and still go out there and do a run through the paddock to make sure theres nothing growing. 

I quickly gave up on the idea of grass.. its mostly because im on such small acreage but the 3rd day the horses were home the grass that was there and I planted was eatten and or torn up from them playing around. Ive just decided to feed hay year round. Im able to get it $4.00 a bale from a guy near by.. so finding a deal on hay is a plus if you have to go that way. 

I have super good drainage in my pasture.. we have 3 days of just down pouring rain.. but if you dont have great drainage.. make a sacrifice area.. which is a pasture/paddock that you put them in when its real wet and you dont mind getting torn up. I know some people around me that put down 2in thick wood chips in their sacrifice area to keep the mud down.. they always have to touch it up though.. Like I said I dont have one but someone to look into.  

For fencing .. I went with 5.5 ft metal t-posts, and 8 ft wooden posts for the front section. I have two strand of white poly rope along the tree line, and 3 strands up front in the entrance. ALWAYS check your electricity goes through your electric rope... im learning pretty quick its easy to short out. We have a 10mi charge for our about 2 mile of fencing. lol

Hm I think thats all I can think of for now.


----------



## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

Number of horses per acre depends on how productive the land is, now much moisture you get and the length of your grazing season. If you are willing to feed hay on a dry lot, you don't need nearly as much space, but at least 1-2 acres per horse is average.

As for irrigation, all I can tell you is that if the land is wet, the horses hooves will chew and churn it up a lot. Irrigated land will certainly produce more grass but it still needs to be managed carefully.

Regarding priorities, I would make sure the land has good drainage and that there are no safety issues like sinkholes, garbage, noxious weeds, etc. after that, you can make it what you want.

As far as fencing is concerned, I like the electrified poly rope, minimum of 3 strands mounted to treated wood posts. Consider where you will place gates, water and shelter.

Best of luck to you!


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

The type of grass (which is dependent on weather) makes a big difference, too. Around here there is a lot of fescue, which is very hardy, tolerates close grazing, and withstands a lot of foot traffic which would kill off lots of other grasses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

Water laws in the West are very complicated. Good irrigation rights can easily be worth more than the land itself. Just because you have a water delivery system does not mean you have the rights to pump the water and use it. Those rights could of been sold off years ago to raise some quick cash. Know your laws before you fall in love with a piece of property.

If you don't receive over 25" of annual precipitation, I wouldn't consider a piece of property WITHOUT water. You will end up with a non productive hunk of dirt. You can also work with less land (1/2 or less). How much land you need is dependent on too many factors. Rainfall, soil type, stocking rates (county laws will dictate this based on how your land is designated) species of grass (native is best), lay of the land and how you manage it will help you figure out what your optimal acreage is. Go for more than you think you need. Go for more land than more improvements. You can build a new barn but you can't make more land. I have moved most of my fence lines and raised them all. You won't know if they are laid out correctly until you go through a full season. A bigger piece of land is also easier to manage once things are set.


----------

