# Boarding @ Home on 1/2 acre?



## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

Hello.
We are seriously considering buying a home any time soon and I keep bouncing back n forth on 1/2 acre versus 1+ acres, due to the price of course. sometimes I see a house that would be perfect but it only has 1/2 acre, the houses we are looking at have trails neighboring them so that is a plus, my concern is if the land is only 1/2 acre will we smell the manure every day when we open our windows?
Some folks I know who don't have horses say you need at least 1.5 acres to avoid the smell.
Although the smell does not bother me that much when I am in the horse environment, I don't necessarily want to smell it every day when I open my windows.
Please bear in mind there will be 2 horses and they will be fed hay throughout the day along with 2-3feeds a day, it's not an issue about them getting enough food it's more about them being far enough away from the house to avoid smell inside.
Here in California the zoning department recommend 20,000sq ft=1/2 acre for 6 horses, we will only have 2 though.
If you can advise me on this matter it would be greatly appreciated
Happy New Year
Best wishes


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## RitzieAnn (Dec 22, 2010)

I've never kept horses in such a small area (and I now live in Wet NW WA), but the fact that you're in CA makes a difference. Which part? The dry weather will really help dry up the manure. It would be easier to compost (because it will cook faster) and if you have something to rake it out with, it will dry/crumble & barely be a problem. I think your best bet is to compost it. Try posting on Craigslist & asking what other horse owners do there


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

We lived on a 1/2 acre with two horses for a bit in Utah. They had a run in and a fenced in 100x50 area. We had to remove the manure weekly and it was a very dry area. You can try a compost pile but manure for two horses WILL build up significantly. Luckily ours dried out quickly and we just bagged it and put it in the trash. which you are not supposed to do  lol. I'd suggest doing a compost on the back of the property and reusing/selling the manure for gardens or neighbors etc.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I personally cannot imagine keeping a horse on 1/2 acre, but I would think the top priority in this case is to make sure you won't have neighbors who will give you constant headaches. When you do locate a property, knock on some doors or leave a note to see if they have any issues with someone moving in with horses. At least in this market, if you get in now, 5 years down the road you might have a nice chunk of equity built up and can move to a larger place.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

On my 1/2 acre here in So. CA I can legally have 3 horses-go over the river to Norco & you can have 6 (& 13 per acre). It changes by Zip Code. The Law says manure must be picked up daily.. Most people aren't aware of the law-I kept a horse on base so I'm well aware of the laws. I pick mine up often, it goes in the dumpster & it's gone. The dumpster costs $80 a month, Norco just got some new laws for manure management, not sure what they are, but it's$$$$, & there may be fines involved. So check out the neighborhood,but most people aren't aware of what the laws are. For instance, there is one that a horse corral has to be 25' away from a house, so be careful!


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

*Home Boarding on 1/2 acre*

Thank you so much for all your feedback, very much appreciated. 

RitzieAnn: I am in San Diego county so we don't get too much rain at all compared to other states.

MyBoyPuck: Yes neighbours definitely a concern, we would hopefully be buying in an area where others have horses or previously zoned for horses and would definitely want to be conscious about the neighbours, so good idea.

GWA: Not sure I want to deal with the composte pile. But good to know you managed on 1/2 acre. Did you live close by and if so could you smell the manure when you opened your windows?

Cacowgirl:Yes that is what I had in mind exactly, I did hear the bin man takes the manure or waste management. I plan to turn the horses out in the (am) muck out and then close the stables off till bed time  They would have a corral for shelter if it gets too hot. Then we would pick up in the paddock/pasture/field, hardly a pasture or field here no grass to be seen  anywhere daily, if this was managed as stated would you smell the manure when you open the window in the house.
Where in Socal are you?
I am thinking West Riverside?


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

yes our home was on the 1/2 acre. when it was wet... rainy.. snow melting etc. You can smell the manure. when it was dry it wasnt too bad. and that was when we were picking it up weekly.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

Id imagine it was probably more the urine smell than anything.

Oh and utah law stated on 1/2 acre you could have 12.5 horses  i dont know where you would put them.. but you could have them!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Yes, Riverside area,near the 15/60 junction. Norco is known as the Horse Capital of the World-that is their slogan-they are very horse oriented, but just across the river, is also quite "horsey", & a lot less expensive. W/daily pick-up-not much odor, as the bin can be closed & there are ways to keep the flies down. I put in central heat & air w/the last re-model, & moved the windows around so they aren't in a path from the corrals, also a (night-time) fresh air fan, that vents from the other side of the house-all that made a world of difference. Do you need horse property? I'm in escrow, but don't know how solid it is. I'm ready to get to AZ!


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

*Home Boarding on 1/2 acre*

GWA: 12 horses wow that's a little crazy, yes I couldn't imagine that at all.
Thank you for the feedback it helped a a lot.

Cacowgirl:I have heard of Norcco but not yet ventured up there, it sounds like a cool little town, I heard they have hitching post outside of each shop  like in the cowboy films awseome.
Wow sounds like you got busy remodeling the house for your horsie lifestyle awesome, it's soooo expensive down here not sure we'll be able to do the same.
The night time fresh air device sounds like a plan though.
Did you make your own bins or did you get them supplied from waste management?
I am very interested to know what technique you used for controlling the flies, if you would like to share?
Yes we are on the look out daily for horse property but so far haven't found anything we're thrilled with.
What made you decide on AZ?
Good Luck with your next purchase I hope you sail through escrow and everything works out as you have planned it.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

KEEP LOOKING.
I keep my horses on 5 acres. It is difficult in Illinois to find a split farm with that much. Many people buy an old farmhouse with about 2 acres adjacent to it. I know of one owner who keeps 5 horses on that. I have a friend who keeps her 2 horses on 6 acres.
I looked for 12 years to find what I wanted:
--REAL house
--REAL barn
--some kind of fencing there already
There were several places that almost worked, but I would have been difficult. One had 2 acres on the corner of 2 country roads, a nicely finished horse barn and turnout, but the really pretty house was really pretty small with 2 bedrooms, and just wouldn't work for the (then) 5 of us.
I spent 14 years boarding. The farmer (owner) kept diminishing areas for me to ride in, and I spent too much time crossing a really busy 2-lane highway--we used to call it the "SR150 Motor Speedway"--and rode ditches next to farm fields. I HATED it. There was trash in the ditches and sometimes drivers would play "chicken" and see how close they could drive next to your horse.
With 1/2 acre your schooling abilities are gonna be pretty small. I grew up in a suburban housing development and we had 1/2 acre. We could play baseball in the back yard...but that's about all.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

That's crazy to me. Where I live, you have to have 5 acres for 1 SINGLE HORSE. ONE! And an additional acres for every horse after that. So to have 2 horses I need 6 acres, 3 horses is 7 acres and so on. That land doesn't have to be fenced in (which seems stupid to me) you just have to own it. We have 10.5 acres, and only about 3.5 fenced.


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

*Home Boarding on 1/2 acre*

Hi Corporal,
I would much prefer to have 2 acres for sure but here in San Diego, it seems that you can find a house with approx 1/2 acre then for some unknown reason it jumps to 4,5 10 acres there doesn't seem to be an awful lot in between and believe it or not you will pay the same for 1/2 acre as you would for 8 or 9 acres that is something I don't get either. In certain areas of course.
A lot of the land is unusable in most cases, I worry about the wild fires that we get here in Socal, there is a lot of brush on the bigger parcels and I can only imagine the up keep.
We hardly get any rain here so that is a hazard in it's own right, even though I don't complain when the sun is cracking the flags.
The land suffers...
We are not in any rush to buy, so we'll keep looking and hoping that something comes our way.
Thanks for your post


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I can't imagine keeping a horse on a 1/2 acre. I won't ever whine about my 40 acres of pasture not being enough again! 

Good luck finding the perfect place!


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Personally, I think that's too small if the horse's pasture/barn has to share the 1/2 acre with your house and yard. Most areas that I've heard of recommend two to four acres for the first horse, and 1/2 to 1 acre for every additional horse.

If you do keep a horse on that small of an acreage, you'll have to plan things out so you can keep the property very clean. You'll have to clean out your turnout areas very often and find someone who will take your manure. I recommend the book _Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage_ by Cherry Hill.

Good luck!


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

*Home Boarding 1/2 acre*

Hi Claporte432
Wow I can see why you would think that too.
I am not sure why the laws are so different from state to state, it doesn't make any sense to me either.
When I was back home in Uk I had 1 horse and I kept him on 4 acres but I don't remember ever checking with the council or zoning department what was right, I lived in the country everyone had horses not sure anyone ever checked but land was never an issue, it cost nothng to graze your horses or stable them, everyone did it themselves.
Here in Socal however such a different ball game, if you board your horse in a livery it cost around $800- $1000 per mth per horse day light robbery.
That is not including feed just includes hay & supplements, stable and turn out.
A bale of alfalfa hay here costs $22+ approx I heard it costs a fraction of the price in other states. 
Thanks for posting


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'd never be able to afford a horse for $800-$1000 every month? *Jaw drops*

The most expensive board I've seen in my area was $700. My trainers barn does board for $230 a month, $525 a month for full training, full care and 5 days a week of work! Holy crap-ola. LoL.

This year, we paid $3.25 for approx. 60LB bales of 2nd cutting alfafla/timothy hay.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Check the zoning regulations before you put offers on properties. It's not just "can you have a horse" it's all the other regulations as well, such as how far from the property line do fences or shelters need to be. 

I can't imagine a horse on 1/2 acre. I has my horse along with 1 other on 2 1/2 acres and it was CRAMPED. The outdoor arena couldn't be fenced as it was smack in the middle of the turnout as zoning regs wouldn't allow an arena anywhere near the property line. There was very little actual grass and everything turned to a giant stinky, muddy mess come Spring and that was with 2x daily manure cleanup.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Keeping a couple of horses on 1/2 acre requires good management but it can be done, especially in So Cal where it's really dry most of the time. Look for Horse zoning, and check for CCR's, codes covenants & restrictions, that would limit your ability to keep your horses at home. When I lived in So Cal, it was SOOOO much easier to muck out, the poo dries up and weighs NOTHING, never stays wet & heavy. I had my riding area (NOT an official arena but it was fenced) and I put the manure in there and disc'd it into the dirt every week or so. My arena was 150 X 300 so it was a good sized area. Off the side of the arena I had individual pipe corrals 24 X 24 with a corner shelter to protect from wind/rain/too much sun. I graded the corral areas so that they sloped a bit and the water ran off and mud was rarely a problem. Of course, when you get those So. Cal. Downpours that occasionally last for 3 or 4 days, anywhere becomes a soggy mess. Because of the dryness, I never smelled the manure or urine in the house, nor did I have a big fly problem because of breaking up the manure and discing it into the dirt in the arena. I also had a swimming pool, never had a complaint about the smell from guests over for swimming and a BBQ. I was in a horsey area so never had a complaint from the neighbors about the horses, nor did they find any extra flies. I also hung those big Rescue fly traps around the stalling areas, they trapped a lot of the flies and fly predators did a pretty good job with the rest.


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## Iain (Jan 3, 2012)

Look at the link next, I would recommend some of these comments


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## Iain (Jan 3, 2012)

Recommended Standard for Horses per acre - Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation, Inc. ----Discussion Forum


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you have a riding mower, drag an old box spring with the wood frame and cover burned off. The box spring will scatter the manure so it dries faster and the sun kills any parasite eggs. If you have a bagger for your mower it is then easy to pick up the dried manure. People love to buy it if it's already in bags.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Yes there are a lot of hitching posts in Norco, & some places even have corrals.The metal bins are supplied by W. M. There are the fly predators,fly bait, fly traps, but some wisdom says it's trees that attract or harbor flies. They will always be around, but it is somewhat controllable. My BIL moved to AZ a few years ago, DH was born in Phoenix, & their cost of living is MUCH lower, so his Dad wanted to move there, too, & DH, so we were lucky enough to find a place that we could afford that will answer all our needs as we build what we need to live comfortably. We bought it in Oct, & DH has been working on it steadily. It was a foreclosure & an as-is condition-so LOTS of work!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Delfina said:


> *Check the zoning regulations before you put offers on properties. *It's not just "can you have a horse" it's all the other regulations as well, such as how far from the property line do fences or shelters need to be.


I can't believe I forgot to mention that!! It's been a BIG, BIG, problem nationwide for almost 30 years, now. I also thought to ask, why are you wanting to live close to San Diego proper? I live 30 minutes drive from the nearest small city, in a rural town. When my family moved from a 1/4 house (we rented space for the horses elsewhere) to our 5 acre property the $taxes and $insurance flipped--taxes went down, insurance went up--but the $/month stayed the same. $gas money is more, and we put more miles on our cars now, but it has been affordable. Could you find something more rural? =/


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

Hi Corporal,
We live in San Diego right now, we are considering San Diego County (North of San Diego, roughly 40miles away) so that would include Vista, Escondido, or Valley Center or Ramona which are further east. It would be great to get either of the 1st two as they would be closer to my work that would be a 45min commute each day, each way for me as I work in La Jolla, I work for myself so I would not be in rush hour traffic I figured I could do that no problem, my hubby would have 25mins commute he's in Carlsbad.
Although finding what we really need and want is so much harder to find in either of those places.
Valley Center & Ramona are definitely more horse friendly but your looking at 1hr 15mins commute each day each way hummmm!!!
Plus Ramona gets hit really bad in the fire season which scares the life out of me, coming from O'Blighty never seen anything like it, except on the movies.
Everything on the market right now is pending there literaly isn't anything to buy, we're looking in the low $400's and everything in that price range has been snaped up or pending...
Check every day....


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## feistymomma (Apr 15, 2010)

It is not even legal in my area to have horses on that small of a place. I can't remember exactly what the requirements are since it is something I don't have to worry about (gotta love big family farms!). But 1/2 acre is no where near enough room for a horse....maybe a mini??? but still, I would need more room than that.


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

Hi everyone,
I found a property that we maybe interested in, it has 2 acres with it. The only thing is the land is not that flat, one area is a small part ,but the majority of it is on a slope not really steep but still ongoing medium slope, is this bad for the horses posture to be on a slope day after day?
Many Thanks


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

I was always told 2 acres for the first horse then 1 acre for every other, so with two horses you would probably need bout 4-5 acres.


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

Hi Vikki92,
Thanks for posting.
It seems every state has it's own laws on land, I am wondering if that has something to do with weather conditions and the footing/ slippery etc and how lush the pasture is etc, making sure enough grass for each horse, that would make sense.
Here in Socal the ground hardly ever gets muddy, it doesn't rain much.
When we get the horses they will be well fed so the grass is not an issue regarding feed, I was more concerned about the land being sloped is that bad for their posture?


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Well,I've seen some very hilly pens , sometimes a flat area can be "dozed" for a shelter, or a relief from the uphill/downhill , some folks terrace the property so there are a few different levels, but that can get pricey. Horses are pretty adapable critters, but you also have to remember what they are used to. Mine will go into their re-built pens after their move, but the shelter will be 2-3 sided, not just the roof they are used to now. Their biggest change will be lots more riding & getting used to ther new (quieter) environment.


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## Maple (Jan 10, 2012)

I've got about an acre, and only kept my horse on it for about 6 weeks, and it was bare. I'd recommend a bit more land, at least then you can fence off portions to give the field a break if required. Saying all of this- I'm in Ireland, it even rains when it's sunny  Our fields are always in muck, but this was just my experiance.


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

Hi Cacowgirl,
Thanks for the post.
Yes I have seen some really steep pastures too, is it bad for the horse long term?????


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

The facilities you want on your property is really the only consideration for whether flat or hilly would work for you. If you mostly just want a pen for the horse and nothing else, hilly is fine. If you want a fed shed, arena, round pen, turn outs and a barn......flatter is better. My property is flat as a pancake and I wish I had a couple of hills, the horses will self exercise a bit better in hilly terrain. 

If you could post a picture of the property showing the boundaries and the slope, you might get more useful answers.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Yes, it's hard to know what you are seeing or thinking about. Some horses make their own hills & like to stand w/part of thier body higher, others like flat. That's why I suggested terracing, then there are choices for the animal. My corrals are fairly flat, but w/a little slope for good, natural drainage, & each horse will have at least 2 mats in their pens so they have dry clean areas to stand on. & hopefully to eat off when they spill.


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## Chumbawumba (Jan 2, 2012)

*Boarding On 1/2 Acre*

*Cacowgirl:* Thanks for your response, yes I read about the mats in the stables here, I hadn't heard of that before but think it's great idea and should help not smell up the stable as much.
I think slight slope for natural drainage is also good idea, thanks for the tips very much appreciated. 

*Dreamcatcher Arabians:*That's good to know I didn"t think of the fitness aspect makes sense, yes I think I will have to rule this house out I sort of want some flat parts, I don't think I am going to be lucky enough to find house plus 2 acres and have the land hilly & flat  I will have to start deciding whats more important.
Thanks for posting


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