# dry lot help



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

We don't have a dry lot, but we have kept four mares in our riding ring for days. It's 100x200 (20,000 sq ft), so 500 sq ft/horse, and that's more than enough room without them being crowded for a corral/pen. 
For fencing, I prefer corral panels. Quick, easy, and you can always move/rearrange them. They're not cheap, but sometimes you can find used ones that are still in good condition. Otherwise, I would use good, no climb wire horse fencing with a strand of electric at the top.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

PaintHorseMares said:


> We don't have a dry lot, but we have kept four mares in our riding ring for days. It's 100x200 (20,000 sq ft), so 500 sq ft/horse, and that's more than enough room without them being crowded for a corral/pen.


That's 5,000 sq ft per horse. 500 sq ft is only 10x50. I have runs on my barn that are 15x40 (600sq ft). They work but if they don't get out for days because of weather or my work schedule, they are climbing the walls. You only have about 14,500 sq ft to work with or an area about 100x150ft. What do you have to keep in that area? Only the horses? Dealing with mud is an ongoing problem when you have to confine them to a small area. One of the keys is to limit how much they can move around when there is mud. Walking stirs things up making it worse. I would look at making small feeding pens/holding areas at the high point of the pen. You can do as small as 12x12 (the size of a stall). Put down something like roadbase and slope it so the water runs out of the 1/3 acre (not into it). Covering the 12x12 area plus no water running into the pen and you won't have a mud problem there. The fencing has to be solid and able to withstand abuse. Panels, pipe or boards no wire or hot tape for the small area. You can use wire for the larger area to save money. Give it a day before you let the horses out of jail for the turnout area to firm up after it stops raining and even in heavy clay, there will be a dramatic decrease in the mud.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Left Hand Percherons said:


> That's 5,000 sq ft per horse.


UGH...you are right, of course (red faced).


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

If they get daily turnout on a pasture except when wet, would 30x30 or 20x50ft work per horse? I would really like to turn the rest of the 1/3 acre dry lot into additional pasture.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

I was thinking of turning him out in a pasture/grass paddock during the daytime(12 hrs) but he'd have to spend at least 12 hours in his drylot.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> If they get daily turnout on a pasture except when wet, would 30x30 or 20x50ft work per horse? I would really like to turn the rest of the 1/3 acre dry lot into additional pasture.


Is that additional or all they have? If you give them 1000 Sq ft each, that leaves you about 1/4 acre "pasture". That's going to last about 10 minutes to grazing. You can make it work but you will have to really stay on top of things and give them 2-3 hours of grazing a day tops weather permitting. That's plenty of out time for most horses.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Left Hand Percherons said:


> Is that additional or all they have? If you give them 1000 Sq ft each, that leaves you about 1/4 acre "pasture". That's going to last about 10 minutes to grazing. You can make it work but you will have to really stay on top of things and give them 2-3 hours of grazing a day tops weather permitting. That's plenty of out time for most horses.


No I wanted to get another pasture about 1 1/2 acres. Ok I just have one horse now and I was wondering if 20x 20 ft attached to a 16x 15 ft stall would be big enough to spend 12 hours in?


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

I want my horse to be happy. right now, his paddock is a real mess and he's messy~ his coat is dirty and muddy- and in summer it(the paddock) will probably turn into a dust bowl and hurt his respiratory system if I dont do anything now. Sorry if I sound dramatic.

My dad and mom dont like how untidy it looks either.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

We would all love for our horses to be out wandering in beautiful pastures 24/7 but the truth of the matter is just about none of us have that available to us. You've got to make do with what you have and your horse will adapt to it. Many horses have a lot less and don't suffer because of it. The first thing to do is figure out the mud part. Where does all the water come from? Is it coming off a roof? Is it the low spot so everything drains towards it? Does it come from the next property? You can divert and build berms and ditches to keep the water from getting into your pen. Creating a buffer of grasses, plants and trees will help keep the water back as well. Next identify an area that is higher than the rest of the pen. Where does it dry first? Build your small pens there. Add something like roadbase or pea gravel to help it drain. You can only do so much at a time but getting rid of the mud will go a long way.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Oh I'd just like to add that the paddock my horse is in now, is 200x80 ft- a little more than 1/3 acre.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

is a 20x 20ft pen big enough for one horse to spend 12 hours in? would it work to put stall mats in it? what kind of footing would you reccomend? the place that is the driest is by the barn entrance~where I want the pen. the water is from snow or a lot of rain.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> No I wanted to get another pasture about 1 1/2 acres. Ok I just have one horse now and I was wondering if 20x 20 ft attached to a 16x 15 ft stall would be big enough to spend 12 hours in?


 It's plenty big enough but he will need to be up closer to 20-22 hours a day if you hope for any grass in the rest of the pen.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Left Hand Percherons said:


> It's plenty big enough but he will need to be up closer to 20-22 hours a day if you hope for any grass in the rest of the pen.


 Well he wont be in that 1/3 acre pen all the time when turned out. i want another pasture that would be a little over an acre. he'd be turned out there on nice days while the grass in the 1/3 acre pen can grow. Then he'd be shut in his own little dry lot on stormy rainy days or in spring. what kind of footing should i put down though? stall mats or crushed rocks?


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

I was wondering if post and rail fencing will work for that small a dry lot?


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

I wanted to use these rails would they work?
RAIL PT 3-4X16'
Thanks everyone!


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> I wanted to use these rails would they work?
> RAIL PT 3-4X16'
> Thanks everyone!


No reason why not. You won't want to go 16' between posts, though.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

No I didnt want to go that far apart-I thought about 8-10 ft? they're pressure treated. and i was wondering if theyd be safe if my horse chewed them.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Modern pressure treated wood is OK around horses. I'm not sure how close together you'll need to put posts to keep them from bowing with time due to their own weight.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

My post are 10 - 12 ft apart and the pipe pens are 30 ft long and 18 ft wide. 
the can hop and bounce around, roll, run up and down some. 
When it rains its muddy. Only way to get them out of the mud would be a Barn with Box stalls. 
1 1/2 acres of irrigated pasture with hay is fine for two horses. Depending on your area and what type of grass . I have two horses out on 2 and 1/2 acres and they get small flakes of hay and are fat. My pasture is irrigated and is the grazing bermuda pasto rico . This is also the type of bermuda that is used for haying. It is not just seed from the big box stores. I have 3 other horses out on a smaller pasture, and they are all fat (smaller horses that get along )


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## Kotori (Jun 18, 2012)

Left Hand Percherons said:


> That's 5,000 sq ft per horse. 500 sq ft is only 10x50. I have runs on my barn that are 15x40 (600sq ft). They work but if they don't get out for days because of weather or my work schedule, they are climbing the walls. You only have about 14,500 sq ft to work with or an area about 100x150ft. What do you have to keep in that area? Only the horses? Dealing with mud is an ongoing problem when you have to confine them to a small area. One of the keys is to limit how much they can move around when there is mud. Walking stirs things up making it worse. I would look at making small feeding pens/holding areas at the high point of the pen. You can do as small as 12x12 (the size of a stall). *Put down something like roadbase* and slope it so the water runs out of the 1/3 acre (not into it). .


I've heard that stone dust or slag is prefered over roadbase because roadbase is too harsh. 

Another thing to consider, more with smaller runs than larger dry lots, is if they have room to run. A rectangular run is better than a square in that regard.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Stone dust is basically a size in between pea gravel and sand. It will get dusty in dry weather, so therefore pea gravel is ideal if you don't live a moist environment year round. Pea gravel is also great for horses hooves, it won't dry them out and drains out the moisture. 

I will go outside and take a picture of my dry/mud- lot area. It is about 110 feet long, with half the width being about 30 feet and the other half being about 50 feet in length, it is used for two horses in winter. We just put down a couple inches of dirty pea gravel in the front part, we had road base before with some dirt/mud. Road base is okay if it is compacted very well, so if it was an old road (which mine was) or you drive across it a lot, you shouldn't have to much of a problem. You would want a comfy dirt or sand area for the horse to lie down though. If you don't compact road base well enough, the big rocks will sit on top and the horses can get bruised from them. And my wood fence with 3- 2x6 boards has the posts spaced 8 feet apart.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Here is my dry lot. First picture is front road view, second picture shows the pea gravel on the left and road base on the right. There is a dirt rolling area down towards the end off to the side. We left about 20 feet at the end of the run just plain road base because that is where the horses poo and we ran out of gravel. Ignore the fence, a deer ran through it the other day and the horses haven't been in here in months so it is a bit neglected!


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

caseymyhorserocks said:


> Here is my dry lot. First picture is front road view, second picture shows the pea gravel on the left and road base on the right. There is a dirt rolling area down towards the end off to the side. We left about 20 feet at the end of the run just plain road base because that is where the horses poo and we ran out of gravel. Ignore the fence, a deer ran through it the other day and the horses haven't been in here in months so it is a bit neglected!


you have electric fencing in your dry lot? casey, how many loads of gravel did you use to cover your dry lot(if you dont mind).


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

stevenson said:


> My post are 10 - 12 ft apart and the pipe pens are 30 ft long and 18 ft wide.
> the can hop and bounce around, roll, run up and down some.
> When it rains its muddy. Only way to get them out of the mud would be a Barn with Box stalls.
> 1 1/2 acres of irrigated pasture with hay is fine for two horses. Depending on your area and what type of grass . I have two horses out on 2 and 1/2 acres and they get small flakes of hay and are fat. My pasture is irrigated and is the grazing bermuda pasto rico . This is also the type of bermuda that is used for haying. It is not just seed from the big box stores. I have 3 other horses out on a smaller pasture, and they are all fat (smaller horses that get along )


dont you have footing?


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

if I get the drainage fixed, would I still need footing? i am sort of worried about the dust from plain dirt in summer. I have no idea how much footing would cost.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

could I use this horse netting to fence the dry lot instead of the rails? It's less expensive and easier to transport.
HORS-FNC N/C 12.5/10G 48"X100'


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Well, we had the gravel around an old play-set which we sold and spread some of it around the horse area. I believe its something like 18 yards or so for 2" deep in a 20x100 area. 2" is not going to do much, but since there is about 18" of road base under that (with a bit of dirt on top) it will hopefully be good enough for my horsies. 

About how many inches of mud do you normally get? It is recommended to get enough gravel as mud plus one or two additional inches. If you get 3 inches of mud, you would want 4-5 inches of gravel. It is a good idea to put down textile fabric stuff to prevent the gravel from being ground into the dirt. I have heard of rock salt being spread across horse arenas and paddocks to help bring down dust, but I have never tried it. Unless you have very little mud in a poorly drained area, you will want to have footing and good drainage. Also, don't use any wood products that could decompose like wood chips, shavings, or straw as they will just turn into more mud. 

Edit- yes, woven wire makes an excellent horse fence, as long as the holes are 2x4" or smaller. If they are any larger a horse could get his hoof stuck in the fence. Horses love to itch their butts on the no climb so it is a good idea to put up an electric strand in front of the fence. With no climb, you can use t-posts which are cheaper and easier to install than the wooden posts, but it is a good idea to put wood posts up around the high stress areas (corners, water troughs, etc.).


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

caseymyhorserocks said:


> Well, we had the gravel around an old play-set which we sold and spread some of it around the horse area. I believe its something like 18 yards or so for 2" deep in a 20x100 area. 2" is not going to do much, but since there is about 18" of road base under that (with a bit of dirt on top) it will hopefully be good enough for my horsies.
> 
> About how many inches of mud do you normally get? It is recommended to get enough gravel as mud plus one or two additional inches. If you get 3 inches of mud, you would want 4-5 inches of gravel. It is a good idea to put down textile fabric stuff to prevent the gravel from being ground into the dirt. I have heard of rock salt being spread across horse arenas and paddocks to help bring down dust, but I have never tried it. Unless you have very little mud in a poorly drained area, you will want to have footing and good drainage. Also, don't use any wood products that could decompose like wood chips, shavings, or straw as they will just turn into more mud.
> 
> *Edit- yes, woven wire makes an excellent horse fence, as long as the holes are 2x4" or smaller. If they are any larger a horse could get his hoof stuck in the fence. Horses love to itch their butts on the no climb so it is a good idea to put up an electric strand in front of the fence. With no climb, you can use t-posts which are cheaper and easier to install than the wooden posts, but it is a good idea to put wood posts up around the high stress areas (corners, water troughs, etc*.).


 Thanks. how thick should the posts be and how far apart? do i I need bracing? If yes what kind? Thanks again.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

For t-posts with no climb? 10 foot spacing is ideal. I would use 8 foot t-posts pounding them 3 feet into the ground so you have 5 feet of t-post above the ground. I assume you are doing 4 foot tall no climb right? With the 5 feet above ground and 4 foot tall no climb you will have plenty of room to install a strand of electric on top. It is a good idea to cap the top of the t-posts to prevent a horse from skewering himself on the top, you can even get caps that have built in slots for the electric wire/rope like these- 
T-Post CAPR Insulator Black
If you are doing a small paddock (like 20x20), I would recommend using wood posts. We used square 4x4s for our posts, we bought them in 6 foot lengths and dug them 2 feet into the ground, putting rock at the bottom of the hole, but this was a wood fence for big pastures. For the no climb in the small area I would have the posts be 5 feet above ground so you could either install a board or electric wire on top.

You should use an H brace in the corners, here is a how to. Be sure to put electric sticking out in front of the brace to avoid horses getting a leg stuck. 
http://www.premier1supplies.com/img/instruction/36.pdf


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

would round 4-5 in 7ft long posts work? I want to sink them 2.5-3 ft into the ground though. How could a horse get it's foot stuck in the brace?


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

would 4-5in wide posts work for corners too? the ten foot spacing is for wood posts too, right? Thanks.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Yes 4-5 inch would work for corners and the straight lines. 10 feet is for both t posts and wood posts.

Basically an H brace is a twisted wire that goes from the top of the post to the bottom of the post. If a horse was running around or pawing there or kicked out, his leg could get stuck between the brace and the fence or get twisted up in the wire. I dont get any frost or snow here which is why we sunk the posts 2 feet into the ground. Good luck!


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

how do you attach the mesh to the end posts? how far up from the ground should it be? should it touch the ground?


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

The mesh is attached to the post by a special staple (driven in with a hammer for wood posts, and they have metal clips for t-posts. You will also need a fence stretcher to insure the no climb is tight- 
SpeeCo Wire Stretcher - Mills Fleet Farm
You want to get the no climb as close to the ground as possible to avoid a horse getting a leg stuck- no set answer, but get it as close as you can.

Here are some instructional videos-
http://www.redbrand.com/InstallationVideos/Default.aspx


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Thanks. I was wondering how much a load of pea gravel would cost and how much I would need for a 30x 20ft pen? thanks.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

How much mud do you get? You need as much gravel as mud plus one or two inches. What do you mean by a load? An 8 foot pickup truck or dump truck load? The prices really varies by location.


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## RiverBelle (Dec 11, 2012)

If in terms of acreage, how many acres does a horse need? Like with grassy pasture? It's hard for me to imagine feet X feet to be of any help.. I always use acreage, lol


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

That's because 20x30 is about 0.009 of an acre. How many acres per horse depends on your location. It can be anywhere from 2-30 acres. Ask local horse people about how many acres they have per horse.


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