# Paddock Paradise on Small Acreage



## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

I recently discovered the paddock paradise concept, and it seems like a really good idea; however, I'm wondering how it would work in smaller paddocks?

If the pasture is already supporting the horses, would the increased movement encouraged by the tracks be detrimental to the land?

There would still be a separate winter lot to keep their hooves from tearing up the ground too much.

The layout I'm considering would include the entirety of the field through a series of gates/passageways, so they wouldn't lose any space. They'd just have to walk farther to get to it.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

That might work, it is harder to do a PP with less land, but it is doable. You'll see a bit more soil erosion because of the hooves going over the same spot more often, but you can counteract that with proper seeding of grasses and filling in of divots that they make.
If you use portable fencing you can also change the way the lanes flow around the field every so often and that will keep the wear and tear down also.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Consider putting in pea gravel. I don't have enough land for a paddock paradise, but I have put in pea gravel.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

BadWolf said:


> The layout I'm considering would include the entirety of the field through a series of gates/passageways, so they wouldn't lose any space. They'd just have to walk farther to get to it.


To me that would wear the ground out faster because the horses would be walking on the grass.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Some people build a track around the perimeter and put out hay stations using small mesh hay nets. The horses are allowed in the center area to graze for only an hour or so depending on how large the middle area is. This also prevents overgrazing. For several horses 15' wide is recommended. Ideally a special fabric is laid down then a wooden frame built and filled with pea gravel which the horses have to cross. The fabric keeps the gravel from getting packed into the soil. The gravel is good for their hooves.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

They generally follow the same paths through the field every day already.
Depending on the time of day, I know exactly where they will be.
They've set themselves a pretty regular routine.

Do you think it would be possible to build tracks based on their existing paths to add obstacles, sections of gravel, etc. to make it more interesting for them?


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## SummerShy (Aug 3, 2014)

What is this Paddock Paradise stuff?


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

SummerShy said:


> What is this Paddock Paradise stuff?


Basically its a natural way of keeping horses. You create a track, about 15ft wide, and make these loops around an arena, pasture etc. You have varied footing, gravel, sand, grass, even some water if possible and you scatter hay along the track. 

The idea is to keep a horse moving and grazing. The narrow track encourages horses to stick in a herd, and the spread out hay encourages movement. 

Its suppose to be very good for hooves and a horse's social life. 

Google will show you tons of them.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

If you are creative, you can make a PP on only an acre of land. I believe the very first one was done on only an acre and a half. 

I know of one barn in that does PP in a 1 acre pasture and I love it. If I was able to build one, its what I'd do.

They use ALL the space, instead of building around a center, theirs is a sorta spiral. They start at the top corner closest the the barn and make a loop around the outside fencing, but instead of stopping they go inward, making a spiral until they come to the center, where they have a really nice run in shed and the water. They feed hay along the whole spiral, but they only grain the horses at the gate at the start. 

I'll try and draw it up


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

Okay so the black is the outer fence that was already there. Its typical board fencing. The purple is electrical tape to make the tracks. The brown is where the horses walk so you can see how they can use the entire space. They'd have hay scattered along that path. Next to the shelter was the water. They had the area by the gate as pea gravel, and a few different areas along the track as rock. They even had some logs across the path in one spot the horses had to step over. It was so neat.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

That's similar to what I'm considering, except our pasture is L-shaped.

The short side of the L is where the barn, water trough, salt/minerals, hay ring, and gate currently are, so it's a very high traffic area. It's all dust in the summer and very muddy in the winter. I'm hoping that if I can separate some of these, then the mud won't be as bad when it's wet. 

The corner and long side of the L have the best grazing, and their favorite shade tree/scratching post.

The far end of the long side is the lowest point in the field, and floods with heavy rain, to the point that there's _almost_ a creek bed. Paddock paradise or not, we're planning on digging out where the water runs and bringing in creek rock.


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## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

Honestly, I think PP on smaller space is actually more effective than in bigger areas. Especially if you don't have the biggest budget. I think the spiral is the best idea. It gives you maximum "Paradise" area, while eliminated the big open "wasted" space in the middle.
If I could afford to do it on my 6 acres, I would. Alas, even the temporary fencing isn't exactly in my budget.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

I do like the spiral design for the area where you would feed and water, consider laying grids and overlaying pea gravel to help it drain and to keep the ground from getting torn up.
For the low part see about installing a drain and gravel. I had to do that to part of my yard, it now drains into my ditch, just rain water though, nothing else so it won't contaminate the groundwater (I don't spray the yard with anything, it's all done by hand.)
Good luck with the PP.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

In my opinion (so take this with a grain of salt) PP's can be designed differently to accomplish a few different goals:

1. limit grass intake while providing movement and interest to the horse
2. enhance pasture rotation and management
3. strictly increase movement, with or without grazing
4. diffuse areas of high erosion concentration

It seems, from reading your posts that you are aiming for 3 and 4. You mention that they already have paths beaten down that they travel on. Is fencing needed? Could you spread out their needs away from the gate without spending money on fencing? Or do you want the fencing to exclude areas of pasture to let the grass grow and/or limit their intake? The spiral design uses all of the pasture so nothing is excluded, so while you may get more movement, there will be an increase in erosion and potentially a decrease in the pasture condition.

Just food for thought.


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## STT GUY (Apr 23, 2014)

Rain Shadow said:


> Okay so the black is the outer fence that was already there. Its typical board fencing. The purple is electrical tape to make the tracks. The brown is where the horses walk so you can see how they can use the entire space. They'd have hay scattered along that path. Next to the shelter was the water. They had the area by the gate as pea gravel, and a few different areas along the track as rock. They even had some logs across the path in one spot the horses had to step over. It was so neat.


 
Is that a chunk of cheese in the middle?


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

STT GUY said:


> Is that a chunk of cheese in the middle?



Yeps. I figured the shelter would look amazing built out of cheese.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

karliejaye said:


> 1. limit grass intake while providing movement and interest to the horse
> 2. enhance pasture rotation and management
> 3. strictly increase movement, with or without grazing
> 4. diffuse areas of high erosion concentration


1.) None of ours would be considered easy keepers, and our grass is pretty weed-y, so even the mini donkey stays at a healthy weight on 24/7 turnout. Making their pasture more interesting is important to me, as is having areas to encourage their hooves to self-trim.

2.) This is the main thought when it comes to winter, combined with 3 & 4, so that the pasture isn't completely destroyed like it was this past winter. To go along with the PP idea, we're finally going to be able to establish a dry lot.

3.) They all definitely need more exercise. I don't get to ride very often, and lately we've been working on some manners issues, so most of my time has been spent on/at the mounting block with minimal riding.

4.) I don't so much want to diffuse erosion as I want to optimize it so when it rains the water runs away rather than pooling up.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

BadWolf said:


> 1.) None of ours would be considered easy keepers, and our grass is pretty weed-y, so even the mini donkey stays at a healthy weight on 24/7 turnout. Making their pasture more interesting is important to me, as is having areas to encourage their hooves to self-trim.
> 
> 2.) This is the main thought when it comes to winter, combined with 3 & 4, so that the pasture isn't completely destroyed like it was this past winter. To go along with the PP idea, we're finally going to be able to establish a dry lot.
> 
> ...


 
OK, I am a bit confused now. Are you wanting to make the pasture itself into a paddock paradise, spiral style thing? Or make a section into a drylot, with the spiral fencing, and still have an open pasture for them to graze?
What do you mean "optimize" soil erosion? Wherever you have horse hooves you will have a degree of erosion, but it sounds pretty severe if you are getting a mud pit in the winter. Installing better footing and french drains will help, but only so much, the area needs to be protected from too much traffic to have a desirable effect. By diffusing the erosion I simply meant that the impact of the horses would be spread out, so it was less intense in any 1 area.

I just don't see how making a spiral fence set up on a pasture intended for grazing is going to do much good for the horses or the pasture. The grass underneath the fence rows is likely going to be underutilized and the stuff in the track itself will then have more pressure, likely getting grazed beyond the crown. Also, if you want to manage the pasture well to encourage regrowth and reseeding, it needs a break! If the whole acreage is in use there is no way to do this.

I may have this all wrong so please correct me if I've got your set up back wards! I have helped design a paddock paradise set up on an "L" shaped pasture with connected drylot, it is doable to make an interesting path, and have 2-3 rotational pastures in the middle. This was on about 3 acres. What size are you working with?


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I was drawing a diagram to explain but got called out to a field consultation to look at frog habitat...drawing to follow this afternoon.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

*a possibility for an "L" shape*










Green lumps are hay piles, blue blob is water, purple is a shelter. Grey is gravel. The alternating fence lines in there are to make the horse move more. Track could be graveled in whole or in parts. Center would be left grass, could be split further with separate gates to implement rotational grazing and increase plant vigor.
Just 1 of probably 100's of options


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

That's pretty similar to what I initially had in mind.
I realized after my last post that it probably wasn't too clear.

I'll see if I can draw it out and then we can figure out what it is I'm trying to do 
It's been "one of those days" all week long and it's only Tuesday... Safe to say, my brain is fried extra crispy right now.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

karliejaye said:


> What do you mean "optimize" soil erosion?
> 
> I have helped design a paddock paradise set up on an "L" shaped pasture with connected drylot, it is doable to make an interesting path, and have 2-3 rotational pastures in the middle. This was on about 3 acres. What size are you working with?


When I say "optimize" the erosion, I'm wanting to encourage them to wear paths in areas to help encourage water to flow away, rather than puddling up and making mud holes, like a natural ditch. 
They've already accomplished that around the barn by accident.
There's enough traffic around it, that they've worn a little ditch in the dirt and the water runs away from the building, rather than into it.
(I say "barn" but it's a dirt floor run-in. It will be a "barn" before winter.)

I've attached a drawing of what we have going on in the main pasture as of now. There's a dotted line where I'm considering doing the winter lot.
We do have two other areas they can be in, but this is the main one.
It's about 3 acres.
I walked it yesterday, and there's lots of good grass, but there's also lots of thorny weeds, so in the biggest part of the pasture, it functions like a giant slow-feeder for grass. They can't just stand and eat, they have to pick around. They have several paths worn into the grass already, and I'd love to make it even better for them.

I have some actual photos uploading now, so I'll get some of them on here in a little while.

If the picture isn't readable, I'll type up a description for it, but hopefully it works.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Nice diagram. It looks like they basically already have made a track or pp! Fencing them out of the center and breaking it up into 2-3 small pastures should help the grass get stronger to compete with the weeds. A few french drains and gravel should help with the water pooling. 
I didn't mean to jump on you about optimizing erosion...I have simply never heard the term before and was imagining something way different.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

I wasn't familiar with French drains so I had to look them up. Depending on how the barn renovation goes, we should be able to do that fairly soon. I'm now looking in to incorporating that kind of drainage into the barn itself to go below drain-thru stall mats. 
This past winter was so unusually harsh that I want to have the option to stall them when it gets really bad out. I'm sure they would appreciate it 

No worries. I didn't feel like you were jumping on me. I realized after the fact that "optimizing erosion" isn't something that's normally said. 
With the space and resources that we have, there's only so much we can do about erosion until we can get more fenced in. Since they're going to wear down the soil anyway, maybe they can do it in a way that will save me some digging.

Regarding the gravel, I'm thinking around the gate/water area since that would also help with driving the truck into the pasture when I have to haul water in the summer. That would also lend itself to having a gravel aisle in the barn, especially with those French drains.
The trough is 250 gallons, and we catch rain water from the roof of our garage (just outside the fence, across from the barn, not pictured), so moving it wouldn't really be an option.

Salt and minerals would be easy to move to anywhere else in the pasture.

The area in the bottom right corner of the drawing is a very low traffic area. To get them using it, it would be included in the winter lot, and we would probably put the round bale at that end at the highest possible point to avoid getting it too wet.

In the far end that floods in the rain (top of drawing), we want to encourage that area to be the wet/muddy area so they still have that to stand or roll in, but we want to try to eliminate where the water pools up at the near side across from the gate.

If they're going to do most of the path building on their own, that's fine with me.
Breaking up the middle for pasture rotation is probably the biggest part of my question now. 
Would the main track stay open to them, and then we allow access to each grazing area in turn by opening and closing the gates every couple of weeks, or would they be put into each grazing area for a few hours per day and then be put back on the track?

I should also say, that drawing is not even remotely to scale, if anyone's looking that closely. I just happened to have graph paper.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

Actual Photos!
Hopefully they upload in order, but here's descriptions to help match them up, just in case.

1.) The short side of the L: Dry area to the far left, damp in the middle, low traffic to the right and back
2.) Middle area of the long side of the L: Tall weeds, shorter grass, slow grazing
3.) Far end of the long side: Flood area, lowest point in the field
4.) Long side of the L: Doesn't show much going up the hill, but they do have some smaller paths weaving through the tall stuff, didn't include those in the drawing
5.) Annotated drawing: Location and direction of each photo


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Very Nice!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

There are a lot of great layouts to choose from. I have some great maps ill load on here that might give you some ideas.


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## BadWolf (Oct 12, 2012)

Follow-up question 

In the low area that floods anyway, we want to dig it out some so it stays wet/muddy.
Would it be appropriate to put a sandy bank on one/both side(s) for a different kind of ground texture? Would pea gravel be better? Or just plain mud/dirt?


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Putting coarse sand would be great. It would help keep it wet without getting that really nasty leg sucking mud.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

You could layer it, dig down, put in gravel and then cover it with coarse sand. Excess water will drain, but it'll stay moist as well. Or you could even mix the two in, like a miniature rocky 'desert' but in a wet area.


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