Are you searching for property for your horses but are not sure how much property is enough?
The ideal property for a horse is to make sure there is enough room for the horse to have pastures to graze in, plus an area that you can sacrifice as a dirt lot. This is usually around the barn area and used as a paddock.
The rule of thumb is to have an acre of pasture per horse, even if the township allows less than that. This gives enough grazing area for each horse.
The pastures need to be rotated about every three weeks to prevent them from being overgrazed. When a pasture is overgrazed, weeds tend to take over and choke out the grass. The pastures should be divided into a minimum of 2 sections for rotation. Most grasses will become stressed if grazed to a length shorter than 3 inches.
To help prevent overgrazing of the pastures, throw some hay to the horses. Why do that when they are on grass? It will help save your grass and save you money in the long run. Overgrazed pastures will set you up for even a greater expense the next year.
Have weeds in the pastures that seem to be taking over? Mow the pastures on a regular basis. Keeping the weeds cut short will reduce their ability to reseed.
If you want to keep your horses happy and grazing in the summer, keep these simple steps in mind when searching for property for your horses.
Brigita, what great ideas...I always wonder about things like that when I drive by a farm/etc where horses are grazing in mud....I sure hope that is temporary and they have other grazing grassy areas....you know me..worry wart!
Kristin:
Hopefully those horses are only in the paddock area and get to go out into the pastures.
Brigita