How many horses per acre?

[tpup]

What is ideal regarding horses per acre? Is 6 on 10 acres too many (2 are ponies)? This year the grass is especially good but just wondering. Thanks :)

[JB]

If it's average grass, it's generally at least 2 acres per horse if you want that to be their sole source of forage. If it's less acreage per horse, or the grass is less than average, then you usually have to supplement hay to the average to harder keepers. The easy keeper could maintain, but there's a point where the grass gets eaten down too much and you risk the health of the grass, so you should still supplement hay.

So, you're at about 5 per 10 acres (I'll count the ponies as 1 horse :D). so you're on the border.

Just watch the grass. Grazing some varieties too short can kill it, or make it very slow to recover.

[camohn]

Ditto what JB said

[ryansgirl]

Generally two acres per horse is the rule like others have said. I have two TB's out 24/7 on four acres and it is more than they could ever possibly eat. There is just no way they could eat that field down. A lot depends on the grass that is out there and how much the horses can eat. But yes two acres per horse is the standard to go by :).

[Janet]

Depends on where you are. Around here, to avoid overgrazing, 2 acres per horse is the rule of thumb.

But in parts of the SW you need many more acres per horse, and in some areas (Kentucky bluegrass?) you can go to 1 acre per horse.

I have kept 4 horses on 5 acres, but they spent a lot of time in the sacrifice paddocks with hay, to protect the pasture from overgrazing.