How much land do i need per horse?

Question

and is it a bad idea to only have 1 horse?!

I heard it was a bad idea to only have 2 horses... so should i make it 3?

Answer 1

no you'll be fine with 2 and you need 1 1/2 acres per horse

Answer 2

generally, at least 1 acre. depending where you live, you need 20 acres +/- per horse. sometimes people can get away successfully with at least 1/2 acre per horse. it isn't a bad idea to have just one 1 horse, but horses are herd animals and cope better with another horse or animal (dog, goat, donkey, llama, ...). if you keep it on your property but your neighbors have animals (horses, llamas, goats, ...) that it can be next to (with of course the fence in between) then having just 1 is fine. it is perfectly fine to have just one horse if you board it because there are already other horses there. sometimes people board at their friend's property that have other animals than horses. having 2 horses on your property is just perfect- 2 buddies without having to worry about more dominance and peking order issues. having 2 horses is usually ideal when there are no other animals around, but having just one horse is best when you are a beginner or just starting the journey of horse ownership.  

Answer 3

Well, each horse you own should have at least one acre. This varys, though, with different horses and different pastures.  For example, if your horse's pasture doesn't have a lot of grass, then you need to get him a different pasture or feed him plenty of hay.  

Whoever told you that it's a bad idea to have 2 horses couldn't be more wrong.  It doesn't matter the number of horses you own...as long as you can afford the number and can handle the amount of horses your taking care of.  However, if you own 1 horse you need to make sure to spend lots of time caring, riding, and loving on him so he's not bored or lonely all the time.  Another option would be to buy a cow, burrow, or goat.  They will keep him company and are generally less expensive then another horse.  Well, I hope I helped and good luck to you!!!

Answer 4

It depends on where you live. First of all for zoning, but secondly for the grazing capacity. When I lived in southwestern Wyoming, it was high desert, and it took at least 20 acres to support one horse year round. In eastern Wyoming where it's wetter but still sparse, it takes about 5 acres per horse. Yet I have a friend in Wisconsin who has 3 horses on 5 acres and STILL has too much grass.

A lot of people will tell you one acre per horse but that is not true everywhere by any means. If I did that, I would turn my property into dust. Or at least just weeds.

As for the number of horses...it kind of depends on the horse.  Some horses are lonely all by themselves since they are herd animals.  But if you get more horses, you start to get the problem of them being buddy sour because they are so herd bound.  So it's kind of up to you.  I would start with one, and if it is lonely, you could get another.

Answer 5

1.  How much land do you need per horse?

The local townships specify how much land you need  to have a horse.  Some townships say you can't have even one horse unless you own 10 acres with your house and outbuildings, others spec even as much as 20 acres or as little as 1 or 2.  It also depends on how you plan to house and feed your horses.  If you desire not feedingh it, but allowing it to graze for most of its food, you need a good couple acres per horse, but if you don't mind supplementing with hay and grain all year, as little as 1 acre per horse will do - this is aside from the land your house and yard encompass.

2  How many horses must one have to be healthy - there is not magic number to keep them happy and it depends on the horse.  A horse that's fairly dominant and confident in himself is perfectly fine alone.  some horses actually don't do well with others due to high dominance they push another horse around too much and people want to separate them any way.  A horse that's very unsure of itself would benefit from having a higher dominance horse around.  Horses are herd animals.  Like deer they run in herds of maybe 10 or more at a time.  So in order for them to be a natural as possible, a larger herd is better - but usually not good for the owner's pocketbook.  Domestic horses are now more accepting of confined life in small herds or even alone.  They won't pine for other horses unless they've lived in a large herd all their lives.  It also depends upon your ability with them.  If you are a sound leader for them, they won't mind going away from their pasture buddies but if you are not adept at communicating surety to the horse you are taking away, it can be stressful for you.  If you are unsure of yourself, having only one horse can create a stronger bond between you and it.  Some people I know like to have enough horses so that any left behind are not alone.  One couple has 4 - because if they take off with 2, there's never one left alone at home.  There's some truth to it - whatever works best for you.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Unless you have local zoning laws, there are no set rules for how much land.

If you are talking about grazing, usually it is an acre per horse. Depending on the kind of grass and how much, it varies as to how much grazing is needed.

Some people keep horses on very small parcels ([paddocks) and feed hay year round.

It's best to have more than one horse, but if that's all you have, try a mini or goat for company.

Answer 7

It is fine if you have two horses. they may fight though. you need two acres per horse. it would be best if you got three horses. they might leave the third one out though. if you have lots of land i would get four. but that is only if you have at least 8 acres. also you could get two big horses and a mini or two. Minni's eat very little.

Answer 8

check with your township before you go and get 2-3 horses. my parents and i were going to re do our old bank barn and bring my horse home when i was in highschool - get him a buddy - when we checked with the township we needed 5 acres for the first horse and for each additional horse we needed another acre. So before you do it check. make sure. good luck and i would go with 2 that would be fine

Answer 9

I would say that a good amount of space for a horse is maybe 5 acres- plenty of room so they don't feel cooped up.

Horses are herd animals, meaning that they do not like to be alone. Some horses are okay by themselves, but most horses need a buddy to have with them. I would say that 2 horses would work fine, unless they get too attached to each other- which can cause bad problems if they are separated.

Answer 10

Horses are herd animals. That means they like company. You can have one horse, and many people do, but it's my opinion that horses are always happier in groups.

As for how much land per horse, I would say that 3 acres per horse will keep you in grass and you won't have to worry about them being on bare dirt all the time. Yes, you can keep a horse on smaller pieces, but if you intend to let that horse graze and have plenty of grass, 3 acres per horse is good. If you do keep your horse on smaller lots, then make sure you are feeding adequate hay as well as watching for things like sand colic that is a danger once the horse gets the lot down to more dirt than grass.

Make sure before you get 1 horse that you have both room, and resources to care for that animal properly. It takes a lot of money to care for a horse, and something is always happening that will cost more money. I read someone give advice to plan on $10K/yr for care, and that's probably not a bad estimate. If you have planned for that, then your horse should have enough feed, vet care, farrier service, etc., that he needs. More horses equals more cost, so plan for that as well.

I am a bad person to ask how many horses to have. ;-)  If you have 1, why not 2, or maybe 3 would be better, or 10. If you have the room and the resources to get more then I can't in good conscience counsel against it. It'd be hypocritical. ;-)

Answer 11

2 acres for the first horse and 1 acre for the rest.. thats the law if you live in america :D 1 horse should have at least 1 friend or it can get stressed try a mini horse but make sure its friendly

Answer 12

if u dont know then u arent ready for a horse these r basic things to know and if u dont then you have no chance in being a successful horse owner as of NOW

2 acres per horse

Answer 13

about 2 archers per horse

Answer 14

at least 1-2 acres per horse but if you have like a massive pasture thats bad too cuase you caint see hat going on, like if you horse gets caught up in something or something

Answer 15

It sort of depends on the horse.  One horse may be perfectly happy by himself if he doesn't get along with other horses.  You could get two or three horses, just make sure they all get along, or turn them out separately because you don't want them to fight and hurt each other.

Generally one or two acres per horse is a good rule of thumb.  However, depending on your facility, and how your horses get turned out, you can do with less.  For instace, if you have three horses and all live outside together, you will definitely need 2+ acres.  But if all the horses share the same paddock, but go out separately, you might only need 1 - 2 acres.  And remember to leave room for a riding ring.  Horses often tare up their paddocks, so you don't want to ride in them if possible.

You should check with your town's agriculture rules too.  Some areas actually have regulations with animal inspectors.

Answer 16

1 horse is lonely

2 horses are buddies, but tend to get attached so that when you ride or work with one, you may need to tie the one that is left behind up to avoid problems...the same thing could be said for 3 horses...but, if you do only get one horse, as they are herd animals, get him a buddy...a mini horse, a goat, something.

As far as the acreage, it totally depends on where you live and what is on the land...some places are governed by local restrictions, and if you are way out in the country, it will still depend on what is growing on the land.

Answer 17

It's not a bad idea to only have one horse, so getting a buddy is good, not only another horse, because of costs, but a pony would be an option and goats serve as good buddies for lone horses too.

As for land, generally 1-2 acres of land or more, but it also depends on your local ordinance. For my town, you need at least 5 acres to have one horse on the property and then an acre for each additional horse up to 5 horses, and then if you are considered a business/boarding/breeding facility, you need to have at least 20 acres. You also have to consider what type of shelter, fencing and climate.

Answer 18

You'll need at least 1 acre per horse. You can have one horse, just get some other animal to keep it company. Like a goat or a miniature horse. Two horses are fine

Answer 19

How much land you need depends on where you live, different places have different rules. In some places, you only need an acre, in others, you need 50 per horse. You have to check your state's rules. If you only have 1 horse, you should board it so it doesn't get lonely and depressed. 2 or more can stay at home, but it costs a few thousand a year for each horse, so most people just board 1. Also I answered your other question and it sounds like your just trying to learn about horses, thats OK, but if your looking into buying, definately don't do it. You should have years of horse experience, years of riding, and a trainer's reccomendation before you consider buying.

Answer 20

The Florida Dept. of Ag. specifies 11/2 acres of IMPROVED pasture per horse.

Improved is defined as planted forage grass (usually Coastal Bermuda) that is mowed and fertilized on a regular basis.

Horses are HERD animals.  One would be lonely, two's company.

Answer 21

I think 2 acres per horse is better.  That way you can seperate pastures.  This helps the grass grow better when you allow time for the pasture to rest.  And as far as how many you should have.  Start with one.  Trust me horses are expensive.  Try a companion pet like a goat, mini horse or some other small livestock animal.  

My horse is in a herd of just 3 and they get upset when thay are seperated.  It's not a numbers game.  You can train horses to not be upset when taken away from friends.  It just takes some training. Take one horse and lead it away from its buds for a while to another part of the barns.  Wait for like 5 mins the first time.  Then walk him back to his bud and let him say hi (let them touch noses).  Repeat this process over and lenghthen the time they are seperated. (Don't over do this exercise in the begining)

Doing this excercise teaches them that even if they don't see their bud he will eventually come back and they won't freak out when seperated.  This is very important when on trail rides and one horse and rider must go alone to get help.