What is the minimum acreage...?

Question

what is the minimum acreage you can own a horse on?

and also what is the minimum acreage you can own two horses on?

Answer 1

It totally depends on where you are.  In Wisconsin, we had 3 horses on 5 acres and there was STILL too much grass (we ended up mowing to get it under control).  Then in western Wyoming, which is desert, it took 30 acres per horse (I'm not exagerrating...it is really dry there).  And now in eastern Wyoming, 2 acres isn't enough for one horse.  I bet I'd need 5 acres per horse.  These numbers are for letting horses just eat grass, not supplementing with hay, at least during the non-winter months.

There are also regulations in most places.  Some are city or county ordinances, and some are covenants placed on the subdivision/development where your house is.  So you'd have to check on those to make sure you are not exceeding their quotas.

Answer 2

depends on where you live and regulations.

depends if you plan to let them stay out and eat or keep in corrals and feed.

in ohio my friends and i had 6 - 10 acres for two horses.

this had our houses, barns and separate fenced fields.

mine was the smallest at 6.  had a two stall barn with three separate fields.  rotated every other month, so never over used a field.  would keep two mowed and reseeded while using one.  the two farthest fields had three sided shelters.

water lines ran out so they had fresh water.  we only fed in winter and i only brought in to stalls on the really bad weather.

never had problems with this system.

Answer 3

I was told to allow 1.5 acres grazing for the first horse and to add 1 extra acre per extra horse. However, if you're in the States I believe different areas have different rules and if you just want some turnout ( ie not grazing the land ) then you could get away with less but then you would have to feed them more.

Answer 4

If the acreage contains thick grasses (not weeds) you should have 2 acres per horse.  If you have 2 or more horses, you may want to up that a little, say 1/2 an acre for each additional horse.  So, if you have 2 horses, I'd say you'd want a minimum of 4 1/2 acres of good grassy fields.  

If you have more than that, you may want to divide the field and rotate the horses between 2 fields as the grass gets thin.  While the field is recuperating from grazing horses and you have it dragged with a chain harrow, you can put your horses in the other field where the grass hasn't been eaten down.  Two fields is also great for winter time..you can sacrifice one field and have something good to turn the horses out on once warmer weather settles in.

Answer 5

where I live, there is no zoning so there is no wrong answer here...so there is nobody to call. Personally though...I follow the general rule of 1.5 acre for the first horse and add .50 acres for each horse after that. In that small of area, you will have to feed hay. But you will want to call the court house where you live and find out for sure if there is certain limits and if  you even in a area that is zoned for livestock.

Answer 6

you should have at least 1&1/2 - 2  acres per horse, assuming you are talking about pastureage.  If you just need enough room for them to run around, then 1/2 to 1 acre per horse is plenty but you will have to feed hay.

Answer 7

You need at least 1 and a half acres of land for one horse, 3 for two etc.  But of course the more the merrier.  You could then invest in electric fencing and strip graze.  Horses can be rather selective eaters and will poach the whole field in wet weather, ruining the grass and the earth.  It will also prevent them eating too much and when you move the fences it will give the old patch time to rest and regrow.  Either way, poo picking is essential to keep the grass clean and sweet.  Water and shelter must be supplied.

Answer 8

First you have to check into your local laws. But my first house was 1/3 of acre. I had 2 horses in corrals. They only got hay. In southern Ca. Most horses are in corrals & only get hay.  Here in Las Vegas my horses only get hay. So horses don't have to graze to live.

Answer 9

my best suggestion, is that if you want to have a home, barn, arena, and field(s). . . i'd start out at 5-6 acres and go up from there. at least 3 acres for the fields, so if you need to replant, you can rope off parts of the field/spilt into two fields and have more to work with along the lines of good grass.

what we plan to do with our fields (we have more then enough, but it still should work no matter how much land you have). make two fields, 1-2 acres each. plant them with good grass (the better the grass the less hay they have to eat.. saves money), and then if needs be we'll roate the two and replant/weed as needed.  (we're planing on having two horses)

min for one: 5 acres (in my opinion) (with a house/barn/arena on the land)

min for two: 6-8 (again in my opinion) (with a house/barn/arena on it)

it makes it so much less of a worry to have alittle bit more room to move stuff/horses around. everyone is right when they say call to make sure what the laws are in you're area. (sry i didnt think of that, we have 47, so it's no big deal what we choose to do)

Answer 10

That all depends on what town and state you are in.  Most towns have their own laws for horse ownership and acreage.  You need to contact your town hall/clerk's office.  They can tell you.

Answer 11

Where I am (MD) you have to have 2 acres to have a horse. But, if you have the initial 2 then you can have 1 horse per acre. So, you have to have 2 acres to have 1, but you could also put 2 on that.

I personally think that you should have 2+ acres to have horses. As far as grazing goes though, you can rotate fields, to let grasses regrow and give the horses a little more hay (tim. or grass mix).

You can get by with 1 or 2 horse per acre, in my opinion.