Horse Paddocks - How big?

It is important for horses to be outside and be a horse, exercise and socialize with their horse friends. But, there is controversy on how big should their outdoor pen be?

Suprisingly, a horse can be within a smaller paddock than you think and be quite comfortable and content. As long as the horse can move about, roll safely and jog around, the pen is big enough.

It is a myth that a horse needs acres and acres of land for turn-out. This rule only applies to grazing on grass fields where each horse needs at least one acre to itself. The reason? So the grass can grow fast enough to supply enough for the horse to eat! That is all! In other words, if the horse is in a small area and is dependent on the grass growing in that area, it may eat the grass up faster than the grass can grow back, which in turn, turns the area into mud.

In fact, larger paddocks or pastures allows the horse to gallop and race around. Galloping is not good for legs as horses can slip very easily. The chance for injury is greater with larger paddocks. Top notch instuctors and veterinarians will tell you the same.

Large open spaces are more inviting to humans than to their horse. People just tend to think that their horse needs lots of space and it is just not true. The horse is quite happy within an environment where it has food, water and enough room to stretch, play and feel the warm sun.

If your horse is in a large paddock or pasture, wonderful! But understand something that seems great, may also be causing other issues. Like a greater chance of worm infestation. Horses on grassy paddocks or pastures are likely to get more worms because worms are much more prominant in grassy environments. In dirt paddocks, worms are more scarce because of little vegitation to thrive in!

So, give your horse de-worming paste monthly if it lives or is turned-out within a grassy environment. Ask your vet!