Yes but don’t forget to take the house, yard, barn, driveway, etc., into account. Which means a 3 acre horse property is < 2 acres of paddocks. So it is tight. I would say that a good dry lot is essential for small acreage especially but anywhere it can get cold/wet/muddy.
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I did not take the OP’s “3 acre mud pit” to mean the entire property was 3 acres. I took it literally to mean the field where the horses are kept is 3 acres of mud.
I’m not sure how anyone could forget the fact that the house, yard, etc. take up acreage?
I agree dry lots are extremely beneficial. Especially since 1 acre per horse is not feasible in many locations.
I’m not sure how anyone could forget the fact that the house, yard, etc. take up acreage?
I think it is a good point because I have found myself looking at real estate listings, seeing the acreage, and not necessarily thinking realistically about how little of it is useable for horses. We actually went to see a 6 acre place that I was so excited about, only to be get a major reality check that the lot was just not set up to make the most of the land.
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Lots of good thoughts here.
I think a whole lot depends on location. My set up is a large three sided barn that gives good protection from the elements, but no stalls whatsoever. The interior of the barn is my husbands wood shop and the feed room.
I store a round bale in a protected lean to adjacent to the horse pen. I just pitch over what they need at each feeding. It’s as easy peasy as things could get.
I live in a desert, however, and so although I have 18 acres, I have to keep the herd off of that land for 80 percent of the year - otherwise they’d damage the fragile land. Most of their time is spent hanging out together on a sizable dry lot, so they’re not cooped up and can run around a bit. I depend on 12 months of hay, which is expensive.
Also think deeply about where you want to ride and what you want to do. Yes, I have 18 acres and the view of mountains is lovely, but it’s a giant perfectly flat rectangle with no elevation change, trees or nothin’. I’d love to have access to trails nearby, but this isn’t the case for me. I often think I’d enjoy a barn, where there’d be some trail access, or schooling shows, or interest in clinics, plus opportunity for friendships of the human kind. This revelation was a surprise to me, and it occurred only after several years of having horses at home.
So it goes both ways - fun to have them home and to amble out there with them any time I want, but expensive when the pump goes out on Christmas Eve night, as ours did. Arg. Make friends with plumbers and electricians and the well man. That’s worth $1000 bucks right there, when they show up on Christmas Eve night with a headlamp saying “Let’s get you going again.”
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Very true. Google maps/earth satellite and street view (if available) are your friends. It doesn’t matter if the property is 2 acres or 200 acres, the listed acreage means nothing in terms of how much is useable.
Even with the satellite maps, you can still be in for a rude surprise. We had our hearts broken many times when shopping. One of the worst was a 6ac property with a very nice pole barn and stalls that looked great on satellite. But NOTHING was useable pasture land when we visited due to a poorly placed mound septic system and bad drainage.
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When we moved to our place, I knew a dry lot was a necessity because I have a horse I wasn’t sure I could have on grass all of the time. Turns out I needed a dry lot because otherwise my grass would be totally destroyed. For my area of the country, I actually have a lot of space for the small number of horses I plan to support, but it’s still not big enough to let them out on grass 24/7. Stalls are a necessity to (1) give the grass some break from wear-and-tear, and (2) to manage the very different feed requirements of my horses. I feel like, if given the option, horses would rather be on grass 12 hours a day and 12 hours a day in a stall than 24 hours a day on a huge dirt lot.
Her OP said she was looking at only properties over 3 acres so I assumed a “3 acre mudpit” could be the entire farm. So, when talking about 1 horse/acre, just remember that is in theory, a grazing term, not a total horsekeeping rule of thumb. Some zoning rules do have restrictions about how many horses/acres but that’s also really subjective. My neighbor had about 40 feral ponies on 4-5 acres, but the town didn’t take action because the property was 25 acres or so.
I agree that Google earth is a great resource and definitely need an in-person look at the whole setup.
The setup can make or break how easily it can be managed.
All of the above posts provide great info—amen. I’ll start by saying that acreage is really important. One, if you have horses and want to ride, if you don’t have room for an arena or access to trails then you have to haul everywhere to ride. The other things are mud and flies. Mud was addressed in depth above—no pun intended. But flies…even with feed-through fly stuff and spray, they are just a reality.
When you own an acreage property, just be aware that you will NEVER keep the upper hand on Mother Nature or things falling apart!!! Seems that no matter where you live, weather can be an issue but hopefully not ALL THE TIME. I’m in central Texas and we have huge swings—sometimes 50° within 24 hours. We might be pretty dry for a long time and then have flash-floods rip out fences. Our killer freeze last year totally took out my pump house and water pipes, so I had no running water in house or barn for over a month. If you look at properties, always try to see where water comes from and where it goes on that property—go see it in really wet weather!
I have 90 acres and so, what others said. You spend a LOT of time mowing/shredding pasture, fixing fences, fixing broken pipes, cutting up trees that fall down, repairing roofs—dealing with a manure pile—I got a small spreader which makes this SO MUCH easier. But you name it—it breaks and needs fixed. You WILL bleed money for awhile until you get everything located, figured out, replaced, or locked in. Equipment expenses add up too. My 50hp JD is 19 years old and summer before last spent almost 4 months in the shop for new radiator, hydraulic stuff, the shredder bolt sheared off, brakes, then the PTO clutch went out—a little over $10,000 of repairs. Granted—it is maintained annually and has been absolutely stellar before and since, but they DO age. I also have a second large lawn tractor that lasted 11 years and I just had to replace this winter. Chain saw, weed wacker/brush cutters—you can start to claim tractor oil changes and “small engine carbureter replacement” on your resume as a skill. I also have a full-time business that, fortunately, I’ve run out of where I live for 35 years, so I’m here with the horse(s) and don’t have to commute. That saves time. But, I love to work outside and I don’t need a gym membership, and maybe I’m not bringing my OTTB along at anything faster than a snail’s pace—but I wouldn’t trade it.
Make sure you have a good hay supplier and equipment needed to move hay (if you use 3-wire or round bales), space to store feed, hay, and shavings away from rodents and the farm critters.
Don’t trust Google for accurate location information.You have to go see it yourself, walk the fence lines, know where you have ways to get in and out without there being —surprise!—the neighbor’s fence or private road that doesn’t show up on Google. And whether the land is even usable.
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About the only things I can think of to answer your question is:
How muddy does it get around the barn area/ dry lot/ sacrifice area or on the way to the pasture when you get rain or snow melt ?
Does rain / snow/ winter winds blow into the barn or run in shed?
Does the outside water hydrant freeze in overly cold weather?
Are there outlets for plugging in heated water buckets/ tubs??
And I feel so incompetent just reading that 
:dizzy: I have to say I get so irritated feeling like I don’t know how to do anything, fix anything, make anything, etc. If I were a dog, sometimes I think I would be a Pomeranian!
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If you are not familiar with the area, visit other horse properties/commercial stables and check their footing. Can the native soil be groomed to be rideable, or will you have to install a purpose-built arena ($$$$$)? When I bought my current place (not intended to be the end-goal lifetime horse property, but suitable for small-scale horse keeping for a couple of years), which had no horses at the time, the sand (native soil) looked nice and firm with enough water. Turns out once horses get on it, their hooves churn it up too much even when wet. I did a stopgap fix of spreading compost which makes it usable but long term someone would want to put in a real arena with compacted base.
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Agree with above posters that your horses will have much, much better care. And you can control turnout.
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Another big benefit is lower blood pressure–no barn drama, gossip, people scrutinizing your horsemanship and commenting thereon, etc. etc. etc. Of course, the flip side is less access to help, lessons etc. but the peace and quiet are lovely.
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You will spend much, much more money than expected, on things you didn’t even know you would have to. Fencing that looked OK but turned out to not withstand 'Dozer Mare, good-quality feeders after seeing how much hay was wasted otherwise, hotwire supplies after horses found the weak points in the dry lot perimeter…the list goes on, although thankfully now at a slower rate than at first…you will be amazed at what will surface.
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Yes!! I was, and still am, frustrated by how much work and money we still need to put into our 14 acre property in order to have more space dedicated to the horses. They currently have 6 acres, but would have closer to 10 if we ever get the scrub and deadfall and nasty honey suckle cleared out of the rest of the pastures!
So, I think that’s really smart of you to be considering what parts of the property will work for the horses and what parts will not. Some of that you won’t be able to figure out until you’ve lived there through all 4 seasons…water and drainage can really make you change your plans!
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Two words—YouTube videos! I didn’t know any of it when I started either!!! An ex-boyfriend years ago taught me how to operate heavier equipment. You can do it. Another great advantage of having an acreage place is that if neighbors are also on acreage, most are willing to give advice or help or lend a tool. I’m still learning how to ask for help—it’s much easier to go help someone else! I shredded a 10-acre section for my neighbor across the road because it was way too deep this year for his small tractor—but he’s replaced my truck brakes and shocks for me. And my dishwasher pump!
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well we do not feed grain at all
I grew up with horses at home, boarded for many years and just recently finally got our barn built. My horses are SO relaxed and happy and seeing them twice a day+ is a joy every horse owner should experience. They’re also not stalled (but have stalls) and out on pasture most days.
That’s why they are so happy. And it reduces work immensely. But there are times they are on the dry lot during bad weather or in the summer during the day when it’s ungodly hot and there are bugs. Then the work goes up considerably. Stall cleaning, filling hay bags, cleaning up hay chaf, etc.
Key to me is having the RIGHT equipment and barn design and set up. Having an efficient and low body wear operation really makes a difference. I simply tip my muck cart into a front end loader on our tractor and go dump. Installed auto waterers - simply wipe the bowls clean once a week. HUGE save in lifting and time. Have one years supply of hay. Huge dry lot. These things REALLY matter. Yes, winter can get tough. You get inches of snow and spend hours moving it away from the lean for example.
Always a list of projects either maintenance or farm construction plans and then there’s the vet, farrier, sawdust delivery, etc.
Do you have a flexible work schedule? Maybe you don’t even have to work or leave home? That would be a luxury.
How old are you and how is your health? I was always a work horse and healthy and since building the barn have had one issue after the next and in nearly constant pain. Trigger thumb, mid-foot arthritis, hernia. I’m almost 60 and wasn’t expecting this. Hopefully you are much younger. But still glad to have my horses at home and planning to get a third.
Yes, it’s expensive and taking every discretionary dollar I have but wouldn’t trade it for anything. Just wish I’d done this 10 years ago before home renovations.
Yes, you do need an indoor, an outdoor, or truck and trailer to haul out if you ride. And you better ride if you are a rider… or I’ve seen friends become very unhappy at home if you stop.
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We moved to our 9.5 acre farmlet just over 2yrs ago and absolutely love it.
Be ready and have the mental capacity to learn, figure things out and overcome challenges that will be thrown your way. I would have really struggled if I’d started a new job or bought a young horse at the same time. But one of my friends moved to a different area, to their first farm and had their first baby and has somehow thrived – your mileage may vary.
The money is ridiculous. Everything will suddenly break at the most inopportune time, you will need extra tools, fencing, feed etc etc.
Less land =/= less work. The right land & set up = less work. Our 9.5 acres is less work than a friends 3.5 acres – plus it’s easier to get contractors in to do things like 5 acres of hay vs 1 acre of hay.
Try not to rush decisions about changes / spending. Our place had a lovely house but zero horse suitable things, and I do regret that we spent money on some temporary measures that are now being replaced with permanent fixes.
Location – Mr F was firm on proximity to our little city. This has been huge – having supermarkets, farm supply stores, cafes & restaurants only 10-15min away made the transition way easier. Some people love being further out and don’t mind the drive – but this is perfect for us. Plus it has meant that our place is probably worth more now than similarly priced properties 2.5yrs ago when we were looking.
One final thing – for me it’s important to prioritize riding and doing non-horsey things with Mr F when he wants to. It’s easy to be caught up in all the things that need to be done – but it’s a marathon, not a sprint. As long as things are safe then there’s always tomorrow to spray the weeds.
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The most important thing is that you have what you need to ride. Whether for you that is trails or an arena. Make that a priority to either have or for you to create sooner or later.
Always buy on a hill.
It is great if you can see the property after or during major rain.
Out here if they say horse property it usually means s##- land, if it says cattle land, if is usually fertile land.
Tell the realtor how much gravel roads you will put up with before they start taking you to farms.
Oh my god the shit shack comment was a joke. Lighten up. Although there was another thread about deep bedding, which works for some people. .
Congrats?
This is what we are facing right now. We went under contract on a horse ready property with 2 barns and multiple turnout sheds in the fields. The desperate, bankrupt seller sold off the out buildings before closing, leaving us with a mess for which there was no real recourse in this hot market. The property was very much not horse ready by the time we moved in.
It’s been tricky, not having enough time or capital to replace all the horse facilities the way we want them all at once. We have had to employ a lot of quick fixes while trying to save money to do things the right way in the future.
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