Creating my horse barn

ultrarunner · Apr 16, 2015

That would be kind of a surprise and just think Bell spared you from being up all night... very thoughtful!

Looks like the herd is expanding... kids love the newborns... between Oscar and the your Herd of horses you park will have quite a few attractions.

Congratulations to the proud parents...

ronchp · Apr 16, 2015

I agree with the comments about overfeeding. The mare with new foal will probably need more feed than the others. Recommend a vet check on those 2 at least. Unless you got vet records from previous owners they should all get at least an annual vet check with shots and coggins test if you want to take them off your property. You may need to feed from buckets and tie them with their halters to prevent whoever the boss horse is from being a bully and driving the others away from their feed. Not all horses need the same amount of feed to maintain proper weight. I have used a similar trough before like the one in your pictures, but we used it for mineral salt instead of feed. Great looking barn you built! Good luck with the horses. They can be an expensive yet really enjoyable hobby.

s219 · Apr 16, 2015

Wow Eddie, you are on an accelerated schedule! Paint is barely dry on the barn and you're already getting a foal! You all must be real excited.

Buppies · Apr 17, 2015

Great pictures thanks for sharing. Beautiful place you have too

Beltman60 · Apr 17, 2015

WOW
nothing like a new family member
looks like a cutie

EddieWalker · Apr 17, 2015

Looks like I have to put drain holes in the trough. Last nights storm dumped an inch and a half in an hour with strong winds. I figured I might need to, but also figured it would be a simple thing to do if I had to when i needed to.

When the horses got here, they ate non stop for four days. They have slowed down a lot to the point that most of the time they are either just standing there, or interacting with each other. The grass was just getting going, but now it's all nicely mowed down. Do you guys put hay out for them to eat to give the grass a break or will it matter? Will they eat the grass down to nothing? Originally we planned on 2 horses, but that got out of control quickly and now I'm unsure how long the grass will last that's been a battle to keep mowed before having horses.

Eddie

riptides · Apr 17, 2015

EddieWalker said:
The grass was just getting going, but now it's all nicely mowed down. Do you guys put hay out for them to eat to give the grass a break or will it matter? Will they eat the grass down to nothing?

Eddie

Better plan on splitting your pastures, and start rotations. They will turn areas to dirt/mud in no time.

Also, do you have a "throw away" pasture? This is an area where you can isolate animals, and no "care" for the grass.

Our paddock area near the barn is considered throw away. No grass, just hay feeding in that area.

ultrarunner · Apr 17, 2015

Cross fencing and rotation is the only way to keep limited pasture producing.

EarPlug · Apr 17, 2015

You will need at minimum 1 acre (2 would be better) of very good grass pasture per horse. Yes they will eat it down to unreproducible levels and turn it into mud. Supplemental feeding of hay will reduce the pressure on the pastures.

Horse are a grazing animal that are programmed to eat all day long. If you feed them hay twice per day that will fill them up to where they will only nibble on the pasture versus "eating" it.

He is a good article on small horse acreage management Graze Anatomy: Handling horses on a small acreage - Features - Horsetalk.co.nz